Stop Ruining Your Mashed Potatoes With This Common Mistake

Nothing completes a dinner spread like mashed potatoes. The crowd-pleasing side pairs well with everything from oven-roasted turkey to mouthwatering barbecue and can be served plain, flecked with salt and pepper, or loaded with gravy. Even though you only need a few ingredients to make a batch of basic mashed potatoes—typically potatoes, milk, and butter—achieving that perfect ultra-velvety texture that makes the side dish so delicious can be challenging. 

If your mashed potatoes are turning out soupy, lumpy, or gluey, there’s a chance that the way you’re adding liquid to the potatoes is the culprit. Here’s how to make sure your spuds are perfectly creamy every time.

The Key to Making the Best Mashed Potatoes 

Most mashed potato recipes call for a liquid that’s gently heated and added to the mixture. But did you know that the way you add the liquid to your mashed potatoes can impact its texture? 

Incorporating warm milk, cream, or half-and-half into your potatoes slowly as you mash them with a potato masher or blend them with a mixer makes it easier for the spuds to absorb the liquid. That means you won’t have to work the mixture as much to combine the ingredients, ultimately leading to smoother and creamier mashed potatoes. 

Pouring in the dairy a little at a time—until you reach the consistency you desire—also prevents your mashed potatoes from becoming soupy. Removing the liquid once it’s added is challenging (or impossible), so avoid dumping it in.

More Tips for Making Creamy Mashed Potatoes

• Avoid the cold stuff. Warm liquids soak into potatoes more quickly than cold ones. Whether your add-ins of choice are milk or cream, heat them on the stovetop or in the microwave before  them into your mashed potatoes. If your recipe calls for butter and/or cream cheese, they’re also ingredients you want to melt or soften, respectfully, before adding them to your potatoes even though they’re not technically liquids 
• Don’t overmix! Since potatoes are packed with starchy goodness, they can become pasty and unappetizing when overworked. Be particularly careful using a mixer to make your mashed potatoes. Add your liquid at the start of the process, mix at the lowest speed, and stop beating the mixture as soon as it’s smooth.
• Start with the good spuds. If your mashed potatoes are lumpy, your potatoes may be unevenly or undercooked. Make sure the potatoes are all cut the same size and start them in a pot of cold water. Otherwise the exteriors of the potato pieces might cook quicker than the interiors, which will result in lumps no matter how much you mash or mix them. Also be sure you’re using the right potatoes: Yukon Golds and Russets are the darlings of the mashed world.