Apple Rum Sweet Potatoes are a perfect side for your Thanksgiving dinner or any meal! Apples and rum take these sweet potatoes over the top!
Thanksgiving sides are really what the meal is all about! Also check out our Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole or our Thanksgiving staple, our Family Favorite Sausage Stuffing!
Apple Rum Sweet Potato Side Dish
Because these Apple Rum Sweet Potatoes are really too good to only save for Thanksgiving. But they ARE one of the best Thanksgiving sides ever, even if we do say so ourselves.
What sets this mashed sweet potato recipe apart from the rest is the addition of tart green apples and a splash (or two) of dark rum. Just enough to add that delicious, deep caramel flavor that dark rum has, not enough to be super boozy tasting.
The green apples are a nice contrast to the rest of the sweet ingredients, adding just a little tart flavor to balance everything out.
How Do You Make This Sweet Potato Recipe?
This sweet potato recipe is so easy to make, which is why we say that you can serve these up with almost any dinner, any night of the week. All you do is boil the sweet potatoes together with the green apples until tender.
Mash them both together along with rum, butter, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, cream and serve.
Fair warning, there is a lot of butter in these sweet potatoes. Like a lot. But we’re starting with 3 1/2 pound of sweet potatoes and this recipe is enough for 10 servings. So I’m going to say that it all works itself out in the end.
As far as how to mash these sweet potatoes, you can go old school and use a potato masher to leave some texture in the potatoes like we did here. Or you can use a potato ricer to make a smooth, no lumps mashed potatoes.
Do I Have To Add The Rum In These Mashed Sweet Potatoes?
No, you don’t, but we recommend that you do. This recipe only has 2 tablespoons of dark rum in it so it’s just enough to add a delicious flavor, not enough to make it taste like there’s alcohol in it.
But if there’s a reason that you don’t want any alcohol in your cooking, then you can just omit it from the recipe.
Alternately, if you don’t have or like rum, you can also add bourbon or whiskey instead of dark rum. There’s even some fun flavors you can try like apple whiskey or apple brandy that you can try. And one of my favorites, caramel whiskey!
What Main Courses Can I Serve These Sweet Potatoes With?
Obviously, your Thanksgiving Turkey, but also so much more!
- Brown Butter Glazed Ham
- Beef Wellington
- Ritz Cracker Meatloaf
- Apple Cider Chicken Thighs
- Grandma’s Pot Roast Recipe
Can I Make These Sweet Potatoes Ahead Of Time?
Definitely! There’s a few different ways to do it, you can make these potatoes in advance and then keep them in your slow cooker on the warm setting until serving. Or you can keep them in a low over, on the warm setting if your oven has one, or at about 300 degrees.
If you need to make these sweet potatoes a day or two ahead of time, then just keep them covered in the refrigerator and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes. Take them out and stir them halfway through cooking to warm them through evenly.
Looking For More Thanksgiving Sides?
- Brussels Sprouts Casserole
- Brown Butter & Garlic Roasted Peas
- Cheesy Crock Pot Potatoes
- Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
- Homemade Creamy Caesar Salad
- The BEST Roasted Carrots
Apple Rum Sweet Potatoes
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThese Apple Rum Sweet Potatoes have a little something special in them…dark rum and tart green apples! Not only are these sweet potatoes going to be perfect for your holiday table, there easy enough to make for every day dinners!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 green apples, peeled and cored
- 2 sticks butter (16 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg (if using pre-ground nutmeg, cut down to 1/4 teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract (can also substitute regular vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Add the sweet potatoes and apples to a large pot. Add cold water to just cover the tops of the potatoes and apples along with a couple of tablespoons of kosher salt and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are very tender and drain. The apples will be very soft, which is ok, they will practically melt into the sweet potatoes when mashing.
- Return the sweet potatoes and apples to the pot along with the butter, rum, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey and vanilla extract. Mash with a potato masher to break down the potatoes and combine all the ingredients. Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.
- Serve with extra butter and cinnamon on top.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
