17 Mashed Potatoes Recipes for Thanksgiving and Beyond

Mashed potatoes are the humble stars of dinner, whether they're on a holiday plate or next to a weeknight dinner. Here are recipes for all kinds of mashed potatoes, from make-ahead to roasted garlic, plus crowd-pleasing ways to use up leftovers.

A bowl of mashed potatoes with butter melting in the center — Simply Recipes / Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Colcannon

Colcannon Irish Potatoes with Melted Butted in Serving Dish — Elise Bauer

Founder Elise Bauer says, "For a variation, sub out half of the potatoes with parsnips. Can add chives, leeks, or bacon too."

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Mashed Rutabaga with Sour Cream and Dill

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.

10. 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.

11. Green Mashed Potatoes

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.

12. Rumbledethumps (Cheesy Scottish Mashed Potato Casserole)

Overhead view of a square white baking dish of potato cabbage casserole next to a light blue plate with a casserole serving and spoon all on a wooden tabletop — Simply Recipes / Photo by Julia Gartland / Food Styling by Pearl Jones

Contributor Devan Grimsrud says, "Rumbledethumps is both a great dish to use up leftovers and a perfect candidate for making ahead. If you have leftover mashed or boiled potatoes and/or leftover boiled, sautéed, or even roasted greens, you can use them up here. Simply mash the ingredients together with some butter before spreading into a baking pan, topping with cheese, and baking until golden."

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. Duchess Potatoes

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.

17 . Colcannon Cakes

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.