Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes and Banana

These mashed purple sweet potatoes make a sweet side dish. If you like both mashed sweet potatoes and banana, this is the recipe for you.

This the best purple sweet potato recipe because the richness comes from the sweet potatoes and the banana. So you can make these healthy mashed sweet potatoes without milk, butter, or cream. You won’t miss them at all.

a bowl of purple mashed sweet potatoes garnished with banana next to a potato masher and cut purple sweet potato.

Backstory

I don’t know when I started adding banana to mashed sweet potatoes. But it was obvious that was what I needed to do with a couple of the Stokes purple sweet potatoes I picked up at the grocery store.

And they stay purple! After a few disappointing adventures in color with somewhat purple latkes and my reddish velvet beet waffles, have you ever seen anything like the color of this sweet potato and banana mash?!

What’s the difference between purple sweet potato and purple yams?

Tip from the wise quacker: people commonly confuse sweet potatoes and yams. Sweet potatoes come in all sorts of colors – orange, yellow, and purple. Almost everything we get in the U.S. is a sweet potato, not a yam.

You can read more about the difference between purple sweet potatoes and purple yams (ube) here. Hint: the only thing they share in common is their color.

a cutting board with a cut purple sweet potato, a whole potato, and a knife.

Tips and tricks

How to cook the purple sweet potatoes

First, roast the purple sweet potatoes in your oven at 425 degrees or so. Poke a few holes in the skin and then wrap them in foil. They’re done when you can easily pierce the skin and flesh with a fork or knife.

three roasted purple sweet potatoes on foil.

Mashing the purple sweet potatoes

Let the baked purple sweet potatoes cool just a bit until you can handle them. Then put them in a bowl with the banana and salt. Mash with a potato masher and serve immediately. Easy!

You don’t even have to peel your mashed potatoes if you don’t mind the skin. In fact, sweet potato skins provide a lot of nutrition!

a bowl of baked sweet potato, banana, and potato masher.

What to serve with mashed purple sweet potatoes

This is a great simple side to complement a simple roast meat like these cast iron chicken breasts or this pork tenderloin (minus the apples). And I’m tempted to serve these with some brown sugar and covered in marshmallows for a non-traditional Thanksgiving sweet potato!

pan roasted chicken breast on top of purple mashed sweet potato.

FAQs

Can I use a vegan butter in these purple mashed sweet potatoes?

Absolutely. The sweet potatoes and banana make these so rich and creamy, even when dairy-free. You could add a vegan butter or any non-dairy milk of your choice to make them creamier. Or you could leave both out.

Can I make this with sweet potatoes of a different color?

Of course. White, orange, or purple-fleshed. It all works. These purple sweet potatoes are just a bit drier than other sweet potatoes, but they won’t taste any different.

Can you freeze mashed sweet potatoes?

Yes. Sweet potatoes can be frozen either after cooking or after mashing and stored for months. The texture won’t be the same, but they’ll still taste good.

Related recipes

Enjoy some other uglyducklingbakery recipes with purple sweet potatoes like baked purple sweet potato loaded with white beans, my purple sweet potato sourdough, or those purple sweet potato pancakes.

Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes and Banana

5 from 1 vote
Category: Side Dish
Cuisine: Unspecified
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 247kcal
These mashed purple sweet potatoes make an easy side dish. If you like both mashed sweet potatoes and banana, this is the recipe for you.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 small purple sweet potatoes one per person
  • 1 small to medium banana one half per person
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter, optional
  • 1 tablespoon cream or milk (dairy or non-dairy), optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Scrub the sweet potatoes. Use a fork to puncture the skin in several paces, and then wrap them in aluminum foil.
    2 small purple sweet potatoes
  • Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until the skin and flesh is easily pierced with a fork.
  • Let the potatoes cool enough so that you can handle them. If you want to peel them, use a knife to cut a thin slit in the skin and peel.
  • Combine the peeled sweet potatoes and banana in a small to medium sized bowl and mash them with a potato masher or fork until well-combined. Add salt and butter, milk, or cream, if you are using them, adding a little bit at a time and adjusting for taste and texture as desired. Serve warm.
    1 small to medium banana, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon butter, optional, 1 tablespoon cream or milk (dairy or non-dairy), optional

Notes

The base recipe is for dairy-free mashed purple sweet potatoes. Butter  and cream are not included in the nutritional calculations.
To scale up this recipe, estimate one small or half a large sweet potato per person and one half of a small banana per person.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 706mg | Potassium: 973mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 32100IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg
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What’s next

If you make mashed purple sweet potatoes, want to ask a question about sweet potatoes, or just want to share your love of purple food, please leave a comment or rating here.

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