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Smooth and creamy, these simple mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish to all your favorite family meals. Basic ingredients come together to create a flavorful, buttery, and creamy mashed potato that everyone will love!

Looking for more side dish recipes? You don’t want to miss our Homemade Mac and Cheese, Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes, and our Twice Baked Potatoes.

Dish filled with creamy mashed potatoes swirled and topped with melted butter and fresh chives.

Why I Love This Recipe:

Family Favorite: Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and regularly appear for family dinners.
Simple Ingredients: we are using basic ingredients to make a simple mashed potato. You can dress these potatoes up with fresh herbs or cheeses, but this is a great, basic mashed potato recipe you can build off of.
Versatile: With this base for making a simple mashed potato, you can add any extra flavors, make them cheesy, or use them to make my favorite mashed potato casserole!

Ingredients:

Potatoes: Use a starchy potato such as Yukon gold or russet potatoes. Gold potatoes are often a preferred option thanks to their creaminess when mashed and their natural subtle buttery flavoring.
Milk: Use your milk of preference. You could also use a heavy cream if you prefer.
Sour Cream: This allows us to use a little less butter and gives a light tang to the potatoes. Be careful not to add extra sour cream, which can be overpowering.

How Many Potatoes Per Person

You want to allow about 1/2 pound of raw potato per person. If you expect 15 people, you should make about 8 pounds of potatoes. Always round up.

How to Make Mashed Potatoes:

Peel and evenly chop the potatoes; this helps them cook evenly. Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. If using garlic, add the minced garlic in with the potatoes. Add sea salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender. Once the water starts boiling, it can take about 10-15 minutes to cook the potatoes.

Drain and dry the potatoes. This is a quick and easy step of just adding the potatoes back into the pot, placing them back over the heat for a brief 2 minutes, and letting more of the excess moisture evaporate off.

How to make mashed potatoes, heating the milk and butter then adding into the mashed up potatoes.

Mash the potatoes with a hand masher, ricer, or hand mixer. Be careful not to overmix, resulting in a starchy and gummy texture.

Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. This keeps your mashed potatoes nice and warm and helps them absorb moisture more easily. Then pour this into the potatoes, stirring with the masher or a spoon, until you have a creamy texture. Stir in the sour cream until combined. Add more milk or butter as needed to get the desired consistency.

Pot filled with mashed potatoes and adding in sour cream.

Make Ahead:

Prep the ingredients: Peel and chop the potatoes and chill in a large pot or bowl of ice-cold water for up to 4 hours before boiling. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Make earlier in the day: keep the potatoes warm in a slow cooker until ready to serve.
Make up to 3 days ahead: Follow the recipe completely, adding an extra 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of milk. Place the mashed potatoes in a large sealed container or store them in a casserole dish covered.
Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat according to directions.

Reheating:

Oven: Bake covered at 350 for about 30-35 minutes until heated through.
Stovetop: Add to a large pot, cover, and heat over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding milk or butter as needed.
Slow Cooker: Cook on low for 2-3 hours, then switch to keep on warm.

Up close of creamy mashed potatoes topped with butter, fresh chives and cracked pepper.

What to serve these potatoes with:

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