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These are hands down the best Creamy Mashed Potatoes that you can make – and they’re so easy! This is one of my key holiday recipes that I make EVERY YEAR – and it is always a hit! The mashed potatoes are full of flavor (that include a secret ingredient that gives the potatoes a huge flavor boost)!
This Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe is truly the only one you’ll ever need. These simple yukon gold potatoes turn into the ultimate side dish to go with any roast or other protein. In my eyes, they’re the perfect mashed potatoes that are truly homemade!
Watch the Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe Video Below!
Ingredients for my Creamy Mashed Potatoes:
This recipe doesn’t use many ingredients so high quality is KEY! Use a high quality, chicken broth, butter and half & half if you can – it really does make a difference!
- Yukon Gold Potatoes – Selecting the right potato is really up to personal preference! But in my opinion, you can’t go with a slightly waxy, smooth yukon gold potato. Russet potatoes or creamer red potatoes also work well!
- Chicken Broth
- Unsalted Butter
- Garlic
- Fresh Thyme – I would highly recommend using fresh herbs for the herb butter in this recipe – there’s just nothing like it! If dried is the only option available, just reduce the measurement by half.
- Fresh Rosemary
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Kosher Salt
- Half and Half (Half Cream/Half Milk)
- Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Chives
My Creamy Mashed Potatoes: Recipe Instructions
This recipe is pretty straightforward but there are a few key steps to make the best Creamy Mashed Potatoes, so let’s get started!
Peel the potatoes
Wash and peel your potatoes in a bowl and rinse them with cold water to remove any excess starch. I prefer no skins in my Creamy Mashed Potatoes, but if you do like skins, feel free to skip this step!
Dice the potatoes into 2″ pieces
Next, dice the potatoes into 2″ pieces and place them in a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven. You want to cut them in uniform pieces so they cook evenly in the broth. Otherwise, you’ll end up with some potatoes that are too done versus others that are undercooked.
Simmer the potatoes in chicken broth
This is my KEY secret for the best Creamy Mashed Potatoes! Start with cold water in a pot and then bring them to a simmer over high heat in a high-quality chicken broth! Using a high quality chicken broth will allow your potatoes to soak up all that flavor from the broth and transfer them right into your mashed potatoes!
Bring the pot to a simmer over medium high heat then low simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Then immediately strain them and bring them back to the pot. Reserve that starchy broth to thicken up gravy or use for soups!
If you don’t have chicken broth, you can also use salted water. I use a tablespoon of kosher salt for every 2 quarts of water.
Make the herb butter
To make the herb butter, melt butter over medium heat and then add kosher salt, black pepper, chopped rosemary and thyme, and grated garlic. Infuse the spices into the butter over medium low for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once finished, skim the solids off the top to create a clarified herb butter for your mashed potatoes (this is optional but recommended).
Rice the potatoes
After draining the potatoes, run them through a potato ricer back into the warm pot. The heat from the pot will help evaporate any excess moisture from the potato. Don’t skip this step!
Fold in the seasonings to finish the mashed potatoes
Make sure the heat is off, then add your clarified herb butter, half & half, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Fold and mix until thoroughly incorporated, and add salt to taste. Some recipes call for sour cream or even cream cheese, but personally I feel that half & half (50% milk and 50% heavy cream) is the better option for homemade mashed potatoes that won’t make you feel heavy afterwards.
Serve your Creamy Mashed Potatoes with freshly chopped chives for an elevated garnish!
Make Ahead Tip
Save room in a crowded kitchen by making these Creamy Mashed Potatoes ahead of time and keeping them warm in a slow cooker or instant pot! Just keep them on low setting until it’s time to serve!Â
Use a Potato Ricer
A good potato ricer makes all the difference! It allows you to easily rice your potatoes through the ricer and ensures that there are no lumps. I’ll link the one I use here!
If you liked this Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe, check out some of the most popular holiday recipes on the blog!
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Green Beans with Bacon
- My ULTIMATE Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Super Crispy)
- Super Crispy Smashed Potatoes
If you tried this Creamy Mashed Potatoes or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Potato Ricer This is the potato ricer I've used for years now – it's super easy to clean and gets those potatoes lump free!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2" pieces
- 8 cups chicken broth, If using water, add 1 tbsp of kosher salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced, if using dried cut measurement in half
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced, if using dried cut measurement in half
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 cup half & half
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Peel your yukon gold potatoes and cut them into equal size 2" pieces (I cut them lengthwise then 3 times width wise for 6 pieces per potato, for reference)
- Fill a large pot of chicken broth and add your potatoes, covering them fully with the broth. Heat covered over high heat. Boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender and drain, reserving the broth for gravy or soup. *KEY TIP* It's important to start them off in cold broth so as the broth boils, the potatoes cook evenly throughout.
- While your potatoes are boiling, melt butter over medium heat until it "sings". Then add grated garlic, fresh chopped thyme & rosemary, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper and let infuse for 5 minutes over low heat.
- Strain the potatoes from the pot and reserve broth for soup, gravy, etc. Run your potatoes through a potato ricer back into the same pot (the residual heat will help evaporate any excess moisture). Then over low heat add your infused butter, half & half, and freshly grated parmesan and mix until smooth.
- Add salt to taste and finish with freshly chopped chives. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My whole family is obsessed. They want me to make this for every holiday meal.
So so good!
Def using this recipe for our family Xmas eve dinner
Perfect for the holidays!
we LOVE this mashed potato recipe! can’t wait to make it again!
Delicious 😋
handle : debbie.lim.61