five spice healthy mashed sweet potatoes

I dare you to not fall in love with these (vegan and paleo) Five Spice Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Actually, I do not think it is possible to have even the tiniest taste without declaring it to be the most amazingly delicious thing you have ever tasted.

It’s impossible, I’m telling you. In fact, I’d wager, that if you serve these healthy mashed sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, you will get at least one marriage proposal. They’re that good. And they just happen to be vegan and paleo, so pretty much everyone at the table can eat them, fall in love, and live happily ever after. The end.

Okay not the end…. Because you’re probably wondering how to make them now aren’t we? You? We? Whatever… Here’s the deal:

How to Make Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1. Prep the sweet potatoes — The sweet potatoes are peeled and then steamed. This is the speediest way to cook them. And unlike boiling, steaming helps preserve nutrients.

2. Bloom the seasonings — The seasoning in this recipe is garlic, ginger and five spice. Taking the time to bloom these ingredients in the coconut oil makes them much more flavorful. To do that, simply heat the oil in a small skillet just until melted. Then add the garlic and cook it only until it is fragrant, but not actually browning. Next add in the fresh ginger and 5-spice powder. Cooking the spice in the hot oil brings out the olfactory notes and makes the spice taste much more complex.

3. Add a squeeze of orange juice — To stop the spice from over cooking, freshly squeezed orange juice is added in to drop the temp down and stop it from browning. A touch of orange zest goes in at the end.

4. Mash or puree the sweet potatoes — For the creamiest results, I preferred using a food processor to puree the mashed sweet potatoes. But if you do not have one, a potato masher works just as well! For traditional mashed potatoes like my Buttermilk Mashed potatoes I recommend a ricer, but the creamy texture of these sweet potatoes do not lend themselves to the ricer. 

How to Reheat Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Just like regular mashed potatoes, these paleo mashed sweet potatoes reheat well the next day. To reheat these mashed sweet potatoes, portion some out into a small saucepan and turn the heat to low. Put a lid on the saucepan and give the healthy mashed sweet potatoes a few minutes to warm through. You may need to add a little water to loosen the sweet potatoes up a bit, but give it a few minutes on the heat before you add any liquid.

You can also reheat mashed sweet potatoes in the oven. Put them into a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Cook the potatoes at 350 degrees F until they’re completely warmed through.

More Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Citrus Dressing

Sweet Potato And Brown Butter Hot Cross Buns

Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecans Italian Meringue

Sweet Potato Marshmallow S’mores Cookies

Maple Sweet Potato Coffee Cake

If you try this paleo mashed sweet potatoes recipe, please be sure to come back and let me know by leaving a star rating and review! 
Happy Cooking!
~Katie

five spice healthy mashed sweet potatoes

• Author: Katie Webster
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 10 servings 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

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Description

I dare you to not fall in love with these paleo five spice healthy mashed sweet potatoes! They make for an easy side dish during the cooler months.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons Chinese 5 Spice
• 1 orange zested and juiced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

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Instructions

1. Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket over high heat. Add potatoes to the basket, cover and steam until a fork can be easily pressed into the potatoes and pulls out without resistance, 19 to 22 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and just starting to brown. Add ginger and 5-spice and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and immediately and CAREFULLY stir in juice from the orange to stop the spices from over cooking. Stir in ½ teaspoon zest and salt until the salt is dissolved.
3. Remove the steamer basket from the saucepan. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment. Scrape coconut oil mixture into the food processor. Puree, scraping down the sides and mixing together once or twice, until completely smooth. Alternatively, for a more rustic texture, pour the boiling water out of the saucepan, and dump the cooked sweet potatoes out of the basket into the hot saucepan. Pour the coconut oil mixture over the sweet potatoes and mash with a potato masher until smooth.

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Nutrition

• Calories: 175
• Sugar: 12 g
• Sodium: 348 mg
• Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Carbohydrates: 27 g
• Fiber: 3 g
• Protein: 2 g