Maple Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes with orange zest and pure maple syrup is a magically flavorful side dish, amazing for any time of the year. Make it in bulk during the holidays!! Boozed up mashed sweet potatoes…can life get any better?!

Mashed sweet potatoes in a white bowl with melted butter on top and chopped pecans. A teal tea towel to the side.

It probably doesn’t come as a shock that no less than 78% of what I eat on Thanksgiving day is made out of sweet potatoes.

Sure, I can down my fair share of my Garlic Butter Roast Turkey with Cranberry Sauce, Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Beets, Healthy Green Bean Casserole, and the whole gamete.

But for me, sweet potato dishes like this boozy mash or my Sweet Potato Casserole with Streusel Topping are the main event.

The sweetness, that mouth feel, those carbs. They’re just so pleasing!

Which is why 84% of what I eat on Thanksgiving day is made out of sweet potatoes.

This mashed whiskey lullaby is wunderbar. It’s a real booze cruise.

As in, it’s easy to make.

Pure maple syrup + sweet taters + orange zest + bourbon + butter = fancied up mashed taters with silky smooth texture and rich flavor.

You’re wondering if you can add marshmallows or streusel topping and bake these suckers twice? Yes, and do it!

White bowl of mashed sweet potatoes with melted butter and chopped pecans on top.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for boozy mashed sweet potatoes!

Ingredients for Maple Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes:

Fresh Sweet Potatoes: The star of the show! We need about 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, which you can get from cooking about 2 large sweet potatoes or 3 to 4 medium sized sweet potatoes.

I like roasting the sweet potatoes but boiling them works just as well.

Unsalted Butter: Creamy butter brings an otherworldly silky richness to this amazing mashed potatoes recipe. A few tablespoons butter go a long way in generating a creamier texture.

You can adjust the amount depending on your personal taste.

Pure Maple Syrup: While sweet potatoes bring natural sweetness to the dish, we boost the sweetness by adding some pure maple syrup. Brown sugar works just as well here!

Bourbon: Okay, the real star of the show. Winky face. Bourbon or whisky adds a unique boozy flavor that’ll make you get love drunk off of potatoes.

Embrace it, enjoy it, add it to your personal taste. I personally don’t use a very smoky bourbon, but pick your favorite brand for cooking.

Orange Zest: I know, crazy, right?! Orange zest brings a little citrus undertone that pairs magically well with the rest of the flavors. Don’t skip it or you’ll be missing out something fierce!

Ground Cinnamon: Mandatory in just about every sweet potato side dish in my humble opinion. I use a generous amount of cinnamon in my sweet potato dishes but you can adjust to your liking.

Ground Cardamom (optional): If you have cardamom on hand, add it! Otherwise, skip it because it is an expensive spice that is hardly ever used in anything.

Sea Salt: Add sea salt to enhance all of the flavors of this delicious Thanksgiving side dish.

Recipe Adaptations:

Omit the bourbon if you aren’t into cooking with alcohol.
Serve the potatoes with my Easy Candied Pecans on top.
Replace the butter with a little full-fat coconut milk to keep the recipe dairy-free.
You can replace the orange zest with lemon zest, although I recommend sticking with orange for the best results.
If you really want to step up the deliciousness of this recipe, make brown butter in a small saucepan to add to the potatoes. Cook it until it is golden brown.
Rather than roasting the potatoes, you can boil them in a large pot until fork tender.

Now that we’re familiar with the basics, let’s make an epic batch of potatoes!

How to Make Maple Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash the sweet potatoes and pat them dry. Poke several holes in each potato with a fork and wrap them in foil.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet (or casserole dish or baking dish) on the center rack of your oven and roast until very soft and juices are seeping out, about 60 to 90 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool enough to handle.

Peel off the potato skins (they should come off easily using your hands), and place the sweet potato flesh in a large mixing bowl.

Mashing sweet potatoes with a potato masher in a mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients to the large bowl and mash everything together until well combined using a potato masher or a sturdy fork.

Glass bowl full of mashed sweet potatoes with pure maple syrup being poured in.

Glass bowl of mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup, cinnamon, and cardamom being poured in.

Taste the mashed sweet potatoes for flavor and add more bourbon, maple syrup, sea salt, or orange zest to your personal taste.

If necessary, heat the potatoes back up on the stove top before serving.

Serve bourbon potatoes with melted butter and chopped pecans alongside your main dish.

Store leftover mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Maple-Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes in a white bowl with melted butter and pecans on top.

And that’s it! One of my long-standing favorite side dishes that I just can’t do without during the holiday season.

For those who don’t want to go through the process of making a traditional sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving dinner, this easy recipe is a great option.

It adds colorful nuance and unique flavors to the dinner table for an unforgettable holiday side dish. Adding candied crunchy pecans on top really levels up this great side dish.

If you’re a sweet potatoes lover like me, you’re going to want to try this one! It’s a healthier option than classic sweet potato casserole (with the marshmallow topping), yet it’s still wildly delicious.

Looking for more Thanksgiving sides? Here are more of my favorites.

More Holiday Side Dishes:

Carb like no one is watching.