Quick and Easy Mashed Potatoes are a 3 ingredient recipe for rich ‘n creamy mashed potatoes with buttery flavor and smooth deliciousness.
Reasons to Love Easy Mashed Potatoes
Quick and Easy Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are one of my all-time favorite sides. In fact, when I didn’t eat meat, it was basically my main dish! Quick and easy mashed potatoes are my favorite because they’re rich and creamy, with buttery flavor that’s enhanced with salted butter and the richness of milk.
Made by hand, these easy mashed potatoes can be made with the skin on or off, depending on your preference. With just 3 ingredients to gather, you’ll love making these fast easy mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the days.
Quick Easy Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
- Potatoes: use Yukon gold for golden, buttery potatoes or pantry-staple Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes
- Milk or cream: either will do to adds rich creaminess to these fast easy mashed potatoes
- Butter: use salted butter for an added boost that truly brings out the butter flavor
- Optional: you can add garlic to the potatoes will they’re boiling for added flavor, but skip if you don’t prefer it
More sides: garlic parmesan roasted potatoes, roasted green beans and potatoes
How to Make Mashed Potatoes
- Add quartered potatoes to salted water in a large pot. Add garlic if desired. Bring to boil, then cook for about 15 minutes.
- Heat the butter and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted.
- Drain potatoes and mash lightly with a potato masher. While mashing, gradually add in the milk mixture. Mash until mostly smooth with small chunks of potatoes.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy the yummiest creamy mashed potatoes recipe!
How to Speed Up This Recipe
If you’re in a time crunch, use these tips to speed up the recipe. Keep in mind, the best mashed potatoes are made with time and patience, so the quicker you go, the less good they’ll be.
- Make Easy Mashed Potatoes with Skin: skip peeling before boiling the potatoes and quarter with the skin on. Yummy texture!
- Fast and Easy Mashed Potatoes: to speed up this recipe, skip the boiling potatoes step. Use a fork to poke holes all over the potatoes, wrap with plastic and microwave until soft in the center about 5-8 minutes.
- Microwave the butter and milk together (instead of heating on a stovetop) to further make this recipe fast and easy.
- Quick potato recipes: 15 min air fryer roasted potatoes, crispy breakfast potatoes
Tips
- Add salt to the water—this will season the potatoes and cook its starch for a creamier potato.
- Don’t overcook the potatoes—they’ll take about 15 minutes. They’re done when fork tender. You don’t want them to be mushy.
- Heat the butter and milk before adding to quick and easy mashed potatoes. It allows the ingredients to meld easier into the potatoes and won’t cool them down.
- Use a potato masher. Using a hand mixer or something similar will cause the mashed potatoes to become gluey and mushy.
How to Serve Mashed Potatoes
Transfer mashed potatoes to a serving dish. Using a spoon, smooth into a mostly even layer. Dip the spoon into the potatoes, creating indented swirls. Melt 1 tablespoon butter per serving bowl and pour over the swirls. Place a few pats of butter over the mashed potatoes. Top with chives, salt and pepper. Enjoy!
- Potato Masher – a must-have for mashing the potatoes and not creating a gummy texture.
- Large Pot with Strainer – I love using this pot for making pasta, boiling potatoes, and more. So dependable and works great!
- Medium Saucepan – my favorite saucepan, dishwasher safe and great for cooking sauces, ramen, and everything in between.
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More Potato Recipes
Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
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Fill a large pot about ⅔ of the way with cold water, salt, and potatoes. Optionally, add garlic. Bring to a boil.
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Cook potatoes uncovered until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
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While potatoes are cooking, add butter and milk to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until butter is melted.
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Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes up just a bit. Gradually add the butter mixture in while mashing. Mash potatoes until mostly smooth with small bits of potatoes throughout, or smooth depending on preference.
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Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste evenly over the mashed potatoes. Using the potato masher, fold the salt and pepper evenly throughout the mashed potatoes.
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Transfer to a serving bowl and use a spoon to create swirls. Pour melted butter into swirls. Top with a pats of butter and chives. Enjoy!
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- Storing Instructions: Cool completely, then store mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Calories: 142kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 99mg, Potassium: 546mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 160IU, Vitamin C: 25mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
