You want to serve up a steaming bowl of creamy, fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes… And I have all the tips and secrets for you to make it happen!
If you want to know how to make the best, simplest and creamiest classic mashed potatoes, you’ve come to the right place.
Mashed potatoes from scratch
I will never forget how my grandma used to make mashed potatoes. With fresh milk from the farm, a potato ricer, probably while brushing a cow with her other hand 😂
As an adult, it felt like cheating whenever I made mashed potatoes from a box. Could it really be this hard to boil a pot of potatoes? And truthfully, it isn’t. It is the easiest thing ever to make homemade mashed potatoes.
It takes 5 ingredients. Five! One pot. And the most time-consuming task by far is peeling the potatoes.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are definitely a great choice for mashed potatoes, but I actually love Yukon Gold’s for this recipe. If you’re a fan of very fluffy mash, I definitely recommend going for Russet. But I really enjoy the creaminess Yukon Gold potatoes bring to this side dish, so that is usually my choice.
- Milk: I fully, fully support whole milk for mashed potatoes. Makes them extra creamy and extra decadent. We do mostly have 2% at home though, so I use that one often with great results, too. Lower fat percentages will yield a less creamy and less flavorful dish.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter and then salt the mashed potatoes to taste. If all you have on hand is salted butter, it’s perfectly fine to use! Just make sure you taste the potatoes before adding any additional salt.
- Nutmeg: I don’t know if many people add this to their potatoes, but my husband always has and it’s such a nice hint of spice. Goes perfectly with the potatoes! Feel free to omit if you’re too suspicious, we won’t be offended 😉
How to make mashed potatoes
1. Start by peeling the potatoes, then cut them into chunks. You don’t want to dice them up small, I halve smaller ones and quarter larger ones. They take a little longer to cook vs cut smaller, but I find this yields the best texture.
2. Place them in a pot and cover with cold water. Again, it will take longer to come to a boil, yes, but cooks the potatoes perfectly. Then just bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low (the water should be just simmering) and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.
3. Once you have drained the potatoes, put the pot back over the lowest heat setting. Pick it up and shake it every 10 seconds, until your potatoes look roughed up on the surface and any leftover water has evaporated. This helps to keep your potatoes from turning out slimy.
4. Add the milk, butter and seasoning to the potatoes.
Then just mash until creamy. That’s it!
Recipe tips
Which potatoes are best for mashed potatoes?
The most important part of mashed potatoes is the kind of potato you’re using. Definitely use a higher starch variety, Russets or Yukon Golds are a good choice.
If you use waxy potatoes, chances are your mashed potatoes will be chunky, lumpy and – worst case scenario – paste-like and glue-y.
How to prep the potatoes
Very important: Peel the potatoes before cooking! Otherwise you won’t be able to handle them while they’re still hot.
Cook them until soft, but not until they’re starting to dissolve (they will be too wet and turn into a sticky mess no matter what you do to them).
Instant pot?
I love using my instant pot for mashed potatoes! See my recipe for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
How do you make mashed potatoes creamy and fluffy?
Part of that is using the right potatoes, as the starch with help. But the other part is mashing the potatoes while hot.
Once your potatoes are boiled and drained, you need to steam off any remaining water completely, as they need to be as dry as possible before mashing. But then you need to get right to mashing while they’re hot.
If you let them get too cold, they turn out very pasty very fast.
A very special extra credit tip
This is something I very honestly do not do very often myself. This trained chef husband of mine, on the other hand? Wouldn’t dare to leave it out.
His secret is… Tada: Using piping hot milk. It will affect the starch from the potatoes less and help even more to prevent those dreaded gloopy mashed potatoes.
I’m usually fine without it, but if this is Thanksgiving or Christmas and your task is holiday sides and you have never made mash before… Better heat your milk, just to err on the cautious side 😉
Tips for leftovers
P.S: Any leftovers? Make Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes with Cheese or Irish Boxty – they’re almost better than the mashed potatoes themselves.
We also love using leftover mashed potatoes to make Shepherd’s Pie!
Watch the recipe video
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Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 2 pounds starchy potatoes Russet or Yukon Gold work best, peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ cup milk see notes
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more for cooking the potatoes
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes: Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and salt generously. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain very well.
- Release all steam: Place potatoes back in the pot and set over lowest heat for 30-60 seconds, shaking the pot every 5-10 seconds. Allow them to get really dry, but don't burn them! Alternatively, just let them sit in the colander for 2 minutes. Do not cool them any longer than this.
- Mash: Add milk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg to potatoes in pot. Mash using a potato masher. Add a splash more milk if potatoes seem dry, but be careful: Adding too much milk will turn your creamy mashed potatoes into a gloopy, runny mess!
- Serve: Dot with a little additional butter and sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives, if you like. Serve immediately.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are definitely a great choice for mashed potatoes, but I actually love Yukon Gold’s for this recipe. If you’re a fan of very fluffy mash, I definitely recommend going for Russet. But I really enjoy the creaminess Yukon Gold potatoes bring to this side dish, so that is usually my choice.
- Milk: I fully, fully support whole milk for mashed potatoes. Makes them extra creamy and extra decadent. We do mostly have 2% at home though, so I use that one often with great results, too. Lower fat percentages will yield a less creamy and less flavorful dish.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter and then salt the mashed potatoes to taste. If all you have on hand is salted butter, it’s perfectly fine to use! Just make sure you taste the potatoes before adding any additional salt.
- Nutmeg: I don’t know if many people add this to their potatoes, but my husband always has and it’s such a nice hint of spice. Goes perfectly with the potatoes! Feel free to omit if you’re too suspicious, we won’t be offended 😉
Recipe tips
- Best potatoes for mashed potatoes: Definitely use a higher starch variety, Russets or Yukon Golds are the best choice.
- Very important: Peel the potatoes before cooking! Otherwise you won’t be able to handle them while they’re still hot. Cook them until soft, but not until they’re starting to dissolve (they will be too wet and turn into a sticky mess no matter what you do to them).
- Instant pot? I love using my instant pot for mashed potatoes! See my recipe for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
- Mash potatoes when hot: Once your potatoes are boiled and drained, you need to steam off any remaining water completely, as they need to be as dry as possible before mashing. But then you need to get right to mashing while they’re hot. If you let them get too cold, they turn out very pasty very fast.
Extra credit tip
For extra credit, use milk that is piping hot. It will be less likely to affect the potato starch, hence reducing the likelihood of gloopy mash. But I’ve never had any concerns when I used cold milk and I’m usually short on time – so I don’t bother. My husband on the other hand would never dare to make mash with cold milk – up to you to decide what you do!Nutrition
More recipe information
Recipe first published on 10/20/2017. Updated with new photos, video and better text on 03/12/2021. Recipe was also re-tested and overhauled from using too much milk, too little butter and a technique that didn’t work for some readers. Now it truly is perfect!
Janita says
I made these to put on top of your Shepherds Pie recipe and you are so right – divine! I had no idea that I had been both boiling and mashing potatoes for WAY too long my whole life! This recipe is genius. Thank you!
Sarah says
Came out great!
TS says
Like a lot! Nice and velvety.
Karen says
Wow, wow, wow!!!
I’ve been doing mashed potatoes for 23 years as my mother taught me. But today I made them following your tips and wow… I really noticed the difference, they are amazing: fluffy, light and delicious!!!