Our family recipe for creamy mashed potatoes is made with both sour cream and cream cheese for the most epic, drool-worthy perfect potato experience. Watch out – this recipe will steal the spotlight every time!
Having an amazingly addictive, frequently-requested creamy mashed potato recipe in your repertoire is definitely a sign that you’ve arrived. (Solidly in middle adulthood, that is.)
It’s right up there with keeping a bag of bags, storing random boxes in the basement because, like, “it’s a really good box”, and treating yourself to a 9pm bedtime as a reward after a long week.
This sour cream mashed potatoes recipe originated from my lovely mother-in-law. Thanks to meeting her all those years ago (the year 2000, baby!) I live with the joy of this mashed potatoes recipe in my life. Oh – and uh yeah, of course, an awesome husband, too. 😉
It’s a rich, flavor-bursting way to serve mashed potatoes – for both special occasions and weeknight dinners alike – but the recipe is actually quite quick and easy. It would be perfect with a frozen whole chicken in the instant pot as a simple dinner.
(I’m a firm believer that eating well doesn’t have to mean complicated or lengthy recipes!)
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes: The Best Mashed Potato Recipe of All Time (Seriously!)
Listen – I’m not kidding with the raving claims of awesomeness here. This recipe really and truly is *that* good. You’ll agree after trying it, or your money back.
Just kidding! This is a free gem of a recipe on the internet, people. You’re welcome. But feel free to leave a comment if you hate this recipe and I’ll be sure to pray for your deviant taste buds. 😉
In summary, this recipe is:
- perfectly creamy
- exploding with flavor (this recipe puts “regular” mashed potatoes to shame)
- despite tasting “fancy”, it’s super quick & easy
- the easiest way to impress your mom with your mad cooking skills
How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Cream Cheese?
These sour cream mashed potatoes are made essentially the same as most other mashed potatoes: boil, mash, add other ingredients and combine.
The real magic here comes from the add-in ingredients: sour cream, cream cheese, butter, as well as just the right amount of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
Are Mashed Potatoes With Sour Cream Healthy?
Well, that’s a loaded question! I suppose it depends on your definition of “healthy”. If you follow mainstream guidelines and believe the out-of-date fear-mongering about fat then you’ll view this recipe differently than I do.
On the other hand, if you aren’t afraid of healthy fats and happily include potatoes and dairy in your diet – this recipe can easily go into the “healthy” category. It’s made with no heavily-processed ingredients and no junk. Just basic, real ingredients making magic together.
It is also worth noting that a fair number of people are unfortunately sensitive to dairy. Obviously this recipe relies heavily on dairy, which leads me to the next question…
Can I Make This Mashed Potato Recipe Dairy-Free?
I’ve gone through phases of cutting dairy out of my diet for various reasons, so I know how challenging it can be. Figuring out how to make mashed potatoes without dairy (that actually taste great) is challenging. Thankfully, I figured it out, and I’ll be sharing my dairy-free mashed potatoes recipe here on the blog soon.
As for this recipe – the bottom line is, unfortunately, no, you cannot make it dairy-free. This recipe without the dairy would literally just be potatoes with onion and garlic powder, and salt. Please don’t try that!
Can I Make Substitutions in This Recipe?
If you are wanting substitutions for the dairy in this recipe, I don’t recommend it. You need an entirely different recipe.
If you just want to substitute one of the ingredients, you’re welcome to try it out, but just know that the flavor will be noticeably different. Each ingredient in this recipe really contributes to the distinctive taste. Normally I’m allergic to following a recipe exactly as written, but in this case – it’s worth it.
Can You Freeze Creamy Mashed Potatoes?
You may have heard that potatoes don’t freeze well. That’s often true, but it definitely depends on the recipe.
These mashed potatoes with sour cream actually reheat quite well after being frozen. The usual textural issues aren’t a dealbreaker here because the potatoes are already entirely smashed up and smoothly mixed with other ingredients.
Personally, I don’t make extra to freeze on purpose (like I would with other things). I think they’re just fine, and I’d serve them to my family no problem, especially if serving with something like Aunt Beulah’s Chicken which is served with its delicious sweet n’ smoky BBQ gravy/sauce.
But, honestly, I’d probably make a fresh batch for something like a family gathering, plus it’s a really quick and easy recipe, so not a big deal.
Can These Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes be Made Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! If you’re planning a big dinner and want to do some cooking in the day or two ahead, this recipe works great for that. Put the finished product in a covered casserole dish and keep in the fridge for up to 24-48 hours, then re-heat in the oven when needed.
I recommend a glass or ceramic casserole dish with a lid, heating at 300F for 45 minutes (or until heated through).
What are the Best Kind of Potatoes to Use for Mashed Potatoes?
If you ask the internet, you’ll get all sorts of opinions. In our family, we buy potatoes of the “whichever is on sale” variety. We enjoy Yukon gold potatoes, but white potatoes like Russets work well too. I don’t usually buy red potatoes, but I’m pretty sure they’d work too.
The flavor-bursting ingredients in this recipe will mean that you likely won’t care what potato variety is used, but if you have a fave then you do you, friend.
Side note: in the summer/fall, when “new potatoes” are available, we sometimes make this recipe without peeling them, which adds that “rustic charm”, and works too.
Recommended Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
Allow me to slightly excessive here and say: to make this recipe right you need both a hand masher AND a hand mixer. Sorry, but I take my sour cream mashed potatoes very seriously.
An electric hand mixer is useful for a million different things, such as taking this recipe to next-level creaminess.
This is the most common type of casserole dish used to serve mashed potatoes, but I definitely encourage to use whatever shape or size you have for the amount of potatoes you’re making. The important thing is just an oven-safe vessel to heat and serve them in.
Want to See How it’s Made?
What’s the Ultimate Best Thing to Serve with Mashed Potatoes?
Is it a whole roast chicken and gravy? Turkey dinner? Homemade shake-n-bake chicken and french fries? 15-Minute Salmon Patties (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free)? These are the important questions of life, obviously.
Regardless of what you serve them with, be prepared for adoring fans!
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 15 medium potatoes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Peel all potatoes (unless intentionally leaving "new potato" skins in the recipe) and chop in half.
- Cover potatoes with cold water in a large pot on the stovetop, and boil over medium heat until very fork tender (15-20 minutes), then drain. (Note: undercooking will result in lumps in your finished dish.)
- Using a hand potato masher, roughly mash the potatoes .
- Add remaining ingredients to mashed potatoes.
- With an electric hand mixer, mix thoroughly until potatoes are smooth and creamy.
- Spoon mashed potatoes into a glass or ceramic serving dish. They may be served at this point, or else stored covered in the fridge for 24-48 hours, then reheated and served.
Notes
- If making this recipe 1-2 days in advance, be sure to store in the fridge tightly covered (I recommend both plastic wrap + the glass lid). To serve, remove plastic wrap (keep glass lid on) and heat at 300F for 45min, or until thoroughly heated.
- To enhance presentation, I recommended serving with a small pat of butter on top of the warm potatoes, with a sprinkle of dried parsley flakes.
- Substitutions are not recommended for this recipe as each ingredient is distinctive in the overall flavour profile.
- Freezer-safe with good results if you have too many leftovers.
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