Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Our Must-Try Mashed Potato Recipes

These mashed potatoes with the sour cream recipe are slated to become one of the easiest-to-make recipes in your recipe box.

When it comes to making mashed potatoes, there are many ways to make them. For one, you can make traditional creamy mashed potatoes.

I also grew up devouring traditional mashed potatoes made with butter, milk and salt, and pepper.

I mean, really: You just can’t go wrong with any of these varieties!

Meanwhile, there are so many other types of mashed potatoes to love.

Heck, today you can even make vegan mashed potatoes that are so divine that you’ll not even realize that they’re vegan.

Then there are the famous garlic mashed potatoes. Garlic just makes everything better!

Well, there are times when serving garlic mashed potatoes just doesn’t work and that’s when this sour cream mashed potatoes recipe comes into play.

Sour cream adds that extra pizazz but doesn’t overpower the palate.

So, why add sour cream to mashed potatoes? The reason behind this is simple.

Sour cream makes the mashed potatoes taste richer. Sour cream adds that hint of sour but doesn’t slap you in the face with it.

It’s just there adding this fabulous flavor and yet your guests may not quite realize what’s in your potatoes.

You can keep it as a secret ingredient or brag about it to them. That is up to you.

Why boil potatoes with salt?

Adding salt to the water when boiling the potatoes helps the potatoes come out creamier.

The potatoes cook hotter because of the salt and this helps cook the starch more.

Read more about it at CookingLight.

Do the cooked potatoes need to cool before we mash them?

No, don’t let cooked potatoes cool before mashing them. Mashing potatoes while they are hot or warm makes them easier to mash, and they will turn out creamier and smoother if you mash them while they are warm. Plus, most mashed potatoes are best served as warm as possible. The act of mashing and mixing will naturally cool the potatoes so work quickly.

If you are adding milk or cream to the potatoes, you want them to cool slightly before adding them.

Should the sour cream be room temperature before we add them to the mashed potatoes?

While it is not required to bring the sour cream to room temperature before adding it to mashed potatoes, here are a few reasons why we recommend doing so:

• The sour cream will be easier to incorporate.  Measure out the sour cream and stir well before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
• Sour cream will be less likely to clump if room temp when used in the recipe.
• Since ingredients like milk and sour cream are usually kept chilled, they tend to cool the mashed potatoes quite a bit and the finished potatoes usually taste better served as warm as possible. Measure out the milk and sour cream to bring them to room temperature right before adding to the cooked potatoes.

Here are a few tips about adding sour cream to mashed potatoes:

• Measure the sour cream and allow it to come to room temperature first.
• Gradually add the sour cream to the mashed potatoes, a little at a time Also, this will allow you to taste as you go. 
• Use full fat sour cream instead of light. Full-fat sour cream will mix into the potatoes better and provide a more creamy texture.

Can sour cream mashed potatoes be made ahead of time?

Yes, you can make sour cream mashed potatoes ahead of time. My recommendation is that you make the mashed potatoes ahead of time and then reheat them. Finally, add the sour cream after they have been reheated. The sour cream will add a creamy texture to the reheated mashed potatoes. If you have already fully prepared sour cream mashed potatoes, add some butter during the reheating.

The bottom line

The sour cream becomes an easy upgrade to your favorite mashed potatoes, adding just a bit of tang and creamy flavor. 

We found that bringing the sour cream to room temp allowed them to incorporate more easily and didn’t cool the potatoes as quickly.

Our Must-Try Mashed Potato Recipes

• Loaded Mashed Potatoes
• Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
• Vegan Mashed Potatoes
• Microwave Mashed Potatoes
• Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes FAQs

• How To Reheat Mashed Potatoes
• Can You Freeze Mashed Potatoes
• How Long Do Potatoes Last?

Meal Planning Ideas

• What to Serve with Leftover Mashed Potatoes
• What to Serve with Mashed Potatoes
• What to Serve with Twice Baked Potatoes