Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Here’s the secret to creamy, not-too stringy Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes! This healthy side dish is totally hands off in a pressure cooker. (Vegan variation included.)

The best way to make mashed sweet potatoes? In a pressure cooker! We’ve cracked the code to the best Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes. Not only are they easy and hands off, they have the perfect fluffy texture. What we love about this healthy sweet potato recipe is that it’s super customizable. Make it for entertaining as a Thanksgiving side dish, or for a dinner party alongside meatloaf or cozy meatballs. It works with just about anything! (Heck, we even eat leftovers as a snack with a spoon.) It’s family-sized so there’s enough for everyone.

Wanna go classic? Try our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.

What’s the secret to the best Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes?

Years ago, Alex and I made mashed sweet potatoes recipe we found randomly on Pinterest. (Everyone does it, right? Perhaps that’s why you’re here.) We followed it to a T, but when we finished, the texture of the sweet potatoes was all wrong. They were stringy and watery. Why?

Here’s the thing: they were made with 100% sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are very different from standard potatoes! Their texture is not inherently fluffy when whipped. They’re also different as fries: standard potatoes crisp up in an oven, but sweet potatoes get soggy. (Even so, we have a Crispy Sweet Potato Fries recipe that defies all logic.)

The secret to these Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes? They’re half sweet potatoes and half Yukon gold potatoes. This gives them the perfect fluffy texture, without being watery and stringy. A side benefit is that the flavor is perfectly balanced: not too sweet!

How long do Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes cook?

The cook time for these Instant Pot mashed potatoes is only 12 minutes! But as with all Instant Pot recipes, you must keep in mind the “preheat” time. This is the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get up to pressure before it can cook. This recipe takes 15 to 20 minutes to come up to pressure, due to the amount of potatoes and water in the pot. So the total cook time is about 30 minutes total.

Any tricks for mashing the potatoes?

Really, you don’t need any special tools for this one! With our standard mashed potatoes recipe, we love using a potato ricer to get the perfect texture. But since sweet potatoes have more moisture, they aren’t as susceptible to getting dense and clumpy.

Another advantage of these Instant Pot mashed potatoes over the standard is that all you need is a bit of cream, half and half, or even non-dairy milk to get them creamy. They need less fat than the standard potato to taste good, and the sweetness means makes no need for butter. So these mashed sweet potatoes are pretty darn healthy, too!

How to make them vegan

These Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes are easier than a standard mashed potato to make vegan. Because they’re inherently more moist and sweeter due to the sweet potato, cream and butter isn’t as important for the flavor and texture. That means you can substitute in your favorite non-dairy milk for the cream! Use almond milk, oat milk, or even coconut milk.

One note: coconut milk it would definitely add a subtle coconut flavor. (Which, would be extremely delicious! Just beware if it doesn’t match the vibe of your recipe.) What’s your favorite non-dairy milk substitute?

What Instant Pot do you use?

All pressure cooker brands vary! Here’s the brand we use: an Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker. This recipe is customized for a 6 quart pressure cooker. You’ll definitely need a 6 quart size here, otherwise the potatoes won’t fit!

Best side dishes for entertaining

This Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes recipe is perfect for entertaining: it makes 12 servings! It’s perfect for if you’re cooking for a crowd. Pressure cooker recipes are especially nice because they leave the rest of the stovetop and oven free for more cooking! Of course, this is especially helpful on Thanksgiving, too! Check out all of all our Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipes, here.

Here are a few more Instant Pot side dish recipes we love for entertaining:

• Instant Pot Broccoli: Broccoli cooks in 0 minutes. Zero! It’s so quick. Add feta cheese to dress it up.
• Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan: Brussels sprouts take not time, and these are seriously tasty.
• Instant Pot Beets: Shortcut the time of roasting beets in half! Use them in our tasty Beet Salad with Balsamic.

This Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, see the substitution in the recipe below.

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