Mashed potatoes are in a large, white serving bowl and topped with chives and a drizzle of brown butter.

Today, we are making the best browned butter mashed potatoes, perfect for Thanksgiving! The side dish will be the most popular dish on the table. Even the pickiest little guests will be asking for seconds.

I must warn you that once you make brown butter mashed potatoes, you may never be able to eat any other kind. The browned butter adds such great flavor.

This mashed potato recipe is relatively easy to make, but they make a bit of a mess filling up the dishwasher just from making mashed potatoes. The good news is that you can make them ahead (a few hours up to a day early), and they are just as delicious! So you can get the mess out of the way!

First, let’s talk about the special equipment you’ll need to make these smooth mashed potatoes:

Special Equipment

This graphic features all the tools needed for making the very best brown butter mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes plated in a white serving bowl sitting next to a red and white French tea towel.

Ingredients

Russet potatoes in a large wooden bowl next to heavy cream, two sticks of butter, a small bowl of salt, and fresh chives.

Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes
Butter
Heavy cream (or whole milk)
Salt
Chives or other fresh herbs

Steps to making the very best brown butter mashed potatoes that everyone will love

Peeled russet potatoes sit in a colander next to all the potato peelings. A stick of butter is in the background.

Peeled potatoes have been chopped and waiting to be boiled. A kitchen knife sits alongside next to a small bowl of salt.

Wash and peel the potatoes.
Chop the potatoes so that all pieces are similar in size. I cut in half lengthwise and then slice into six large chunks.
Place potatoes cut into large chunks or cubes in a large pot of cold salted water. I like to use a pot that is dishwasher safe, like this one.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-heat.
Boil potatoes until fork tender.
Drain potatoes and then return to the same pan, and place on the burner for just a few seconds until the moisture has evaporated.
Remove from the heat and spoon chunks into potato rice. Rice, all of the potatoes.
Meanwhile, prepare the butter by melting it over low heat in a small sauce pan
Heat the heavy cream over low heat or in the microwave just until it’s slightly warm but not cold.
Once the potatoes are riced into a bowl of a stand mixer, slowly add the hot butter, then the cream, a little at a time, until the mixture is the perfect consistency of velvety smooth mashed potatoes.
Add a little more salt and pepper to taste, and blend.
You could mash by hand, but using a mixer will make it a much smoother, velvety texture.

Tips to Ensure Success

Mashed potatoes are garnished with fresh chives and a drizzle of brown butter. Next to the mashed potatoes are salt and leftover brown butter in a copper saucepan.

Prepare the bowl by running very hot water in the bowl on the inside and outside of the metal bowl to make sure it’s hot when you add the potatoes. This is especially important in the winter when the metal mixing bowl will be very cold.
Make sure that the milk and butter are prepared so that once you have riced the potatoes, you are ready to mix everything together.
If you are unsure of brown butter, melt the butter until golden, then save a little to take it even deeper with little brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Some people like this, others prefer a more smooth texture. It’s really a personal preference. They are delicious either way!

Storing the leftovers

Mashed potatoes are great served as leftovers. I put them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. I microwave them until hot and serve them immediately. You can hardly notice the difference.

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November 1st, we will be sending out our Complete Guide to Hosting Thanksgiving. It’s a checklist for the weeks, days, and hours leading up to Thanksgiving, packed full of tried and true recipes and more! It will be sent out in an easily printable format to which you can also add your own notes. All you have to do is make sure you are on the list! You can read more in this recent post.