Fluffy, creamy and buttery, these are absolutely PERFECT every time.
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT20M
Total time: PT35M
Rating
4.99 stars (1058 reviews)
Keywords
easy, homemade, mashed potatoes, Thanksgiving
Ingredients
4 pounds potatoes (russet or Yukon gold)
3 cloves garlic (optional)
⅓ cup melted salted butter
1 cup milk (or cream)
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
Categories
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Steps
Peel and quarter potatoes, place in a pot of cold salted water.
Add cloves of garlic (if using) & bring to a boil, cook uncovered 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain well.
Heat milk on the stove top (or in the microwave) until warm.
Add butter to the potatoes and begin mashing. Pour in heated milk a little at a time while using a potato masher to reach desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 0.5 cup
Calories: 209 kcal
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Protein: 5 g
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 17 mg
Sodium: 74 mg
Sugar: 2 g
Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
Reviews
Kelly Rauch on 2026-05-19 (5 stars): Just made these - we are having meatloaf and wanted awesome mashed potatoes. This was an easy and awesome recipe. Loved everything about it. Flavor is off the charts - making ahead so cooling now and then in the fridge before dinner. Thanks for an awesome recipe.
Theresa Frazier on 2026-05-02 (5 stars): This is the very 1st time that my mashed potatoes came out really good! Indeed, this was The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe! Thank you for being detailed, taking me through each step along with your notes! I will be making them again! Thanks you!
Krusatyr on 2026-04-04 (5 stars): For healthier version:
Substitute low fat plain greek yogurt for milk and butter, add grated xtra sharp cheddar into still-hot potato, as mashed. Otherwise per recipe w/ Yukon Gold, leave the peels in the chopped potato pieces, thence in the mash.
Diane Willett on 2026-03-30 (5 stars): It worked!!
Jc on 2026-03-27 (5 stars): So good. Love this recipe. How many potatoes is 4 lbs. I read it wrong the first time and I used 4 potatoes !! Still yummy !
Stephanie on 2026-03-11 (5 stars): Yep, without question the best mashed potatoes I've ever had! I used heavy cream for the milk and riced the potatoes. Just doesn't get any better than this!
