Published: Mar 19, 2019 · Modified: Nov 23, 2021 by Amanda McGrory-Dixon

The Best Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Everyone needs an ultra creamy, rich, buttery mashed potato recipe, and that's exactly what these brown butter mashed potatoes are. Made with a mixture of heavy cream and sour cream and then processed in a potato ricer, these mashed potatoes boast the most velvety, smoothest texture, and then we make this recipe even more delicious by giving it a flavor kick from the brown butter. Essentially, these brown butter mashed potatoes are perfection in a bowl.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make-Ahead Directions
Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips
Perfect Pairing
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

I know -- perfection is a high bar, but I like to think of myself as a mashed potato connoisseur. If there's one side dish I can't get enough, it's definitely mashed potatoes. So as someone who loves, loves her mashed potatoes, I feel confident in calling out perfect potatoes, and once you taste this recipe, I have a feeling you'll be right there with me.

That brown butter: By using brown butter instead of regular melted butter, we add a rich, nutty flavor that makes these mashed potatoes even better than traditional recipes. Consider these gourmet mashed potatoes.

Only requires five ingredients: While the brown butter gives this dish a fancy touch, it still doesn't take a long list of ingredients to create the best mashed potatoes ever.

Perfect for a crowd: Serving the whole family and then some? This brown mashed potato recipe will keep everyone fed and full.

Can be made ahead for easy entertaining: Mashed potatoes are a favorite holiday side dish, but as we all know, this can be a hectic cooking time. To make your life easier, I included make-ahead directions.

Related: If you love this recipe, make sure you also try my air-fried fingerling potatoes and smoked mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

See? These five mashed potato ingredients are all you need.

Besides our ingredients, you'll also need a large stock pot, a medium saucepan, a strainer, a ricer or potato masher, and a sturdy wooden spoon or mixer, either handheld or stand.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: We first prepare our potatoes. This includes peeling, cutting into quarters and giving them a good rinse (photo 1).

Russet potatoes on a cutting board after peeling.

Step 2: Now we add our potatoes to a large stock pot, bring to a boil and then drop the temperature to a simmer until we can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork (photo 2).

Cooking the potatoes in a large stock pot.

Step 3: As the potatoes cook, we get busy with a little multitasking. In a medium saucepan we brown our butter. This is as simple as melting the butter and whisking occasionally until it turns golden brown and foams like so. After browning, we mix in some sour cream and heavy cream (photo 3) and heat just until warm.

Stirring the sour cream and heavy cream into the brown butter in a saucepan.

Step 4: Once we can easily piece our potatoes with a fork, we're ready to drain (photo 4) and pat the potatoes with a paper towel to remove excessive moisture.

The potatoes draining after they cook until soft.

Step 5: Now we add the potatoes to a mixing bowl, pour the brown butter-cream mixture on top (photo 5), and stir or whip until they turned into that perfect mashed consistency.

The potatoes in a mixing bowl with the brown butter and cream mixture before mashing.

And just like that, we have the best mashed potatoes ready to enjoy. For a holiday meal, I love serving these brown butter mashed potatoes with my Christmas roast duck or maple-braised turkey legs and thighs, or if it's another time of year, you'll love this recipe with my braised red wine short ribs or coq au vin.

Related: For even more serving ideas, check out my guide on what to eat with mashed potatoes.

An aerial view of the mashed potatoes with butter that's mostly melted.

Make-Ahead Directions

With the exception of our deep-fried turkey, I make all our Thanksgiving side dishes ahead of time, including these brown butter mashed potatoes -- which are always a hit.

Simply cover the finished mashed potatoes, refrigerate and reheat with a little extra heavy cream to rehydrate. When reheating, you have a few options.

Warm the mashed potatoes on the stove over low to medium-low heat. Stir every so often and add a little heavy cream to return the mashed potatoes to their original consistency.
Spoon the refrigerated mashed potatoes into a room-temperature 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish and pour a splash of cream on top but don't mix. If you refrigerate your mashed potatoes in the baking dish, take it out 30 minutes before putting the dish in the oven. Cover with foil and bake in a 350-degree oven until warm -- about 30 minutes. Stir to fluff up and add a little more cream if necessary to return the potatoes to your desired consistency.
Pour a splash of heavy cream into a slow cooker, add the mashed potatoes and set to low. Stir occasionally to keep the potatoes together. Once the mashed potatoes heat through, turn to the warm setting for up to four hours. Or you could even make the mashed potatoes, immediately put them in the slow cooker, set it to warm, stir occasionally and then serve the mashed potatoes four hours later.
Microwave the mashed potatoes in a covered dish in short intervals and stir. Keep doing this until the mashed potatoes heat through. Like the other methods, add a little heavy cream at the end.

Recipe FAQs

What are the best potatoes for mashing?

For the creamiest consistency, we want to use a nice and starchy potato, so you can't go wrong with russets. Yukon Gold potatoes also work well and have good flavor. Either way, you can't go wrong with the two varieties, or you can could even use a combination of the two.

On the flip side, I recommend avoiding red potatoes. While I love red potatoes for roasting, they don't give us the creamy texture we want here.

What's the best method for mashing potatoes?

Of course, you could use a classic potato masher, but oddly enough, that's my least favorite method. The results aren't quite as creamy as other methods. Instead, I'm absolutely in love with my potato ricer for the job.

If you've never used a potato ricer, you basically put your cooked potatoes into the chamber of this handheld device and press down to push the potatoes through these small holes. The potatoes come out light and fluffy in small pieces, making for perfectly creamy mashed potatoes.

Can you freeze mashed potatoes?

You bet. Mashed potatoes freeze surprisingly well. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container, and the potatoes should last for two months.

You can thaw by placing the mashed potatoes in the refrigerator overnight or using that thaw setting on your microwave. Keep in mind, as the mashed potatoes thaw, they might seem a bit watery, but as you heat them, keep stirring and they will eventually come back together.

Expert Tips

When cutting the potatoes, make sure they're roughly the same size. While they don't have to be exact, this helps with even cooking.
For the creamiest mashed potatoes, don't skip the peeling process. Peeling ensures a more velvety texture that no one can resist.
Use cold water -- not hot water -- for boiling and simmering. Again, this helps with even cooking.
A wooden spoon works well with riced potatoes, or you can use a stand or hand mixer. Just make sure not to overmix or you'll be left with gluey potatoes. Simply whip the potatoes until they reach your desired consistency.
Don't skip the step of warming the heavy cream and sour cream. Cold cream doesn't absorb as well, and if those potatoes don't absorb that delicious cream, we won't get the perfect texture.

Perfect Pairing

When we brown butter, we get these delicious nutty notes that pair well with beers that show off a caramel-like malt. With that in mind, I recommend reaching for a Scotch ale, dunkel or dubbel. All three are delicious with these mashed potatoes and go well with big, hearty meals.

If you're in the mood for a glass of wine, you can't go wrong with a chardonnay. Those buttery notes in the chardonnay are a natural match for all the brown butter and cream. An oaked chenin blanc is another tasty option that works well with cream-based dishes.

Whether you're craving some classic comfort food or need the perfect holiday side dish, I hope you try these brown butter mashed potatoes. You will love every fluffy bite.

Cheers!

A pan of the best brown butter mashed potatoes with the butter starting to melt.

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