• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Collaborate
  • Contact
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
BlogLovin'
RSS

Valerie's Kitchen

Simple, seasonal home cooking

  • Recipe Box
  • Videos
  • The Cookbook
  • Beyond the Kitchen
Home » Holidays » Christmas » Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

By Valerie · November 18, 2015 · Updated April 16, 2018 9 Comments

SD Side Dish H Holidays
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Thyme infused brown butter and a touch of pure maple syrup make these Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes one of my new holiday favorites!

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Don’t let the name of this recipe scare you away. It might sound fancy, but it’s actually quite easy to prepare, can be made in advance, and includes simple and readily available ingredients.

As soon as I tasted them, I knew that these would be the sweet potatoes that would be gracing our holiday table this year. I love everything about them. The vibrant color, the texture, the thyme infused brown butter (heaven), and the hint of maple flavor. They are naturally sweet and utterly delicious.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes | www.fromvalerieskitchen.com

Let’s talk sweet potatoes. Make sure you pick up the darker, red-skinned variety for this recipe. Underneath that red skin they have a bright orange flesh, unlike the lighter skinned variety whose flesh is pale yellow and not quite as pretty or sweet. You’ll need 4 good sized potatoes or 4-1/2 to 5 pounds.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Scrub the potatoes clean and wrap them in foil. Place them on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until you can easily pierce the largest potato right through the center with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove them from the oven and when cool enough to handle, use paper towels to pull the skin right off.

Towards the end of the potato baking time you can get the brown butter started.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add a couple of tablespoons of chopped, fresh thyme. The thyme will infuse the butter with wonderful herby flavor as the butter browns. A layer of foam will form over the surface of the butter as it cooks so stir it or swirl it frequently so you can see the browning process. Don’t fret when you see darker brown solid bits floating at the bottom of the pan. These are browned milk solids and they are part of the process. When the butter is golden brown and takes on a nutty aroma (this will take several minutes), remove the pan from the heat immediately to prevent it from burning. It can go from beautiful to burnt quickly so be cautious. Tip – use a light colored pan so you can better monitor the color of the butter as it browns. 

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Potato

After you remove it from the heat, allow the brown butter to settle for just a minute or two. See, that wasn’t too hard now was it? Brown butter adds a depth of delicious flavor to dishes that is going to rock your world.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Transfer your cooked and peeled sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl and give them a whirl with an electric hand mixer until they are lightly mashed. Add 1/4 cup light sour cream (you can go with the full-fat variety if you are so inclined). Mix again just until combined.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Now, add that utterly scrumptious brown butter.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

And 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup. We’re not talkin’ pancake syrup here – we’re talkin’ the good stuff. Trader Joe’s has an incredible price so check it out if you’ve got one nearby.

Season the potatoes with some salt and mix again until they are mashed to your liking. Transfer this beautiful mixture to a serving dish.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

I garnished mine with a little additional chopped fresh thyme. Might as well use it if you’ve got it and the contrast makes it picture perfect for your Thanksgiving table.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

But, can I make them ahead, Valerie?

I knew you would have this question and the answer is YES. They reheat beautifully. Feel free to make them the day before and when you are ready to serve you can quickly reheat them in the microwave, spoon them into your serving dish, garnish them with a little bit of thyme and they will be perfectly delicious.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes | www.fromvalerieskitchen.com

Mashed sweet potatoes in a bowl with a spoon.

Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes

5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 to 10
Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

  • 4-1/2 to 5 pounds 4 large red-skinned sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 cup sour cream I use light sour cream
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry, plus additional for garnish
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub sweet potatoes clean under cool water and wrap in foil. Bake for 60 minutes or until the largest potato can be pierced with a sharp knife with little resistance. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once butter has melted, add thyme. Swirl and cook the butter until it begins to deepen in color and takes on a nutty aroma. When nicely browned, remove from heat.
  • Use a paper towel to pull skins from sweet potatoes and place the flesh in a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream and mix to combine. Add brown butter with thyme, and maple syrup. Season with salt, to taste and mix just until combined.
  • Garnish with additional thyme.
  • Recipe inspired by Serious Eats

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: Can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight. When you are ready to serve, reheat the potatoes in the microwave and garnish with fresh thyme before serving.
LOVE MY RECIPES? GET THE COOKBOOK!
The Foolproof Family Slow Cooker and Other One-Pot Solutions
Maple Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Categories: Christmas, Holidays, Potatoes, Recipe, Side Dish, Thanksgiving, Vegetables

< Previous
Next >

You May Also Like...

A piece of creamy dessert topped with chocolate with a fork on a white plate. Easy Cream Puff Dessert
Malibu Chicken (Copycat Sizzler Recipe) Malibu Chicken (Sizzler Copycat)
Ball mason jar lids in blue and green. Ball {New} Design Series Colored Lids & Vintage Colored Mason Jar Giveaway!
A pretty tray full of sliced tortilla pinwheels with grape tomatoes and parsley. Holiday Tortilla Pinwheels

Reader Interactions

Latest Comments
Skip to Comment Form
  1. Sue Palmer says

    November 13, 2018 at 1:01 am

    5 stars
    I was looking to find something easy to make for Thanksgiving and this is it. I already have all the ingredients cause I love sweet potatoes and had to use these instead of baking potatoes on my new diet and I love how many different ways you can cook them. And the fact I can do them the day before makes this perfect for me. Thanks so much for the recipe and inspiration.

    Reply
  2. Paula - bell'alimento says

    November 19, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    These look amazing and the fact that you can make them ahead? Winner!

    Reply
  3. Nora says

    November 19, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    Valerie, these look AMAZING!!!! I’ve recently realized that I very much enjoy sweet potatoes when they’re not coated in marshmallows. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      November 19, 2015 at 5:55 pm

      Thank you, Nora. I’ve been making my sweet potatoes the same way for years, but this recipe has changed that! I prefer them without all the marshmallows and other garnishments too. They are so naturally delicious!

      Reply
  4. Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says

    November 19, 2015 at 11:57 am

    Valerie, I can just taste these. Love the combination of flavors and being able to make them ahead is perfect for my busy cooking schedule.

    Reply
  5. Amanda | The Chunky Chef says

    November 18, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    Maple and sweet potatoes are a classic match, but the addition of browned butter takes this over the top 🙂 Love this!

    Reply
  6. Trish - Mom On Timeout says

    November 18, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    I just ADORE maple with my sweet potatoes! This looks delicious!

    Reply
  7. Des @ Life's Ambrosia says

    November 18, 2015 at 1:58 pm

    Yum! There are so many things to love about these mashed potatoes. And that fresh thyme as gorgeous color!

    Reply
  8. Aria | Purrfectly Inspired says

    November 18, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    How yummy! My mom makes this all the time – we had an overload of sweet potatoes in our garden this year. There’s something about maple brown butter that makes everything taste so good!

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




Stay Connected with Valerie’s Kitchen

Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
BlogLovin'
RSS

Stay updated!

Subscribe by Email

Get the latest straight from my kitchen to your email inbox. You can choose to receive an email every time a new recipe is published or a weekly summary.

Click to Subscribe

Primary Sidebar

Browse the Recipes

by Category
CP Slow Cooker OP One Pot 30 30 Minute Meals SD Side Dish S Dessert H Holidays A Appetizers MD Main Dish
Valerie Brunmeier, founder and author of Valerie's Kitchen

MeetValerie Brunmeier

Hello and welcome to my online kitchen! My focus here is to provide simple, seasonal meal solutions for busy households. I hope you find some inspiration while you’re here and visit again soon!

...
More About Me

Looking for something?

Archives

Categories

Spring Favorites

A side view of the Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake with a slice missing revealing the center.
A Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich sliced in half and stacked on a plate with grapes.
A mug filled with ham and bean soup.
Cheesecake bars with blueberries stacked on a plate.
A glazed cookie stacked on top of another with a bite missing.
A skillet filled with a creamy sauce and slices of cooked chicken.
A skillet filled with orzo, chicken, grape tomatoes, and slices of lemon.
Slices of frosted Carrot Zucchini Bread on a white platter.

Mexican Favorites

A closeup of a carnitas taco.
A skillet filled with Mexican rice, cilantro and slices of lime.
A spatula lifts a piece of casserole from a baking dish.
A smothered burrito topped with sour cream on a plate with rice.
A small white bowl filled with tomatillo avocado salsa.
A white serving plate with two Chipotle Pork Street Tacos with halved avocados in the background.
A skillet filled with white rice, cilantro and lime slices.
Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos

Reader Favorites

A white serving dish filled with shredded beef, carrots, and potatoes.
A white bowl filed with crab dip with a spoon.
A spatula scoops up a zucchini boat from a casserole dish.
Blackened Mahi Mahi
A close up of a cheesesteak sandwich with peppers and onions.
Slow Cooker Beef Tips with Gravey
As Featured On
Back to Top
  • Home
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Collaborate
  • Contact
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
BlogLovin'
RSS
Valerie's Kitchen
Copyright © 2011–2021 · Valerie's Kitchen

Valerie's Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.