With a creamy texture and elevated taste, these better instant mashed potatoes can be on the table in under 15 minutes, making them a weeknight side dish win or speedy ingredient shortcut.
I wouldn't dream of saying these mashed potatoes made from instant potato flakes are meant to replace your family favorite, creamy dreamy, go-to traditional mashed potatoes. Never! But what I will say is that they're really quite good and take less than 15 minutes from when you enter the kitchen to when you're serving them up on a dinner plate.
They have a time and a place, that's for sure.
Much like making creamy polenta from a tube, the packaging will likely give you a serviceable recipe, but I'm proposing you ignore that and instead make some adjustments and add a few extra ingredients to make this jazzed-up, even better version.
This is truly the best instant mashed potatoes recipe that's perfect for when you're short on time, short on fresh potatoes, or simply need easy mashed potatoes for shepherd's pie and want a shortcut.
Recipe Ingredients
- Instant Potatoes: The preferred brand of instant potato flakes I buy is Bob's Red Mill (check the price on Vitacost). They have just one ingredient - dehydrated potatoes.
- Milk: Go with the variety you like to use. Sour cream will add some fat so it's not imperative that you go with whole milk - 1-2% is fine.
- Butter: Either unsalted or salted butter will work depending upon your preference.
- Sour Cream: A BIG sour cream mashed potatoes fan, I think using another dairy ingredient besides milk and butter makes the flavor more complex and less one-note, "are these from a box?". I often use light sour cream and don't find this recipe to be lacking in any way. Edit: I've now tested this with cream cheese - delicious! The exact steps are in the recipe card.
- Seasoning: Salt and pepper, but also garlic powder. It will be a subtle flavor (unless you go wild with it), but it peps this recipe up.
- Chives: Optional, but herb flavor helps add a special touch to truly make these more flavorful instant mashed potatoes. Fresh herbs are great, but I've leaned into freeze-dried chopped chives to keep the convenience factor rolling here.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This better instant mashed potatoes recipe moves quickly once it begins. I like to measure out and prepare all of my ingredients mise-en-place style before turning the stove on so I'm not scrambling.
- Step 1: Bring water to a boil, then stir in butter, salt, and garlic powder. Remove pan from the heat.
- Step 2: Stir in the milk and sour cream, then add the potato flakes and herbs, if using.
- Step 3: Briefly stir to moisten the potatoes and let everything sit undisturbed for 60-90 seconds to begin thickening.
- Step 4: Briefly stir again after this time and add an extra sprinkle of potato flakes if you'd like a thicker texture. Taste for salt and season with pepper.
Tips and Tricks
- Adjust the Seasoning - The saltiness of mashed potatoes is a very personal thing! Taste these instant mashed potatoes before serving and add more salt and/or pepper as you like.
- Flavor Variations - Add shredded extra-sharp cheddar and finely-chopped cooked bacon, try out freshly-shredded Pamresan cheese, mix caramelized onions or smashed roasted garlic cloves into everything (à la my fave roasted garlic mashed potatoes), play up the fresh herbs and add more, such as dill, etc.
- Substitute Cream Cheese for Sour Cream - This works wonderfully. Use an equal amount of block cream cheese (two ounces) and add it as you would the sour cream along with the milk. You will have to stir more as it takes longer to melt into the hot liquid, but it blends in with a really nice texture and "fancy" tasting flavor, too.
- Uses Besides a Side Dish -
- Shepherd's pie - scale this recipe up as needed
- Gattò di patate - an Italian mashed potato pie coming at some point to the blog. I would NEVER say whether my Italian great-aunt ever used instant mashed potatoes on occasion...
- Thanksgiving sandwich, if you've run out of mashed potatoes
- Mashed potato cakes, if you're craving these and also don't have leftover mashed potatoes
Recipe Troubleshooting
- The potato flakes have a slight, but strange smell. I've encountered this with a brand that adds other minor ingredients to their product. They tasted fine in the end, but I prefer to use the Bob's Red Mill potato flakes as they only contain dehydrated potatoes.
- Prevent a "gluey" texture. Don't use an electric mixer or stir vigorously or for too long. I often stir carefully with a small spatula, but stirring with the tines of a fork works well, too.
- My potatoes are too dry. Gingerly mix in an extra drizzle of milk as needed until they're the right texture. Stir as efficiently as you can.
- My potatoes are too wet or smooth. Make sure you're letting these instant mashed potatoes sit for a minute or two so the flakes can absorb the liquid. If they're still too wet, gently stir in an additional sprinkle or two of the potato flakes.
More Delicious Potato Recipes
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Better Instant Mashed Potatoes
With a creamy texture and elevated taste, these better instant mashed potatoes can be on the table in under 15 minutes, making them a weeknight side dish win or speedy ingredient shortcut.
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Servings: 3
Calories: 189kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup cold milk your preferred kind
- ¼ cup sour cream light is fine (see cream cheese substitute)
- 1⅓ cup instant potato flakes plus an extra sprinkle, if needed
- Ground black pepper
- Chopped chives or other herbs
Instructions
- Measure out and prep the ingredients before beginning as this recipe moves quickly.
- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan and add the butter, salt, and garlic powder. Stir until the butter melts, then remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in the milk and sour cream until liquefied.
- Add the potato flakes and stir very briefly, just enough to moisten them all and submerge them in the liquid. Then let everything sit undisturbed for 60-90 seconds for the flakes to absorb the liquid and thicken, then briefly stir again as the mashed potatoes take shape.
- If after letting the potatoes sit and briefly stirring you find they are thinner than you'd like, sprinkle/stir in additional potato flakes about one tablespoon at a time until to your liking. If at any point the potatoes thicken up too much, stir in an extra drizzle of milk. Don't overstir the potatoes during this point - use a fork to work any extra flakes or milk in.
- Serve with freshly cracked black pepper, chopped chives, melted butter, gravy, etc.
Notes
- Substituting cream cheese for sour cream - Replacing the sour cream with two ounces of block cream cheese works wonderfully if you prefer mashed potatoes that way. Add them when you would the sour cream, but they'll require more time to melt into the hot liquid. Softening the cream cheese beforehand will hand.
- Prevent a gluey texture - Don't stir too vigorously or for too long, or use an electric mixer. Stirring just with the tines of a fork is a good option.
- Using freeze-dried chives - This is a convenient option. If going this route, I'll add them along with the potato flakes so they can reconstitute.
- Uses - Besides a side dish, this is an excellent shortcut for the potato layer of shepherd's pie (you will likely need to double or triple the recipe), in mashed potato pie or pan-fried potato cakes, or anywhere in which mashed potatoes are used as an ingredient in something else.
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Nutrition
Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.5g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 9.7g | Saturated Fat: 6.1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 392mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 3.5g | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg
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Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Pinky says
Excellent recipe! Thanks for the warning that the recipe moves very quickly. It does indeed! The mashed potatoes are so fluffy and flavorful. Thanks again!
Alyssa says
You're so welcome, Pinky! Glad this recipe can come in handy for you. 🙂
Rose says
I had all the ingredients and decided to give your recipe a try. I’m so glad I did! I used sour cream, added dried chives, and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese! I would definitely make again!
Alyssa says
Yum! Glad it was a hit, Rose!
Jan says
This recipe was everything you said it would be, so yummy and fluffy. I added bacon bits and chives then sour cream with more chives.
Alyssa says
So glad it was a hit, Jan! Bacon sounds delicious here.