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So delicious and so easy to make, these roasted mashed sweet potatoes with bacon are the side you need to be serving this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Made with simple ingredients and wonderfully sweet, savory, and creamy.
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It’s no lie that I love sweet potatoes, I can’t get enough of them! This roasted mash really highlights the natural flavors, and of course, everything tastes better with bacon!
This sweet potato mash with bacon is simple to make and will be a welcome addition to any Thanksgiving or holiday table.
If you love sweet potatoes, be sure to try my Candied Sweet Potatoes and Baked Sweet Potato Slices.
Why you will love this roasted mashed sweet potato recipe!
- Simple ingredients: You only need 5 ingredients, plus a little salt and pepper to make this side dish. These savory mashed potatoes taste absolutely delicious!
- Easy: Simple roast the sweet potatoes and then mash them with the other ingredients and you have one delicious dish on your hands with very little effort.
- Make ahead: This is a great option if you are planning a big feast. The recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated.
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes – I used dark orange sweet potatoes. Depending on their size, you will need 3 or 4 sweet potatoes, about 3 lbs.
- Onion – sauteed onion, adds a very delicious and savory flavor to this dish. Perfect complement to the bacon.
- Bacon – use cooked bacon or cook bacon in a skillet before sauteing the onion.
- Heavy cream – A little bit of heavy cream makes these mashed sweet potatoes creamy and smooth.
- Seasonings: I used salt, freshly ground black pepper, and fresh thyme leaves. You can also use rosemary.
How to make mashed sweet potatoes with bacon
- Heat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place on a cookie sheet with sides. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Let stand 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion to skillet and cook over medium-high heat 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Peel sweet potatoes; place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or hand mixer until no lumps remain. Add heavy cream, thyme, salt, and black pepper; mash until very smooth.
- Stir in onion and crumbled bacon to sweet potatoes until blended.
- Garnish with reserved bacon and thyme sprigs.
Make Ahead
This is a great make-ahead side dish, that can be made a couple of days ahead of time. Once you have made the recipe, let the sweet potatoes cool completely. Once cooled, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator.
Reheat the sweet potato mash over low heat, while stirring to warm through to serve.
What do you serve them with?
I love to serve these at Thanksgiving along with all my other favorite side dishes, but they are also great to serve with weeknight meals too. Try serving them with:
- Juicy Roasted Turkey Breast
- Rosemary Peach Pork Tenderloin
- Maple Walnut Crusted Salmon
- Baked Chicken Breasts
Variations
You can easily make this dish suit your dietary needs with a few simple swaps and omissions:
- Vegetarian: Omit the bacon and use a little olive oil to saute the onions.
- Vegan: Use oat milk in place of half-and-half and leave out the bacon.
- Dairy-free: Swap the half-and-half for oat milk.
This side dish is gluten-free.
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Recipe Notes and Tips
- The sweet potatoes should be fork-tender when they are removed from the oven. Let them cool slightly before peeling them.
- The heavy cream can be warm so that the sweet potatoes absorb it more easily. You can heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds or on the stovetop.
- Roasting the sweet potatoes really brings out the natural flavors. If you are in a hurry, you can peel and boil them until fork tender instead or pressure cook them.
More Easy Side Dishes
- Green Beans Almondine
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Garlic Roasted Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Roasted Beets and Carrots
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
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Ingredients
- 3 lb dark-orange sweet potatoes, about 4 potatoes
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve 2 Tbsp for garnish)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
- ¼ cup heavy cream, or less
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh thyme sprigs, if desired
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place on cookie sheet with sides. Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Let stand 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion to skillet and cook over medium-high heat 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Peel sweet potatoes; place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or hand mixer until no lumps remain. Add heavy cream, thyme, salt and bground black lack pepper; mash until very smooth.
- Stir in onion and crumbled bacon to sweet potatoes until blended.
- Garnish with reserved bacon and thyme sprigs.
Notes
- The sweet potatoes should be fork-tender when they are removed from the oven. Let them cool slightly before peeling them.
- The heavy cream can be warm so that the sweet potatoes absorb it more easily. You can heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds or on the stovetop.
- Roasting the sweet potatoes really brings out the natural flavors. If you are in a hurry, you can peel and boil them until fork tender instead or pressure cook them.