These Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes are lightly tangy and satisfyingly rich. They’re a fantastic option for making decadent and creamy mashed potatoes without using heavy cream.
Have you ever made mashed potatoes with sour cream instead of heavy cream? If not, you should absolutely give it a try. They’re a super creamy twist on traditional mashed potatoes that everyone will love.
Using sour cream rather than heavy cream gives mashed potatoes a rich and slightly tangy flavor that pairs well with meaty mains like Balsamic Chicken, Mississippi Pot Roast, or Chicken Stroganoff.
Best of all, they are just super quick and easy to make and only require 4 ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes: I call for Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, but you can also use red potatoes if that’s what you have on hand.
- Milk: Use any (unsweetened) milk you like. There isn’t a ton of milk in this recipe so the fat percentage is not going to significantly affect the flavor.
- Sour Cream: For easiest clean up and fastest measuring, I recommend measuring your sour cream by weight using a kitchen scale. Full-fat sour cream is going to give you the best, richest results, but you can use low-fat sour cream if you prefer.
How to Make Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
1. Prep your butter and sour cream first. Before preparing any of your other ingredients, cut the butter into 1-inch pieces, measure out your sour cream, and set them both some place warm in your kitchen. This will give your butter time to soften and take some of the chill off the sour cream, making them easier to incorporate, and they won’t cool the potatoes as much when added so the mashed potatoes stay hot until served.
2. Place chopped potatoes into a large pot, cover with cold water, and add salt.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
4. Drain the potatoes, add the softened butter, and mash the potatoes.
5. Stir in the warmed milk and the sour cream.
6. Salt and pepper to taste and add more milk as needed, then enjoy!
FAQ
Can I leave my potato skins on?
My rule for potatoes is always peel Russets, sometimes peel Yukon Golds, and never peel red potatoes, but your mileage may vary. For picky eaters, it’s probably best to peel all potatoes for mashing.
Why do you put hot milk in mashed potatoes?
Warming milk before mixing it into mashed potatoes keeps it from cooling down the potatoes before serving them. No one wants a plate full of cold potatoes!
How to store sour cream mashed potatoes?
Store the mashed potatoes tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze the mashed potatoes?
Yes, but the texture will not be exactly the same after freezing. I prefer to use frozen mashed potatoes as a base for something like Creamed Turkey because any texture change is much less notable, rather than eating it as a stand-alone side like you’d serve with steak.
To freeze, transfer mashed potatoes to a freezer zip-top bag and store for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Favorite Potato Recipes
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Potato masher
- 1 Microwave-safe measuring cup, or microwave-safe dish to heat milk in
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (112g) butter salted or unsalted is fine
- ¾ cup (180g) sour cream
- 3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and chopped into roughly 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon table salt plus more as needed
- ½ cup milk divided
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Before preparing any of your other ingredients, cut butter into 1-inch pieces and set both the butter and your measured-out sour cream in a warm spot in your kitchen.
- Place the cut potatoes in a large pot and add water until the potatoes are completely submerged. Add salt and bring the pot to a boil and then reduce heat and bring the water down to a good simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender—you should be able to easily mash a piece against the side of the pot with a fork, about 10-15 minutes.
- In the last couple minutes of cooking time for the potatoes, heat all of the milk in the microwave until it is steaming hot but not boiling.
- Drain the potatoes, add the cubed butter, and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes*. Stir in ¼ cup of the warmed milk and all of the sour cream.
- Taste and add more warmed milk, salt, and pepper as needed.
- To keep them warm, cover the potatoes until you’re ready to serve them. Enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
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