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These Miso Mashed Sweet Potatoes are easy to make, super healthy, and completely vegan. Sweet potatoes are mashed with miso paste, garlic, ginger, and coconut oil, then topped with toasted walnuts and parsley. A unique and savoury take on a sweet potato side dish!

miso mashed sweet potatoes in white bowl topped with walnuts and parsley

When I think of a mashed sweet potato side dish, my mind goes to ones loaded with cream, butter, or even marshmallows. While these versions are delicious, sometimes it’s fun to switch things up and put a little spin on a traditional side dish.

These Miso Mashed Sweet Potatoes do just that! They’re the perfect option for a unique and delicious veggie side dish that is both healthy and easy to make.

Miso paste adds a really nice umami flavour to these sweet potatoes, and pairs beautifully with hints of garlic, ginger, and coconut.

While not totally necessary, I loved the addition of some toasted walnuts sprinkled overtop for a little crunch, as well as some chopped parsley to add a splash of green.

Enjoy these savoury sweet potatoes at your next holiday gathering, or simply as part of your weekly meal prep (they reheat great). I hope you love them as much as I do!

Want more side dish inspiration? Check out my roundup of 20+ easy, healthy vegetable side dish recipes for more ideas!

miso mashed sweet potatoes in white bowl topped with walnuts and parsley

How To Cook Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Preparing mashed sweet potatoes is super simple. Fun fact – it was actually one of the first dishes I would regularly make when I first started cooking!

Start by peeling the skins off the sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Chop off any hard ends, and give the peeled potatoes a good wash and dry.

Next, chop the potatoes into roughly 1-inch pieces (this will vary depending on the size of the potato). To do this, I usually slice the potatoes into rounds that are 1/2 an inch thick, then quarter those rounds.

Then, add the sweet potato chunks to a large pot with a lid. Add water (I used 2 cups for 3 large sweet potatoes), cover, and bring the water to a boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat and continue to simmer (lid on) for about 20-ish minutes.

Once the sweet potatoes are fork tender, turn of the heat and drain the water. Don’t worry about draining completely – leaving a small amount of water in the pot will help mash the sweet potatoes!

It’s now time to add the other ingredients – miso paste, garlic powder, ground ginger, and coconut oil.

With a potato masher, begin to mash everything together until smooth and well-combined.

NOTE: Using a potato masher will give you a chunkier texture (which I’m fine with, personally), but if you really want things silky, feel free to add the mixture to a high-speed blender and blend until desired texture is achieved.

mashed sweet potatoes cooking process

How To Keep Leftover Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Leftover mashed sweet potatoes will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Simply give everything a good stir and reheat in the microwave or stovetop before eating!

Miso Nutrition Facts

Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans, and it’s a traditional Japanese condiment that is super flavourful and nutritious!

Miso is rich in micronutrients like:

  • manganese
  • vitamin K
  • copper
  • zinc

As it’s fermented, miso paste is also a source of beneficial bacteria. Because of this, miso may help to promote gut health.

One thing to note about miso – it’s quite salty. Because of this, I’ve refrained from adding any extra salt to the recipe! I find that the miso paste provides enough :).

miso paste

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts

These root veggies are not only delicious, they’re jam-packed with nutrition too!

Sweet potatoes are a great source of dietary fibre, with one medium-sized sweet potato providing almost 4 grams (15% of your daily needs).

Fibre helps to promote regularity, gut health, heart health, glycemic control, and even weight management.

From a micronutrient standpoint, sweet potatoes are an incredible source of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A.

One medium sweet potato provides 386% of your daily vitamin A needs! Beta carotene also has antioxidant properties, helping to prevent cellular damage.

Sweet potatoes are also a source of other micronutrients, like:

  • potassium
  • magnesium
  • calcium
  • iron
  • phosphorus
  • vitamin B6
  • vitamin E
  • vitamin C
three sweet potatoes

Are Sweet Potatoes The Same As Yams?

Technically, no.

Yams are almost exclusively grown in Asia or Africa, and often have a black or brown bark-like skin.

What you see in most North American grocery stores are true sweet potatoes – with either orange or white flesh.

To prevent confusion, supermarkets apparently began to refer to the orange sweet potatoes as yams in order to differentiate between the two colours.

Growing up in Vancouver, we always referred to these orange guys as yams. When I lived in the States, we always called them sweet potatoes. Basically, I’m confused, too.

Bottom line – just use the orange ones for this recipe (whatever you may call them)!!

miso mashed sweet potatoes in white bowl topped with walnuts and parsley

More Easy Sweet Potato Recipes

Did you give this Miso Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!

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Get the Recipe: Easy Miso Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These Miso Mashed Sweet Potatoes are easy to make, healthy, and completely vegan. This recipe is a unique and savoury take on a sweet potato side dish!
miso mashed sweet potatoes in white bowl topped with walnuts and parsley
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Peel, wash, and dry sweet potatoes. Chop into approximately 1-inch chunks and add to a large pot with a lid.
  • Add approximately 2 cups of water to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and keep covered for about 20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
  • Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Stir walnuts around to prevent burning, for about 5 minutes (until toasty and lightly browned). Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
  • Transfer toasted walnuts to a cutting board. Roughly chop both walnuts and parsley and set aside.
  • Once potatoes are done, drain the majority of the water, leaving a small amount to mash with the potatoes. Add miso paste, garlic powder, ground ginger, and coconut oil to the sweet potatoes. Mash ingredients together with a potato masher, until smooth and well-combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
  • Serve mashed sweet potatoes in a bowl, and top with chopped walnuts and parsley. If you'd like, you can also add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy warm!

Notes

*This sweet potato mash will have a smooth, but chunky texture. If you’d like it really silky, blend the cooked sweet potatoes and other ingredients in a high-speed blender.
*Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days. Simply give everything a good stir and reheat in the microwave or stovetop before eating!

Nutrition

As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.

Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!

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