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Homemade Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food—creamy, buttery, and perfect for any meal. Whether you’re making a classic Thanksgiving dinner, a Sunday roast, or a weeknight side, this simple how-to guide will help you make perfect mashed potatoes every time.
5-Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Very easy and delicious… This is such a simple recipe for an outstanding and tasteful side dish!” – Jane R.
“Wow! I have and made mashed potatoes my entire life and that’s a lot of potatoes because I’m you. But adding sour cream is just genius!” – Cynthia W.
“This recipe is excellent! My mashed potatoes were light and creamy for the first time in 20 years. I’d give it 10 stars if I could.” – Alison
A Sunday Dinner Tradition
I grew up eating these creamy mashed potatoes almost every Sunday. My mom always served them with her famous Sunday dinners – roasted turkey or roast beef. This is her homemade mashed potatoes recipe. They’re never too thin and watery or too thick and dry. Her method and add-ins are what make them absolutely perfect!
❤️ Erica
Table of Contents
- 5-Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Sunday Dinner Tradition
- Ingredients Needed
- Choosing the Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes
- How to Make Mashed Potatoes
- Tips for the Best Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- Ways to Serve Mashed Potatoes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing and Reheating Mashed Potatoes
- Creative Ways to Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes
- Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients Needed
- Potatoes: Russet or Yukon Gold (see detailed tips below).
- Sour Cream: For a tangy, rich flavor.
- Butter: Adds creaminess and depth.
- Milk: Helps achieve the perfect consistency.
- Salt & Pepper: Essential seasonings.
- Optional Garnish: Fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or chives.
Choosing the Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes
- Russet Potatoes: Light, fluffy, mild flavor. Peel for the smoothest mash. Great with gravy. Fun Fact: Russet potatoes and Idaho potatoes are both Russet potatoes, but only Russets grown in Idaho can legally be referred to as “Idaho” potatoes.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: Naturally buttery and creamy. Peels are thin so peeling is optional.
- Red Potatoes: Slightly sweet, thin skins; great for rustic, chunkier mash with skins on.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes
- Peel potatoes. Cut the potatoes into quarters.
- Place potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with cold water, add 1 -2 teaspoons of salt, and bring to a boil.
- Boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes. Potatoes should break apart when poked with a fork.
- Combine milk and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 40 seconds or until butter melts.
- Drain potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or mix in a stand mixer with whisk attachment on low.
- Slowly add milk/butter mixture until desired consistency is reached.
- Mash in sour cream, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.
- Garnish with extra butter and fresh herbs, if desired. Serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- Start cooking the potatoes in cold, salted water: This ensures even cooking from the inside out.
- Use the right tool to mash: A hand masher keeps the potatoes fluffy. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer on low and stop as soon as smooth.
- Heat dairy: Warm milk and butter in the microwave, or in a small saucepan, before adding to the potatoes. This will keep the potatoes warm and help with even distribution.
- Extra creamy mashed potatoes: Swap some milk for half-and-half or heavy cream.
- Add some color: When serving, add a garnish of a parsley or thyme sprig to add fresh color to the potatoes.
Ways to Serve Mashed Potatoes
- With Gravy: These potatoes are so good on their own, but they are my favorite with gravy. Here are some of our very favorite homemade gravy recipes to serve with mashed potatoes:
- Turkey gravy
- Beef Gravy
- Crockpot Steak and Gravy
- Country Gravy (included with our Chicken Fried Chicken recipe)
- Fully Loaded: Top your potatoes with cheese, crumbled bacon, and green onion. So good we gave these potatoes their very own post – Loaded Mashed Potatoes.
- Sour Cream and Chives: Stir in a little sour cream and top with chives and fresh ground pepper.
- Cheesy Potatoes: Stir in a cup of shredded cheddar cheese with the sour cream for cheesy potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Refrigerate up to 2 days in an airtight container. To reheat in the oven, transfer to a covered casserole dish and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until heated through. To reheat in a CrockPot, heat on high for 1 hour covered, or until heated through. You can also reheat in the microwave by transferring the potatoes to a microwave-safe dish and cooking on high for 2-3 minute intervals, stirring between each interval until heated through. Add liquid (milk or cream) as needed.
Use the right potatoes (Russet for fluffy, Yukon Gold for creamy – or a 50/50 blend of the two), start in cold salted water, add warmed milk and melted butter, and mash gently – stop as soon as smooth.
Yes! For Yukon Gold or red potatoes, leaving the skins on add nutrients and texture. Peel Russet potatoes for nice, smooth mashed potatoes.
The first step is to heat the milk and butter before adding them to the mashed potatoes. Once the dairy is blended in, keep mashed potatoes in a covered ceramic dish in the oven on warm or in a crockpot on warm until ready to serve.
For watery potatoes, stir over low heat to evaporate moisture, then add a little butter or sour cream. For gummy (over-mixed) mashed potatoes, try adding a tablespoon of melted butter. If that doesn’t work, you can try mixing in some instant potato flakes to absorb some of the excess moisture and starch. If you have the ingredients, making another batch of mashed potatoes and mixing the two batches together also works. You can also repurpose the gummy mashed potatoes by making potato cakes.
Storing and Reheating Mashed Potatoes
Storing: Keep leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheating: You can reheat mashed potatoes in the microwave, oven, Crockpot, or on the stovetop. No matter how you re-heat your potatoes, the most important thing to remember is to add liquid. Milk or broth work best.
Creative Ways to Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes
When I have leftover mashed potatoes, I like to incorporate them into a completely different meal. It’s easy to make two meals out of one big batch of potatoes! You don’t even need to make them the very next day. Your mashed potatoes will stay good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Shepherd’s Pie: A hearty way to repurpose leftovers with ground beef and vegetables.
- Cheesy Potato Cakes: Crispy, golden appetizers with creamy centers.
- Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole: Combine all your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers into one dish.
- Potato Gnocchi: Discover how easy and delicious making homemade gnocchi can be!
It makes me so happy to pass along my mom’s recipe to you. If you give these a try, I’d love to hear how they turned out—please leave a rating and a comment below! 🥔❤️
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds Russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and cut into quarters.
- Place potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with cold water, add salt (about 1-2 teaspoons) and bring to a boil.
- Allow to boil for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
- Combine milk and butter in a microwave safe bowl and place in the microwave for about 40 seconds or until butter is melted. This makes it so the milk doesn't cool off your potatoes when you add it.
- Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher or mix in a stand mixer with whisk attachment. If you do a stand mixer, make sure to keep it on low to medium speed.
- Slowly add milk/butter mixture until you reach your desired consistency, adding more milk if you want the potatoes to be thinner.
- Mash in sour cream and salt & pepper. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
To keep mashed potatoes warm after cooking:
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Put mashed potatoes in an oven safe dish with a lid, or cover with foil. Keep in the oven for up to an hour, stirring occasionally.
- Place mashed potatoes in a slow cooker/crockpot set on low or keep warm. Stir occasionally to prevent sides from burning.
To reheat mashed potatoes:
- Oven: Stir in the liquid and butter into the mashed potatoes and spread in an even layer in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through (165-degrees).
- Stovetop: In a large pot over medium heat, add potatoes, liquid, and butter. Stir often until heated through.
- Crockpot: Place potatoes, liquid and butter in a Crock Pot on low heat for two hours, stirring occasionally until heated through.
- Microwave: Though this is the fastest way of re-heating mashed potatoes, it is the least desirable. The consistency won’t be the same as when you first made the potatoes, but sometimes you just need to get them heated quickly. In this case, place potatoes, liquid, and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat for one minute at a time, stirring well each time until heated through.
Looks creamy.
These potatoes look amazing! I’m going to try adding the sour cream this year:)