Whipped sweet potatoes serve as the perfect side to any family meal. In our house, it’s our regular whole-family-loves-em Thanksgiving side dish as they’re incredibly easy to make in bulk.
If you’ve never tried whipped sweet potatoes before, you’re in for a treat. Whipped sweet potatoes are much easier to prepare in comparison to mashed potatoes because they can easily be whipped in a mixer once cooked.
While this recipe can be used with any variety of sweet potatoes, I highly recommend trying these whipped Japanese sweet potatoes due to the amazing flavor, texture, and richness when combined with coconut oil and coconut milk.
What are Japanese Sweet Potatoes?
Japanese sweet potatoes have a creamy white/yellowish inside and a deeper purple/reddish skin. You can find them at your local market or some grocery stores (WholeFoods Market) in the fall/early winter.
Japanese sweet potatoes have a much drier, starchier inside, meaning methods such as “nuking” in the microwave or roasting in oven will give you a globby, sticky consistency (been there, done that.) They’re also more dense and have a much sweeter and heartier taste than traditional sweet potatoes and yams.

Whipped Japanese Sweet Potatoes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 6-8 1x
Category: Side Dish
Description
These whipped Japanese sweet potatoes are the perfect side dish to family meals.
Ingredients
- 5 Japanese sweet potatoes (about 4-5lbs)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and peel the skins from the sweet potatoes, and cut into cubes (about 1 inch in diameter.) Place the cubes in a large pot and cover in water so that the water comes just to the top of the cubes. Add a pinch of sea salt to the water.
- Bring the water to a boil, and let the cubes “cook” in the boiling water for about 15 minutes. The cubes will be ready when you can spike it easily with a fork.
- Drain the water and place the cubes in a bowl. Using a mixer or a hand blender, whip the sweet potatoes for 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly add in 1/4 cup of coconut milk and sea salt and pepper to taste
- After about 1 minute, add in the coconut oil. After another minute, add the rest of the coconut milk to the mixture and let the potatoes continue to whip until light and fluffy.
Live empowered,
These are delicious! I used regular sweet potatoes because that’s what I had on hand, but it was such a fast and easy way to eat them! Baking them in the oven takes forever and microwaving them usually leaves them rubbery. Thanks for sharing!
Natalie,
So glad you enjoyed them! We actually just made these again last night. Baking does take forever – ain’t nobody got time for that! 🙂 Whipping is so easy and simple!
Canned coconut milk or the boxed kind? Canned is like cream…so delicious! Thanks.
Hi Kate! Hmm, I have never seen a boxed kind! I use canned coconut milk. It IS delicious and amazing! Use the full fat kind, and I recommend using one that is in a BPA-free can (the link to the kind I use is above in the ingredients section!) Hope that helps!
My local store was out of Japanese Sweets so I bought Jersey Sweets! Can’t wait to try this for Thanksgiving!
Lee, I bet that will be awesome! Send me a photo and let me know how it tastes!! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving.
Whatever you do, do NOT microwave Japanese sweet potatoes!
I washed mine, poked them and put them in the microwave for 6 mins. Big mistake! They caught on fire and smoke was everywhere!
Found out these sweet potatoes do not have a lot of moisture in them and that you should never microwave them. ????????
Agreed!
I typically make mine in the oven they are soooo bomb I just wash them like them wrap them in foil oven on 350 for 45 mins and they are the best
Hi. I try to cook without or with as little oil as possible. Do you think these will still be good without the oil? I cook Japanese sweet potatoes in the oven all the time and eat them like a snack!
You can try! They will definitely be dryer. You can try adding more coconut milk.
★★★★★
What about butter instead of Coconut oil? My husband doesn’t love the taste of coconut oil.
Yep! It works great!