Martha Stewart’s Mashed Potatoes

By Martha Stewart

Updated November 9, 2025

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1¾ hours
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 40 minutes
Rating
5(525)
Comments
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One of our family’s favorite dishes growing up was the delicious mashed potato recipe Mom would prepare to accompany her roast pork loin, roasted chicken, and, on Thanksgiving, her big roasted turkey. Her secrets? Idaho potatoes, peeled and boiled until fork-tender. Lots of fresh butter. A lot of cream cheese and hot milk added for creaminess. Salt and pepper, of course. It was not possible to find Yukon Golds in the Nutley Co-Op, where we shopped for all our groceries in the ’40s, or in the ShopRite, which came to Nutley, N.J., in the early ’50s. But these days, I love the tenderness of Yukon Golds, and I grow a hardy crop of them in my Bedford garden in New York. I also use both heavy cream and milk, and I use a food mill with the finest sieve to ensure the creamiest, smoothest and silkiest mashed potatoes ever.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 12 servings

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 3½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 9 medium potatoes)

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

  • ½ cup heavy cream, warmed

  • ¼ cup whole milk, warmed

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 12 servings)

36 grams carbs; 61 milligrams cholesterol; 354 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 568 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Fill a large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and add a pinch of salt. Set a steamer basket in the pot, making sure the water doesn’t seep through the holes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer. Add the whole potatoes to the basket and steam until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. (Be sure to check the water level halfway through.)

  2. Step 2

    Remove potatoes from the pot and let stand until just cool enough to handle. Rub off the skins and discard. Cut the potatoes into pieces and pass through a food mill or ricer into a large bowl (a potato masher also works; see Tip).

  3. Step 3

    Add the cream cheese, butter, cream and milk to the bowl and mash with a masher (or beat with an electric mixer). Season with salt and pepper, and beat to desired consistency. Return the mashed potatoes to the pot and cover to keep warm until serving. (The potatoes can be made up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated, covered; you can reheat on the stove or in the microwave before serving.)

Tip

  • If you don't have a ricer or food mill, you can also use a potato masher. A masher with perforated holes works more efficiently than the wavy variety to create a smooth mash.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
525 user ratings
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Comments

PAC Mpls

Baked are much better than boiled for mashed potatoes. Boiled have a watery texture no matter what you do. Mashed baked potatoes also take to seasonings better. Not to mention no tedious peeling. Simply slip the meat of the cooked potato out of skins. Bonus you have baked potato skins for down home appetizers with fillings of your choice

Andre1

This mashed potato recipe is so overloaded with fats that the delicate, natural flavor of an otherwise delicious potato variety is completely lost. Instead of drowning the potatoes in excess, why not try a simpler version? Just use mashed potatoes of your favorite variety, good-quality milk, a pinch of salt, and a touch of butter. It lets the true potato flavor shine—and it’s kinder to your waistline too."

Alex

My German mothers were the best. Boil potatoes drain add back to pot with butter and milk mash with fork.. easy..

Claire

I was hoping for some kind of secret mashed potato miracle with this level of gadgetry and pomp. However, the end result is a pleasant bowl of cream-cheese-flavored molding putty. I wish there was a way to remove recipes from your feed; seeing this complicated abomination again caused flashbacks. Steaming Yukon golds is bliss and my vintage food mill works miracles, but why bust out the mill when you intend to give a starch-enabling deep tissue massage with an - electric mixer -?

Kyle

I’m a little perplexed that this recipe is rated so highly. I’ve wanted to try it because I love Martha and was curious about cream cheese… The cream cheese adds a slight tangy flavor that’s not my favorite and the texture was a little dry so I needed to add a little more butter and milk. Plus it takes a long time removing those hot potato peels, and I’m not sure why we’d steam them rather than boil or roast. There are definitely better, quicker, easier, less fatty recipes around. I’ve been using the Serious Eats Ultra-Fluffy Mashed Potatoes recipe which I far prefer.

Jules

I used the steam method as described, thinking I'd try something new. It was a disaster. How on earth does anyone have success with this technique? The potatoes steamed unevenly and it took forever. Peeling was also really difficult. Highly recommend boiling the potatoes.

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Credits

Adapted from “Martha: The Cookbook” by Martha Stewart (Clarkson Potter, 2024)

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