Easy Mashed Potatoes

Make these easy mashed potatoes without milk for the perfect side dish! This easy mashed potato recipe makes creamy and delicious potatoes that will make a great addition to any meal or even Thanksgiving dinner.





Bowl of mashed potatoes with butter melting on top

Is there anything better than a mountain of mashed potatoes topped with hot gravy dripping down the sides? It’s definitely my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner (and this amazing stuffing ) and really any dinner that mashed potatoes are a part of.

I grew up in a family where instant mashed potatoes were a thing – now they’re a thing of the past. After trying real russet mashed potatoes, you’ll never go back to pouring something out of a box, no matter how simple it is.





These mashed potatoes are almost that easy, they just take a little more time.

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They’re fantastic topped with just a little butter or gravy if you have gravy. And they make a great side dish for this almond chicken , this balsamic chicken , or really any kind of meat dish.



Or just by themselves.

I used to do that – make mashed potatoes just to eat by themselves. I’m kind of a mashed potato fanatic.

Ingredients

Ingredients needed for mashed potatoes without milk with labels on top

Ingredient Notes

  • Russet potatoes – we always prefer organic potatoes and typically just buy them in a big five pound bag
  • Salted butter – we prefer Kerrygold grass-fed butter because the flavor is just so much better. You want the butter to be room temperature before adding it to the potatoes so it melts in easily.
  • Whipping cream – while these are mashed potatoes without milk, they do use butter and cream so they’re not dairy free. The cream gives these an amazingly creamy texture.

Instructions

Once you see how easy these mashed potatoes are to make, you’ll be adding them to your weekly menu every week!

Okay before you get started with the actual recipe, you need to peel and dice the potatoes. This helps them cook both evenly and quickly. Then you’re ready to get started!

1 – Drain the Potatoes

The first step is an easy one to skip but don’t. It’s important to help get rid of excess starch in the potatoes and only takes a minute.

Put the diced potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Drain the water then fill the water with more cold water until the potatoes are just covered with water.

It’s the first rinse and drain part you don’t want to skip.

A metal pot with diced potatoes and water

2 – Boil the Potatoes

Cover the pot and bring the water (and potatoes) to boil over high heat.

Once it’s boiling, uncover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until you can easily pierce and crush the potatoes with a fork.

We like to mash using a silicone whisk like these but you can use your favorite potato masher ( this silicone one looks amazing), a mixer, or even a fork!

Drain the potatoes in a colander and set aside.

Boiled mashed potatoes in a pot

3 – Heat the Cream

This is another step that is important to help the cream mash into the potatoes really well.

Add the cream to the empty pot and heat just until warmed, about 2 minutes. Remove the cream and set aside for later. Warming the cream helps it really combine with the potatoes for maximum creaminess.

4 – Mash the Potatoes

Alright it’s finally time for some mashing! Add the potatoes back into the empty pot and lightly mash with a whisk or potato masher to break up the potatoes.

Metal pot with mashed potatoes and a metal whisk

Add your room temperature butter and continue to mash and stir with the whisk until the butter is fully combined with the potatoes.

Metal pot with mashed potatoes, a metal whisk, and a cube of butter

Add the warm cream, salt, and pepper and continue to mash until smooth.

Creamy mashed potatoes in a metal pot

Serve alongside your favorite main dish or on top of this shepherd’s pie . Or double it and do both – as a side dish for dinner tonight and with shepherd’s pie tomorrow!

metal spoon in a bowl of mashed potatoes with butter on top

Expert Tips

Use high-quality cream and butter since they’re the only things really flavoring the potatoes other than salt and pepper.

Use a whisk rather than a fork to mash for the maximum creaminess.

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Double the recipe and enjoy mashed potatoes all week long . Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days and just warm them back up in the microwave or oven.

Use a potato chopper like this one we use for our air fryer fries for quick and even dicing.

Use room temperature butter and warm cream to help them incorporate into the potatoes better.

Mashed Potatoes FAQs

How Can I Mash Potatoes Without A Masher Or Mixer?

Don’t have a potato masher or a mixer? Try a whisk. We actually prefer to use a whisk to mash potatoes because it helps get the lumps out and make the potatoes more creamy.
Don’t have a whisk? A fork works too!

What Can I Use In Mashed Potatoes Instead Of Butter?

Don’t want to use butter (maybe you’re doing Whole 30 or some other lifestyle)? You can use ghee in placement of the butter instead.

What’s Good With Mashed Potatoes?

Let’s be honest – you could eat these mashed potatoes with anything. You could eat mashed potatoes with anything period, but here are some of my personal favorites to go along with this mashed potato recipe.
Almond chicken
Balsamic chicken
Ground turkey meatballs
Greek lemon chicken
Best stuffing recipe

How many potatoes should you make per person for mashed potatoes?

You should plan on about 1/2 pound of potatoes per person so ideally you’d measure the weight of the potatoes. Or if you’re buying bags of potatoes – a five pound bag would be good for 10 people, 3 pound bag would be good for 6 people, etc. This recipe is written using a 3 lb bag of potatoes.

What’s the best potato for mashed potatoes?

I recommend using russet potatoes for mashed potatoes because they’re larger and have a really good flesh for mashing.

A bowl of mashed potatoes sprinkled with parsley and butter

More Delicious Side Dishes

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Mashed Potatoes without Milk

Make these easy mashed potatoes without milk for the perfect side dish! This easy mashed potato recipe makes creamy and delicious potatoes that will make a great addition to any meal or even Thanksgiving dinner. Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Total: 20 minutes Serves6 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs russet potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Mashed Potatoes

  • Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Drain the water to remove any excess starches and then fill the pot with more cold water until the potatoes are just covered with water. Cover the pot and bring the water and potatoes to boil over high heat.
  • Once boiling, uncover the pot and reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Simmer the potatoes until they are easily pierced and crushed by a fork, about 10-15 minutes.
  • Once tender, drain the potatoes in a colander.
  • Return the empty pot to medium heat. Add the cream to the pot and heat just until warmed, about 1-2 minutes. Once warmed, remove the pot from the heat and set the cream aside for later.
  • Add the potatoes back to the empty pot and lightly mash with a whisk to break up the potatoes. Add in the room temperature butter and continue to mash and stir with the whisk until the butter is fully incorporated. Add the warm cream, salt, and pepper and continue to mash until smooth.
  • Serve warm with butter, gravy, or your favorite main dish.

Tips & Notes:

Use high-quality cream and butter since they’re the only things really flavoring the potatoes other than salt and pepper. Use a whisk rather than a fork to mash for the maximum creaminess. Double the recipe and enjoy mashed potatoes all week long . Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days and just warm them back up in the microwave or oven. Use a potato chopper for quick and even dicing. Use room temperature butter and warm cream to help them incorporate into the potatoes better.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 384kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 735mg, Potassium: 961mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 764IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Author: Britni Vigil Course:Side Dish Cuisine:American Did You Make This?Tag @PlayPartyPlan on Facebook and Instagram and hashtag it #playpartyplan so I can see your creations!

This recipe was originally posted in November 2019 and has since been updated and changed.