This easy recipe for Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes is a secret family recipe that always make the creamiest mashed potatoes. With our secret ingredients of salty chicken broth and no-peel baby dutch potatoes, we promise these will be the easiest and best mashed potatoes you have ever made at home!
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
This epic Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes recipe is a favorite family recipe using small creamer potatoes, chicken broth, butter and sour cream as the main ingredients. Using small potatoes (like baby dutch yellow potatoes or baby red potatoes) means no peeling, no chopping, and they cook very quickly thanks to their small size.
We cook our potatoes in chicken broth (or vegetable broth) to give them lots of flavor. Then we add that amazing creaminess with some sour cream and butter. You’re probably used to using heavy cream in your mashed potatoes to get them thick and creamy, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Heavy cream definitely does get the job done… But sour cream does more than just that.
Along with thickening the mashed potatoes into the most luscious consistency, sour cream also lends a slight tangy flavor that balances out all of the other rich ingredients perfectly. Trust us, once you make these extra creamy Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, you won’t want to mash them up any other way. So let’s get started!
What Makes These The Best Mashed Potatoes?
There are a few reasons we think these are the best creamy mashed potatoes:
- No Peel: If you use small creamer style potatoes (baby dutch yellow potatoes) or baby red potatoes, you do not have to peel them! That saves a lot of time and effort!
- Chicken Broth: We use chicken broth to boil the potatoes in and it adds an extra layer of flavor to them. You can also use vegetable broth.
- Sour Cream: These mashed potatoes are loaded with sour cream making them extra creamy. Taste them as you go, I usually add an extra scoop of sour cream to mine. I can’t help it, I love sour cream!
- Butter: A generous amount of butter is always needed in mashed potatoes. To really up the delicious factor, we also like to add a little butter right on top when serving.
Ingredients Needed
- Potatoes – We like to use creamer potatoes (baby dutch yellow potatoes) for the best consistency. Plus, you can keep the skins on these potatoes!
- Chicken Broth – You can use vegetable broth if you’d prefer.
- Water
- Sour Cream – Use a full fat sour cream for the best rich texture. If you use low fat, your results won’t be as creamy.
- Butter: You can use unsalted or salted butter. If you use salted butter, make sure to be careful when you add the kosher salt and taste as you go. We also like to top our sour cream mashed potatoes with a little extra butter when serving.
- Salt – Just a small pinch of kosher salt does the trick.
- Black Pepper – We love using freshly cracked black pepper in our potatoes. Freshly cracked black pepper has a lot more flavor and adds a depth to the mashed potatoes.
- Chives – These are an optional, but definitely encouraged, fresh garnish.
Can I Use A Different Type Of Potato?
Of course you can! Here is a breakdown of the most commonly used potatoes for mashed potatoes:
- Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes: Also commonly called creamer potatoes are small potatoes with a thin yellow skin. They are similar in taste and texture to a Yukon Gold potato, but are much smaller in size with a very thin skin. These are the potatoes we recommend using in this recipe, because they don’t require peeling or cutting!
- Red Potatoes: Red Potatoes have a soft waxy skin and are a creamy potato. We love mashed red potatoes and we recommend using baby red potatoes in this recipe. If you use baby red potatoes, you do not have to peel them! I personally think red potatoes are a little dryer when mashed, so I usually add a little extra milk/cream to them while mashing.
- Yukon Gold: Yukon Gold potatoes are considered a medium-starch potato, with a thinner light tan/yellow skin. They have a naturally buttery flavor and are considered the gold standard and make great mashed potatoes. If using Yukon Gold potatoes, make sure you peel them and cut them into even chunks before adding them to the pot.
- Russet Potatoes: Also known as Idaho potatoes, Russet Potatoes are a high-starch potato with a thick brown skin. That starchiness makes your mashed potatoes on the lighter and fluffier side. So while our goal is to make ultra creamy mashed potatoes, if you want fluffy mashed potatoes, use Russet Potatoes. If using Russet Potatoes, make sure you peel them and cut them into even chunks before adding them to the pot.
How to Make Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
These sour cream mashed potatoes are super easy to make with a few easy steps:
Boil the potatoes. In a medium size pot, add potatoes, broth and water (just enough to cover the potatoes). Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 12 minutes.
Mash the potatoes. Drain potatoes and return to the same pot. Using a potato masher mash potatoes until smooth.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Add butter and stir until blended. Next, add sour cream, salt, and pepper, stirring until smooth and creamy.
Enjoy! Top with chives and a little extra butter and serve immediately!
Tips for the Best Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- Taste As You Go: Everyone’s tastes are different, so I highly recommending you taste your mashed potatoes as you go. With chicken broth and salt added, you can easily add too much salt if not paying close attention. If your mashed potatoes taste a little bland, hit them with the salt and pepper again!
- Too Dry: If you used a different type of potato, there is a chance your potatoes may turn out a little dryer than you anticipated. You can always stir in more butter, sour cream or add a splash of milk if needed.
- No Need To Peel: There’s no need to peel or cut the potatoes if you’re using baby dutch yellow potatoes or small red potatoes. They are a smaller sized potato with a soft/thin skin. Smaller potatoes also cook very quickly and save a lot of time!
Recipe Variations:
While we think these Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes are perfect just as they are, here are a few fun variations you may want to try:
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes: If you’re craving a garlicky kick, toss a few peeled and smashed whole garlic cloves into the boiling pot with the potatoes. This will give them a great real garlicky flavor!
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes: These potatoes taste great with just about everything, including cheese! Toss in a handful or more of cheddar cheese right after mashing so your mashed potatoes are filled with melted cheese.
- Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes: While these may not be traditional, they are tangy and delicious! Swap the sour cream for creamy goat cheese. You also may need to add a little splash of milk to thin out the mashed potatoes. (Goat cheese is much thicker than sour cream.)
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Roast a head of garlic in the oven until soft, allow it to cool, then squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves from the head. Add the roasted garlic to your potatoes as you mash them.
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes: After you are done making the mashed potatoes as directed in the recipe below, add about 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and a 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon. Stir to combine and then transfer the mashed potatoes into a baking dish. Top them with more shredded cheddar cheese and crispy fried crumbled bacon. Pop them under the broiler, in the oven, for a few minutes, just until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle them with some minced chives or green onions and serve immediately.
How Many Mashed Potatoes Per Person?
Wondering how much mashed potatoes you should make? The general rule of thumb is 1/2 a pound of potatoes per person for mashed potatoes.
However, I find this to be accurate if you are only making a few sides and mashed potatoes are a main part of your meal. If you are making a ton of sides, rolls, and salad, like for a holiday (think Thanksgiving), then 1/3 pound of potatoes per person is much more accurate.
Storage
If you do have any leftovers, mashed potatoes will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you reheat mashed potatoes, they tend to dry out a little. So you may need to add a little extra sour cream, butter, or a splash of milk.
Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Allow the mashed potatoes to thaw in the fridge a day or two before serving, then reheat on the stove top or microwave.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
Looking for more delicious and easy side dish recipes? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Southern Deviled Eggs
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Southern Green Beans With Bacon
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Candied Sweet Potatoes With Pecans
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Easy Southern Baked Beans
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs creamer potatoes, baby dutch yellow potatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1 to 2 cups water, enough to cover the potatoes
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup sour cream
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Chives/Green Onions
- Sour Cream
- Butter
Instructions
- In a medium size pot, add potatoes, broth and water (enough to cover the potatoes).
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 12 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and return to the same pot. Using a potato masher mash potatoes until smooth.
- Add butter and stir until blended. Next, add sour cream, salt, and pepper, stirring until smooth and creamy.
- Top with butter and chives and serve immediately!
Wow. That’s a keeper 👏