The BEST homemade Mashed Potatoes - deliciously rich and creamy, easy to make, and perfect every time.
I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen again, this time with Mashed Potatoes. I’ve been making Mashed Potatoes for years the way my grandmother taught me. I figured it was time for a deep dive into how to make the best - which necessarily involved lots and lots of batches of Mashed Potatoes!
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Here’s what I tested:
- Boiled vs. steamed
- Type of potato
- Potatoes cut in chunks vs. whole potatoes
- Potato ricer vs. food mill vs. masher vs. electric mixer (I didn’t have to try the food processor. I’ve already had that fail years ago.)
- Different amounts of butter
- Milk vs. cream
Here’s what I found:
In a nutshell, it’s pretty hard to mess up mashed potatoes (Unless you put them in the food processor or use the wrong potato). In side by side testing, there wasn’t a drastic difference between any of the tests. They all made a wonderful mashed potato.
Steaming vs. Boiling
I preferred steaming the potatoes instead of boiling them. Is boiling bad? Not at all. That’s how I made potatoes for years and in the side by side testing, there wasn’t a great difference. Cook’s Illustrated uses both methods so I’m sure they’re both pretty good. Serious Eats boils theirs.
I liked steaming for its ease. No draining. No drying the potatoes. They’re easy to check for doneness. There’s no risk of the potatoes turning to mush in the water.
That being said, not everyone has a steamer or wants to fidget with a colander in a pan. Boiling the potatoes is a perfectly fine option. I’ve given tips below on how to avoid waterlogged boiled potatoes.
Potato ricer vs. food mill vs. hand masher vs. electric mixer
Once again, the difference between the methods wasn’t drastic. All resulted in delicious mashed potatoes. I think the best method will depend on how you like your potatoes. I discuss the differences below.
The Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes
The best kind of potatoes for mashed potatoes are starchy potatoes, such as Russet or Idaho potatoes, or buttery Yukon Golds. You can use a combination of the two for the best of both worlds.
You can peel the potatoes or leave the peels on for a more rustic texture.
How to cook the potatoes
There are several different views – some strong – on how to cook the potatoes. The ultimate goal is to cook the potatoes evenly, without them getting waterlogged.
Cut the potatoes
Cut the potatoes into evenly sized chunks for even, quicker cooking. Large, whole potatoes may cook unevenly, with the outside getting mushy before the inside is tender.
Steam the potatoes
Steaming the potatoes prevents them from getting waterlogged and mushy. The potatoes also don’t lose any nutrients or flavor in the cooking water. There’s no draining necessary and checking for doneness is quick and simple.
Boil the potatoes
If you prefer to boil the potatoes, keep these things in mind:
Don’t overcook. Over cooking the potatoes makes them waterlogged and mushy. When a knife can be inserted easily with no resistance, they are done.
Dry the potatoes. After draining the potatoes - drain them well - return them to the pan and put over low heat to evaporate any excess moisture for about a minute. Shake the pan occasionally so they don’t scorch.
What’s the best way to mash potatoes
Ricer: Ricing the potatoes makes them smooth, light, and ultra-fluffy. Although they can be a bit grainy, a ricer provides the gentlest touch for the fluffiest mash.
Food mill: Passing the potatoes through a food mill makes them ultra-smooth with no graininess, and almost as fluffy as the ricer.
With a hand masher: For creamy smooth potatoes that are a little denser than riced potatoes. Use this style for chunkier mashed potatoes, or this style with a fine-grid, stainless steel mashing plate to yield smooth mashed potatoes.
Hand mixer: If you don’t have a ricer, food mill, or hand masher, you can use an electric hand mixer, but use it with care. Over working the potatoes makes them gluey.
Avoid using a blender or food processor. These are way too aggressive and can make your potatoes gluey and gummy.
Mashed Potato ingredients
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes or Yukon Golds. Or a combination of the two.
- Butter: The more butter you use, the creamier and richer the potatoes will be. I use 3 tablespoons per pound of potatoes.
- Milk: I use whole cow’s milk in my mashed potatoes, but for extra rich and creamy potatoes you can use half and half or heavy cream.
- Garlic: It’s optional, but I love the flavor a couple of cloves of garlic adds to the potatoes.
- Salt
How to make Mashed Potatoes
Cut the potatoes into evenly sized, one inch chunks.
To steam the potatoes:
Place a steamer insert or snugly fitting colander into a large pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water for it to barely reach bottom of the insert. Put the potatoes and optional garlic in the steamer insert and cover with a snugly fitting lid. Heat over high heat until the water is boiling, then reduce the heat to medium high and cook until the potatoes are soft and tip of paring knife inserted into potato meets no resistance, about 20 to 30 minutes.
To boil the potatoes:
Put the potatoes in a pan and cover with enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Add salt and optional garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the potatoes are soft and tip of paring knife inserted into potato meets no resistance, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Carefully drain all the water then return the potatoes to the pan. Heat over low-heat until the excess water is evaporated, about one minute. Gently shake the pan occasionally so the potatoes don’t scorch.
Mash the potatoes
To press the potatoes through a ricer or food mill:
Set food mill or ricer over now empty but still warm saucepan. Working in batches, transfer potatoes to ricer or food mill. Rice or process the potatoes through to the saucepan. Stir in butter and salt with wooden spoon until incorporated. Gently stir in milk, little by little, until it reaches the desired consistency. Check the seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
To mash the potatoes with a hand masher:
Return the potatoes to the warm saucepan. Add butter and salt and begin mashing. Pour in the milk little by little while continuing to mash until it reaches the desired consistency without overworking the potatoes. Check the seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
How to make ahead and reheat Mashed Potatoes
The cut potatoes can be held in cold water for up to four hours before cooking.
To reheat Mashed Potatoes:
- Heat Mashed Potatoes in a slow cooker on high for an hour or until hot.
- Heat in an Instant Pot on warm for an hour or until hot.
- Heat in the top of a double boiler until hot.
- Heat on the stovetop, stirring in a little more milk.
- Heat in a 350° F oven for about 30 minutes until hot.
- Microwave in a covered dish at 75% power until hot, stirring every minute.
With any heating method, if the potatoes are too thick, stir in a little milk and butter.
PrintPerfect Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
The BEST homemade Mashed Potatoes - deliciously rich and creamy, easy to make, and perfect every time.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold)
- 4-8 tablespoons (57-113g) butter (melted)
- ½ - ⅔ cup (114-151g) milk ((or half and half or cream), as needed)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 2 cloves garlic
Optional garnish:
- Pats of butter
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into evenly sized, one inch chunks.
To steam the potatoes:
- Place a steamer insert or snugly fitting colander into a large pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water for it to barely reach bottom of the insert. Put the potatoes and optional garlic in the steamer insert and cover with a snugly fitting lid. Heat over high heat until the water is boiling, then reduce the heat to medium high and cook until the potatoes are soft and tip of paring knife inserted into potato meets no resistance, about 20 to 30 minutes.
To boil the potatoes:
- Put the potatoes in a pan and cover with enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Add salt and optional garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the potatoes are soft and tip of paring knife inserted into potato meets no resistance, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Carefully drain all the water then return the potatoes to the pan. Heat over low-heat until the excess water is evaporated, about one minute. Gently shake the pan occasionally so the potatoes don’t scorch.
To press the potatoes through a ricer or food mill:
- Set food mill or ricer over now empty but still warm saucepan. Working in batches, transfer potatoes to ricer or food mill. Rice or process the potatoes through to the saucepan. Stir in butter and salt with wooden spoon until incorporated. Gently stir in milk, little by little, until it reaches the desired consistency. Check the seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
To mash the potatoes with a hand masher:
- Return the potatoes to the warm saucepan. Add butter and salt and begin mashing. Pour in the milk little by little while continuing to mash until it reaches the desired consistency without overworking the potatoes. Check the seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
I’ve given a range of 4 to 8 tablespoons of butter. More butter makes a richer, creamier mashed potato. I use about 6 tablespoons.
I use milk, however for a richer, creamier mashed potato, half and half or cream can be substituted.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 269
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 50.7 mg
- Fat: 11.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 31.1 mg
Enjoy, friends!
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Katherine | Love In My Oven
I've often wondered if I'm doing mashed potatoes "the right way". From all your testing, it looks like it's pretty hard to mess up, though! I'm glad you did the testing for me. I would definitely need my potatoes with some cream and a lot of butter! Yum!
Kelly
So creamy and delicious! Thanks so much, Katherine!
Liz
Great tips, Kelly! My hubby and sons love mashed potatoes but I just wing it when it comes to cooking and mashing. Thanks for all your tips. I do dry out my potatoes on the stovetop a bit before mashing, but you've given me some other great ideas.Happy Thanksgiving!
Kelly
It was fun comparing the different methods and comparing them to my grandmother's way. One thing that surprised me is that I thought I liked light and fluffy potatoes, but it turns out I like the denser ones better. Thanks so much, Liz!
John / Kitchen Riffs
Great post! Love the research you've done. We actually use a stand mixer, but you're right that with a mixer you have to be really careful. Still, if you're making potatoes for a crowd -- we're talking 5 pounds of potatoes or more -- it's the easiest way. Thanks for this. And Happy Thanksgiving!
Kelly
The electric mixer has always been my go to method. It's the way my grandmother taught me. I was happy to discover that it gives great results as long as you don't overdo it. Ease and convenience definitely plays a big part in which method I would choose, especially when the differences between the methods are so small. Thanks so much, John!
Marissa
What a project to try so many different methods! Thank you for sharing them with us!! I’m with you on steaming... Your mashed potatoes look creamy and perfect!!
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving! xo
Kelly
Marissa, it was definitely a project! I love doing side by side taste tests. That's when the fine differences will show. Sometimes I'm disappointed when the differences aren't glaringly obvious so I can say that such and such method is clearly the best. But in the end, I think it's cool to have good options, then to choose based on convenience. Thanks so much and hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I love mash and these look super duper creamy! Can't go wrong with the addition of cream and butter!
Kelly
Thanks so much, Dawn!
Haylie / Our Balanced Bowl
Kelly, what a thoroughly detailed, well thought out post. I learned SO much about the different methods. You are truly amazing! I want a big bowl of these with extra butter tonight! YUM!
Kelly
Aw, thanks so much, Haylie! I was surprised that the ricer made them a little grainy and the food mill wasn't. I was also surprised to discover that while light and fluffy sounds awesome, I actually preferred the slightly more dense hand mashed potatoes (with the small hole masher). Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Oh wow! You did a TON of research and testing for these, Kelly! This is such an informative post!!! And, it looks like you truly have the PERFECT mashed potatoes! These look so heavenly - fluffy, butter and totally creamy-dreamy!! I like to steam my potatoes too (YAY!), but it's good to know there isn't a huge difference if I decide to get crazy and boil them one day. 😉 Cheers and warm wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Pinned!
Kelly
Chey, I love how the steamed potatoes aren't water logged and mushy, like can happen when you boil them (especially if you over boil them). All the more space to absorb the butter and cream! Thanks so much and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Melanie
These look so creamy and absolutely delicious! Now I´m craving mashed potatoes And I really love your photos. Happy Thanksgiving!
Kelly
Melanie, I adore mashed potatoes so it was a lot of fun testing all the different methods and seeing (and tasting!) the differences. Thanks so much and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Wow! What extensive research you've done for mashed potatoes. I've never tried steaming them before, but I'm going to need to give it a try. I love how creamy these are!
Kelly
Kathy, it's a method I picked up on Cook's Illustrated. They actually rinse their potatoes off half way through cooking to rinse off any excess starch. I skip that step with great results. Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving!
David @ Spiced
Oh man, you're back at it with one of your awesome side-by-side comparison posts, Kelly! I love these posts...I always learn so much. First thing I learned here: mixing the types of potatoes together. *mind blown* I always mix the types of apples when I bake an apple pie, but I've never mixed potato types. Totally doing that from now on! Also, this post encouraged me to pull out the food mill this year. (Also, I love using the slow cooker for cooking the potatoes. It's one less thing to worry about when it comes to timing Thanksgiving dinner!) Speaking of Thanksgiving, I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday!
Kelly
David, mixing the potatoes is a great idea and a tip I picked up from the New York Times. It's hard to choose between Russets and Yukon Golds. Using a combination of the two gives the best of both worlds. I love using the slow cooker for making mashed potatoes. Hoping to do a post for that in the future! Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Cookie Monster
lord have mercy, ummmmm umm
Kelly
Haha! Thanks so much, Cookie Monster!
angiesrecipes
That looks incredibly creamy and packed full of flavours, Kelly.
Kelly
So creamy and velvety smooth! We love them! Thanks so much, Angie!
marcie
I could get lost in those buttery swirls. 🙂 I actually make my mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot all the time now, which is technically steaming them. I think they come out so much better! This is such a handy guide Kelly.
Kelly
Such a great idea to make them in the Instant Pot, Marcie! Thanks so much!
sherry
these look so smooth and creamy kelly. we actually had mashed potato last night. hubby makes them. his secret is lashings of cream and butter! sooo good. you are so dedicated to try these so many ways. good stuff.
Kelly
They sound heavenly, Sherry! Experimenting with recipes in the kitchen has long been a love of mine. Especially the side by side taste test. You should see my freezer - filled with individually wrapped servings of my experiments! Thanks so much!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
I want to grab a fork and dig in Kelly! These mashed potatoes look delicious! Perfect for the holidays ahead!
Kelly
Can't have a holiday dinner without mashed potatoes on the table! Thanks so much, Mary Ann!