Best Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
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These are the best sour cream mashed potatoes. They’re warm, buttery and creamy with a hint of tang. These are the fluffy mashed potatoes Grandma would serve for Thanksgiving dinner with homemade gravy. Make this dish in advance. Rewarm it in the oven when needed.
📌 Pin Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
No one could cook up a holiday meal from scratch like my Grandma Mercie. Every dish was picture perfect. She’d whip up enough food to feed an army. Today I invite you to follow along as I share her secret for making fluffy sour cream mashed potatoes that taste amazing.
When making this side dish from scratch, it’s an absolute must to select the best potatoes for mashing. I highly recommend two types: Russet (baking) potatoes or Yukon Gold. If these varieties are not available where you live, experiment with the potatoes you find at your local market.
When switching up ingredients, especially for a Thanksgiving recipe, it’s highly recommended that you test the recipe in a small batch before committing to making the dish to serve family and friends for the holidays.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Add sour cream to mashed potatoes for savory richness with a hint of tang. It gives fluffy mashed potatoes a thicker consistency than traditional recipes. Most especially for occasions like Thanksgiving, I highly recommend going all in with full-fat sour cream, not light sour cream. We want excellent flavor and texture.
- Number 1 tip for the best texture: Do not over-mix. When mashed potatoes are over-worked, they release starch which creates a pasty, gummy texture. Use a light hand when mixing, and avoid using an electric mixer unless you’re working with very small batches.
- Sour cream mashed potatoes is a great make-ahead dish. Transfer to a baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Rewarm the next day in a 350°F oven. For longer storage, freeze for up to 1 month.
🛒 Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold: Are the star ingredient of sour cream mashed potatoes.
- Whole Milk: Adds rich moisture for a delicious mouthfeel.
- Salted Butter: Adds a delicious buttery taste.
- Sour Cream: Adds thick creaminess with a bit of tang.
- Kosher Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Ground Black Pepper: Adds a rustic taste and aroma with a hint of heat.
- Optional Garnish: Chopped fresh parsley, for color and freshness.
📖 Recipe Steps
- Add potatoes to a large pot of lightly salted (cold or room temperature) water on stovetop. The water level should be 2 inches above the potatoes. Boil potatoes for 10 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander to remove as much water as possible, then return them to the pot.
- Pour warm milk and butter over the potatoes. Add in the sour cream, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Mash just until smooth and creamy, or until they reach the desired consistency. It’s very important not to over-work the potatoes or they can develop a gummy texture – this is what happens when too much starch is released.
- Taste the potatoes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. If more moisture is needed, add more melted butter (not milk). But again, be careful not to over-mix. We want fluffy potatoes, not heavy pasty ones.
- If desired, garnish the top with pats of butter, and fresh parsley or chives. Serve warm.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQ
These are the most commonly-asked questions for making the BEST sour cream mashed potatoes, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
When mashed potatoes are over-mixed they release a lot of starch which can make them develop a gummy texture. For this reason, I recommend mashing potatoes by hand instead of using an electric mixer. It’ll give you more control of the mixing process. And only mixing until add-ins like milk, butter and sour cream are just combined.
This can happen when potatoes are undercooked. To avoid this, make sure to cut your potatoes all the same size so they can cook evenly. Unlike cooking noodles, potatoes should be started in a pot of room temperature water (not boiling water) so the potatoes have a chance to cook at the perfect rate – both inside and out.
This can happen if the potatoes are boiled vigorously instead of gently. Or if they weren’t drained completely after being boiled. You can either add more cooked potatoes to the mixture, or let the watery potatoes dry out for a bit in a warm oven.
This happens if cold milk and/or cold butter is mixed into the steaming hot potatoes. The milk should be warmed before adding it in, and the butter should be melted in the microwave then poured in.
Because of their high-starch content, Russet potatoes (Idaho potatoes) are my number 1 choice for making fluffy mashed potatoes. Another great choice is Yukon gold because of their natural buttery taste.
🥔 More Yummy Potato Recipes
These year-round favorites are deeply savory and easy to make. Add this collection of delicious sides to your monthly meal plan rotation.
- Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Loaded Potato Skins
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flavor testers rated this the BEST sour cream mashed potato recipe. The fluffiness, creaminess and buttery taste are fantastic. One tester admitted they were even better than those his grandma served for Thanksgiving.
If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.
Best Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
These are the best sour cream mashed potatoes. They’re warm, buttery and creamy with a hint of tang. These are the fluffy mashed potatoes Grandma would serve for Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed in the microwave
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnishes: pats of butter, and fresh parsley or chives (chopped)
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a large pot of lightly salted (cold or room temperature) water on stovetop. The water level should be 2 inches above the potatoes. Boil potatoes for 10 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander to remove as much water as possible, then return them to the pot.
- Pour warm milk and butter over the potatoes. Add in the sour cream, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Mash just until smooth and creamy, or until they reach the desired consistency. It’s very important not to over-process the potatoes or they can develop a gummy texture. If more moisture is needed, add more melted butter (not milk).
- Taste the potatoes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. But again, be careful not to overmix.
- If desired, garnish the top with pats of butter, and fresh parsley or chives. Serve warm.
Notes
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes: Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight, or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat cold mashed potatoes (not frozen), transfer to a baking dish and rewarm in a 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. For frozen potatoes, thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sour cream mashed potatoes, homemade mashed potatoes, mashed potato recipe
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes 👉🏻 Your Thoughts
Are you excited to make these creamy sour cream mashed potatoes? Will you serve them for a weekday dinner, or a holiday meal? Share your thoughts on this easy recipe in comments below.
Ok, so I’ve made mashed potatoes with sour cream before thinking they would be delicious, but I now know I didn’t put in enough sour cream. Go big or go home, right? This recipe is SO much better using the full cup of sour cream. It’s worth it!
★★★★★
Amazing is an understatement. These mashed potatoes are next level delicious!!
★★★★★
YUM. I love sour cream in my potatoes. Such a wonderful, comforting dish!
★★★★★
Absoutely delicious – added a little extra that my normal mash with butter just doesn’t have.
★★★★★
I should tell you that everyone at the table loved them, as well.
★★★★★
You are right, the sour cream makes these mashed potatoes creamy and delicious! They remind me a little bit of loaded baked potatoes but, enough to feed a crowd.
Sour cream is brilliant! It makes them so creamy! I’ll definitely be making them this way from now on!
★★★★★
this looks amazing!! WOW!
This looks like the new way to serve mashed potatoes!
★★★★★
This looks like a big bowl of goodness! I definitely don’t save them for Thanksgiving or holidays, only, but I definitely make them mostly during the cooler weather! Spud love!
This is one recipe I wrote down and will try it next week. Sounds absolutely delicious.
I regularly make mashed potato for dinner but never have tried sour cream before. Certainly will be doing so next time.
★★★★★
I love a good mashed potato recipe! Will try this soon!
Belle | One Awesome Momma
Those mashed potatoes looks so creamy and delicious! It’s the one side dish that’ll be present in all holiday parties for sure :)