Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream is the perfect side for a holiday meal or even a busy weeknight dinner. It's rich and creamy, a little tangy and incredibly satisfying. And best of all, we'll show you how to easily make these mashed spuds with virtually no special equipment.
You probably already know the basics of making mashed potatoes, but there's nothing worse than over (or under) cooking the potatoes, or adding too much liquid and fat. The results typically mean soupy mashed potatoes or a side more akin to wallpaper paste than decadent mashed potatoes. If you are looking for the best way to consistently make creamy mashed potatoes, we have some tips and tricks to share!
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Ingredients that Matter
You'll need a handful of ingredients to make the creamiest, most luscious mashed potatoes:
- Yukon Gold Potatoes. It wouldn't be Yukon Gold Mashed potatoes without the potatoes! So why choose Yukon gold potatoes anyway? Well, they have a slightly high moisture content (especially compared to starchy potatoes like russets). We could write a whole blog post about the importance of moisture content in potatoes, but for this post, just know Yukon golds have the ideal balance of starch and moisture. Be sure your potatoes are firm, free of dark blemishes and have no green spots (which could indicate they are toxic). You can peel any small green parts away, but if there's still green on the potato after you peel it, throw it away!
- Sour Cream. What's the importance of sour cream in mashed potatoes? The sour cream makes for extra creamy mashed potatoes with a bit of tang to cut through the richness of the butter and milk. Use full fat or reduced fat, as desired.
- Whole Milk. The starchy potatoes will soak up whatever liquid you add to them, so why not make it a rich and creamy liquid like whole milk? You could use any dairy here, from low-fat or skim milk to half-and-half or heavy cream, but we find whole milk has the ideal fat content for rich and creamy mashed potatoes without adding too much richness.
- Butter. We add some room temperature butter to the spuds mostly for that distinct buttery flavor. Plus the fat helps make these mashed potatoes perfectly creamy.
- Salt. Use table salt as it melts into the potatoes easier than larger crystals of salt like Kosher. And don't skip the salt or your mashed potatoes will taste like they are missing something!
How to Make Consistently Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Believe it or not, we've tried many different methods for making mashed potatoes in all our years developing recipes. There's lots of great options, but we have a method we believe consistently produces great mashed potatoes. Here's how to do it yourself:
Start by peeling and cutting the potatoes into 2-inch pieces. Try to have the pieces all about the same size. As you chop the potatoes, transfer them to a bowl of water. Keeping the peeled and chopped potatoes covered in cold water will prevent them from oxidizing and turning brown. This is a trick we picked up working in restaurants where we'd have to peel 50 pounds of potatoes for Friday's service.
Once the potatoes are all chopped, you have the option to store the potatoes overnight and make them the next day. This is a great way to prep for a big holiday meal! Be sure the peeled and chopped potatoes are covered with cold water and stored in the refrigerator. These were left overnight to cook the next morning.
Next, steam the potatoes. We've tried many methods for cooking potatoes (boiling, microwaving, roasting, etc.) but we feel steaming is the best method as it consistently and gently cooks the potatoes, meaning there's far less chance the potatoes will become waterlogged. It'll take about 25 minutes until a fork inserted into a few potatoes slides in and out easily, with a just a little resistance.
Once properly cooked, the potatoes will be tender but shouldn't be mushy. They will break apart fairly easily. They should look like this photo above.
Next remove the potatoes and steamer basket and discard the water. While the pot is still hot, add the milk, sour cream, butter and potatoes bake to the pot. Cover with a clean kitchen towel for 5 minutes, until the milk and sour cream are warm. The towel traps some of the moisture in the pot and retains some of the heat. You can skip this step if you are short on time, but if you want to consistently make great mashed potatoes, we'd recommend letting everything sit under that kitchen towel.
Now it's finally time to get mashing! You could use a potato ricer, but we like our mashed potatoes smashed and not too airy so we simply use a good old fashioned potato masher. No potato masher? No problem. Simply use a couple forks and mash and stir until well combined. As you mash the potatoes add the salt and stir. Your goal is to emulsify the hot potatoes with the sour cream, butter and milk.
Finally, adjust seasoning by adding salt (and white pepper, if you'd like), and garnish with chopped chives. Another tip: To ensure the potatoes stay hot when serving, be sure your serving bowl is hot. You can heat it in a low oven (225°F), so long as your dish is oven safe at low temperatures, or even run the dish under hot water for a couple minutes. Dry it quickly then add the hot potatoes.
If you aren't ready to serve the potatoes, we suggest storing them in the same pot you used to mash them. Just be sure to keep a lid on the pot. A few minutes before serving, heat over low and stir with a wooden spoon a few times until the potatoes are hot.
The Perfect Mashed Potatoes Ratio
We've played around with all sorts of dairy, non-dairy alternatives, vegetable and chicken stocks, and all sorts of fats. Regardless of which you choose (and, we are, obviously, quite partial to milk, sour cream and butter), here's a ratio to follow for consistently smooth and creamy mashed potatoes:
To yield 3 cups (to serve 4-6) of cooked mashed potatoes, use:
- 1 ½ Pounds of Potatoes || ½ Cup Milk || ¼ Cup Sour Cream || ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter || ¾ tsp. table salt (more to taste)
Feel free to scale this ratio up depending on how many guests you are serving.
Substitutions
Instead of milk, try using:
- Buttermilk
- Almond Milk
- Chicken Broth
- Vegetable Broth
- Plant-Based Milk (unsweetened)
- Skim Milk
- Low-Fat Milk
Serving and Storage
If you want to prep the potatoes ahead of time, you can peel the potatoes and store in a bowl of cold water. Be sure the chopped potatoes are completely submerged to prevent oxidation. You can store peeled potatoes in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. This is our recommended method when making mashed potatoes for a big holiday party like Thanksgiving. We peel as many pounds of potatoes we need (refer to the chart above), then store in cold water, drain and steam about 1 hour before dinnertime. This gives us enough time to mash the potatoes and keep them warm while working on other dishes.
To make the mashed potatoes ahead, cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat mashed potatoes, you can add to a medium or large pot and heat over low. Be sure to stir frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching the bottom of the pan. Keep the stove low and stir and you'll have hot potatoes in about 5 minutes if you've made the quantity listed in the recipe. It'll take longer if there are more mashed potatoes in the pot.
You can also reheat mashed potatoes in a slow cooker. Add the potatoes and set the slow cooker to HIGH. Stir every 10 minutes or so until the potatoes are hot adjust the heat to KEEP WARM. Food food safety purposes, we suggest not leaving the mashed potatoes in a slow cooker for longer than 2 hours (they can stay in longer, just be sure the potatoes are held at an internal temperature of at least 145°F).
Looking for serving suggestions? Try making these potatoes extra special with some stir-ins! For every 1 ½ pounds of potatoes used, add about 3 tablespoons of your favorite stir-ins, like crispy cooked bacon, caramelized onions and mudrooms (we have a recipe for that), fresh herbs, roasted red peppers, chipotle in adobo, olive tapenade or roasted garlic.
FAQ
You can reheat mashed potatoes in a large pot over low to medium heat and stir occasionally to prevent scoring the bottom of the pan. You can also reheat mashed potatoes in a slow cooker set to HIGH. Stir every 10 minutes until the potatoes are hot then turn the slow cooker to KEEP WARM.
Mashed potatoes may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can also transfer the mashed potatoes to a freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze (laying flat for better storage) for up to 3 months.
You want to add about ½ cup of milk (or dairy/dairy-alternative of choice) per 1 ½ pounds of potatoes. You can also add another ¼ cup of sour cream or cream cheese and ¼ cup of unsalted butter (or any combination to of ½ cup of fat).
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Recipe
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
- Total Time: 45 min.
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream is the perfect side for a holiday meal or even a busy weeknight dinner. It's rich and creamy, a little tangy and incredibly satisfying. And best of all, we'll show you how to easily make these mashed spuds with virtually no special equipment.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup room temperature butter, cut into small pieces
- ¾ tsp. table salt
- chopped chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Place a steamer basket in a large pot and add enough water to come up just to the bottom of the basket. Set aside.
- Add water to a large mixing bowl until half full. Peel potatoes one at a time and cut into 2-inch pieces. Add peeled and cut potatoes to the bowl of water. Repeat with remaining potatoes until all are peeled and chopped. Add more water until the potatoes are completely submerged. The potatoes may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day stored submerged in the water and in the refrigerator. Or, proceed to the next step if ready to cook.
- Drain the potatoes and transfer to the steamer basket. Cover the pot and heat over medium. Steam the potatoes until tender (a fork inserted into a few potatoes should go in easily with just slight resistance), 25-30 minutes. Once cooked, carefully remove the steamer basket and drain the water.
- Add the milk, sour cream, butter and potatoes back to the pot (the pot should still be warm). Cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 5 minutes (this warms the milk and sour cream and continues to soften the potatoes). Now mash the potatoes with a potato masher or forks. Add salt while mashing; continue to mash and stir until the potatoes are smooth.
- Transfer to a warm serving bowl and add more salt, as desired. Garnish with chives.
Notes
- Leave the skins on if you prefer, just be sure to scrub the potatoes well first.
- Be sure the chopped potatoes are all about the same size to ensure consistent cooking.
- Steaming the potatoes is a reliable method to get uniformly tender potatoes.
- Storing the peeled and chopped potatoes in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator is an ideal method if making this recipe for a big holiday meal.
- You can also make the recipe ahead and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a large pot over low heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, until hot. Or reheat in a slow cooker. Heat on HIGH, stirring occasionally, until warm, then turn the slow cooker down to KEEP WARM. Store for up to 2 hours in the slow cooker.
- We don't recommend freezing mashed potatoes.
- Prep Time: 15 min.
- Cook Time: 25 min.
- Category: Sides
- Method: Steaming
- Cuisine: American
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