Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Adding sour cream to mashed potatoes brings wonderful flavor and richness. This Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes recipe is totally company-worthy, yet easy enough to make as everyday dinner potatoes.
If you can’t get enough of Classic Mashed Potatoes, wait until you try these extra-flavorful and creamy sour cream mashed potatoes.
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These fluffy and buttery sour cream mashed potatoes are a family-favorite side dish. They’re totally company-worthy but so easy to make, you’ll want them on your table for Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, and beyond. Pair them with Prime Rib or Juicy Roast Turkey drizzled with Turkey Gravy.
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes Recipe
We LOVE potatoes so we get creative with them, making everything from Au Gratin Potatoes to Potato Soup. We’re sharing our best tips for making super creamy sour cream mashed potatoes that the whole family will request again and again. Here’s why you will love this recipe:
- Simple – These creamy mashed potatoes are made with basic kitchen ingredients.
- Flavorful – The combination of butter, milk, and sour cream really makes these potatoes something special.
- Versatile – These fluffy sour cream mashed potatoes recipe can be made ahead and reheats well (see instructions below)
Ingredients
Below is an overview of everything you’ll need to make these velvety sour cream mashed potatoes. Don’t forget to refer to the recipe card with the full amounts:
- Potatoes – We usually use Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe, but you can use just about any starchy potato. You’ll need about 10 medium-sized potatoes.
- Milk – Adding warm milk (whole or 2%) to mashed potatoes helps lighten up the texture while keeping the potatoes warm.
- Butter – We use unsalted butter. Good quality butter adds a silky texture and flavor to the potatoes. If you’re using salted butter then add salt to taste later.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream lends extra richness and creaminess and tastes better.
- Chives – Fresh chopped chives make a great but optional garnish, for a nice pop of color.
Pro Tip: After you’ve peeled and chopped your potatoes, place them in a bowl with water to keep the potato pieces from browning.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
Here’s how easy it is to make these simple yet flavorful sour cream mashed potatoes:
- Boil the Potatoes – Peel and cut your potatoes into chunks about an inch in size, then add them to a large pot with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (see timing chart below).
- Heat the Milk – In a separate saucepan warm the butter and milk until it just begins to steam and the butter is fully melted, then cover and set it aside.
- Mash the Potatoes – Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash while drizzling in the milk mixture to reach your desired consistency. Be careful not to over-mash the potatoes, as they may become gluey.
- Add Sour Cream – Lastly, mash in the sour cream and season the potatoes with salt. Cover to keep them warm until you’re ready to serve.
- Serve – Load your sour cream mashed potatoes into a serving dish. If you’d like, serve with additional butter and a garnish of fresh chives and pepper.
Pro Tip: To avoid gummy mashed potatoes, avoid overcooking. Also, drain them well and mash them while the potatoes are still hot.
How Long Should I Boil Potatoes?
How long it takes to boil your potatoes for mashing depends on how large or small you cut your potato pieces. The easiest way to tell if a potato is boiled through is to poke it with a fork: if it’s pierced with little resistance, the potato is cooked.
Below are some average boiling times for different potato sizes:
- 1-inch Pieces: 10-12 minutes (start the timer after the water comes to a boil).
- Quartered Potatoes (1½-inch thick): 15 to 18 minutes.
- Whole, Peeled Potatoes (Medium-Sized): 20 to 25 minutes.
The Best Method for Mashing Potatoes
You can mash your potatoes by hand using a potato masher, but we’ve found that using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer is the fastest and easiest method for the smoothest mashed potatoes.
Common Questions
Starchy potatoes, like Yukon gold or russet potatoes, yield the best and creamiest mashed potatoes.
Certainly. Add a pinch or two of garlic powder to infuse your mashed potatoes with garlicky flavor (or, try our Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe).
Technically they won’t be sour cream mashed potatoes in this case, but yes. Greek yogurt, creme fraiche, and buttermilk are good substitutions for sour cream in a pinch.
If you’re making enough mashed potatoes to feed a small army, go ahead and double up the recipe!
Plan for 1/2 lb of potatoes per serving. So if you have 8 people, you will want to use 4 lbs of potatoes.
What to Serve with Mashed Potatoes
We love these creamy mashed potatoes as a Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish next. They’re great for entertaining, and everyone always asks for seconds. Here are more ways to serve sour cream mashed potatoes:
- Gravy – Drizzle mashed potatoes with Easy Mushroom Gravy or round out a meal of Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy, or even saucy Beef Stroganoff.
- Pot Roasts – Nothing pairs better with a cozy Mississippi Pot Roast than fluffy sour cream mashed potatoes.
- Ham – Serve sour cream mashed potatoes with Baked Ham for the holidays.
Make-Ahead
Here’s how to easily store and reheat mashed potatoes if you have leftovers or if you’re making them ahead of time.
- To keep mashed potatoes warm: A slow cooker is the best way to keep potatoes warm. Generously butter the slow cooker, spread the warm mashed potatoes inside evenly, and drizzle with more butter. Cover with the lid and set the crockpot to the “warm” setting and it can stay warm for 3-4 hours.
- To Refrigerate: Once the potatoes have cooled, store them airtight and refrigerate for up to 3-5 days. Storing in an oven-safe container makes it easy to reheat in the oven (see below).
- Freezing: Let the mashed potatoes cool completely, then seal them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To Reheat in the Oven: Ensure the potatoes are in an oven-safe casserole dish, drizzle the top with butter, then cover them with foil and warm them in the oven at 350ºF for 15 minutes, or until hot throughout. You can stir in a bit of additional milk to help loosen them up, as needed.
- To Reheat on the Stovetop: My favorite quick way to reheat mashed potatoes is on the stovetop. Transfer potatoes to a skillet and set over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until potatoes are hot.
No holiday is complete without a generous helping (or two) of delicious homemade mashed potatoes. Prepare to watch these sour cream mashed potatoes disappear from the plate!
More Easy Potato Recipes
If you love this recipe for mashed potatoes, then you won’t want to miss these other easy potato recipes.
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, 10 medium, peeled and cut into 1-inch thick pieces
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more to serve if desired
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives, optional, to garnish
- freshly ground black pepper, optional, to garnish
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Keep them in cold water until you are ready to cook to prevent browning then transfer potatoes into a large pot and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes with 1-inch of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork without resistance.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk together with the butter until butter is melted and milk just starts to steam (do not boil). Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Once potatoes are fork-tender, drain potatoes well and transfer them back to the pot, set them over very low heat for 1 minute to evaporate any extra steam. Coarsely mash potatoes right away with a potato masher or an electric hand mixer to break them up (don’t wait to mash or they can turn gummy).
- Turn off the heat and while mashing, drizzle in the hot milk and butter mixture, adding it to your desired texture. Adding more milk will make the potatoes creamier and less milk will give you thicker potatoes. Mash or beat until your potatoes are smooth. Don’t overbeat or potatoes can become gluey.
- Mash in the sour cream and salt, adding more salt to taste as needed. Keep covered with lid until ready to serve then transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with butter and garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and chives if desired.
Notes
- 1-inch pieces: 10-12 minutes once the water has come to a boil.
- Quartered potatoes (1 1/2”-thick): 15-18 minutes
- Whole peeled medium potatoes: 20-25 minutes
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Personally found they needed almost triple the amount of butter — maybe I could have used more sour cream or more milk instead, but the ratio was off and too dry and starchy for me using russets. They came out nicely with almost 3 sticks of butter!
Did you use melter butter? It was just right for us but feel free to add more according to your preference.
When making mashed potatoes, after I drain them I put them back in the pot, cover and put back on the burner I used but turn it off. Let sit for a few minutes. It take moisture out of the potatoes so they are not gluey and come out fluffy.
Made the sour cream mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner. A big hit! Really delicious and the family agreed!
Thanks, Natasha!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Cindy! Thank you for sharing.
Do you think I could make these Christmas Eve and reheat on low in the slow cooker Christmas Day?
Hi FJ, we prefer these fresh, but it may work to reheat. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Tried the Sour Cream mashed potatoes. By far the best mashed potatoes ever and so simple to make. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Thank you for trying my recipe! I’m so glad you loved these mashed potatoes!
Loved how creamy and flavourful these mashed potatoes were! My family and I could not get enough of them
I’m so glad you loved them, Olivia. Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
Hi Natasha! this is a good recipe, but, I like to take it up a notch. Not only do I do the butter and sour cream, but, I also add bacon bits, and cheese. This is NOT very calorie friendly, but, they taste GREAT!
That sounds like a delicious loaded mashed potato recipe! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
It looked full of oil. Why’s that. Otherwise it looks delish. I love potatoes 🥔. 🙂
Hi Judy! It’s melted butter. 🙂
These mashed potatoes were AMAZING!! The only difference with mine was that I blended the chives into the mashed potatoes and omitted the extra butter after serving them.
Hi Martha! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Ok, the sour cream made such a difference! I don’t think I’ll be making them any other way from now on. Thank you!
That’s wonderful, Jessica! I’m so glad you loved them. They really are amazing. 🙂
These were unbelievable amazing! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make them again!
Great to hear that you enjoyed them! Thank you for the review.
I have been using a similar recipe. But add Cream Cheese. I’m the designated Maker of Mashed Potatoes 🥔 ♥️
Delicious !
I have to bring mine to a Christmas dinner an hour away how to I keep them home.
Hi Cynthia! If we do that I would wrap the pot in towels and foil to keep the heat in for transport. One of our readers reported great results keeping it warm in a slow cooker on low heat. I hope that helps
Thanks so much
You’re welcome!
Use your crockpot on the lowest setting … just to keep them warm. Will hold them for several hours.
The best mashed potatoes ever!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review.
These are the best mashed potatoes ever. Better than my mom’s -may she rest in peace. My husband and I made them today for Thanksgiving for just the two of us, and I can’t wait to make it for Christmas when our family gets together. I absolutely love you web-site.
Eve
Eve, thank you for such a nice review and have a great Thanksgiving!
Really good and simple recipe. Made it your way twice 😉
Thank you for the great review Vika, enjoy :).
Hi. I’m having a hard time lookong for heavy cream (heavy whipped cream). Can I use fresh whipping cream instead?
Fresh whipping cream is the same thing; absolutely! 🙂
Thanks. Will use the fresh whipping cream then. Still 1 cup?
Yes 🙂
Lol Natasha! We pulled it off with only appetizers! 😉 🙂 When we were getting married we were both young and broke and do in love so…. Appetizers had to do it 😉 🙂
Nice! That’s brilliant. I’m sure everyone went home satisfied. Appetizers are so much fun.
Haha, so true! My (Russian) parents thought spending money on decor for our wedding was a waste of money… as long as there was good food (and drinks!) that’s all they cared about. Well we had both and it was a blast 🙂
My husband is always making fun of all the potatoes used in nearly every Russian dish. I love it. 😀
That’s what the older generation seems to remember most about a wedding. At least we Russian/Ukrainian people have the best food at our weddings 🙂 It’s shocking for “our people” to go to a wedding with only appetizers. I don’t know any Russian person brave enough to pull that off 🙂
I’ve been checking out your site – how long have you been blogging? Great blog!
Just started Russian Bites last fall but I’ve been blogging on my other blog (www.healthyandsane.com) for about 2.5 years 🙂
You’re a busy lady – running 2 blogs! I’m hardly keeping up with 1 🙂
Being Ukrainian I think that we had potatoes every night for dinner and any function we attended. Your recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hmmmm….infusing the water with bay and garlic…hmmmm…..
My husband is the mastermind behind that idea. He usually makes the mashed potatoes.
It just got my mind working on the possibilities of using infusions like that to give a subtle hint of flavor rather than a smack in the face.
I like how you think! Let me know what you come up with.
Thank you! I’m also thinking that something like this
might be useful. I’ve used the jumbo sized ones for bouquet garni (I hate dealing with string or cheese cloth).
And I’m also thinking that a few crushed juniper berries and a leaf of sage in with the potatoes would be right tasty next to a pork roast or roast chicken.