Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Mashed potatoes recipe with Yukon golds, warm milk, and half a cup of butter mashed in for a fluffy, creamy side dish that never turns gluey.
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Mashed potatoes are the side dish everything else on the plate gets built around. This mashed potatoes recipe is the plain, creamy, buttery version people actually want: Yukon golds boiled soft, half a cup of butter worked in first. Then warm milk added a little at a time until they’re exactly as loose as you like them.
Butter before milk is the order that matters. Fat coats the starch granules first, which keeps them from swelling and turning the mash sticky when the liquid arrives. Do it backwards and you get that heavy, gluey texture no amount of stirring fixes.
The other rule is to warm the milk. Cold milk hitting hot potatoes drops the temperature of the whole pot and tightens the mash. So it takes more stirring to bring together, and more stirring is exactly what makes potatoes gummy. Forty-five seconds in the microwave is plenty.
Why You’ll Love This Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Creamy without being heavy. Half a cup of butter and warm whole milk get you a smooth mash that still tastes like potatoes.
- No gluey texture. Mashing by hand instead of whipping keeps the starch cells intact, which is the whole trick.
- Four ingredients total. Potatoes, butter, whole milk and salt. Everything else on the list is optional.
- They hold for a holiday. Made ahead, they sit in a slow cooker on the warm setting for up to 3 hours without turning on you.
Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
Yukon golds have less starch than russets and a buttery flavor built in, so they mash into something creamy without much work. Russets also work and give you a lighter, fluffier mash, though they drink up more liquid, so add the milk more slowly.
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 tbsp salt, for the cooking water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (8 tbsp), cut into pieces and softened
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Recipe Variations
- Stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream along with the butter and cut the milk back to 3/4 cup. The mash comes out tangier and a little denser.
- Simmer 4 peeled garlic cloves in the pot with the potatoes and mash them right in. You get an even, mellow garlic flavor instead of the sharp bite raw garlic gives.
- Swap in russet potatoes for a fluffier, lighter mash. Russets absorb more liquid, so start with 3/4 cup of milk and add the rest only if you need it.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes
- Cut and cover the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into even 1 1/2-inch chunks so they finish cooking at the same time. Put them in a large pot, add cold water until it covers them by an inch, and stir in the 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Boil until tender: Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then lower it to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. They’re done when a paring knife slides into a chunk and slips back off on its own with no resistance.
- Drain and dry them out: Drain the potatoes well and return them to the empty hot pot. Let them sit over the turned-off burner for 2 minutes, giving the pot a shake once or twice. The leftover heat steams off surface water, and drier potatoes take on butter and milk far better.
- Warm the milk: While the potatoes dry out, heat the milk in the microwave or a small saucepan until it’s warm to the touch, about 45 seconds. Don’t let it boil.
- Mash in the butter first: Scatter the softened butter over the hot potatoes and mash with a potato masher or push them through a ricer until the butter disappears. Butter goes in before any liquid so it can coat the starch, which is what keeps the mash from turning sticky.
- Add the milk to taste: Pour in about 3/4 cup of the warm milk and fold it in with a rubber spatula. Add the rest a splash at a time until the potatoes are as loose as you want them. Fold, don’t beat.
- Season and serve: Stir in the 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt and the black pepper, then taste and add more salt if they still seem flat. Potatoes take more salt than most people expect. Scatter the chives over the top and serve hot.
Recipe FAQs
What Potatoes Are Best for This Mashed Potatoes Recipe?
Yukon golds. They’re waxy enough to stay creamy and have a buttery flavor built in. Russets make a fluffier mash and work fine, they just absorb more milk. Red potatoes hold too much water and turn out sticky.
Why Did My Mashed Potatoes Turn Gluey?
Too much mixing, usually with a hand mixer or a food processor. Beating ruptures the starch cells and releases free starch, which behaves like glue. Use a hand masher or a ricer and stop the moment the lumps are gone.
Should I Start Potatoes in Cold Water or Boiling Water?
Cold. Starting cold lets the outside and the center come up to temperature together. Dropping raw chunks into boiling water cooks the edges to mush while the middles are still firm.
Can I Make Mashed Potatoes Ahead of Time?
Yes. Make them up to 2 days ahead, refrigerate, and reheat covered at 350°F for 30 minutes with a few tablespoons of extra milk stirred through. They also hold beautifully in a slow cooker on the warm setting for up to 3 hours, which is what saves you on a holiday morning.
Do I Have to Peel the Potatoes?
Not with Yukon golds. Leaving those thin gold skins on gives you a rustic mash with a little texture. Russet skins are thicker and tougher, so peel those.
Cooking Tips
- Salt the cooking water like pasta water. Potatoes soak up salt from the water as they boil, and a mash seasoned from the inside tastes better than one you only salted at the end.
- Use a ricer if you own one. It pushes the potato through small holes without ever stirring it, which is the gentlest way there is to get a smooth mash.
- Do your final seasoning after all the butter and milk are in. Dairy mutes salt, so potatoes that tasted right earlier will taste flat once they’re creamy.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Mashed potatoes freeze better than you’d expect, up to 2 months, because the butter and milk protect the texture. Thaw overnight in the fridge and plan to whisk in a splash of milk as they reheat. A low-fat version does not freeze well, so don’t cut the butter if freezing is the plan.
To reheat: Warm covered at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk stirred in, or microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between each, until they’re steaming hot all the way through and reach 165°F.
How to Serve Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes belong next to roast chicken, meatloaf, pot roast or a holiday turkey, and their real job is catching gravy. A spoonful under a pork chop with pan sauce is just as good. If you’re building a full holiday plate, they go right beside our Homemade Green Bean Casserole and a basket of dinner rolls.
Loved This Recipe?
Mashed potatoes take about 40 minutes start to finish, and they’re the dish people quietly go back to for seconds.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 tbsp salt for the cooking water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 8 tbsp, cut into pieces and softened
- 1 cup whole milk warmed
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh chives chopped, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cut and cover the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into even 1 1/2-inch chunks so they finish cooking at the same time. Put them in a large pot, add cold water until it covers them by an inch, and stir in the 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Boil until tender: Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then lower it to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. They’re done when a paring knife slides into a chunk and slips back off on its own with no resistance.
- Drain and dry them out: Drain the potatoes well and return them to the empty hot pot. Let them sit over the turned-off burner for 2 minutes, giving the pot a shake once or twice. The leftover heat steams off surface water, and drier potatoes take on butter and milk far better.
- Warm the milk: While the potatoes dry out, heat the milk in the microwave or a small saucepan until it’s warm to the touch, about 45 seconds. Don’t let it boil.
- Mash in the butter first: Scatter the softened butter over the hot potatoes and mash with a potato masher or push them through a ricer until the butter disappears. Butter goes in before any liquid so it can coat the starch, which is what keeps the mash from turning sticky.
- Add the milk to taste: Pour in about 3/4 cup of the warm milk and fold it in with a rubber spatula. Add the rest a splash at a time until the potatoes are as loose as you want them. Fold, don’t beat.
- Season and serve: Stir in the 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt and the black pepper, then taste and add more salt if they still seem flat. Potatoes take more salt than most people expect. Scatter the chives over the top and serve hot.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
