The Best Mashed Potatoes recipe comes together with boiled potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, and milk! Making homemade mashed potatoes is so easy and the rich and fluffy consistency makes it fantastic for make-ahead mashed potatoes! Learn all the tips to make a creamy mashed potatoes recipe like a pro.
Need some ideas for leftover mashed potatoes? Try these Stuffed Mashed Potato Pancakes with braised cabbage or make our TGI Friday’s Mashed Potato Casserole with Cheesy Chicken (SO GOOD!) Shepard pie is always a smart way to transform leftovers into a delicious casserole when you’re wondering what to do with leftover mashed potatoes!
Mashed Potatoes
I pretty much have this mashed potato recipe memorized–it is my favorite way to make mashed potatoes! These mashed taters are as easy-to-make as mashing boiled potatoes then adding milk, butter, and salt–all with the help of a hand mixer. I love my mashed potatoes with cream cheese and sour cream because you can freeze mashed potatoes this way.
This mashed potatoes recipe has been a family-favorite side dish served with meat and other tasty sides for years! I’d bring these mashed potatoes as a side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner regularly as I was in charge of bringing the potato side for family gatherings! And when potatoes are what’s for dinner I already know how many potatoes the children need to peel (super basic!)
It’s the BEST mashed potatoes recipe and highly adaptable to the ingredients you have on hand. If all I have is Russet potatoes, I’ll use those, however, Yukon Gold, Idaho, or any potatoes will work! And if you like mashed potatoes with heavy cream use that instead of milk. There are just so many variations like using buttermilk for mashed potatoes when you’re out of sour cream too.
Make-Ahead:
Not only are these smooth mashed potatoes indulgent the day of making but leftovers can easily be refrigerated for prepping this mashed potato side ahead of time for another meal! Better yet, you can freeze mashed potatoes and reheat them by baking them in the oven (no one will even know!) Freezer potatoes are a huge time-saver, especially for holidays when you have so many other things to make!
If you’re looking to make the best homemade mashed potatoes recipe, with a perfectly whipped and ultra-light consistency this is the only indulgent, and buttery smooth recipe that you need to pin! It’s amazing!
Can You Freeze Mashed Potatoes?
Also known as sour cream potatoes, the only way to freeze mashed potatoes so that they reheat to a creamy consistency is to use cream cheese and sour cream. Because the richness from these dairy products adds a substantial amount of fat to the potatoes they won’t separate or taste gritty!
I will sometimes intentionally make a double batch specifically for freezing afterward, this is great for when you know you’ll be having a chicken dinner to accompany a side of creamy potatoes. Plus, if you have a bag of potatoes going bad soon, turn them into freezer mashed potatoes before they sprout!
To Freeze: prepare the mashed potatoes as directed. Spread in a disposable 13×9 pan and cool completely. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 6 months.
To reheat: place the frozen pan of mashed potatoes into a pre-heated 330°F oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until potatoes is heated thoroughly. For perfectly boiled fork-tender potatoes cook for 25 minutes! I get perfectly fork-tender potatoes every time with this timing! Matter of fact every time I cook potatoes whether in soups or boiling the potatoes before mashing I always used this cooking time-it doesn’t matter what size the potatoes are-25 minutes is perfect timing for the potatoes to finish cooking. Keep in mind I’m referring to average-sized potatoes if you’re using commercial baking potatoes you will have to adjust the timing. I will usually cut my extra-large potatoes into fours and the regular-sized taters in half for easier mashing later. Baby potatoes can be left whole and so can peeled garlic cloves if making garlic-infused mashed potatoes. There are two popular potatoes to use for making this recipe–russet or Yukon Gold. Since Russet potatoes are starchy it is only ideal to use extra dairy products like sour cream or cream cheese to bind the starchy flakes of potato flesh. Golden potatoes are usually a creamy potato, to begin with, once boiled which can easily be made with basic milk and butter, however adding that extra richness of creams makes these freezer-friendly and full of flavor! The most important handy kitchen tool to use when making mashed potatoes is a hand mixer! I will only make mashed potatoes with a hand mixer even though I have a stainless steel potato masher utensil! It is the easy way to make perfectly whipped mashed potatoes right in the pot! Simply attach the beaters and mash up the chunks of boiled potatoes (or boil the potatoes whole.) Chef’s Tip: if prepping potatoes ahead of time for a big event like catering, submerge the cut potatoes into ice-cold water overnight. Then bring the pot of potatoes to a boil and prepare as needed. Note: for smashed potatoes, roughly mash the potatoes by steaming the potatoes dry, then shaking the pot of hot potatoes covered. Potatoes are a vegetable making them completely gluten-free! Gluten is usually found in grains like rye or wheat. However, make sure the gravy to your mashed potatoes is made from cornstarch for a gluten-free potato dish. Many mashed potato recipes call for either milk or cream, and sometimes I even use both! Heavy whipping cream adds richness to plain mashed potatoes whereas milk is much lighter and great for making ultralight whipped potatoes. Milk can stretch out the mashed potatoes making it seem like there are more potatoes in a serving. If you can’t settle between cream or milk use Half and Half! This is not a vegan recipe since it’s loaded with dairy products like cream cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream. However, to make Vegan mashed potatoes: sub in vegan butter, plain almond milk, and vegan approved cream cheese. This recipe makes easy mashed potatoes for the home cook because most ingredients are probably right in your fridge! Once you learn how to make homemade mashed potatoes you can whip this up anytime! It takes simple ingredients to make a pot of Classic Mashed Potatoes and no fancy equipment. Ingredients: Note: if you cannot find mushroom bouillon cubes, make your own! Simply strain the juice from your mushrooms when they fry. That’s your homemade mushroom broth; add it to the simmering pot of potatoes. This recipe yields about 12 servings. Use a 5-quart pot to boil the potatoes. For every pound of potatoes use a quart-sized pot. Leftovers can keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Anything longer should be frozen. To Reheat: simply revive the mashed potatoes by reheating them in the microwave with a splash of water or milk. Mashed potatoes reheat great in a skillet too with a splash of milk. To prep mashed potatoes ahead of time simply prepare and make the potatoes according to the directions. Spread mashed potatoes in a 13×9 baking dish. Cool completely then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheating Oven Instructions: place the baking dish into a 350°F oven and bake for 30 minutes. Microwave Instructions: You can also store the mashed potatoes in a glass bowl covered in plastic wrap for reheating in the microwave. Simply poke the plastic wrap with a fork then microwave for up to 14 minutes over high stirring once in between. If microwaving in smaller portions place 3-4 cups of mashed potatoes into a glass bowl and microwave stirring every 3 minutes, until hot. Crock-Pot Reheating Instructions: mashed potatoes reheat great in a slow cooker, especially if you go off to church and leave the potatoes in the crockpot over warm or low until you come back. Set at warm or low for 2 hours. If in a rush heat over high for up to 1 hour. To make crockpot mashed potatoes simply toss the cubed potatoes into your favorite slow cooker and cover with water. This works great if your day is busy and you want to come back to it later. I used large Yukon Gold Potatoes for these Ultra-light whipped mashed potatoes, however, there are many that can be used when mashing boiled potatoes. Here are the common potato varieties to be used: Pack extra nutrition, into your mashed potatoes by leaving the skins on and repurposing the starchy potato water that the potatoes boiled in. Here are some flavorful ideas to turn basic mashed potatoes into a loaded potato dish with savory fillings or toppings! Or go back to the basics and make taters like grandma! Mashed Potatoes are best served as a side to meat, vegetables, or fluffy dinner rolls. Q&A
How Long To Boil Potatoes For Mash?
How To Make Mashed Potatoes?
Is Mashed Potatoes Gluten-Free?
Heavy Cream or Milk?
Can I Make This Dairy-Free?
Ingredients For Mashed Potatoes:
What Size Pot To Make Mashed Potatoes?
How To Store Mashed Potatoes?
How To Make-Ahead:
Can I Make In The Crock-Pot?
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes?
What Are The Best Potatoes To Use?
Mash Variations?
What To Serve With Mashed Potatoes?
Equipment To Make Creamy Mashed Potatoes:
- 8-Quart Pot– if doubling the portion. This recipe will work in a 5-quart pot too.
- Hand Mixer– for the BEST mashed potatoes always whip your potatoes with a mixer for light and fluffy taters!
- Disposable Foiled Pans- for storing, freezing, or reheating the potatoes–perfect for make-ahead mashed potatoes!
- 6-Quart Instant Pot– if you want mashed potatoes in as quick as 6-12 minutes!
- 7-Quart Slow Cooker– to make ahead and bring to a potluck (it works like an oven on the go!)
More Potato Recipes To Make:
- Ukrainian Fried Potatoes
- Boiled Baby Potatoes with Bacon Butter Sauce
- Ukrainian Potato Pancakes (Deruny)
- Loaded Scalloped Potatoes (with Franks)
- Taco Bell Potatoes
The BEST Tips For Making Mashed Potatoes:
- To get a head start on prepping the raw potatoes for a make-ahead event (like a wedding) soak the uncooked potatoes overnight in ice-cold water until the morning. Then make per instructions.
- This recipe is great to make ahead and refrigerate! Reheat in the microwave, bake in the oven, revive in the Instant Pot, or keep warm in a Crock-Pot!
- Add Extra Seasoning to flavor your mashed potatoes like cajun seasoning, Italian herbs, or a variety of dried seasoning like chives.
- Steam your potatoes after cooking, this steams dry the potatoes and allows the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter to melt for easy mashing.
- Invest in a hand mixer for the best-whipped potatoes! Even chefs who cater to large crowds beat their mashed potatoes!
- Don’t over mix once you add the liquid! You can beat the steamed potatoes with the dairy solids for 5 minutes or longer but once you add the liquid you only want to blend everything together otherwise you’ll get gummy potatoes.
- Use lots of butter for silky smooth mashed potatoes.
- When using cream cheese and sour cream the potatoes can be frozen and reheated well.
How To Make Mashed Potatoes:
BEST Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- 5-quart pot
- hand mixer
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 13 Potatoes (5 pounds)
- 6 oz sour cream (3/4 cup)
- 4 oz butter
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water the potatoes cooked in
Instructions
Instructions:
- In a large pot, boil peeled and halved potatoes in 1 1/2 quarts of water for 25 minutes or until fork-tender.
- Drain and reserve the water. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream directly into the pot of potatoes. Cover the pot with a lid and allow the potatoes to steam until the butter melts (5 minutes.)
- Using a hand mixer beat the potatoes for 5 minutes until no chunks of the potatoes remain.
- Mix in the salt, milk, and reserved water. Continue to beat until well blended.
- Serve immediately or keep warm over low heat until serving.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: and keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes.
- To Freeze Mashed Potatoes: spread in a disposable 13x9 pan and cool. Cover and freezer for up to 6 months. Bake frozen a pre-heated 350°F for up to 1 hour.
- To Bring to a Potluck: Transfer prepared mashed potatoes into a slow cooker and keep warm for 2 hours if hot or keep over low setting if cold.
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes cook in as quick as 6-12 minutes! See my Instant Pot Instructions!
Nutrition per serving