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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
Video
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.
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I didn’t think I needed a recipe for mashed potatoes. I’m soooo glad I found your recipe! I normally do mine in my pressure cooker. I was only cooking enough for my husband (I’ve gone Keto Ü) so I didn’t want to dirty up my pressure cooker. He loved them! Mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes…No Way! Not these! We’re actually moving to Idaho ♥ so I’m glad I have your recipe to break me in to the plentiful potato State Ü
Woohoo! So glad that you liked this recipe– we Idahoans love our potatoes 😉 You are going to love it here!
Love your recipe! Have a question?
Will be traveling down the shore on Thanksgiving morning (about a 2 hr, trip). Plan on making mashed potatoes the night before. How do I keep the potatoes soft and fluffy…….and not dry??
I haven’t tried storing them overnight, but I would definitely make sure to store it in an air-tight container to keep them from being dry. As far as keeping them soft, you might just want to mix them again up with a hand mixer or kitchen aid type mixer once you get to your destination. Hope this helps!
Do you recommend this recipe for a large batch of mashed potatoes? Planning on making 15lbs worth!
Yes, of course! It will work great. That is a lot of potatoes. You must be cooking for a big crowd. Sounds fun! The trick will be “eyeing” the amount of potatoes you have per batch once they are cooked. I would recommend dividing the cooked potatoes into fourths, and then mashing a batch at a time with the amounts of milk, butter, and sour cream in the recipe and then keep each batch warm in the oven as recommended. When you are ready to serve, you can mix them together in a big serving bowl, or pull each batch out of the oven one at a time. If you need oven space, you can also keep them warm in a crock pot on low. Be sure to stir the potatoes often so they don’t burn or stick to the sides. Good luck! 🙂
Any advice on making them ahead and keeping them warm in a crockpot? Would they be ok kept in one on low until dinner if we’re short on oven space?
I haven’t tried that before, but I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t work! Let me know how it goes if you do try it!
Wow, these are soo good. I have been making mashed potatoes my whole life (I’m 60) and I decided to see how other people make them. I decided to try your version and boy am I glad I did. They were fluffy, creamy, and absolutely delicious. I had been making mine like my mom did and while they were good, they are not as delicious as this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe. It will now be the recipe I use!!
I also tried Yukon Gold potatoes and they are great with this recipe too.
Much Gratitude
Hi Celeste- Thank you so much for this kind comment. It is comments like this one that really make us love what we do! I am so happy that you liked these potatoes so much and we are flattered that you would take the time to come back and comment on them! Thanks again!
I have made mashed potatoes for years now. I make them exactly as you do except I also add crumbled bacon and grated cheese from the can into the mash potatoes. Everyone that has these that I have served love them. My Sun request that I make them like this all the time. There is something about the bacon that makes them really yummy. Give them a try sometime I really think you would enjoy them this way. ????
If I want to do less potatoes do I still go my the same portions will the measurements still be the same or would they be less ?
You will definitely want to decrease the other measurements by the percentage you decrease the potatoes. For example, if you only use 2 lbs potatoes, you will cut the rest of the ingredients in half and use 1/4 cup milk, 1/8 cup butter, and 1/4 cup sour cream. If the potatoes seem to thick, add a little more milk. Thanks for asking!
Has anyone tried leaving the skins on? I like them that way but dont want to mess these up. thanks!
You can definitely leave the skins on if you prefer it that way. It won’t mess anything up. Thank you for asking!
All of these sound so great!!!!
I use the potato water to make tbe gravy.
Great idea! I’ve done that before too. The starch in the potato water helps thicken the gravy. Thank you for sharing!
These were so yummy and super creamy! Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you liked them! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Another point is to use the right potato. Russet are good for baking not so much for mashed potatoes. I find them too sandy and grainy. I use golden or yellow potatoes which have a creamy texture. I’ve also had success with red potatoes.
Golden or yellow potatoes is what I thought of using, but do you still add butter?
I agree, mashed potatoes made with sour cream are good. Even better is cream cheese. Pioneer woman gave me the very very best of recipes and I haven’t gone back. 🙂 5 lbs potatoes, 1/2 c butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 c half and half or more for desired consistency (more for fluffier potatoes) and kosher salt to taste. PW says seasoned salt, I say kosher. 😉
what if i dont have sour cream? what does
it do? i have yogut….lol thanks
You could do plain yogurt. It will taste a little different. Or you can just leave it out.
My mom used Hellman’s mayonnaise in hers, where they call for sour cream here.
My mom always used Hellman’s mayo as well and I still swear by it. I like to put some garlic in there while the potatoes boil too.
I never thought of adding mayo to mashed potatoes. I am going to try it next time I make these potatoes which will be in a couple of days for Thanksgiving. I have added garlic and I love it!
You can also use 1/2 the milk and then use chicken stock tastes great ! But the source cream is a must
I agree! Good idea to use chicken stock. Thank you!
This recipe is amazing! I used peeled red potatoes, boiled the potatoes in chicken broth, drained and followed the rest of it. It was a huge hit!
Can i use heavy cream instead of milk?
Sure! I bet it would make them extra rich and yummy!
I reserve some of the salted potato- water and use with heavy cream and of course, real butter. What makes them so special is the potato-peeling contest we have with our kids and grandkids. Our little tradition with those we are most Thankful for. They laugh and are helping all at the same time
how do you think they would fare if I made them a day ahead?
Yes.. you can. Just put them in a 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350-degrees until heated through and whip them up with a fork again before serving.
thanks! I made them and there are delicious!!!
Thanks so much for this great recipe, I have featured it in my Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up over at Krafty Cards etc.
Thanks! And you’re welcome! 🙂
You can also make these ahead and freeze them….or make a double batch and freeze half. They are just as good thawed. My mom made these all the time for my youngest niece and nephew and called them Lollypop Potatoes…the kids would fill up their spoon and lick the potatoes off the spoon like they were licking a lollypop! For extra decadence, add 8 oz of cream cheese!
do you think I can make these a day ahead? if so how long do you think I need to heat them up ?
How much does this make?
About 6-8 servings
My mom taught me a few tricks just on Sunday. I could never get my potatoes like hers. First…like you said, quarter the potatoes. If you cut them up to small for some reason they just don’t turn out as well….too mushy or something. Also…drain well. My mom puts them in a strainer and lets them sit while getting the other ingredients ready. This ensures all the water is off of them. They whip up so nicely and are not gluey like some I’ve made in the past. Sounds like your mom and my mom were taught the same way.
Good point about draining well.
My mom does that too.. I just didn’t think it made a difference! Guess it does!
I should say, if you drain it and let it stay for a while on a heated place potatoes will dry faster. And try to add a raw egg to warm mash instead of sour cream. It’s really great. But don’t ever use blender. Better mix it fast with a fork.
Great tips! Thank you!!!
No eggs in my mashed potatoes. 👎
No eggs in my mashed potatoes either! I feel like putting raw egg into it is asking for trouble. Meaning not safe. Sour cream, yes, or cream cheese, but not raw eggs!
I usually don’t cut small potatoes or just cut at halfs. It makes them thicker. And I also add an egg to make it fluffy.
The best way I know to get the excess water off the cooked potatoes is to set them back on the burner after they are drained, and turn on the heat to high. Continue to cook the potatoes for like 15 seconds. The steam that will come off the potatoes is the excess moisture that would make your potatoes soggy! Works every time and super fast:) I learned this from Chef John.
My kids and grandchildren always ask “maw “maw will you bring mashed potataes when we get together for dinner and my grand daughter in laws ask for the receipe every time I tell them but they say theirs doesn’t turn out right but this one sounds just like mine only I add a little mayonnaise to mine. If any leftover which I always make enough to be sure the next day or 2 I put a Little flour in them and fry potatoe patties just don’t skimp on the potatoes make them full. These are great!