Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
Featuring a sweet and salty combination of flavors, these Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon are an excellent side dish!
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I’m a sucker for mashed potatoes. When it comes to winter comfort food, classic mashed potatoes rank near the top of the list. They’re a blank canvas for adding all sorts of delicious toppings – cheese, bacon, herbs, sour cream, etc. Last fall we decided to mix things up a bit and trade the classic Idaho Gold potatoes for sweet potatoes. Yum!
This Mashed Sweet Potatoes recipe is absolutely delicious. Mashed sweet potatoes by themselves are quite tasty, but we added a few other ingredients here that took these ‘taters from good to “woah – I need more of these in my life!”
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
Most notably, we crumbled crispy thick-cut bacon on top of the mashed sweet potatoes. The combination of the sweeter potatoes with the salty bacon was fantastic! We also sautéed an onion in a bit of the bacon fat. If the bacon alone didn’t bring enough flavor, then the onion certainly did.
One ingredient in this recipe might seem a bit odd, though. Coconut milk. I always use a bit of milk to thin mashed potatoes – no one wants thick, lumpy mashed potatoes! A number of years ago, a vegan friend of ours made mashed sweet potatoes and used coconut milk to thin ’em out. The flavor was fantastic. We aren’t vegan, but I still use coconut milk with sweet potatoes. Coconut milk + sweet potatoes are amazing partners!
This Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon would make for a fantastic Thanksgiving side dish. Serving sweet potatoes with brown sugar, pure maple syrup and marshmallows might be more common, but I’m personally not a huge fan of the sweet on sweet. I’ll save my sweets for dessert instead!
This sweet + salty version of mashed sweet potatoes is my kinda recipe. The sweet potatoes do bring a noticeable sweetness to the dish, but the bacon, onion, sour cream and fresh herbs balance it out on the savory side.
Should you peel the sweet potatoes before boiling?
Ah – you’re in luck! You can choose whether or not to peel the sweet potatoes. Obviously peeling them will lead to a smoother texture once they’re mashed. However, I like leaving the skins on the potatoes. The result is a bit more rustic, but I think the skins bring a nice taste and texture to the finished dish. Not only does it save time to leave ’em unpeeled, but the skins of sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, potassium and iron.
Can you make this recipe dairy-free?
Absolutely! Just omit the butter and sour cream and use a bit more coconut milk until mashed potatoes reach the desired consistency.
A secret weapon for mashed potatoes
A stand mixer. Ok – so maybe it’s not so secret. However, once I switched to using a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) for making mashed potatoes, I’ve never looked back. Not only is it easier than mashing potatoes with a potato masher, but you can make the mashed potatoes much fluffier and lighter in texture. Win-win!
What to serve with these mashed sweet potatoes?
We made these sweet potatoes as a side dish for Thanksgiving last year, and they were a huge hit. However, this recipe would also be fantastic alongside a grilled pork chop or chicken breast. It’s an excellent side dish! (Bonus: the leftovers reheat well, too!)
Several folks at our local farmer’s markets here in Asheville sell large bags of sweet potatoes. Whenever we pick up a bag, this Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon recipe is one of our go-to’s. I hope it becomes a go-to in your house, too!
Did you make a batch of these Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes rinsed and scrubbed
- 8 oz. bacon
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk see note
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cut sweet potatoes into 1”-wide slices. Cut each slice in half to create half-moon shapes. (Note: I prefer to leave the skins on the sweet potatoes, but feel free to peel them at this step if you’d like!)
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and pat dry with paper towels.
- Drain excess bacon grease from skillet, but leave ~1 Tbsp in skillet. Add diced onions to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until onions have softened.
- Once sweet potatoes are fork tender, drain potatoes and place in a large bowl. (Note: The bowl of a stand mixer is helpful!)
- Add sour cream, softened butter, coconut milk, thyme, salt and pepper to the bowl. Using a hand mixer (or paddle attachment of a stand mixer), beat potatoes until smooth. (Note: Feel free to beat more or less depending on your preferences for chunky vs. smooth mashed potatoes!)
- Add onions and cooked bacon; stir until well combined.
Notes
Looking for more sweet potatoes recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu i never had mashed sweet potatoes with bacon before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
This recipe is one of our favorites, Ramya – we’ve been making it for years. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Wonderful. I love savory sweet potatoes. No marshmallows for me!
Same here! Marshmallows and sweet potatoes should never be in the same recipe as far as I’m concerned. Well…unless we’re doing something crazy like sweet potato cupcakes with marshmallow frosting. 🙂
yes that’s a great idea to use coconut milk! Years ago a friend made a mash of carrot and pumpkin and another of potato and carrot – so delicious. Mm we don’t eat bacon anymore so maybe a few capers? …
Capers could definitely work here. Although I think you could omit the bacon (or capers) entirely and still have a fantastic side dish!
Great recipe David! I think the coconut milk idea is smashing. I’ve just added this to my American Thanksgiving in Sweden annual dinner menu.
Ohhh – that’s a great idea to put it on the American Thanksgiving menu, Ron. I promise this one is a winner!! 🙂
Mmm what a lovely combination of sweet and salty, and that hint of coconut from the coconut milk — sounds heavenly!
These sweet potatoes are absolutely fantastic, Michelle – a favorite around here during the fall and winter!
Fantastic, I’ll be using your recipe next time we mash Sweet Potato, I love adding bacon to meals whenever I can, but coconut milk is new to me with potatoes. Great idea. Thanks, David
Oh, please do let me know what you think after you try this recipe, Pauline! It’s one of our favorites, and that coconut milk is a surprising – but really tasty – addition. Enjoy!
I’m a sucker for mashed potatoes too, and I especially love sweet potatoes. These look super tasty, David. Just my kinda comfort food. And, lucky me, I just happen to have sweet potatoes on hand. Perfect for the holiday season… or a random Monday! 😉
These mashed sweet potatoes are a great side dish, and they’re on regular rotation during the fall and winter months here. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do, Dawn!
I’m a huge fan of mashed sweet potatoes (or any mashed potatoes), but I’m just like you – I prefer savoury variations while sweet toppings are more common in North America. Sweet potatoes are… well sweet enough, so I prefer to balance out their natural sweetness with savoury components. Bacon and thyme is really such a lovely combo, and I’ll probably could gobble up the entire bowl. Sorry no sharing when it comes to potatoes! 🙂
I hear ya, Ben – sweet potatoes are already sweet. I don’t need to add a bunch of marshmallow and brown sugar. I prefer to save that for dessert! This recipe for mashed sweet potatoes is fantastic. I highly recommend making a batch for dinner soon!
Oh, I’m right there with you on the love for mashed potatoes, and this twist with sweet potatoes and bacon sounds absolutely mouthwatering! The combination of sweet and salty flavors is always a winner, and I can imagine how the bacon and onion complement the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes beautifully.
Sweet potatoes are great mashed – and using coconut milk is a surprisingly delicious twist here. Give it a try for sure!