Sour Cream and Onion Mashed Potatoes taste like your favorite potato chip, but elevated! They’re perfectly creamy, packed with tons of flavor, and call for just 8 basic ingredients. Tender yellow potatoes are whipped with butter, tangy sour cream, and both fresh and dried onion for the perfect flavor combination.
Table of Contents
Your Favorite Potato Chip, as Mashed Potatoes!
Sour cream and onion mashed potatoes are now a staple at my table during the holidays or any other time of year! They are so creamy with just the perfect amount of onion flavor without going overboard.
While I love mashed potatoes during the holidays, they’re a must-have for me year-round. Most of my favorite comfort foods are braised meats — like red wine braised short ribs and apple cider braised pork shoulder — and they pair so perfectly with creamy mashed potatoes of any variety. (You can also use these mashed potatoes for topping shepherd’s pie!)
This is a recipe I turn to over and over again whenever I’m entertaining. If you’re looking for a mashed potato recipe that will have your guests raving, this is it!
The 8 Key Ingredients
- Potatoes. Yukon Golds have the perfect textural mix between waxy and starchy. They’re very forgiving, have a buttery flavor, and rarely wind up being gluey.
- Heavy cream. Heavy cream helps make these potatoes extra smooth. You could use half and half or whole milk if necessary.
- Sour cream. Go for full-fat sour cream here.
- Butter. I like using salted butter for mashed potatoes, but you can use unsalted too.
- Green onion and chives. I like using both for the perfect hints of fresh onion flavor.
- Dried onion. Look for dried minced onion in the spice section. You could also use onion powder, but I would only use a teaspoon, if so.
- Garlic. One garlic clove adds the perfect hint of garlic without being overly strong.
Tools You’ll Need
How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Onion
- Cook the potatoes. Try to cut the potatoes into even chunks so they cook evenly and at the same rate! Just don’t cut them too small since they can get water logged while boiling.
- Warm the cream and butter. Adding the warm butter and warmed cream to the mashed potatoes keeps them from cooling down as you mash them. The shock of adding cold ingredients to warm potatoes can cause them to seize up and become gluey.
- Drain and mash the potatoes. Lightly mash the potatoes on their own, then add the warm cream mixture, followed by the sour cream. Fold in the green onion and chives last.
Jenny’s Tip: Don’t shy away from salt! Potatoes are naturally very bland, so they need a fair bit of salt to taste well seasoned. I suggest salting the potatoes in stages and tasting them in between. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.
Potato Ricer, Hand Mixer, or Potato Masher – Which Is Best?
Hand mixer (my top choice!). This is how my mom and grandma made mashed potatoes, so it’s what I do too! Mashed potatoes made with a hand mixer are light and fluffy, with just a few lumps and bumps. This is also the easiest tool to use if you’re making a large batch of mashed potatoes.
Potato ricer. Creates the smoothest, fluffiest mashed potatoes BUT it’s a tedious process (you can only rice one or two potatoes at a time) and therefore isn’t ideal for making mashed potatoes for a crowd.
Hand masher. Ideal for a rustic-style mashed potato that has lots of texture. A hand masher gets the job done super quickly, too.
Jenny’s Tip: Make Your Mashed Potatoes Last
Mashed potatoes can get gluey as they sit, so I always make my sour cream and onion mashed potatoes right before everyone sits down to eat. This ensures that they’re hot and fresh.
You can cut the potatoes ahead of time and submerge them in water, but don’t start cooking until you’re about 30-40 minutes out from eating.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
To store: Cool the mashed potatoes to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To reheat: Add the mashed potatoes to a small pot or medium heat, add a little milk to adjust the texture, and stir constantly until warmed through.
To freeze: Place the cooled mashed potatoes in a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Press as much of the air out of the bag as possible before sealing to prevent freezer burn. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before rewarming.
Mains to Serve with Your Mashed Potatoes
Serve these sour cream and onion mashed potatoes with your favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas entrees, or with your favorite stews and braises during the week.
If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Potato Side Dishes to Try
- Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin
- Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes
- Caramelized Onion and Bacon Mashed Potatoes
- Egg Potato Salad
- Creme Fraiche Mashed Potatoes
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Sour Cream and Onion Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 oz sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, dark green parts
- 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
- kosher salt & freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes. Peel the potatoes (or don't!) and cut them into chunks. Place them in a 4 qt pot and cover them with cold water. Season the water liberally with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and boil the potatoes until they’re very tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Warm the cream and butter. While the potatoes cook, warm the heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the grated garlic and dried minced onion and let the flavors infuse for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Mash the potatoes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot they were cooked in. Lightly mash the potatoes, then add the warmed cream mixture. Continue to mash the potatoes and add the sour cream. Mash to your desired consistency, then fold in the green onion and chives. Season the mashed potatoes to taste with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Nutrition
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