Simplify your Thanksgiving dinner prep with these Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes. These simple one pot whipped mashed potatoes are super fluffy and the perfect comfort food.
Quick
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: The best way to prepare a classic, creamy mashed potato side
Worth It: Hassle-free fluffy and creamy comfort food
Bonus: One pot means easy cleanup
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic Taste – These easy creamy mashed potatoes have all of the classic flavors of the mashed potatoes recipe you know and love. They are soft, buttery and the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish.
- Less Work – Mix everything together in one pot with a hand mixer to cut back on work and cleanup. You only need to clean your stock pot and a collander.
- Super Fluffy and Creamy – With this recipe I have perfected the fluffy whipped texture and creamy, buttery taste that is essential for homemade mashed potatoes. They strike the balance of being rich and decadent without being too dense.
What are whipped mashed potatoes?
Whipped mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes that have been whipped up with a hand mixer until they are light and fluffy as air. These potatoes are super light and fluffy, but still rich and delicious.
Many people swear by using a potato ricer in order to get a light and fluffy result, but actually using a hand mixer can give you the same texture as a potato masher. When using a hand mixer you want to be sure not to over mash the starchy potatoes because then you can end up with a thicker texture.
Serving Suggestions
These whipped potatoes are an essential part of a classic Thanksgiving meal. I like to serve them with a big roasted turkey, lots of fresh gravy and all of my favorite thanksgiving sides like creamed corn, Italian sausage stuffing and maple glazed carrots.
But mashed potatoes are not just for Thanksgiving! They are the ultimate side dish for whenever you are craving comfort. I like to serve them with this dutch oven whole chicken, tender air fryer meatloaf, Instant Pot Pork Roast, a beef recipe like chuck roast, or a whole spatchcock chicken.
Ingredients
- Russet potatoes – russet potatoes are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes to get the best results
- Salt – you will use salt for boiling the potatoes and to season when you whip them together
- Half & half – you can use half and half, milk, or heavy whipping cream depending on how creamy you like your mashed potatoes
- Butter – the butter is essential for making the best mashed potatoes recipe
- Sour cream – I love adding sour cream for the texture and a bit of added flavor to the potatoes
What kind of potatoes are best for whipped mashed potatoes?
Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes are best for mashed potatoes due to their high starch content. I personally like to use russet potatoes.
Yukon gold potatoes are also fantastic for mashed potatoes. They also have a high starch content and a natural buttery flavor that is perfect for mashed potatoes.
You can also save prep time and make these mashed red potatoes. No peeling necessary!
Ingredient Substitutions
As I said, you can use russet potatoes or yukon gold interchangeably for this recipe. If you want to use red skin potatoes, you will want to add a little less milk or sour cream to make them thicker because of the lower starch content.
The sour cream does not make the potatoes sour, but if you want to skip it you can use cream cheese instead. I love the slightly tangy flavor that a little bit or cream cheese, farmer cheese or even whipped goat cheese adds to this recipe.
I keep my mashed potatoes pretty simple when I serve them for a crowd, but you can make so many variations by adding some garnishes on top. Most commonly people add fresh cracked black pepper, finely minced chives, green onions or fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary. You could even serve these in a small bowl on the side to let your guests add toppings themselves.
To make these creamy mashed potatoes dairy free you will want to find a good quality dairy free vegan butter and a dairy-free creamer. I recommend using a bit of dairy free cream cheese to ensure you have the rich taste and texture of regular mashed potatoes.
I am not a huge fan of garlic mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, but I would use roasted-garlic cloves for this recipe. Roast a whole head of garlic in the oven until the cloves are soft. Then add 2-3 cloves to the pot along with the butter and milk and whip them into the cooked potatoes.
How to make
Step 1: Peel and Cube russet potatoes
To begin, peel the russet potatoes with a vegetable peeler and cut into 1” cubes (Image 1). Then, fill the large pot with cold water until the potatoes are fully submerged (Image 2).
Step 2: Boil potatoes until fork tender
Next, pour in 2 tablespoons of salt and mix in (Image 3). Bring the water to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Then, simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes and then remove from the heat (Image 4).
The potatoes are cooked through when they are easily pierced through with a fork.
Step 3: Add butter, milk, and sour cream to pot
Then, drain the water from the pot and immediately return the warm potatoes to the original pot. Add the splash of milk, butter and sour cream to the pot (Image 5). Cover the pot again until the butter fully melts.
Step 4: Whip the Potatoes
Finally, use a hand mixer and whip the potatoes in the pot (Image 6). You can use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, but I prefer the electric mixer so you can control it a bit more.
Whipped mashed potatoes should have a texture that is light as air, but a rich taste.
Can I make these easy creamy mashed potatoes ahead of time?
Yes! If I make these ahead of time, I pour them into the serving dish and allow them to cool fully then cover with foil. Reheat them covered in the oven at 275F for about 20 minutes.
I like to stir them after 10 minutes and add extra butter and milk if needed. You can even heat the butter and milk together in a small saucepan and pour that warm mixture into the whipped potatoes.
Storage and Reheating
Before placing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, top them with a mixture of milk and melted butter to keep them moist in the fridge. Then, when you take them out to reheat them they will not be dry.
Reheat them on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
Serve it with these other delicious thanksgiving recipes
Grab the recipe for these fluffy, whipped mashed potatoes belowIf you make the recipe, please let me know in the comments below or on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 lbs whole russet potatoes
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 3/4 cup half and half milk
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel russet potatoes and cut into 1″ cubes
- Place potatoes in a large stock pot. Fill the pot with cold water until the potatoes are fully submerged and the top layer is covered in at least 2″ of water. Pour 2 tbsp of salt into the pot.
- Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot
- Allow the potatoes to simmer for at least 10 minutes – potatoes should be soft when pierced with a fork.
- Remove the pot from the stove and drain the water. Immediately return the hot potatoes to the stockpot and cover the pot to retain the heat.
- Place a stick of butter, half and half and sour cream in the warm pot. Cover the pot and wait a few minutes for the butter to melt
- Using an electric hand mixer, mix the potatoes until almost fully whipped. Best if served immediately!
Recipe Notes
- If you are making these potatoes ahead of time and serving later, allow the mashed potatoes to cool fully then add some butter and milk on top, cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to reheat
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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