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A bowl of creamy mashed potatoes with melted butter and garnished with parsley
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5 from 30 votes

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

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! 
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword creamy mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, sour cream mashed potatoes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5 people
Author April Boller Wright

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.