These are the BEST mashed potatoes, incredibly buttery and creamy, easy to make, and the perfect addition to every meal.
I’ve included all of my best tips and a complete “how to make mashed potatoes” guide for absolute perfection every time!
Mashed potatoes (and stuffing) are the best part of any Thanksgiving or holiday meal and the perfect side with almost anything! They go especially well with sauces, gravy or things like Salisbury steak, beef tips, or Swiss steak.
The best potatoes to use for mashed potatoes are Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes because of their high starch content. Yukon gold potatoes are another good option, the texture of Yukon gold is a bit more buttery and not quite as starchy.
If using Yukon gold potatoes, you can leave some of the skin on for a bit of texture. Russet or Idaho potatoes have tough skin that should be peeled first.
Tip: If time allows, the potatoes can be baked for 1 hour at 400°F. You can scoop out the potato flesh and save the skins for making potato skins!
These mashed potatoes have no additions of cheeses but feel free to stir in additions to change up the flavor. I’ve added some of my favorite variations below.
While a homemade mashed potatoes recipe is easy to make, here are a few tips to make sure they’re absolutely perfect.
Mashed Potatoes are super simple to make with very few ingredients. You can make Crock Pot or Instant Pot mashed potatoes as well.
The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Fluffy, creamy and buttery, these are absolutely PERFECT every time.
Prep: 15min
Total: 35min
Yield: 10
Serving Size: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts: calories 209 kcal, Carbohydrate 34 g, Protein 5 g, Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 17 mg, Sodium 74 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 2 g, Trans Fat 1 g, unSaturated Fat 3 g, servingSize 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds potatoes (russet or Yukon gold)
- 3 cloves garlic (optional)
- ⅓ cup salted butter (melted)
- 1 cup milk (or cream)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Instruction:
- Peel and quarter potatoes, place in a pot of cold salted water.
- Add cloves of garlic (if using) & bring to a boil, cook uncovered 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain well.
- Heat milk on the stove top (or in the microwave) until warm.
- Add butter to the potatoes and begin mashing. Pour in heated milk a little at a time while using a potato masher to reach desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
The BEST Mashed Potatoes!
These homemade mashed potatoes are perfectly rich and creamy, full of great flavor, easy to make, and always a crowd fave. See notes above for tips and possible recipe variations. And also, feel free to halve this recipe if you would like to make a smaller batch.
Prep: 20min
Total: 45min
Yield: 10
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds potatoes (I use half Yukon Gold, half Russet potatoes)
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- toppings: chopped fresh chives or green onions, freshly-cracked black pepper
Instruction:
- Feel free to peel your potatoes or leave the skins on. Then cut them into evenly-sized chunks, about an inch or so thick, and transfer them to a large stockpot full of cold water.
- 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. Stir the garlic and 1 tablespoon sea salt into the water. Then turn the heat to high and cook until the water comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain the boil) and continue cooking for about 10-12 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in easily with almost no resistance. Carefully drain out all of the water.
- Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat the 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.
- After draining the water, immediately return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, place it back on the hot burner, and turn 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. Remove the stockpot entirely from the heat and set it on a flat, heatproof surface.
- Using your preferred kind of potato masher (I recommend this one in general, or this one for extra-smooth), mash the potatoes to your desired consistency.
- 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, folding in each addition in until just combined to avoid over-mixing. (Feel free to add in more warm milk to reach your desired consistency, if needed.)
- One final time, taste the potatoes and season with extra salt if needed.
- Then serve warm, garnished with gravy or any extra toppings that you might like, and enjoy!
