The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for meat or poultry. This recipe is creamy, buttery and oh so good. This easy potato recipe is a great Thanksgiving side dish too.

This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you click and purchase something. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.
We are coming down to the wire with the Thanksgiving preparations. The final planning, cooking, and baking for the big turkey day are officially underway. For my family, it’s not Thanksgiving without a helping of mashed potatoes nestled right in between the turkey and stuffing.
Now, it’s totally ok with me if you think otherwise. Just know, that if you happen to stop by our home on Thanksgiving, a big old helping of mashed potatoes will be waiting for you.
Try This Easy Vegetable Side Dish

How To Make Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes rank right up there as one of my favorite side dishes. While I don’t think I could ever survive as a vegetarian (this girl loves her beef and chicken), I could definitely survive on potatoes.
The perfect mashed potato recipe has the right blend of butter, milk and my secret ingredient — cream cheese.
Here are a few tips for perfecting the perfect mashed potatoes:
- Dice
the potatoes into even sizes.
- Add cold water to the pot
to boil. This way the potatoes will cook evenly.
- Don’t overcook, the potatoes should be fork-tender.
- Make sure you thoroughly drain
the water once the potatoes are finished cooking. Let them sit for 30 seconds in a colander
.

I like to use a hand mixer to mash the potatoes. You can also use an old-fashioned hand-masher
too which I sometimes use when I don’t feel like breaking out the hand mixer. I start by mixing the butter and cream cheese in first. Then, I add the milk in thirds. This way, if you feel the potatoes are creamy enough, you don’t have to add any more milk.

Jazz up your potatoes. Ways To Take Your Mashed Potatoes To The Next Level. Try These Mashed Potato Add Ins.
Garlic – Mix in some roasted garlic with the potatoes. To roast garlic, slice off the top off garlic head to expose some of the cloves inside. Place on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in the foil. Roast about 30 minutes.
Loaded – Add 1 cup cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and substitute 1/2 cup sour cream for the cream cheese. Top with fresh chopped chives.
Cheesy – Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese, or your favorite kind of cheese and mix together.
Make Ahead – Prepare any of these recipes 1-2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, drizzle with melted butter. Back at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe
It's the creamiest, it's the dreamiest, it's the Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe and you are going to love it! Mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish and they are so easy to make.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced evenly
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes. Place in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil.
- Boil until fork tender; about 15 minutes.
- Drain potatoes completely, making sure all water is drained.
- Pour potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add butter and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer to incorporate.
- Add in milk gradually until potatoes are smooth and creamy.
Notes
Ways To Take Your Mashed Potatoes To The Next Level
Garlic Mashed Potatoes - Mix in some roasted garlic with the potatoes. To roast garlic, slice off the top off garlic head to expose some of the cloves inside. Place on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in the foil. Roast about 30 minutes.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes - Add 1 cup cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and substitute 1/2 cup sour cream for the cream cheese. Top with fresh chopped chives.
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes - Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese, or your favorite kind of cheese and mix together.
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes - Prepare any of these recipes 1-2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, drizzle with melted butter. Back at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Save this easy homemade Mashed Potatoes recipe for later. Pin the image below to your favorite Pinterest Board.

What i do not realize is if truth be told how you’re now not actually much more well-favored than you might be right now. You are so intelligent. You recognize therefore considerably relating to this subject, produced me individually consider it from a lot of numerous angles. Its like men and women don’t seem to be interested except it’s something to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs excellent. At all times maintain it up!
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find nearly all of your post’s to be what precisely I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content for yourself? I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write concerning here. Again, awesome web site!
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thx again
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say superb blog!
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, as well as the content!
You are my inhalation, I own few blogs and occasionally run out from to post : (.
Thank you for sharing with us, I believe this website really stands out : D.
I believe this is one of the so much vital info for me. And i’m satisfied reading your article. However wanna commentary on few normal things, The site taste is great, the articles is truly nice : D. Just right activity, cheers
I was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
Good write-up, I am normal visitor of one¦s site, maintain up the excellent operate, and It’s going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
Very efficiently written post. It will be helpful to anybody who utilizes it, including myself. Keep doing what you are doing – looking forward to more posts.
you’ve an awesome blog right here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my weblog?
Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam remarks? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can suggest? I get so much lately it’s driving me mad so any help is very much appreciated.
It’s actually a cool and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
I do consider all the concepts you have offered in your post. They are really convincing and can certainly work. Still, the posts are very quick for newbies. Could you please prolong them a little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
Keep working ,great job!
Thanks so much for providing individuals with such a nice opportunity to discover important secrets from here. It’s always so nice and stuffed with a good time for me and my office mates to search your web site at the very least three times weekly to study the latest stuff you will have. And lastly, we’re usually satisfied for the outstanding secrets you give. Some 4 tips in this article are absolutely the simplest we have had.
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all folks you actually recognize what you’re speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Please also discuss with my site =). We could have a hyperlink exchange arrangement between us!
Some really prime content on this website , saved to my bookmarks.
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this superb blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will share this site with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
Hello. fantastic job. I did not imagine this. This is a impressive story. Thanks!
I want studying and I believe this website got some really useful stuff on it! .
Thank you for any other wonderful article. The place else may just anybody get that kind of info in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the search for such information.
I really like your writing style, wonderful information, thank you for putting up :D. “Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” by Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky.
I am glad to be a visitant of this staring site! , thanks for this rare info ! .
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and help others like you helped me.
I needed to draft you this very small word so as to thank you so much yet again over the awesome views you have discussed above. It is simply incredibly generous with you to convey easily all that a number of us might have offered as an e book to get some cash for themselves, and in particular now that you might have tried it in case you desired. The points also served like a great way to fully grasp that some people have the identical dreams just as mine to see a good deal more when considering this matter. I’m sure there are millions of more pleasurable moments in the future for many who look into your blog.
As a Newbie, I am constantly exploring online for articles that can aid me. Thank you
Thanks , I have recently been looking for info approximately this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I’ve came upon till now. However, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you certain about the source?
Good write-up, I?¦m normal visitor of one?¦s site, maintain up the excellent operate, and It’s going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
I was just looking for this information for a while. After 6 hours of continuous Googleing, finally I got it in your web site. I wonder what’s the lack of Google strategy that don’t rank this type of informative sites in top of the list. Usually the top sites are full of garbage.
Awsome blog! I am loving it!! Will be back later to read some more. I am taking your feeds also
Hi are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I have discovered It positively helpful and it has aided me out loads. I’m hoping to contribute & help other customers like its aided me. Good job.
very nice post, i definitely love this website, keep on it
very good put up, i certainly love this website, keep on it
What i do not understood is actually how you’re not actually a lot more smartly-liked than you might be now. You are so intelligent. You understand therefore significantly with regards to this subject, made me for my part imagine it from numerous numerous angles. Its like men and women don’t seem to be interested unless it’s something to do with Girl gaga! Your personal stuffs nice. Always maintain it up!
This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen
I was just looking for this information for some time. After six hours of continuous Googleing, finally I got it in your site. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that do not rank this type of informative sites in top of the list. Usually the top websites are full of garbage.
There is apparently a lot to realize about this. I believe you made various nice points in features also.
Utterly indited content material, thank you for selective information. “No human thing is of serious importance.” by Plato.
Wonderful work! This is the type of info that should be shared around the web. Shame on Google for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my web site . Thanks =)
I savor, cause I discovered exactly what I was having a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
magnificent issues altogether, you simply received a new reader. What might you recommend about your publish that you simply made a few days ago? Any positive?
Real instructive and wonderful body structure of articles, now that’s user friendly (:.
The content is well-organized and highly informative.
I love how user-friendly and intuitive everything feels.
I’ve learn a few just right stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you put to create any such wonderful informative web site.
Lovely blog! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am taking your feeds also.