Fluffy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream Recipe

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Fluffy Mashed potatoes with sour  cream just screams “comfort food” and brings back memories of warm family gatherings. And it seems like everybody has their own version. There are so many different varieties! It can get overwhelming! But no worries, this easy mashed potatoes recipe with sour cream will become your best recipe. Perfect with smothered oxtails ,crispy lemon parmesan and herb tuna patties Juicy Dry rub roast chicken garlic butter Brazilian steak, southern fried fish or instant pot grape jelly meatballs.

A bowl of creamy mashed potatoes with melted butter and garnished with parsley

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SOUR CREAM MASHED POTATOES 

I grew up eating mashed potatoes A LOT. It’s one of my favorite American classic foods. Perfect anytime, whether it be after work, weekends, family gatherings or the holidays. Mashed potatoes with sour cream are so good y’all.  The tangy flavor of the sour cream cuts down the richnessI love the versatility of mashed potatoes. Simply make with butter or dress them up with herbs, garlic or cheese. Homemade fluffy mash is truly the best!

WHY THIS FLUFFY MASH POTATOES RECIPE WORKS

It only uses 5 ingredients. The recipe is super simple. The addition of sour cream makes this mash slightly tangy and so very good. It’s also freezer friendly. Using hot milk, softened butter and sour cream makes the most creamy mash ever. 

My family can’t get enough of it. If you love sour cream, you will love this mashed potatoes recipe! If you hate the thought of peeling potatoes use THIS

WHAT KIND OF POTATOES TO USE?

Potatoes come in all shapes and sizes, but they generally fall into three categories:

starchy, waxy, and “all-purpose” which are somewhere in between. Your best bet for fluffy mash is the starchy kind.

Starchy potatoes fall apart after cooking more easily than waxy potatoes, meaning you’ll get smoother fluffier potatoes than if you tried to use a waxy variety.

In general, yukon gold, russet or Idaho potatoes work the best for sour creamed mashed potatoes. These potatoes are your classic large, brown potato.

step by step on how to make sour cream mashed potatoes
A bowl of creamy mashed potatoes with melted butter and garnished with parsley

HOW LONG TO BOIL POTATOES?

As a general rule of thumb, I suggest 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
It is also important that the water you use to boil your potatoes in is cold – this ensures even cooking of your potato.

Using warm water may lead to the center of your potatoes remaining hard even after the outside gets nice and soft! It is also important to add salt to the water you boil your potatoes in.

Since potatoes absorb water as they cook, using salted water seasons the potatoes as they cook, making them nice and flavorful and preventing them from getting bland.

I added about 1.5 tablespoons of salt to the water and added more once the potatoes were mashed.  If you want more control of the salt then I suggest adding 1 tablespoon salt to the cold water.

HOW TO FREEZE SOUR CREAM MASHED POTATOES?

You can absolutely freeze any extras you make for later.

Freezer bags –  Put  2 cups of sour cream mashed potatoes into each freezer bag, flatten it with your hands then squeeze out any extra air, zip up the bag, and then store in your freezer.

FYI, The flattening step is important to ensure even freezing.

Reheat You can use your stovetop, microwave, oven, or even slow cooker.

Stovetop – Place the potatoes over low heat in a covered pan, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fully thawed. To keep them creamy, add milk if needed.

Microwave – Put your potatoes on a microwave-safe dish and cover, then heat on 50% power until the potatoes are fully thawed. If you are using your oven, place the potatoes in an oven-safe dish, and heat at 350º F for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Again, stir occasionally to ensure even heating.

Slow cooker, heat the potatoes on low until heated through. 

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MASHED POTATOES 

  1. Simply skin or peel your russet potatoes and cut them into quarters.  Make sure the potatoes are around the same size so they can cook evenly. Then place your potatoes into a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil using medium high heat.(pic 1) 
  2. Boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until they are tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain the water.Add the hot milk, butter, & sour cream (pic 2). 
  3. Using a masher, ricer, or electric hand mixer, mash the potatoes just until they’re creamy, fluffy and smooth. Remember not to overwork the starch!  Add salt and pepper for taste. (pic 3-4) Add any of the suggested additions above like herbs or cheese or put your own twist on it!
  4. Serve with pats of butter. Perfect with meatloaf, fried fish, salisbury steak , fried chicken , smothered chicken or salmon cakes.

TIPS FOR CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

  • Salt – You must salt your water. Salting the water is crucial step in flavorful potatoes. I usually use about 1.5 tablespoons of salt. 
  • Sour cream – Most mashed potato recipes call for milk and butter, but sour cream makes the final product even more flavorful, creamy and tang! 
  • Butter IS your friend when it comes to potatoes. You know butter makes everything better, especially in mashed potatoes. For rich flavor don’t skimp on butter. 
  • Hot milk rather than room temperature milk should be used in this mashed potato recipe. Adding cold milk straight from the refrigerator cools down the potatoes and may reduce the creaminess of your final product! The colder liquid also doesn’t get absorbed into the potatoes as fully as warm milk does.
  • Mash – when mashing the potatoes, you can use any kind of masher you may have handy, whether it be a hand masher, a ricer, or an electric hand mixer, but be careful not to over-mix or overwork your potatoes or your spuds will become gummy.  But fear not. You can make gummy potatoes work. I found a genius gummy potato idea that I MUST TRY!
  • Add-ins: Fresh herbs and other flavors are a great and easy way to add more flavor to your mash! Garlic (a classic!), chives, basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley are some other great additions. You could explore bacon, shallots, or cheese! Parmesan is my fav! So delish!

A bowl of creamy mashed potatoes with melted butter and garnished with parsley

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

April Boller Wright
Fluffy Mashed potatoes with sour  cream just screams “comfort food” and brings back memories of warm family gatherings. And it seems like everybody has their own version. There are so many different varieties! It can get overwhelming! But no worries, this easy recipe will become your best fluffy and creamy mash recipe. Perfect to make any day! 
5 from 30 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 5 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 /2 cup milk Do not add all the milk at once. Add slowly then stir then add more as needed. Adding too much will make runny potatoes.
  • 3 lbs yukon potatoes or russet potatoes (peeled and quartered)
  • 8 tbsp butter softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream plus additional 3 tbsp
  • salt and pepper for taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the peeled and quartered potatoes to a large pot. Fill the pot up with just enough cold water to cover the potatoes. Set the stove to medium high heat. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork. Drain. 
  • Place the potatoes back into the pot and cover the potatoes for about 5 mins. Heat up the milk until it’s hot. 
  • Pour half of the hot milk (see notes), softened butter and sour cream into the pot and mash until you get your desired consistency. If the mash is too thick, add a bit more milk until you get your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with pats of butter. 
    Sharing is caring, so please share this recipe, so other people can enjoy it!

Notes

TIPS TO MAKE SOUR CREAM MASHED POTATOES

 
  • My secret ingredient is sour cream. Most mashed potato recipes call for milk and butter, but sour cream makes them so creamy with just enough tang. It also helps to cut down on the rich flavor.  
  • Salt Salt the water. Salting the water is crucial step in flavorful potatoes. I usually use about 1.5 tablespoons of salt.  
  • Hot milk rather than room temperature milk should be used in this recipe.  
  • Gradually add enough milk. You may need need the entire amount. Add just enough milk to make it smooth and creamy.  
  • Adding cold milk straight from the refrigerator cools down your potatoes and may reduce the creaminess of your final product!
    The colder liquid also doesn’t get absorbed into the potatoes as fully as warm milk does.
     
  • When mashing your potatoes, you can use any kind of masher you may have handy, whether it be a hand masher, a ricer, or an electric hand mixer, but be careful not to over-mix or overwork your potatoes or your creamy mashed potatoes will become gummy!  
  • For a personal twist and more flavor, fresh herbs and other flavors are some great add-ins.  
  • Some herbs that go great with sour cream mashed potatoes are garlic (a classic!), chives, basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Other additions you could explore are bacon, shallots, or Parmesan.
     

    FREEZER AND REHEAT TIPS
Freezer bags –  Put  2 cups of sour cream mashed potatoes into each freezer bag, flatten it with your hands then squeeze out any extra air, zip up the bag, and then store in your freezer.
 
FYI, The flattening step is important to ensure even freezing.
 
Reheat You can use your stovetop, microwave, oven, or even slow cooker to reheat the mashed potatoes.
 
Stovetop – Place the mashed potatoes over low heat in a covered pan, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fully thawed. To keep them creamy, add milk if needed.
 
Microwave – Put your potatoes on a microwave-safe dish and cover. Heat on 50% power until the potatoes are fully thawed.
 
Oven, place the potatoes in an oven-safe dish, heat at 350º F for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating.
 
Slow cooker, heat the potatoes on low for until heated through. 
Keyword creamy mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, sour cream mashed potatoes
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61 Comments

  1. AshleyMara says:

    These potatoes were amazing! Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

  2. This is an a amazing recipe. For years we just had boiled potato and now this is the only way the want the potatos. I’m now trying a few herbs to change it up. I figure not bad for an old mechanic. If you or anyone have any ideas on what to add I love to hear it. Although they taste great on their own. Thanks again.

  3. I cannot wait to try these. Have never tried sour cream in my mashed potatoes. Going to make tomorrow
    night. Thank you!5 stars

  4. Don’t need a diatribe on your personal history with potatoes. Just want to see a recipe.

    1. That’s what the jump to recipe button above is for!

    2. No need to be a jerk. Just skip to the recipe at the bottom. This is a blog, after all. Go buy a cookbook if you’re going to be a turd.

  5. I made these with added minced garlic as they cooked for a potluck two days in advance; I tasted the finished potatoes then froze the remainder. When I got to the pot luck venue, I took out the frozen potatoes that I had allowed to thaw in the refrigerator, opened the bag and was sure I had a failure with the runny “stuff” that looked like anything *but* mashed potatoes. Remarking that we might have potato soup for lunch, I went ahead and poured the contents into an overproof bowl, stirred them a bit, and put them in the over at 325.

    About an hour and a half later, i opened the oven door to discover lovely mashed, and even creamy potatoes–no need for soup bowls. 🙂

    At the end of the potluck, the serving bowl was so empty that it almost looked like it had been licked clean. What a success!

    1. Carole thank you so much for the great feedback! I’m happy everyone enjoyed it 🙂

  6. Kevin Fullicks says:

    I’m half Irish, mashed potatoes are genetically essential to my sense of wellbeing and comfort. This is a great recipe as we are a family of 4, and historically 2 family members didn’t like mash – until I used this recipe. I’m delighted to say that they are now mash converts which also means that I get to enjoy it more often as well. Thank you very much for sharing it.5 stars

    1. Im super happy you and your family (especially the mashed potato haters lol) enjoyed it! Thank you!