Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes + Video

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Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes take the hassle out of making a scrumptious Thanksgiving side dish! After 4 hours in the crockpot, they’re ready to mash and mix with a velvety brown sugar butter sauce that’s so good, everyone will want more!

mashed sweet potatoes with pecans on top.


 

Even with favorite, classic holiday foods, it can be a little boring to serve the same thing every year.

I’ll show you how to shake things up with a crockpot sweet potato side that takes mashed sweet potatoes to the next level!!

By making this dish in the slow cooker, you’ll have more time to be with those you love,  outside of the kitchen.

4 sweet potatoes.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

Fluffy as a cloud, with the perfect blend of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors, your mashed sweet potatoes will stand out this Thanksgiving – in the best possible way!

You know, the best dishes don’t have to be difficult or take a lot of time to make.

That’s why you’ll love this slow cooker recipe, and these other easy Thanksgiving sides too.

When it comes to holiday meals, I like to take things to the next level of delicious – just check out my ultimate Thanksgiving menu

butter, brown sugar, and homey in a bowl.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Sweet Potatoes – There are several sweet potato varieties. If you can find Garnet sweet potatoes, use them!

    They’re best for mashing, because they’re softer and have more moisture than some of the others.
  • Brown Sugar or Honey – You can sweeten your mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar or honey. There’s just a slight sweetness to this side dish.

    If you want something sweeter, try my copycat Boston Market Sweet Potato Casserole recipe – it’s practically a dessert!!
  • Red Pepper Flakes – Just a little heat for this fluffy treat! You can use paprika or chili powder in its place for less heat. Or leave out the heat entirely – it’s your call.
  • Chopped Nuts – Pecans taste fabulous with sweet potatoes! Walnuts are a good alternative for extra texture and a little less sweetness. 
adding butter mixture to cooked sweet potatoes.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

  1. Let the spuds cool down before peeling. Give them 15 minutes or so. They should be warm, but not so hot that you’ll burn yourself.

    The skins will be much easier to remove this way.
  2. Taste before adjusting the seasoning. Not all sweet potatoes, spices, and seasonings are made equally.

    After you finish mashing the slow cooker sweet potatoes, give them a taste and adjust the spices if necessary.
  3. Serve right from the slow cooker! Another great thing about crockpots is the “keep warm” setting.

    By using this, you can leave the sweet potatoes in the crock to stay warm. This is super helpful if your Thanksgiving dinners tend to run long.

whipping cooked sweet potatoes.

Making Crockpot Mashed Sweet Potatoes Ahead

You can make your brown sugar sweet potatoes up to 5 days ahead of time. This will free up your slow cooker for other recipes, like Crockpot Stuffing.

Let the potatoes cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Some people say you can freeze them for up to 3 months, but I don’t care for the texture of frozen and thawed potatoes. Fresh is always best!

Reheating Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

There are several ways to reheat mashed sweet potatoes. Use whichever method works best for you. 

  • Oven – In a 350°F. oven, it takes about 20-25 minutes to warm them up. To prevent them from drying out, reheat them in a covered casserole dish.
  • Stovetop – In a saucepan over medium heat, it takes about 10 minutes. You’ll want to stir them occasionally
  • Microwave – When I reheat anything in the microwave, I use 70% power. This way, the food doesn’t dry out.
  • Slow Cooker –  If your crockpot is available, you can reheat them on the Low setting for a couple of hours.
mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar on a white plate.

Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours. 

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dripping honey from dripper onto a sweet potato side dish.

brown sugar sweet potatoes, close up.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes + Video

Donna Elick
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes is your make-ahead holiday side dish solution! This recipe creates scrumptious spuds with brown sugar and pecans.
5 stars from 1 review
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Method Slow Cooker
Servings 8

Ingredients
 

  • 5 large sweet potatoes
  • 8 ounces water
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup honey, or packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt, or more/less, to your taste
  • 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper, or more/less, to your taste
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, or walnuts

Instructions
 

  • Scrub potatoes to remove any dirt; Using the tines of a fork or a sharp knife, stab each potato 4-6 times to create steam vent holes.
  • Add sweet potatoes to the slow cooker. Pour water into the crock, cover, and cook for 4 hours on Low, or until potatoes are soft.
  • To a small bowl, add butter , honey, and all herbs and spices (everything but the nuts). Stir well to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
  • When sweet potatoes are soft, use tongs to carefully transfer them from the slow cooker to a plate.
    Drain water from the crockpot. Wait until potatoes are cool enough to touch (but still very warm), then remove peels. They should slide right off when sweet potatoes are cooked.
  • Add peeled sweet potatoes back to slow cooker. Add one half of the compound butter mixture to the potatoes.
    Using a handheld electric mixer, whip potatoes and butter on medium-high speed until soft, fluffy, and creamy.
  • Before serving, stir 3/4 of the nuts into mashed sweet potatoes; sprinkle remainder on the top.
    For extra-indulgent sweet potatoes, serve with additional compound butter.

Video

Donna’s Notes

Store leftover sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 473cal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 2062mg | Sugar: 18g | Fiber: 8g | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
slow cooker mashed sweet potatoes collage; close up and on a white plate.

Originally published November 2017. Updated and republished October 2022.

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8 Comments

    1. Hi Mel,
      Thank you for catching the typo on the salt – it is 2 teaspoons, or more/less to taste. I’ve updated the recipe card. All of the spices/seasonings in this recipe are adaptable to your tastes.

      TSRI Team member,
      Becca

    1. Hi Judy,
      Absolutely! I personally use Country Crock plant butter sticks on a regular basis as a substitute for butter. It works well for cooking and baking purposes!

      TSRI Team member,
      Becca

  1. 5 stars
    These are 100% a new household favorite, and will be a weekly dish now. My family loves sweet potatoes and this recipe is so easy to make.

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