Everyone needs to have an easy recipe for homemade mashed potatoes in their recipe box. Here is my tried and true recipe that has great flavor!

I love making homemade recipes for my family. The older I get, I understand the love and care that went into making comfort food for our family when I was little.

This is the best-mashed potatoes recipe out there. My family LOVES how I make them, so I thought I would share with you how easy they are to make as well.

Who needs boxed mashed potatoes when you can whip this classic side dish in 20 minutes? For a different take on mashed potatoes, try this recipe for Creamy Ranch Mashed Potatoes.

Making this homemade mashed potatoes recipe takes NO time. The longest part of this process is just boiling the russet potatoes and getting them tender. The rest is quick and easy.

How to the Best Mashed Potato Recipe

Start with 3 pounds of potatoes, which are called russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes. Of course, you can also use red potatoes which are also called new potatoes, or you can use Yukon Gold potatoes.

Peel the potatoes with a peeler, and then give them a rustic chop. Make sure that they are pretty uniform in size. This will ensure they cook faster. The smaller the chunk, the quicker they will cook.

Once you get all your potatoes chopped up, add them to a large pot with cold water (start with cold — it makes the best potatoes). Turn your burner on medium-high heat and let the potatoes cook until they are fork tender about 20 minutes.

You can also cook these in some chicken broth. It really adds a great punch of flavor to the potatoes.

How to Get Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Once they are fork tender, take your colander, pour the hot potatoes out, and let them drain completely. You do not want ANY of the cooking water in them.

While your potatoes are draining, rinse and dry your pot out and place it back over the heat. Throw your potatoes back in and start to mash them with a potato masher.

Now I have made these both with an immersion blender, a hand mixer, and a potato masher. These are best made with a potato masher. It gives it a creamy texture.

The immersion blender makes them more like paste and creates waxy potatoes, and you do not want that. You can also use a potato ricer which acts like a food mill. It does an amazing job of making mashed potatoes.

Once you get to this point, add in your cubed-up unsalted butter and cream cheese, and keep mashing and mashing and mashing until you get it all incorporated.

Add in the whole milk and mix. You can also use heavy cream which will lend a little extra creamy flavor to the potatoes. The milk you choose to use is a personal preference.

Season with a tsp salt and pepper and taste. This is the best time to add more spices. I added a few sprinkles of garlic powder to make it have a slight garlic flavor. For the last ingredient, I love adding a little sour cream to add extra richness to the potatoes.

Use an electric mixer to mix everything. Place the creamy potatoes in a 9×13 pan and top with more butter.

Place them in the oven for about 15 minutes to let the butter melt and the potatoes heat through, or you can cover them with aluminum foil and place them in the refrigerator until the next day.

The warm butter on top of those mashed potatoes is pure perfection.

How to Store Mashed Potatoes

I love making a huge batch of these potatoes. Once they are cooled, I store them in an airtight container to leave them in the fridge. When ready to serve, you can reheat the leftover mashed potatoes in the oven and serve alongside your holiday meal.

You will LOVE these mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner or at any time! It's an easy side dish that anyone can prepare.

Check out these other delicious potato recipes

Yield: 8 servings

Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Name: Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3-5 pounds of New Potatoes; 2 sticks of Butter; 4 ounces of Cream Cheese, Softened; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1/4 cup of sour cream; 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Garlic salt (optional); 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; salt to taste

Making Homemade Mashed Potatoes is simple and easy.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

3-5 pounds of New Potatoes
2 sticks of Butter
4 ounces of Cream Cheese, Softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup of sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Garlic salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are around the same size. Add potatoes to a cold pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot.
Mash the potatoes well.
Now, add in a stick of butter, the cream cheese, and mash together.
Now, add in the milk and your seasonings.
Stir well and place in a baking dish.
Take the remaining 1/2 a stick of butter and put pats all over the potatoes.
Bake them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 581Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 433mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 6gSugar: 5gProtein: 9g