Mashed Potatoes: the ultimate recipe for the best-ever creamy mashed potatoes

Whether you're making Thanksgiving dinner, holiday menu or cooking up a hearty pot roast, no dinner feast is complete without a side of buttery, creamy mashed potatoes. We can all agree that mashed potatoes go with virtually every dish, making them a fantastic side for any occasion.

Made with potatoes, butter, milk, and garlic, these easy-to-make mashed potatoes are decadent and creamy, with a wonderful garlicky, buttery flavor. Plus, they only take about half an hour to make! Serve your homemade mashed potatoes with chicken, Thanksgiving dinner, salmon, roast beef, or pork chops – just about anything goes!

What are the Best Potatoes for Making Mashed Potatoes?

The best type of potatoes for making mashed potatoes are ones with high levels of starch. Use Russets or Yukon Golds. Yukon Golds have a better flavor and will give you the most delicious mashed potatoes ever.

Top Tips for Making Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Allow the potatoes to sit for about 5 minutes before you mash them.

For richer, more decadent mashed potatoes, use heavy cream instead of milk.

Top your mashed potatoes with chopped parsley, rosemary, chives, or thyme for extra flavor. Other amazing toppings include crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, pancetta, or grated cheese.

Wondering if you can make mashed potatoes ahead of time? You absolutely can! Prepare mashed potatoes up to a day in advance. To reheat them, add a little milk and warm until completely heated.

What to Serve with Mashed Potatoes

Serve your mashed potatoes as a side dish with anything from roast chicken or turkey, pot roasts, steaks, lamb, beef wellington, and more. Be sure to have a side of homemade gravy or melted herb butter to drizzle over your mashed potatoes to make them utterly irresistible.

What to Do with Mashed Potato Leftovers

Don't throw out your leftover mashed potatoes! They're perfect for making mashed potatoes balls, patties, croquettes, as a topping for savory pies like shepherd's pie or cottage pie, or to make homemade gnocchi.

You can also add mashed potatoes to soup to make it extra thick and creamy. They're amazing in leek and potato soup.

Mashed Potato Variations

There are tons of fantastic mashed potato variations you can make. Try adding fresh chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, or basil, cheese, bacon, pancetta, garlic, or chopped chives to your mashed potatoes.

You can use heavy cream instead of milk, add sour cream or cream cheese for decadent mashed potatoes.

Or if you're dairy-free, olive oil and plant-based milk can be used in place of butter and heavy cream, and milk. Soy milk and rice milk have neutral flavors and would be the best option.

How to Store and Reheat Mashed Potatoes

Let the mashed potatoes cool, then transfer them to an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. Frozen mashed potatoes will keep for up to 3 months. To reheat, add a splash or two of milk, then heat until warm.

More Recipes You'll Like

• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Colcannon

How to Make Mashed Potatoes

Quarter the peeled potatoes and put them into a large pot with cold water.

Add the garlic cloves and season with salt.

Bring the water to the boil and boil for 15 minutes with the lid off.

Drain, then set aside for about 5 minutes. In a small pot, gently warm the milk.

Placing the potatoes in a large bowl or still working in the pot, add the butter, and mash with a potato mashed.

Pour in a little milk at a time until the potatoes reach your desired consistency.

Continue to mash the potatoes until creamy.

Season generously with salt and pepper, then top with a knob of butter and serve. Enjoy!