This mashed sweet potato recipe is a fun twist on a holiday favorite. But this is a lightened up version, with way less sugar!! If you are looking for another tasty side dish, try out these Brown Sugar Carrots.
Secret Ingredient Mashed Sweet Potatoes!!
Yes!! You read that correctly. This healthy sweet potato recipe has a SECRET ingredient. I’ll give you a hint, it’s yellow and a fruit. Nope, it’s not lemons.
It’s bananas!! Oven roasted bananas, to be exact.
The sugars in the bananas help sweeten the sweet potatoes naturally. The bananas are roasted in their peels in the oven to bring out even more flavor and sweetness. Just flip them over half way through the baking process. The peels actually end up turning black after roasting!! After they cool down a little, it’s easy to peel them. I think that the bananas add an interesting layer of flavor to the sweet potatoes.
See if your guests can guess what the SECRET ingredient is!!
Less Sugar = More Dessert
I like that these sweet potatoes are not overly sweet. This sweet potato recipe is definitely NOT like your traditional recipe. You know the scrumptious ones I mean…the brown sugar drenched, cinnamon-y, marshmallow dotted sweet potatoes.
I mean those are delicious, right?!…they happen to be my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. But I was looking to make a lighter, healthier version of sweet potatoes this year. This recipe is for yams that have been baked and then mashed into fluffy potatoes. They are then naturally sweetened with a splash of maple syrup, golden bananas, and a little fruit juice (the juice is optional).
Since there is less sugar added to these sweet potatoes, they are not too sweet, which means you can eat more dessert after dinner, right? For me that would be a definite yes, haha, but you may feel differently. You do you!
This is a great recipe to make if you have sweet potatoes left over from baking. I like to bake a few extra when I am cooking some for a recipe to smash them up and serve at another meal. If you happen to be making a sweet potato recipe, simply throw a couple extra on the baking sheet.
Are Sweet Potatoes Good for You?
Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious. They are rich in fiber, which is great for the digestive system. They are packed full of vitamin A, you can get 400% of the daily value by eating just one sweet potato!! Vitamin A is great for your eyes, immune system, heart and kidneys.
Did you know that sweet potatoes aren’t even potatoes? I know, crazy right?! They are actually a sweet root belonging to the morning glory family.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: Three large cooked and mashed sweet potatoes.
- Bananas: I like to use bananas that have maybe a couple brown spots. Not overly ripe but not green bananas. These get baked in the oven to bring out their natural sweetness. Try using two bananas to start out.
- Non-Dairy Milk: I used almond milk. You can use regular milk or could even try coconut milk (let me know how it turns out).
- Apple Juice: I used unfiltered apple juice. You could also use apple cider or prune juice. The juice is optional.
- Maple Syrup: Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
- Allspice: Ground allspice.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven and bake the bananas in their peels in the oven.
- Once roasted, set the bananas aside.
- Next, in a stand mixer combine the mashed sweet potatoes and roasted bananas. You can smash any lumps with the back of a spoon.
- Add in milk, maple syrup, allspice, apple juice (optional), and cinnamon (optional) together. Blend until smooth, but don’t over mix.
- Spread the mixture into a greased, oven-proof dish.
- Bake until golden brown.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Tips
- Baking the bananas on parchment or aluminum foil will make clean-up a lot easier.
- The next time you are making sweet potatoes, make a few extra to have on hand to make mashed sweet potatoes. They are good sprinkled with a little brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Use bananas that are ripe but not too ripe.
- Don’t overmix the sweet potatoes or they may become gummy.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Variations
- Try using different types of milk in this recipe. I used almond milk, but you could try coconut milk, cashew milk, oat milk or regular milk. I have only tried it with almond milk so you’ll have to comment below to let me know how it turned out with a different milk!!
- Leave out the juice to keep it refined sugar free, you don’t have to replace the liquid.
- Add in a teaspoon of cinnamon when combining all the ingredients together for extra flavor.
Storage Instructions for Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- How to Refrigerate Sweet Potatoes: Let the mashed sweet potatoes cool and put in a glass container or BPA-free airtight plastic container or zipper bag. The sweet potatoes should last about 4 days in the fridge.
- How to Reheat Sweet Potatoes: Reheat cold mashed sweet potatoes in the microwave for a minute at a time until desired warmth is reached. Or re-heat on the stove in a sauce pan or dutch oven until heated through.
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Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, about 3 large sweet potatoes
- 2 bananas, medium
- 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 cup apple juice, optional
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put bananas on baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
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Put bananas in oven on middle rack. Cook bananas for 6 minutes and then flip them over. Cook the other side for another 6 minutes.
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Remove bananas from oven and set aside to let them cool.
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Add mashed sweet potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer. Peel bananas and add them in. Blend until smooth. If you have any banana lumps you can smash them with the back of a spoon.
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To the sweet potato and banana mixture, add the almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, allspice, apple juice (optional), and cinnamon (optional). Beat until fluffy.
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Pour the mixture into a greased 8×8 square dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown on top.
Recipe Notes
- Don’t over mix the sweet potatoes or they may get gummy.
- Use bananas that are ripe, but not overly ripe.
- Let the mashed sweet potatoes cool down completely before storing in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results
Nutrition Information
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