16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (2024)

Whether you're making them for your holiday spread or just for dinner on a typical weeknight, mashed potatoes are a crowd-pleaser with the right consistency. Recipes for the velvety side dish range from simple to fancy, classic to reinvented. No matter how much you make, the best mashed potatoes will do the quickest vanishing act at the table. Here we've gathered our best mashed potato recipes to suit whatever kind of meal you're planning, from a luxe potato puree to a gussied-up casserole with sage and Fontina.

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Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (1)

These mashed potatoes are a speedy, nearly effortless dish thanks to a flavor-packed special ingredient: a garlic-and-herb-flecked spreadable cheese (such as Boursin). For a colorful twist, use purple Peruvian potatoes instead of Yukon Golds to make purple mashed potatoes.

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Rich and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

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A foolproof and perfect make-ahead dish, the secret to these velvety mashed potatoes is mayonnaise.

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Red Skin Potato Mash

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (3)

Chopped scallions bring freshness to this rich potato mash. Leaving the skin on these potatoes gives this fluffy, creamy dish a nice added crunch, too.

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04of 16

Mashed Potatoes, Kind of Robuchon-Style

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (4)

Chef Joël Robuchon is famous worldwide for his super-silky, super-rich, super-light and buttery mashed potatoes. This is Anthony Bourdain's version of those potatoes.

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Harissa Mashed Potatoes

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Smoky harissa and tangy labneh give these spicy mashed potatoes gorgeous color and flavor.

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Herb-Scented Mashed Potatoes

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (6)

To make these next-level potatoes, F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple first steeps fresh rosemary, sage, and garlic in a combination of milk and cream, then folds that fragrant mixture into boiled and riced potatoes. To make them even more irresistible, he brushes the mashed potatoes with butter and broils them before serving, creating a deliciously light and crispy potato crust on top.

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Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (7)

Mashed potatoes get an elegant upgrade with this combination of Yukon Gold potatoes and cauliflower. Cauliflower lightens the mash, emulsifies beautifully into the potatoes, and keeps the mixture from turning gummy.The lightly browned butter infused with thyme, sage, and rosemary brings in nutty and subtle herbaceous notes; don't forget to save some for the garnish.

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Pommes Puree

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (8)

These sublime buttery, creamy potatoes are based on the version made famous by French culinary legend Joël Robuchon.

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Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (9)

Chef Michael Symon's four-ingredient potatoes get plenty of flavor from browned butter and crème fraîche. Reserve a little browned butter to drizzle on the potatoes just before serving.

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10of 16

Chantilly Potatoes with a Parmesan Crust

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (10)

The late cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli liked to joke that when you cook French food on a regular basis, you need a cow in the backyard to provide enough butter and cream. This dairy-rich recipe calls for whipped cream and cheese.

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Mashed Potato Casserole with Sage and Fontina

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (11)

To take mashed potatoes up a few notches, cookbook author Melissa Clark mashes them with a creamy, tangy mix of crème fraîche, butter, parsley, and sage, then tops them with cheesy breadcrumbs and bakes until crisp.

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Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Shallots

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (12)

For ultrafluffy potatoes, we press them through a ricer. To achieve a similar texture, pass the potatoes through a food mill or a fine-mesh sieve. If you choose to mash them by hand, be gentle; otherwise, the potatoes will turn gluey.

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Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (13)

Apple butter adds even more natural sweetness to Marcia Kiesel's fluffy sweet potatoes.

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Mashed Potatoes with Butternut Squash

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (14)

Equal amounts of roasted butternut squash and Yukon Gold potatoes boiled with garlic are combined with half-and-half and butter for a golden, subtly sweet take on classic mashed potatoes.

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Mashed Potatoes with Manchego and Olive Oil

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (15)

Instead of using butter, chef José Andrés prefers to add richness with olive oil and Manchego cheese. His tip: "Add the olive oil slowly to the potatoes because if you dump it in all at once, you'll get streaks of oil."

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Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes

16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (16)

These potatoes from chef Thomas Keller have a wonderfully fluffy texture because they're passed through a ricer or food mill to make them especially airy. But they're also nicely rich, thanks to generous amounts of butter and heavy cream.

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16 Creamy, Buttery Mashed Potato Recipes for a Side That Steals the Show (2024)

FAQs

Why add butter before milk in mashed potatoes? ›

Overworking the potatoes will cause them to get gummy, potatoes should still be light and fluffy. 6. Add the butter first. Adding the butter first helps to coat the starch in the potato, resulting in a creamier potato.

Is sour cream or cream cheese better in mashed potatoes? ›

Sour Cream: The sour cream helps keep the mashed potatoes fluffy. Cream Cheese: This adds a bit of creaminess without being too overpowering. Heavy Cream: Increases the creaminess and helps thin out the potatoes a bit.

Why do restaurant mashed potatoes taste better? ›

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

What does Rachael Ray use to mash potatoes? ›

Mash potatoes with half-and-half or milk using a potato masher. Add in the cream cheese and smash until the cheese melts into the potatoes. Add chives or scallions. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Is it better to use milk or heavy cream in mashed potatoes? ›

I've tried milk, half and half, and other ingredients, but they just don't work as well. You need heavy whipping cream to get that rich and creamy texture, making your mashed potatoes incredibly luxurious and indulgent.

Why are Bob Evans mashed potatoes so good? ›

Made with fresh real potatoes, butter, and milk, Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes tastes like homemade. We put extra care into making our mashed potatoes rich and creamy to deliver that homemade flavor you expect.

Why add cream cheese to mashed potatoes? ›

Mashing the warm potatoes with softened cream cheese makes the final product unbelievably rich and creamy. Adding cream to fluffy whipped potatoes is certainly not a new technique. Mashed potatoes are always blessed with a hearty helping of butter, cream, milk, half and half, or some sort of combination.

Is it better to use cold butter or melted butter in mashed potatoes? ›

A word about butter: Don't melt butter before stirring it into the potatoes because the milk solids and fat will separate. You can add cold butter to your hot potatoes since the butter will melt as a whole and distribute the fat and milk solids evenly.

What not to do mashed potatoes? ›

Not salting the water.

Like pasta, potatoes absorb the water they're cooked in. Leaving salt out means you're starting off with bland potatoes. Follow this tip: Begin the process of seasoning your mashed potatoes by adding salt to the water when cooking the potatoes.

Is it better to add cold milk or warm milk to mashed potatoes? ›

For the very best result every time, always gently warm the butter and milk before adding to the potatoes, rather than adding cold dairy straight from the fridge. Here's why: Warm dairy is absorbed faster and more easily, with less stirring than its cold counterpart.

Is half-and-half or heavy cream better for mashed potatoes? ›

Is milk or cream better for mashed potatoes? I use half-and-half: it gives the potatoes the perfect creamy texture and rich taste. As a half-and-half substitute, you could also use heavy cream or whole milk. Whichever you use, just start with a little and add more as you need it.

What are the most flavorful potatoes for mashed potatoes? ›

gold standard for a mash with a creamy, rich texture. Their medium starch content, density, and inherently buttery flavor make Yukon Golds great for all your mashing needs.

How to make chef quality mashed potatoes? ›

Directions
  1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil. ...
  2. Drain potatoes, then return to the pot. Turn heat to high and allow potatoes to dry for about 30 seconds. ...
  3. Mash potatoes with a potato masher twice around the pot, then add milk and butter. Continue to mash until smooth and fluffy.
Aug 16, 2022

Why do people add sour cream to mashed potatoes? ›

Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!

What makes a better mashed potato? ›

The best potatoes for mashed potatoes are a starchy varieties like russet, Idaho or Yukon gold. Starchy potatoes are best for mashed potatoes because they have a fluffy, almost airy texture that breaks down easily.

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