Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This Easy Mashed Potatoes recipe deserves a spot at your table! These potatoes turn out incredibly creamy, buttery, and smooth — and the secret is that the potatoes are gently boiled in a mixture of cream and water, allowing them to absorb extra richness and flavor. Once you try mashed potatoes cooked this way, you won’t want to make them any other way.

Making mashed potatoes isn’t difficult, but mastering truly creamy, flavorful mashed potatoes is another story. Follow my simple steps and helpful tips, and you’ll get perfect mashed potatoes every time.

Love One-Pan, Flavorful Meals? Try more reader favorites: Best Pork Blanquette • Creamy Chicken Thighs • Easy Beef Bourguignon

Unlike most recipes that rely solely on butter or milk, this version uses heavy cream and a touch of cream cheese. A tablespoon of butter, a half cup of cream, and just a spoonful of cream cheese create an irresistibly smooth texture and rich flavor.

My mashed potatoes recipe delivers buttery, velvety-smooth potatoes every time. It strikes the right balance between creamy and fluffy for the perfect texture.

Today’s recipe is soft, yet sturdy enough that you can add a pool of gravy, if that’s your thing.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple ingredients, amazing results. Just a few pantry staples turn into a rich, indulgent side dish.

Perfect for any occasion. Quick enough for busy weeknights yet elegant enough for Thanksgiving.

Includes optional flavorful add-ins; you can add none, one, or all of them depending on your meal.

It’s all in the technique. Rinsing the potatoes, boiling them in a creamy mixture, and mashing them while they’re still hot are simple steps that make a huge difference in texture and flavor.

Simple enough for a weeknight, indulgent enough for a special occasion. Serve yours as a hearty base for my weeknight Creamy Dijon Chicken, or serve them as your Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, where they’ll pair nicely with Roasted Pork Belly.

What Are The Best Potatoes To Use?

For the best mashed potatoes recipe, I have found that starchy potatoes are by far the best option. During recipe testing, I found that these starchier potato varieties easily become fluffy and creamy when mashed, whereas more waxy varieties can turn gummy more easily.

I recommend Yukon gold potatoes or Russet potatoes. Russet potatoes have the highest starch content of the common potato varieties, so they become very light and fluffy when mashed. Yukon gold potatoes are considered an all-purpose potato, so they have a high enough starch content for this mashed potato recipe, and turn velvety when mashed.

What ingredients are in this Easy Mashed Potatoes Recipe?

You can find the complete recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post, but for now, I’ll give you an overview of how it goes.

The secret to beautifully creamy best mashed potatoes is to boil the potatoes in a cream (or whole milk / half-and-half) and water mixture. The potatoes suck up all the goodness from the cream and result in flavorsome potatoes that are beautifully smooth.

• Heavy Cream: Adds so much extra flavor to these potatoes. You can also use whole milk or half and half.
• Water: Helps create the perfect cooking liquid.
• Potatoes: I swear by Yukon golds; they turn out fluffy, smooth, and full of flavor. You want to use a high-starch potato, so russets will also work well.
• Salt And Pepper: Enhance the natural flavor of the potatoes.
• Butter: Add richness and creaminess to the potatoes. I use unsalted butter cubed and room temperature
• Cream Cheese (optional): Makes the potatoes extra silky.
• Extra add-ins: Stir in crispy bacon, grated cheese, roasted garlic, or fresh herbs for even more flavor.

Pro Tip: Boil the potatoes until fully fork-tender (about 20–25 minutes). Do not undercook — firm potatoes make lumpy mash.

Variations on Best Mashed Potatoes

These easy mashed potatoes are also super simple to flavor any way you like. I love to add a bit of Parmesan cheese or Cream Cheese and fresh parsley to mine, but you could stir in any fresh herbs (rosemary or thyme would be yummy), cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, or pepper jack are my faves), or spices (like garlic powder, onion powder, or cayenne pepper) to add a bit more flavor.

How to Make the BEST Creamy Homemade Mashed Potatoes

First, peel and cut the potatoes. Chop them into large chunks, so they cook evenly.

Add water to the chopped potatoes and rinse them.

Pour in the heavy cream: add ½ cup of heavy cream over the potatoes.
This creates a rich cooking base right from the start.

Add water until the potatoes are almost covered. Pour in 1 cup of water… just enough so the potatoes are mostly submerged but not drowning.

Season with salt, add 1 teaspoon of salt and drop in 1 tablespoon of butter.
It melts as the potatoes cook, adding richness.

Bring to a boil: Place the pot over medium heat and bring it to a gentle boil.

Simmer on low heat: Reduce heat, cover and cook 20–25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

Mash the potatoes: Drain extra liquid only if there’s too much.
Mash the potatoes while still hot.

Pour in a little of cooking potato liquid at a time while using a potato masher to reach desired consistency.

Add cream cheese: Mix in 1 tablespoon of cream cheese to make the mashed potatoes extra creamy and smooth. Stir until smooth and fluffy, use a spatula to fold and smooth out the mashed potatoes.

Your best creamy mashed potatoes are ready!

Enjoy

Things to Add to Mashed Potatoes

You can keep these mashed potatoes classic or make them extra special with:

• Sour cream, Greek yogurt, or cream cheese
• Cheddar, Parmesan, or Gouda
• Garlic or onion powder
• Extra butter, fresh herbs, or green onions for garnish

Make-Ahead, Storage, Reheating & Freezing Tips

Freezing

You can freeze mashed potatoes in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag, or portion them into 1-cup scoops.
Mashed potatoes freeze well for up to 1 month.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Make Ahead

Mashed potatoes can be prepared up to a few hours in advance.
Leave them in the pot (without garnishing), place the pot over a larger pan with gently simmering water, and keep warm until serving.

Storage

Leftover mashed potatoes keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days.

Reheating

For best texture, transfer mashed potatoes to a baking dish, add a splash of cream, milk, or broth plus a bit of butter, cover, and reheat at 350°F (175°C) until warm and creamy.

They are an easy side dish and go perfectly with Creamy Meatballs, Chicken Goulash , and of course a Beef stew!