These Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes are the ULTIMATE, CREAMIEST and MOST FLAVORFUL mashed potato recipe you will find!!! They are the mashed potato side dish you want on your table, promise. Golden and buttery Yukon potatoes are a great start, then we add a ton of flavor with cream cheese, sour cream, garlic and butter. They are so delicious you don’t even need gravy (although add the gravy if you want!).
You can also makes this recipe in your electric pressure cooker with this Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe. Or when a dinner calls for an extra kick of garlic, we love these Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes too. If red skin potatoes are your jam, check out this Amazing Red Skin Mashed Potato Recipe.
Jump to:
- Ingredient and Supply Details
- Mom’s Top Tip For Soft Cream Cheese in a hurry
- Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Start The Potatoes In Cool Water
- Simmer Not Boil
- Gravy Recipes
- How Many Potatoes Do I Make?
- Freezing Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Potato Tips & Troubleshooting
- Mom’s Top Mashed Potato Tips
- Mashed Potato Side Dish
- More Mashed Potato Recipes
- The BEST Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Recipe + VIDEO
- Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Ingredient and Supply Details
If you were to just boil potatoes and mash them up with a little butter and milk they would be ok, but not great, and definitely not perfect! The combo of ingredients in this Yukon Gold Mashed Potato recipe are what make them the BEST:
Equipment:
- large pot
- hand held mixer, potato masher, food mill, or potato ricer
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut (2-3 inch chunks) and rinsed
- cool water- start your potatoes in cool water so they cook evenly.
- kosher salt – potatoes need a lot of salt, so don’t be shocked at the amount of salt you need!
- full fat cream cheese, softened – make sure your cream cheese is softened a little, this ensures it mixes into the potatoes well.
Mom’s Top Tip For Soft Cream Cheese in a hurry
To soften your cream cheese quickly, you can cube it into 1 inch pieces. Leave it at room temp for the time it takes the potatoes to cook.
- salted butter – mashed potatoes + plenty of butter = true love forever.
- full fat sour cream – this adds a ton of flavor and creaminess to your potatoes.
- milk -2%, whole milk or half & half is perfect
- 1 garlic clove- just one raw garlic clove minced up really well takes these mashed potatoes over the top!
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Yukon Gold potatoes are delicious potatoes that have thin skin and a yellow tinted flesh. This hybrid was developed in Canada in 1960.
They are great for mashed potatoes because they hold their shape which can make them a great option for potato salad. But it also means they won’t disintegrate in the simmering water and they won’t absorb all the water and become flavorless!
If you prefer to use Russet Potatoes in your mashed potatoes, pop over to this recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
Start The Potatoes In Cool Water
You specifically want to start your peeled, cut and rinsed Yukon Gold potatoes in COOL tap water.
By starting them in cool tap water you allow the water and the potato to rise together in temperature, ensuring an even cook all the way to the center of the potato.
If you bring the water to a boil first it will result in a potato that has the first layer boiled to death and falling apart by the time the middle is done!
Simmer Not Boil
When you make these mashed potatoes I recommend that you simmer instead of boil. This way you get an even cook on the potatoes without destroying the outside layer! This will take around 40 minutes.
Gravy Recipes
These mashed potatoes are flavorful enough that you don’t really need gravy. But sometimes you need it, like on holidays, to also pair with the turkey!
Here are a couple gravy recipes to accompany your potatoes. The nice thing is you don’t need drippings for any of these recipes:
How Many Potatoes Do I Make?
Imagine if you ran out of mashed potatoes…(insert gasp!).
Figuring out how many potatoes can be tricky, because the initial ingredient (raw potatoes) don’t really give you a visual on how many mashed potatoes it will make. If you stick to making ½ lb of potatoes per person then you will always have enough!
Freezing Mashed Potatoes
Yep! You can totally freeze your mashed potatoes. If you have a lot of leftovers, freeze them. If you are trying to prep for a big occasion, make your mashed potatoes ahead and freeze them!
After your prepared mashed potatoes have cooled, scoop them into little dollops on a baking sheet (that will fit in the freezer). Pop it in the freezer for a couple hours until they are frozen solid, then place them in a freezer safe baggie. They will be good in there for about 3 months!
When it is time to serve your frozen mashed potatoes simply place them in a skillet over medium-low heat with a little water or broth and stir them as they melt right in the pan!
Mashed Potato Tips & Troubleshooting
Here are a couple tips to ensure your mashed potatoes are the BEST, and some troubleshooting ideas if something went awry:
Mom’s Top Mashed Potato Tips
- Cut your potatoes in 2-3 inch cubes. Cutting them too small will result in watery flavorless potatoes.
- Simmer instead of boiling for an even cook all the way through without destroying the outer layer.
- Start your potatoes in cool water so the outer layer doesn’t boil off before the inside is done.
- Rinse away the extra potato starch which will prevent your potatoes from becoming gluey. Rinse them after peeling and cutting.
- Warm the milk and butter together until the butter is melted but the milk is not simmering, just warmed through. This will not only help keep your potatoes stay nice and warm, it helps the liquids blend better with the potatoes making it nice and creamy!
- Do not over process! This will make your potatoes resemble melted cheese more than fluffy mashed potatoes! Never process your potatoes in a blender or food processor.
- If your potatoes got too thin, if you have time boil some additional potatoes, mash them up and add them to the mix. If you are short on time add some dried instant potato flakes a tablespoon or two at a time.
- If your potatoes are too thick, warm a little milk (or broth) in the microwave and then stir it in a tablespoon or two at a time.
Mashed Potato Side Dish
These mashed potatoes make a great side dish to just about anything. They go really really well with Swedish Meatballs or Beef Meatballs with Gravy.
If you are trying to plan a dinner, here are a couple entree recipes to check out:
More Mashed Potato Recipes
The BEST Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes - peeled and cut into 2-3 inch cubes, then rinsed
- 7-8 cups cool water
- 3 teaspoon kosher salt - divided
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- ¾ cup milk - preferably 2%, whole or half & half
- 4 oz full fat cream cheese - softened at room temp
- ½ cup full fat sour cream
- 1 garlic clove - minced
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2-3 inch pieces, then give them a good rinse. Mom's Pro Tip: this rinses away extra potato starch that can make your potatoes "gluey".
- In a large pot add all your cut potatoes. Pour enough cool water over the potatoes until it covers them by about 2 inches. This will be roughly between 7-9 cups.Add in 1 ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt.Mom's Pro Tip: starting your potatoes in cool water helps them cook evenly all the way through.3 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, 7-8 cups cool water
- Place the pot on the stove over medium heat. Let it simmer for about 40 minutes until the potatoes are completely fork tender, but not falling apart.
- While the potatoes simmer….In a separate smaller pot (or in the microwave) melt the butter into the milk, warming the milk through, but not boiling.4 tablespoon salted butter, ¾ cup milk
- Drain the cooked potatoes through a colander and then place them back in the pot.
- Add in the sour cream, cream cheese, the milk/butter mixture, minced garlic, and the remaining 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Using a hand held mixer blend the potatoes until you have a creamy mash.Mom's Pro Tip: for no lumps whatsoever run the cooked potatoes through a potato ricer THEN stir in all the mix-ins.4 oz full fat cream cheese, ½ cup full fat sour cream, 1 garlic clove
- Serve warm/hot as an amazing side dish!Top with a pat of butter that will melt and run all over the top for extra deliciousness! Chop up chives and sprinkle over the top for extra garnish.
Recipe Tips and Notes:
- Scoop into dollops on a baking sheet that will fit in the freezer.
- Pop in the freezer for a couple hours. Once solid move them to a freezer baggie.
- They will be good for 3 months.
- To reheat place them in a skillet over medium-low heat with a little water or broth. Stir them around as they melt right in the pan!
Andrea Howe says
I LOVED the tip about freezing the mashed potatoes because we always have leftovers, but don’t often want to eat mashed potatoes 3-4 nights in a row. This was the perfect tip for an already great recipe. Thanks!
Lauren says
Perfect mashed potato recipe! 5 stars all the way!
Lori says
I used a potato ricer per your suggestion and this is hands down the best mashed potatoes recipe! I couldn’t stop eating them!
John says
Best mashed potatoes hands down. The whole family loved them!