21 Mashed Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving Dinner and Beyond

If you're here, you know that mashed potatoes are the star of any plate they are on.

By
Rachel Knecht
Rachel Knecht
Rachel Knecht
Rachel Knecht turned her home baking into a career in 2016 when she began working as the head baker at The Greenbean Coffeehouse in Seattle, WA. Afterwards, she started Baking with Rachel (her blog), began teaching kids' cooking classes, and recipe tested for the cookbook "Let's Stay In" by Ashley Rodriguez.
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Published November 18, 2023
Rachel Knecht
A casserole dish of make-ahead mashed potatoes with minced fresh chives on top

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

I cook potatoes regularly for dinner but I get the most cheers when I make mashed potatoes. Fluffy mashed potatoes can be flavored boldly with garlic and greens or minimally with butter and milk, making them endlessly adaptable and never boring.

I use russet potatoes most often but Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes make incredible mashed potatoes, as well. The key to perfectly fluffy mashed potatoes is making sure they're boiled (or baked, depending on the recipe) until tender. Undercooked potatoes won’t become smooth when mashed.

When choosing potatoes, look for a firm potato with smooth skin. Store your potatoes in a cool, dry place.

Go beyond mashed potatoes and gravy this year and discover new ways to serve the versatile tuber.

  • Garlic Mashed Potatoes

    A bowl of roasted garlic mashed potatoes topped with a pat of butter.
    Cambrea Bakes

    Garlic mashed potatoes are delicious, whether you have a mountain of gravy or not. Roasting a whole head of garlic tames the flavor so that it doesn’t overwhelm the creamy Yukon Gold potatoes.

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  • Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

    Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

    Free up room on the stove and make the mashed potatoes in the slow cooker instead. The cubed potatoes, milk, and butter all go into the slow cooker at once, resulting in easy, mess-free mashed potatoes. 

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  • Perfect Mashed Potatoes

    Perfect Mashed Potatoes

    Perfectly creamy mashed potatoes only require five ingredients. If you’re looking for perfection, then look no further than Yukon Gold to make the creamiest mashed potatoes you’ve ever tasted.

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  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

    Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot in a bowl with chives
    Coco Morante

    If you like me are tired of standing over a pot of boiling water, then check out this recipe. The Instant Pot cooks the potatoes perfectly every time. No hovering required. 

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    Continue to 5 of 21 below.

  • Vegan Mashed Potatoes

    Vegan Mashed Potatoes in a Bowl Topped with Butter, Cracked Pepper, and Chives Next to a Saucer with More Butter

    Simply Recipes / Hannah Zimmerman

    You don’t need dairy to make creamy mashed potatoes. This recipe swaps it out for olive oil and plant-based milk. Serve with vegan gravy.

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  • Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" With Brown Butter

    Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
    Elise Bauer

    Cauliflower makes an excellent stand-in for potatoes. These use the same steps to make classic mashed potatoes but offer a whole new flavor experience. You’ll want to start with a potato masher and then move to an immersion blender for the smoothest texture.

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  • Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips with Chives and Parsley

    Bowl of Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    If you’re going to chop and boil potatoes, might as well add another vegetable to the pot. Parsnips look like white carrots, have a nutty flavor, and mash well. You can omit salting the mashed potatoes if you use salted butter.

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  • Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

    Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

    Yes, it’s true. You CAN make mashed potatoes ahead of time. Cream cheese and yogurt keep them creamy and add a slight tanginess. You can make these up to two days before baking or freeze them for up to two weeks ahead.

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    Continue to 9 of 21 below.

  • Mashed Rutabaga with Sour Cream and Dill

    Mashed Rutabaga with Sour Cream and Dill
    Elise Bauer

    I’ll always think of “rutabaga” as my sister Rebekah’s nickname (clever, right?). Rutabaga is a root vegetable that makes a fantastic substitute for mashed potatoes. You can use all rutabaga or combine it with potatoes for this tasty side dish.

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  • The Easiest 1-Ingredient Mashed Potato Upgrade

    Creamy, fluffy mashed potatoes in a bowl

    Simply Recipes / Getty Images

    There's something free in your house that you can add to mashed potatoes to make them incredible. What is it? Ice water. Our article explains how it works and when to add it.

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  • Green Mashed Potatoes

    Green Mashed Potatoes
    Elise Bauer

    Mashed potatoes get a festive upgrade with the addition of a bright green purée of green onions and parsley. If you don’t have a food processor, you could use a blender instead.

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  • Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter, Goat Cheese, and Sage

    Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter, Goat Cheese, and Sage
    Elise Bauer

    Instead of cheddar or Parmesan, try goat cheese the next time you make mashed potatoes. The mild soft cheese incorporates perfectly into the potatoes and is a welcome counterpart to brown butter and sage.

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    Continue to 13 of 21 below.

  • Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

    Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes
    Elise Bauer

    This one isn’t for the kid’s table. Bourbon adds a unique smoky flavor that you can’t achieve any other way. You can swap out the brown sugar for maple syrup and enjoy a maple bourbon version. For bourbon-free mashed sweet potatoes, check out this recipe.

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  • Potato Croquettes

    Potato Croquettes on a Plate with One Croquette Broken in Half, and Next to the Plate, a Small Saucer with Sauce

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    This is the appetizer we all need. Fried mashed potato balls are easier to make than it sounds, especially if you use leftover mashed potatoes. This recipe makes 18 to 20 croquettes and are best eaten right away.

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  • Easy Shepherd's Pie

    A slice of shepherd's pie on a plate with a fork.

    Simply Recipes / Cambrea Gordon

    I always try to make more mashed potatoes than I need so that I can use the leftovers for this classic ground beef casserole. But thankfully, even if I don’t have leftovers, this recipe only uses eight ingredients and is ready in an hour.

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  • Mashed Potato Pancakes

    Leftover mashed potato pancakes stacked on a plate and topped with sour cream and chives.

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

    There's no recipe more comforting than mashed potato pancakes. Mix your leftover mashed potatoes with an egg and a little flour. Then griddle them up in a skillet until golden brown and crispy on the edges.

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    Continue to 17 of 21 below.

  • Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

    Easy Vegetarian Cottage Pie: shot of white casserole dishw filled with sheperds pie.
    Sally Vargas

    This is a hearty, comforting casserole that satisfies everyone at the table. Below the layer of mashed potatoes you’ll find carrots, mushrooms, peas, and pearl onions. If you haven’t made a beurre manié, that’s ok. You won’t have any trouble mixing flour and melted butter and you’ll appreciate how it thickens the sauce.

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  • Twice Baked Potato Casserole

    Twiced baked potato casserole in casserole dish

    Alison Bickel / Simply Recipes

    Twice baked potatoes are one of my family’s favorite ways to eat potatoes but my boys only eat the filling. This casserole saves me the trouble and serves the filling in casserole form. Then, you can repurpose the potato jacket into an easy potato skin appetizer.

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  • Healthy Shepherd’s Pie

    Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
    Alison Bickel

    You won’t be disappointed with this shepherd’s pie. It still features ground beef, vegetables, and mashed potatoes, but with a couple of twists. Cauliflower is added to the mashed potatoes and olive oil replaces the butter. You can use a mixture of frozen vegetables in place of fresh, which makes this a doable meal on a weeknight.

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  • Duchess Potatoes

    Duchess Potatoes
    Elise Bauer

    Make potatoes look as pretty as a princess, or Duchess that is. You’ll need a large piping bag and a large star tip to create these swirled mounds. Your guests will love these bite-sized potatoes and they’re easy to make ahead and bake when ready to serve.

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    Continue to 21 of 21 below.

  • Colcannon Cakes

    Colcannon Cakes
    Elise Bauer

    If you aren’t familiar with colcannon, then now’s the time to change that. Take leftover mashed potatoes for these Irish potato patties. You can serve them for breakfast with eggs.

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