These creamy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives are rich, smooth, flavorful and easy! The best mashed potato recipe is simple enough for your next weeknight supper, but also delicious enough for a holiday dinner. Your family and friends will love the buttery, thick, and slightly tangy side dish that comes together in 30 minutes with just 5 simple ingredients!
Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
These easy mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives are the only mashed potato recipe that you'll ever need! They're fluffy, creamy, smooth and rich -- and a practical option that pairs nicely with almost any entrée. The make ahead side dish is even convenient for potlucks, entertaining, or big holiday meals when you don't want to be stuck in the kitchen. Just assemble them in advance and pop them in the oven or slow cooker when you're ready to enjoy!
Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes
Yukon Gold potatoes are the best potatoes to use for creamy mashed potatoes with sour cream. They have a dense, uniform texture, an inherently "buttery" flavor, and don't turn grainy, watery, or mushy when cooked. Russet potatoes will also work for mashing, but the Yukon Gold have less starch, which means they absorb less water when boiled and stay super creamy when mashed.
Do you cut potatoes before boiling for mashed potatoes?
Yes, cut the potatoes before boiling so that they cook quickly and evenly. I like to peel the potatoes before cutting as well to avoid any skin in the mashed potatoes at the end. This ensures the smoothest, creamiest texture.
Ingredients for Homemade Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need to whip up a batch of easy mashed potatoes with sour cream. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Potatoes: peeled and cubed Yukon Gold are the top choice here. You'll need 3 pounds total, which can be anywhere from about 8-15 potatoes (depending on the size of your potatoes).
- Butter: salted butter adds flavor and richness to the mashed potatoes.
- Half-and-half or whole milk: just enough liquid to bring the potatoes together into a smooth mash. You can use half-and-half, whole milk, or even make them truly indulgent with heavy cream.
- Sour cream: adds a rich, thick, creamy touch to the potatoes with just a hint of tang.
- Chives: fresh herbs are always best for bright flavor that cuts through the richness of the potatoes. You can omit this ingredient, or substitute with sliced green onions.
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper: to enhance the flavors in the potatoes.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes from Scratch
Skip the store-bought mashed potatoes and whip up a batch of these creamy, fluffy potatoes at home. They're quick, easy, and incredibly delicious!
- Simmer potatoes on the stovetop until they're tender when pieced with a knife, about 10-12 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes really well, then return them to the pot.
- Turn the stove to low heat and gently shake the pan over the low flame for about 1 minute. This will help evaporate any additional water, ensuring that you have very dry potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes.
- Add butter and half-and-half or milk until the potatoes are very creamy. You might not need all of the milk, so add it gradually and stop when the potatoes reach the desired consistency.
- Whisk in the sour cream and chives until completely combined.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and garnish with extra butter and additional chives, if desired.
What to Serve with Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
From a holiday table to a weeknight dinner, this versatile side dish goes well with just about any of your favorite entrées. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Steak: such as marinated grilled steak, beef tenderloin, London Broil, steak tips, filet mignon, and flank steak.
- Chicken: such as whole roasted chicken, fried chicken cutlets with country gravy, oven bbq chicken breast, crispy fried chicken, coq au vin, and grilled chicken.
- Pork: such as grilled pork chops, grilled pork tenderloin, pulled pork, baked pork tenderloin, glazed ham, ham steaks, pork roast, and smothered pork chops and gravy.
- Seafood: such as grilled salmon, blackened salmon, oven fried fish, grilled scallops, marinated grilled shrimp, and 5-ingredient parmesan crusted tilapia.
Make Ahead
It's really convenient to prepare these sour cream mashed potatoes in advance and then just reheat them when you're ready to enjoy. Here are a few tips:
- Peel and dice the potatoes up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered in cold water to prevent browning until you're ready to boil and mash.
- Prepare the mashed potatoes as instructed, cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, allow the potatoes to come to room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes. Reheat the mashed potatoes in a slow cooker on HIGH heat for 1 hour, or cover the dish and bake them in a 350° F oven just until warmed through (about 30 minutes).
- You can freeze the mashed potatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 months; however, be aware that this is not always ideal. The thawed potatoes may have a grainy, less-desirable texture.
Recipe Variations - Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
- If you can't find fresh chives, substitute with the dark green part of green onions (scallions).
- Instead of whole milk, use half-and-half or even heavy cream.
- We put sour cream in mashed potatoes to add a subtle hint of tang and creaminess without watering them down. You can substitute with an equal amount of full-fat plain Greek-style yogurt if you prefer.
- Add roasted garlic to the mashed potatoes, or even just a subtle hint of garlic powder.
- Loaded mashed potatoes: add grated sharp cheddar cheese and crispy bacon to the potatoes.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half to prepare about 4 servings. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
Tips for the Best Mashed Potato Recipe
- Use Yukon Gold potatoes for the creamiest, smoothest, most buttery mashed potatoes.
- Dry the potatoes in the pan for about 1 minute before mashing. Too much extra moisture in the potatoes prevents them from achieving that fluffy texture.
- Don't overmix the potatoes. Mash them until smooth, whisk in the remaining ingredients, and then stop! Too much stirring and mixing makes the potatoes gummy.
- For the smoothest, creamiest mash, I prefer a potato ricer. If you want to use a different style of hand-held potato masher, this one is also great (both are affiliate links).
More Potato Recipes to Try
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Easy Au Gratin Potatoes
- Cheesy Sour Cream Potato Casserole
- Chunky Skin-On Mashed Red Potatoes
- Baked Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Baked Potato Wedges
Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, diced at room temperature (plus extra for topping)
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half or whole milk, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by about 1 inch. Add plenty of salt to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water boils, reduce the heat so that the water is simmering. Simmer uncovered until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a knife, about 10-12 minutes. Drain the potatoes really well; return them to the pot.
- Turn the stove to low heat and gently shake the pan of potatoes over the low flame for about 1 minute, just to make sure that any excess moisture evaporates. You want really dry potatoes!
- Use a potato masher, potato ricer, or food mill to mash the potatoes. Add the butter and enough half-and-half or milk until the potatoes are very creamy (you might not need all of the milk, so add it gradually and stop when the potatoes reach the desired consistency). Whisk in the sour cream and chives until completely combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with additional butter or chives, if desired.
Notes
- Use Yukon Gold potatoes for the creamiest, smoothest, most buttery mashed potatoes.
- Dry the potatoes in the pan for about 1 minute before mashing. Too much extra moisture in the potatoes prevents them from achieving that fluffy texture.
- Don't overmix the potatoes. Mash them until smooth, whisk in the remaining ingredients, and then stop! Too much stirring and mixing makes the potatoes gummy.
- For the smoothest, creamiest mash, I prefer a potato ricer. If you want to use a different style of hand-held potato masher, this one is also great (both are affiliate links).
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