How to make mashed sweet potatoes in microwave

If you are big on sweet potatoes but short on time, there's an easy solution: Microwave your sweet potatoes. It's really the best way. Microwaving sweet potatoes cuts down cook time by 45 to 55 minutes and helps maintain nutritional value. All cooking methods cause foods to lose some of their nutrients, but the quicker your potato cooks, the more nutrients it will retain. Baking a sweet potato in the microwave preserves far more nutrients (folate, vitamins A and C) than boiling it, for example. To learn how to microwave a sweet potato, read on.

Microwaving Sweet Potatoes

Is there a difference between the terms "baking," "cooking," or "steaming" sweet potatoes in the microwave? No. These are all different ways of describing this simple microwave process.

How Long to Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Microwave

Because sweet potatoes vary so much in size and weight, there's no one-size-fits-all time limit. In general, it takes five minutes to cook one sweet potato in the microwave, and add two minutes in the microwave for each additional potato.

How to Microwave Sweet Potatoes

Don't bother covering your potato in plastic wrap or with a towel because the sweet potato comes in its own jacket—its skin!

Instructions

1. Clean sweet potatoes under running water with a produce scrubbing brush, and pat dry.
2. Pierce the sweet potato skin with a fork 5 to 6 times.
3. Place the sweet potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 5-10 minutes—five minutes to cook one sweet potato in the microwave, and add two minutes for each additional potato—rotating them halfway through.
4. You are done microwaving your sweet potatoes when a fork spears into them easily. If they are too firm, continue to cook your sweet potatoes in the microwave in one-minute increments.

Bonus Sweet Potato Recipes

Microwaving sweet potatoes doesn't need to stop with the simple potato in its jacket! Enjoy these microwave-friendly sweet potato side dishes in under 10 minutes.

Have you tried mashed sweet potatoes, yet? It’s easy to fall in love with this ultra creamy sweet potato mash made with butter and a hint of cinnamon. These are on the savory side, but I’ve shared a few sweeter variations below. Jump to the Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe or read on to see our tips for making them.

How To Make The Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed sweet potatoes are just as easy as making regular mashed potatoes. Since sweet potatoes already have a silky texture, they turn into an absolutely delicious mash.

Our recipe below is on the savory side. I love adding a bay leaf to the water when cooking the potatoes for extra flavor and keeping the mash simple with a little butter, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and when I want them to be extra creamy, I add sour cream.

How to choose and prep sweet potatoes

Red and orange-skinned sweet potatoes make the best mashed sweet potatoes (sometimes incorrectly labeled yams in the US). These taste sweeter and have a creamier texture compared to more dry starchier varieties of sweet potato like tan or purple-skinned sweet potatoes.

The skin should be firm and smooth. I also prefer to buy small to medium sweet potatoes since these tend to be a little less starchy compared to the really large sweet potatoes.

To prep sweet potatoes, I use a vegetable brush to scrub any dirt from the peel. If you don’t have a veggie brush or scrubber, you can crumple up a sheet of foil and use that to scrub the potatoes clean.

How to cook sweet potatoes for mashing

My preferred method is to simmer them in water — just like I do for regular mashed potatoes. Simmering them on the stove is quick and easy.

I add cubed, peeled sweet potatoes to a large pot and cover them with about an inch of water. I add a generous amount of salt as well as a bay leaf then bring the water to a simmer and cook until tender. The salt makes the potatoes taste incredible and the bay leaf adds a bit of extra flavor. Sometimes, I swap the bay leaf for a sprig or two of fresh thyme or rosemary.

Alternate methods: Use the oven, microwave or pressure cooker (Instant Pot)

In the oven, the sweet potatoes will take 40 to 60 minutes. To do it, heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then wrap whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes with a bay leaf in a large sheet of foil. Place the foil pouch onto a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork. The bake time will be 40 to 60 minutes. Unwrap the roasted sweet potatoes and when they are cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins.

When using a microwave, you will likely need to cook the potatoes in two batches. Pierce the unpeeled sweet potatoes several times with the prongs of a fork. Add two to three sweet potatoes to a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave, turning once until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork, 8 to 12 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins.

To cook sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot), you will need roughly 35 minutes. Insert a stainless steel trivet to the bottom of the pressure cooker (ours came with one). Add one cup of water then pile whole sweet potatoes up onto the trivet (4 to 5 potatoes fit in ours). Seal the lid then cook on High Pressure for 16 minutes and allow the pressure cooker to naturally release, which takes another 10 minutes or so. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins.

How to mash sweet potatoes

The most obvious way to mash sweet potatoes is to use a potato masher. If you don’t have one in your kitchen, don’t worry, a fork will do the trick nicely. Using a potato masher or fork will make a creamy mash with a little texture.

For the smoothest, silkiest mashed sweet potatoes, use a food processor or a food mill that is fitted with the smallest grinding disc.

More tips

Peel the sweet potatoes. I love skin-on mashed potatoes, but when it comes to sweet potatoes, I find the skin a little tough. If you bake or microwave the sweet potatoes, you can remove the skin after cooking.

Make them extra creamy with sour cream or cream. I love to add sour cream. The tanginess of the sour cream balances the sweetness of sweet potatoes. Heavy cream, milk, or half-and-half helps to add some creaminess, too. Buttermilk would also be excellent.

If you love garlic, mash in a few cloves of roasted garlic — here’s our favorite method for roasting garlic.

For a sweeter version, stir in a little brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

• I love these Homemade Sweet Potato Fries. Instead of frying them, we bake them in the oven until they are caramelized and crispy.
• These Roasted Sweet Potatoes are roasted with coconut oil, maple syrup, and pecans. Everyone loves them.
• For a plant-based dinner, try our Healthy Baked Sweet Potatoes loaded with a simple tomato and avocado salsa. Or give these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos a go.
• Did you know that you can make noodles out of sweet potatoes? Try our Creamy Avocado Lime Sweet Potato Noodles.

Easy Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes

• PREP 10mins
• COOK 20mins
• TOTAL 30mins

These easy mashed sweet potatoes are on the savory side, but you can add a few extra ingredients for a sweeter version. See our tips in the notes section below for our suggestions.

You can simmer, bake, microwave, or use a pressure cooker to cook the sweet potatoes. Our preferred method is to simmer the potatoes since this takes a similar amount of time when using a pressure cooker and when microwaving them and less time than when using an oven. We have included the steps for cooking sweet potatoes in the oven, microwave, and pressure cooker in the article above.

Makes 6 servings (about 5 1/2 cups)

You Will Need

3 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean (5 to 6 small-to-medium)

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste

1 bay leaf, optional or a substitute fresh thyme or rosemary sprig

3 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon or more to taste

3 tablespoons sour cream, heavy cream, milk or half-and-half, optional

Fine herbs and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

• Cook Sweet Potatoes

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add to a large pot and add enough water so that they are covered by about one inch of water. Add the salt and bay leaf.

Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well, and then return the potatoes to the pot. Or if you plan to use a food processor, add them directly to the processor bowl. (A food processor makes extra silky mashed sweet potatoes.)

• Mash Sweet Potatoes

Add the butter, cinnamon, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher until your desired consistency. If using a food processor, pulse until your desired consistency.

For extra creamy sweet potatoes, stir in sour cream or a splash of heavy cream, milk, or half-and-half. Serve with extra butter and chopped fresh herbs (optional) on top.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

• Make Ahead Tips: Mashed sweet potatoes can be made up to 3 to 4 days in advance. Keep them tightly covered in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen up to a month or more (adding a tablespoon of lemon juice will help prevent browning).
• Sweeter Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or maple syrup to the cooked potatoes before mashing. We also like to increase the cinnamon by 1/4 teaspoon. Serve with a little extra maple syrup on top and if you enjoy nuts, add a handful of toasted pecans or walnuts.
• Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving: Serving Size About 3/4 cup / Calories 257 / Total Fat 6.7g / Saturated Fat 4.2g / Cholesterol 17.4mg / Sodium 711.1mg / Carbohydrate 46.2g / Dietary Fiber 6.9g / Total Sugars 9.5g / Protein 4.1g

How do I microwave a sweet potato in the microwave?

How long do you microwave mashed potatoes?

Are sweet potatoes better baked or microwaved?

Does microwaving sweet potato soften it?