These Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes are so vibrant and colorful, you immediately feel like eating them. These are creamy, nutritious, and come together in 30 minutes.
Here are some more sweet potato recipes that you may like – Chicken Sweet Potato Soup, Sweet Potato Hummus, Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges, Thai Sweet Potato Curry, and Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.
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About This Recipe
Give your regular sweet potato mash a vibrant and beautiful twist with these mashed purple sweet potatoes. These are nutritious, comforting, and make for an incredible side dish.
This purple sweet potato mash has a candy-sweet taste to it and is much sweeter than regular mashed sweet potatoes. They have a completely different flavor, which will surely satiate your taste buds.
I have used my classic recipe to make Instant pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes and adapted it for purple sweet potatoes in place of regular potatoes. The purple sweet potatoes are drier than the regular sweet potatoes so I increased the quantity of a few ingredients to make sure they turn out perfectly creamy.
Serve it as a side dish topped with some butter and crushed nuts on top. The beautiful purple color will surely make your meal look even better.
Purple Sweet Potato Health Benefits
Purple sweet potatoes are surely appealing to look at, but along with that vibrant purple color they are also loaded with many nutrients.
They are very low in fat and carbohydrates and rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and fiber. Due to rich fiber content and less fat, they are great to include in your weight loss diet, as they will keep you full for longer.
They are rich in antioxidants, making them great for your skin, eyes, and overall health.
They are also a great source of calcium and potassium.
Ingredients
Purple Sweet Potatoes – You can select any variety of purple sweet potatoes you can find. They basically come in 3 varieties – Okinawan, Molokai, and Stokes.
The most commonly found purple sweet potato would be stokes or Japanese purple sweet potatoes, which are dense, a little dry, and less sweet than the other varieties.
You can either find them in Asian supermarkets or organic vegetable sections of whole foods and trader joes.
Olive Oil – Go for good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
Butter, Sour Cream, and Cream Cheese – The addition of these 3 ingredients makes the sweet potato mash rich and creamy.
Garlic – Fresh garlic makes everything taste even better.
How To Make Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes
Preparation
Wash 2 pounds (1 kg) of purple sweet potatoes well and peel them using a vegetable peeler.
Note – You can leave the skin on if you like the earthy flavor, but if you like them creamy, then peel the skin.
Cut the purple sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Make sure the cubes are equal in size for even cooking. You can also slice the sweet potatoes into ½ inch thick round slices.
Tip – Keep the sweet potato cubes soaked in water until ready to use otherwise they will become black in color due to oxidation. I prefer to peel and cube them just before cooking.
Peel 4-5 garlic cloves and gather the remaining ingredients.
It’s better if the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream are at room temperature for easy mixing.
Cook The Purple Sweet Potatoes
Add the purple sweet potato cubes to the instant pot along with 4-6 whole peeled garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ cup water.
Tip – You can replace water with vegetable or chicken stock for added flavor.
Put the lid on the instant pot and close it well.
Set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer for 12 minutes on high pressure.
The instant pot will take some time (approx 10-12 minutes) to build the pressure and start the timer.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a spoon or a kitchen towel to move the valve to avoid steam burn.
Once the pressure is released, open the lid.
Mash the Purple Sweet Potatoes
Mash the sweet potatoes using a potato masher or a hand blender. There is no need to drain the water.
Add 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoon salted butter, ½ cup sour cream, and ¼ cup cream cheese to the pot and mash until the potatoes are smooth and creamy and everything is mixed well. Check for salt and add more if required.
Transfer the mashed purple sweet potatoes to the serving bowl. Top with a dollop of butter and serve hot.
Tip – If you are making these for a get-together, then press the KEEP WARM setting of the instant pot and let the mashed potatoes be there for up to 3-4 hours. This way you can make them beforehand, but they will be ready to serve when the dinner is served.
Serving Suggestions
This purple sweet potato mash serves as a great side dish with grilled chicken, fish, grilled or sautéed veggies, or any curry and rice combination.
You can top them with some butter and crushed nuts. You can also top them with some coconut oil and finish off with flaky sea salt.
To make a sweeter version, drizzle some maple syrup on top and sprinkle crushed pecans. This version is perfect for Thanksgiving or holiday meals.
Storage Suggestions
These mashed potatoes taste best when served warm, right out of the instant pot.
But if you have leftovers, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Add some milk before storing them as they will thicken once refrigerated. Add some more milk before re-heating if they have still gotten thick and dry.
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Recipe Card
Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pound purple sweet potatoes (1 kg, peeled and cubed)
- 4-6 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter (at room temperature)
- ½ cup sour cream (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup cream cheese (ar room temperature)
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash the purple sweet potatoes well and peel them using a vegetable peeler.
- Note – You can leave the skin on if you like the earthy flavor, but if you like them creamy, then peel the skin.
- Cut the purple sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Make sure the cubes are equal in size for even cooking. You can also slice the sweet potatoes into ½ inch thick round slices.
- Tip – Keep the sweet potato cubes soaked in water until ready to use otherwise they will become black in color due to oxidation. I prefer to peel and cube them just before cooking.
- Peel 4-5 garlic cloves and gather the remaining ingredients.
- It’s better if the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream are at room temperature for easy mixing.
Cook The Purple Sweet Potatoes
- Add the purple sweet potato cubes to the instant pot along with garlic cloves, salt, and water.
- Tip – You can replace water with vegetable or chicken stock for added flavor.
- Put the lid on the instant pot and close it well.
- Set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer for 12 minutes on high pressure.
- The instant pot will take some time (approx 10-12 minutes) to build the pressure and start the timer.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a spoon or a kitchen towel to move the valve to avoid steam burn.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid.
Mash the Purple Sweet Potatoes
- Mash the sweet potatoes using a potato masher or a hand blender. There is no need to drain the water.
- Add extra virgin olive oil, butter, sour cream, and cream cheese to the pot and mash until the potatoes are smooth and creamy and everything is mixed well. Check for salt and add more if required.
- Transfer the mashed purple sweet potatoes to the serving bowl. Top with a dollop of butter and serve hot.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!