An easy carrot and swede mash recipe flavoured with aromatic nutmeg! A tasty lower-carb alternative to regular mashed potato.
Serve with roast chicken, hearty stews, grilled sausages, and even Christmas lunch. You might also like my roasted swede recipe!
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This delicious creamy swede and carrot mash is a regular veggie side dish on our dinner table.
It's budget-friendly, easy to make, and best of all it can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. It's also freezer-friendly too.
Love carrots? Try my honey roast carrots and parsnips recipe!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- 5 simple ingredients.
- Frugal and budget-friendly.
- Lower carb than regular mashed potato.
- Can be made ahead and frozen.
🛒 Ingredients
Swede - also known as rutabaga, is a nutty, starchy root vegetable. The swede needs to be peeled and chopped into chunks.
Carrots - peeled and cut into chunks. The carrot gives the dish a lovely sweetness, that kids love.
Butter - unsalted butter is mashed into the hot cooked carrot and swede.
Double Cream - gives the mash a creamy indulgent taste. Leave it out to lower the calories of the dish.
Nutmeg - a small amount of grated nutmeg goes a long way. It's best to use a whole nutmeg and finely grate it using a special nutmeg grater, or fine microplane grater. You can use ground nutmeg if you prefer, but I find it loses its intense flavour quite quickly, so make sure the ground nutmeg is fresh.
Salt & Pepper - for seasoning.
🔪 How to make carrot and swede mash
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
- Peel and chop the swede and carrots into the same-sized chunks.
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil add the chopped swede and carrot and cook for 20 minutes until tender. Drain in a colander.
- Put the drained swede and carrot back into the pan it was cooked in and add the butter and cream. Use a potato masher or potato ricer (for a finer mash) to mash it all together. If you like your mash really smooth and creamy see my top tip below!
- Mix in the grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and serve. Alternatively, allow the mash to cool before storing it in the fridge. You can also freeze it for use at a later date.
Top Tips
- Cut the swede and carrots into roughly the same size chunks (about 3cm) to ensure they cook evenly in the boiling water.
- For a smoother textured mash (that's more like a puree), place the cooked swede and carrot, butter, and cream into a food processor and pulse until you get your desired consistency. Due to the nature of swede, it will never be quite as smooth as normal mashed potato though.
- Make a double batch and freeze half for another day.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Wondering what to have with carrot and swede mash? Here are a few suggestions.
I like to serve the carrot and swede mash with roast chicken, honey glazed gammon, or slow cooker roast beef, alongside other veggie side dishes such as slow cooker red cabbage, air fryer Brussels sprouts, creamed cabbage, roasted Tenderstem broccoli, and polenta roast potatoes.
The mash also goes well with slow cooker pork chops, sausage casserole, and baked cornflake chicken nuggets.
📖 Variations
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika and cinnamon to the mash for extra flavour.
- Use a herb butter for more flavour.
- Make it spicy by adding ½ teaspoon of chilli powder.
- Add the grated zest of 1 orange to help bring out the sweetness of the carrots.
- Swap out the carrots for butternut squash or sweet potato.
- Use the mash as a topping for fish pie.
- Garnish the mash with rosemary or chopped parsley.
- Make it vegan by replacing the butter and cream with dairy-free alternatives.
- Roast the carrot and swede before mashing, instead of boiling.
🥡 Storage
Store - The carrot swede mash can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Freeze - The mash can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Once cooled, place the mash in a freezer-safe container. Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
❓ FAQs
There is no difference as they are the same vegetable. It is called rutabaga in the US and Canada and swede in England, Australia, and NZ.
Swede is lower in carbohydrates than regular white potatoes. It is also therefore lower in calories.
Swede has a stronger more peppery and nutty taste than regular white potatoes.
You may have overcooked the vegetables and also not drained them enough. Make sure they have steamed dried for at least 5 minutes before adding them back into the pan for mashing.
😋Related recipes
More delicious vegetable side dishes to try!
- Roast Courgettes with Lemon & Garlic
- Baked Carrot Fries
- Roast Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Cauliflower Cheese
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Recipe
Easy Carrot & Swede Mash
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Saucepan
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 1 Swede peeled and chopped into 3cm chunks
- 450 g Carrots peeled and chopped into 3cm chunks
- 25 g Butter
- 2 tablespoon Double Cream
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the chopped swede and carrot for 20 minutes until tender. Drain in a colander.1 Swede, 450 g Carrots
- Put the drained swede and carrot back into the pan it was cooked in and add the butter and cream. Use a potato masher or potato ricer (for a finer mash) to mash it all together. If you like your mash really smooth and creamy see my top tip below!25 g Butter, 2 tablespoon Double Cream
- Mix in the grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and serve. Alternatively, allow the mash to cool before storing it in the fridge. You can also freeze it for use at a later date.¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, Salt & Pepper
Notes
- Make it spicy by adding ½ teaspoon of chilli powder.
- Add the grated zest of 1 orange to help bring out the sweetness of the carrots.
- Swap out the carrots for butternut squash or sweet potato.
- Use the mash as a topping for fish pie.
- Garnish the mash with rosemary or chopped parsley.
- Make it vegan by replacing the butter and cream for dairy free alternatives.
Pam says
At first I was confused, but when I saw that swede is also known as rutabaga I was on board. Made this great side dish and everyone loved it!
Emily Flint says
This vegetable mash was the perfect side for my roasted chicken! And it was such an easy recipe to make!
Jessica Stroup says
You know it's a good recipe when your kids ask for a second helping. So good, and I love that it's healthier!
Natalie says
My family loves carrot mash. But I never tried adding swede. Great idea. Looks really delicious. I'm going to give this a try.
Soniya says
The carrot and swede mash looks so creamy and delicious! Can't wait to make it tomorrow for a get together.