Food & Cooking Recipes Healthy Recipes Gluten-Free Recipes How to Make Perfect Fluffy Mashed Potatoes 4.0 (359) 12 Reviews Our Martha Stewart mashed potatoes is a recipe to bookmark. You'll use it to make this classic side dish all the time, for holiday dinners or weeknight meals. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 18, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Mashed potatoes are an easy side dish, a classic comfort food, and a real crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re making them to serve at a holiday feast or weeknight dinner, they are usually the first dish to go. (Count yourself lucky if you end up with leftovers!) Homemade mashed potatoes are pretty simple to make with our foolproof recipe and we have a few tips and tricks to help you make the fluffiest, most buttery mashed potatoes you’ll ever taste. We’ll also share how to upgrade this classic side dish, and how to make them ahead and reheat them. How to Store Potatoes the Right Way—and Prevent Them From Sprouting Carson Downing The Best Potatoes for Mashing Russet potatoes are our first choice for making mashed potatoes. Russets have a high starch content that makes for fluffy mashed potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes are also a good option—they are less starchy, so use these if you want your mashed potatoes extra rich and creamy. 5 Tips for Making Perfect Mashed Potatoes Keep this advice in mind when making mashed potatoes, and your spuds will always be fluffy, light, and delicious. Cook the potatoes properly: The spuds are done when you can slide a paring knife in and out with little to no resistance. If the potatoes are overcooked, you run the risk of them being gummy once mashed. Undercooked, and your mashed potatoes will have unpleasant clumps.Dry out the mashed potatoes: Once they have boiled, we like to cook the potatoes for another minute until they begin to dry out and leave a film behind on the bottom of the pan. This helps some of the moisture evaporate so that the flavors of the butter and milk can really come through.Add hot liquid to the potatoes: We warm the milk and butter before incorporating them into the potatoes. When they are warmed they mix in better because they’re at a similar temperature to the potatoes. Your mashed potatoes will be super smooth this way.Don't overmix: Mix the potatoes only just until mashed to your desired consistency. Overmixing can make them gummy or tough.Season well: This starts with the water used to cook the potatoes. A generous amount of salt and a touch of nutmeg can make a huge difference. 3 Methods for Mashing Potatoes There are several ways to mash potatoes. You can use a low-tech tool, like a good old-fashioned potato masher, or break out the mixer or potato ricer. Electric mixer: One of the techniques used in this mashed potato recipe. This is how it works: The potatoes are transferred to an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment before slowly adding the milk and butter. You can also use a bowl and handheld mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer.Ricer: The other technique we give step-by-step instructions for in this recipe. A potato ricer is a specialized tool and if you have one, this is the method you'll use. It produces a finely textured mashed potato.Potato masher: The simplest technique, skip the machinery and extra bowls and mash the potatoes directly in the same pot you cooked them in. From there, you can use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to incorporate the remaining ingredients. For stiffer mashed potatoes, use only 3/4 cup of milk or cream; for richer potatoes, add another 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes 1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste 1 cup milk, or cream 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Directions Carson Downing Peel potatoes: Peel and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Carson Downing Cook potatoes: Place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water; add 1 tablespoon salt. bring to a simmer. If using a potato ricer, fill another saucepan with water; place over low heat. Keep potatoes at a low simmer until a knife slips in and out easily. Carson Downing Drain: Drain potatoes in a colander. Carson Downing Warm milk: Place milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Carson Downing Option 1: Using a Ricer to Mash the Potatoes Press potatoes through ricer: If using a potato ricer, place a heat-proof bowl or top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Press hot, drained potatoes through ricer into bowl. Carson Downing Stir potatoes: Stir potatoes with a wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minute. Carson Downing Add butter: Using a whisk, incorporate butter. immediately. Carson Downing Add milk: Drizzle in hot milk, whisking continuously. Carson Downing Season and serve: Add pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste; whisk to combine. Serve. Carson Downing Option 2: Using an Electric Mixer to Mash the Potatoes Mix until most lumps have disappeared: Transfer hot, drained potatoes to bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed, until most lumps have disappeared, about 1 minute. Carson Downing Add butter: Add butter; mix until blended. Carson Downing Carson Downing Add milk and seasoning: On low speed, add hot milk in a slow stream, then add pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste. Mix to combine. Carson Downing Making Ahead and Storing Mashed Potatoes Mashed potatoes can be made ahead, cooled to room temperature, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days before being reheated. Freezing You can also freeze the mashed potatoes the same way and store them for up to three months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating. How to Reheat Mashed Potatoes Mashed potatoes are easy to reheat; feel free to make them ahead of time and warm them up before dinner. Let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes and reheat one of the following ways: Water bath: Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Place the mashed potatoes in a heatproof bowl and set it over the pan of simmering water. Cook over medium heat, stirring the potatoes a few times, until they are warmed through. If needed, add a few more splashes of milk or cream to loosen.Microwave: Heat the potatoes in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well in between, until warmed through. Add more milk or cream to loosen as needed. Mashed Potato Upgrades Substitute some or all of the milk for sour cream, cream cheese, or buttermilk. Any of these dairy options will add a bit of tang to the dish. Add a handful of grated Gruyère, Manchego, or parmesan cheese at the end, stirring just until melted. Brown the butter before stirring it in. This will add an extra nutty flavor, it's a perfect touch for special occasions. Top with fresh herbs like chives, scallions, or parsley, or sprinkle with crispy onions or shallots. Frequently Asked Questions Why do you salt the cooking water for mashed potatoes? We always salt the cooking water for mashed potatoes. It’s an important step as we season the mashed potatoes at each step of their preparation. Cooking the potatoes in salted water will help give them lots of flavor from the get-go. Is it better to use milk or cream in mashed potatoes? When it comes to using milk or cream for mashed potatoes, we don't have a preference—we like both. Using either milk or cream will add body and richness to mashed potatoes. There is a difference though, adding heavy cream will make the side dish extra decadent. Do you rinse potatoes after boiling for mashed potatoes? No, we don’t rinse potatoes after boiling and before mashing them. This is because rinsing removes much of the starch from the potatoes. You don't want to get rid of the starch, it is useful for thickening the mashed potatoes. Why are my mashed potatoes grainy? There are a few reasons why your mashed potatoes are grainy or gritty. The most likely cause is that the potatoes were undercooked when you mashed them. To avoid this, test the potatoes with a paring knife when you think they are done; if the knife slips in and out of the potatoes easily, they are cooked. 5 More Mashed Potato Recipes to Try: Buttermilk Mashed Red Potatoes Vegan Mashed Potatoes Garlic-Thyme Mashed Potatoes Sour-Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, November 1998 Rate It PRINT Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley Wofford is a recipe developer, food stylist, and writer with over 15 years of experience and holds a Professional Culinary Arts diploma from the International Culinary Center. In addition to MarthaStewart.com, Riley's work can be found in TODAY.com, Delish, Food52, and Marley Spoon.