Looking for an easy but delicious sweet potato recipe for your holiday table? These four-ingredient vegan orange mashed sweet potatoes take all of five minutes of hands-on time to make. They are a crowd pleaser and they are gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.
Sweet potato sides like these vegan scalloped sweet potatoes are wonderful to eat this time of year. But if you're looking for a delicious sweet potato recipe that you can make in a jiffy, it's hard to beat these vegan orange mashed sweet potatoes.
The sweet potatoes are flavored with orange juice and nutmeg (a wining combination, and also especially wonderful in these vegan sweet potato pancakes). Everything is whipped up into soft, cloudy, fluffy peaks. It takes all of five to 10 minutes of hands-on time and you get to serve -- and eat -- a dish you will be so proud of.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It is loaded with flavor. We all know sweet potatoes are delicious, and that deliciousness is compounded with the sweet, intoxicating aroma and flavor of oranges. Stir in some nutmeg for a bit more depth.
- It is SO easy. I post a lot of easy and quick recipes but this is one of the easiest! All you do is roast the potatoes, peel them and then just dunk everything into a bowl and mash it up. For extra fluffiness you can whip up the sweet potatoes with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, although that is optional.
- You need just FOUR ingredients. Sweet potatoes, orange juice, nutmeg and vegan butter.
- It's healthy. Holiday recipes are not always healthy, so this is a great chance to supplement your lavish entree with a side that's actually good for everyone. You don't need to add sweeteners like maple syrup to this dish: the oranges stir in all the sweetness you need.
- Everyone will love it. The dish is vegan, soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy it.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Orange juice. I had mandarins, so I blended up three of them whole. You can blend one orange instead or use ½ cup pulpy orange juice.
- Nutmeg. This adds a delicious depth.
- Vegan butter. This adds a lovely, buttery finish to the dish so don't skip.
How to make mashed orange sweet potatoes
1. Roast sweet potatoes for 30 minutes in a preheated 400-degree oven or until a knife or fork pierced through the center goes cleanly and smoothly through. Peel and place in bowl with orange juice and vegan butter.
2. Stir in nutmeg.
3. Mix until well incorporated.
4. Optional step: For fluffier sweet potatoes use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the sweet potatoes for a minute.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Boil until tender and a knife goes cleanly through the middle.
Peel the sweet potatoes after they have been cooked, so after you roast or boil them.
Yes, use a fork to mash the cooked sweet potatoes. They are soft and will mash easily.
If you've ever tried mashing potatoes in the blender or food processor, you know it can be a complete disaster. The blades cut into the starch molecules, making the mashed potatoes an unappetizing, gummy mess. Sweet potatoes have less starch than regular potatoes but they are still quite starchy so do not try to blend them in a food processor.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate and make-ahead: The mashed sweet potatoes will store nicely in the fridge for up to three days, so you can make the dish a day or two ahead.
- Freeze: Freeze the mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight, freezer-safe container or in a freezer safe bag for up to four months.
- Reheat. Thaw and let the sweet potatoes return to room temperature before serving.
More yummy sweet potato recipes
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Mashed Orange Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- ½ cup orange juice (from one orange or three mandarins, roughly ½ cup. You can use ½ cup store bought orange juice)
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Roast sweet potatoes for 30 minutes in a preheated 400-degree oven or until a knife or fork pierced through the center goes cleanly and smoothly through. Peel and place in bowl with orange juice and vegan butter.
- Stir in nutmeg. Mix until incorporated.
- Optional step: For even fluffier sweet potatoes use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the sweet potatoes for a minute.
Recipe notes
- To boil the sweet potatoes instead of roasting them, cover with water and boil until the sweet potatoes are tender and a knife goes cleanly through the middle.
- Peel the sweet potatoes after boiling or roasting them, not before.
- Refrigerate and make-ahead: The mashed sweet potatoes will store nicely in the fridge for up to three days, so you can make the dish a day or two ahead.
- Freeze: Freeze the mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight, freezer-safe container or in a freezer safe bag for up to four months.
- Reheat. Thaw and let the sweet potatoes return to room temperature before serving.
Julie Fitzpatrick
If the sweet potatoes are large, as mine were, 30 minutes at 400 degrees did not do the trick. I had to cut them up and add time in the microwave to get them fully cooked. About 4 more minutes of microwaving. So they were not as smooth as I would have liked, but they tasted very good. I left out the nutmeg, as it was not mentioned in the ingredient list, but they were still good.
Vaishali
Hi Julie, nutmeg is the fourth ingredient on the list. So happy you enjoyed them. Larger sweet potatoes will take longer to cook through.
Anonymous
I added the nutmeg after, before I refrigerated it for tomorrow, using one of my quilting templates. What do you think? Screen Shot 2022-11-23 at 4.23.37 PM
Vaishali
Hi, would love to see the photo but it doesn't show up here. Can you send it to me at myveganworld[at]gmail.com?
Ruchama B
My experience is that sweet potatoes love lime. So I would substitute lime juice (from fresh limes, not bottled) to taste for the orange juice.