Presenting my all-time favorite mashed potatoes recipe! These homemade mashed potatoes are perfectly rich and creamy, full of great flavor, easy to make, and always a crowd fave.
Friends! It has come to my attention that in nine years of blogging, I have somehow neglected to share with you my go-to recipe for this most classic of classic side dishes, which simply will not do with Thanksgiving — the ultimate celebration of side dishes — just around the corner.
So today, allow me to present my tried-and-true, back-pocket, made-’em-a-million-times, always-a-crowd-fave, all-time-favorite mashed potatoes recipe. ♡
Now of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion about exactly what constitutes the best mashed potatoes recipe. But if I’m the one put in charge potatoes for Thanksgiving, this recipe is my idea of perfection. These mashed potatoes are indulgently buttery, creamy, tangy, and made with a subtle hint of garlic (or you’re welcome to add much more, if you’d like). They are perfectly dense and thick (not the whipped and ultra-light variety). They feature not one, but two popular kinds of potatoes (whose skins you are welcome to leave on or peel off). They can be mashed as smooth or as chunky as you prefer. Oh, and they’re also incredibly easy to make ahead of time and reheat in the microwave if you have a busy menu lineup and would like to prep them ahead of time.
Basically, they’re total winners, and I’m pretty sure you’re going to love them too. So if you’re looking for a winning homemade mashed potatoes recipe, bookmark this one and my favorite mushroom gravy and let’s mash some potatoes together!
Yukon Gold potatoes are a favorite for mashing not only because they have a high starch content (hooray!), but also because of their naturally buttery flavor. They also don’t absorb as much water as russet potatoes (aka Idaho potatoes), which can get a little mushy if overcooked or not properly drained.
How To Store and Reheat Mashed Potatoes
Good news — if you are interested in make-ahead mashed potatoes, there are a few different ways that you can prep this recipe ahead of time and then reheat it without sacrificing good texture. Feel free to:
- Soak the uncooked potatoes for up to 4 hours: If you would like to prep just the raw potatoes ahead of time, they can hold in a stockpot (or large bowl) of cold water for up to 4 hours. You can either store this in the fridge, or just add in a couple of ice cubes every few hours to keep the water cold.
- Make ahead and refrigerate, then rewarm: If you are cooking your mashed potatoes longer in advance, transfer them to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or an airtight lid (leaving at least an inch of space between the surface of the potatoes and the wrap/lid). Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Then you can either reheat the potatoes in the:
- Microwave: Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap and microwave the potatoes on 75% power until hot, stirring every 3-4 minutes.
- Crock-Pot: Transfer potatoes to a slow cooker and heat on “high” for 1 hour, covered, or until hot.
- Instant Pot: Transfer potatoes to a pressure cooker and heat on the “warm” setting for 1 hour, covered, or until hot.
- Oven: Transfer potatoes to a large stockpot and heat, covered, at 350°F for 30 minutes or until hot.
How To Make Mashed Potatoes
To make mashed potatoes, simply…
- Cut the potatoes. Again, feel free to peel your potatoes or leave the skins on. (I always leave them on for the extra nutrients and flavor.) Then cut your potatoes into evenly-sized chunks, about an inch or so thick. Then transfer them to a large stockpot full of cold water until all of the potatoes are cut and ready to go.
- Pro tip: If you are prepping ingredients for a big meal ahead of time, the potatoes can chill in the cold water for up to 4 hours before boiling. Just add a few ice cubes to the water to be sure that it stays cold.
- Boil the potatoes. Once all of your potatoes are cut, be sure that there is enough cold water in the pan so that the water line sits about 1 inch above the potatoes. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon salt to the water. Then turn on high heat until the water comes to a boil. And boil the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in with almost no resistance. Carefully drain out all of the water.
- Prepare your melted butter mixture. Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat your butter, milk and an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt together either in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is just melted. (You want to avoid boiling the milk.) Set aside until ready to use.
- Pan-dry the potatoes. Return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, and then place the stockpot back on the hot burner, turning the heat down to low. Using two oven mitts, carefully hold the handles on the stockpot and shake it gently on the burner for about 1 minute to help cook off some of the remaining steam within the potatoes. Then remove the stockpot entirely from the heat.
- Mash the potatoes. Using your preferred kind of masher (see above), mash the potatoes to your desired consistency.
- Stir everything together. Then pour half of the melted butter mixture over the potatoes, and fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula until potatoes have soaked up the liquid. Repeat with the remaining butter. And then again with the cream cheese. Fold each addition in until just combined to avoid overmixing, or else you will end up with gummy potatoes.
- Taste and season. One final time, adding in extra salt (plus black pepper, if you would like) to taste.
- Serve warm. Then serve warm, garnished with any extra toppings that you might like, and enjoy!! ♡
- Instant Pot mashed potatoes: See my full tutorial here for how to make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot.
- Garlic mashed potatoes: To make your mashed potatoes extra garlicky, feel free to double or triple the amount of garlic added to this recipe. Or, feel free to roast a head of garlic while the potatoes are boiling and add the roasted cloves to the mash for extra-rich flavor.
- Loaded mashed potatoes: To make loaded mashed potatoes, add in lots of shredded cheddar, crispy bacon and chopped green onions. And if you’d like to add a kick, sliced jalapeños are always a great idea!
- Vegan mashed potatoes: To make these potatoes vegan, sub in vegan butter, plain almond milk, and vegan cream cheese (or omit the cream cheese entirely, if you would like).
- Mashed sweet potatoes: To make mashed sweet potatoes, simply sub in sweet potatoes in place of your Russets and Yukon golds.
- Mashed red potatoes: If you happen to be partial to red potatoes, this recipe will also work well using 100% red potatoes.
- Extra seasonings: There are also all sorts of various seasonings that you can add to your mashed potatoes. A few favorites of mine include Old Bay (or Cajun Seasoning), Italian Seasoning or Everything Bagel Seasoning.
The Best Mashed Potatoes You Will Ever Make | Epicurious 101
FAQ
What type of potato is best for mashed potatoes?
Is Yukon Gold or russet potatoes better?
Can I substitute russet for Yukon Gold?
What is the difference between russet and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes?
Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes differ in their flavor profile, which can significantly impact the taste of mashed potatoes. Russet potatoes have a buttery, earthy flavor and are perfect for making light and fluffy mashed potatoes.
Is it safe to take growths off russet potatoes and cook them?
For food safety, great care must be taken when consuming food suspected to be spoiled. In this way, if your potato is germinated and wilted, then it is already very spoiled.
Do Yukon golds mash better than Russets?
Both Yukon Golds and russets are all-purpose potatoes with good reason, but stacked up against one another, they both have certain preparations where they each shine a little more. While russets mash well, Yukon Golds’ more buttery flavor and creamy texture often make them the best choice for mashing over any potato.
Do russet potatoes have more iron than Yukon Gold potatoes?
Russet potatoes contain approximately twice as much iron as Yukon Gold potatoes, clocking in at 18% of the Daily Value per 299-gram serving. The Yukon Gold variety only contains 8% DV for an equal serving size– not even half as much.