Easy Mashed Potatoes Without Milk

Is there anything better than a mountain of mashed potatoes topped with hot gravy dripping down the sides? It’s definitely my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner (and this amazing stuffing) and really any dinner that mashed potatoes are a part of. I grew up in a family where instant mashed potatoes were a thing – now they’re a thing of the past. After trying real russet mashed potatoes, you’ll never go back to pouring something out of a box, no matter how simple it is. These mashed potatoes are almost that easy, they just take a little more time. They’re fantastic topped with just a little butter or gravy if you have gravy. And they make a great side dish for this almond chicken, this balsamic chicken, or really any kind of meat dish. Or just by themselves. I used to do that – make mashed potatoes just to eat by themselves. I’m kind of a mashed potato fanatic.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Russet potatoes – we always prefer organic potatoes and typically just buy them in a big five pound bagSalted butter – we prefer Kerrygold grass-fed butter because the flavor is just so much better. You want the butter to be room temperature before adding it to the potatoes so it melts in easily. Whipping cream – while these are mashed potatoes without milk, they do use butter and cream so they’re not dairy free. The cream gives these an amazingly creamy texture.

Instructions

Once you see how easy these mashed potatoes are to make, you’ll be adding them to your weekly menu every week! Okay before you get started with the actual recipe, you need to peel and dice the potatoes. This helps them cook both evenly and quickly. Then you’re ready to get started!

1 – Drain the Potatoes

The first step is an easy one to skip but don’t. It’s important to help get rid of excess starch in the potatoes and only takes a minute. Put the diced potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Drain the water then fill the water with more cold water until the potatoes are just covered with water. It’s the first rinse and drain part you don’t want to skip.

2 – Boil the Potatoes

Cover the pot and bring the water (and potatoes) to boil over high heat. Once it’s boiling, uncover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until you can easily pierce and crush the potatoes with a fork. We like to mash using a silicone whisk like these but you can use your favorite potato masher (this silicone one looks amazing), a mixer, or even a fork! Drain the potatoes in a colander and set aside.

3 – Heat the Cream

This is another step that is important to help the cream mash into the potatoes really well. Add the cream to the empty pot and heat just until warmed, about 2 minutes. Remove the cream and set aside for later. Warming the cream helps it really combine with the potatoes for maximum creaminess.

4 – Mash the Potatoes

Alright it’s finally time for some mashing! Add the potatoes back into the empty pot and lightly mash with a whisk or potato masher to break up the potatoes. Add your room temperature butter and continue to mash and stir with the whisk until the butter is fully combined with the potatoes. Add the warm cream, salt, and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Serve alongside your favorite main dish or on top of this shepherd’s pie. Or double it and do both – as a side dish for dinner tonight and with shepherd’s pie tomorrow!

Expert Tips

Use high-quality cream and butter since they’re the only things really flavoring the potatoes other than salt and pepper. Use a whisk rather than a fork to mash for the maximum creaminess. Double the recipe and enjoy mashed potatoes all week long. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days and just warm them back up in the microwave or oven. Use a potato chopper like this one we use for our air fryer fries for quick and even dicing. Use room temperature butter and warm cream to help them incorporate into the potatoes better.