Choose This Type of Potato for the Creamiest Mashed Potatoes Every Time

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and a Thanksgiving Day staple. But there’s a secret to the perfect mash—choosing the very best potatoes for mashed potatoes.

The right potatoes will leave you with the perfect creamy, fluffy mash, while the wrong ones? They’ll give you mashed potatoes with a gooey texture that nobody will love. To achieve the pinnacle of perfect mashed potatoes, you’ll want to stick with potatoes that are on the starchier end of the spectrum, and steer clear of waxy-type potatoes.

So before you grab a bag of potatoes for the next time you indulge in comforting mashed potatoes, consider these tips to help you pick the best potato variety for your mashed potatoes.

Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

If you want those traditional, creamy, lump-free mashed potatoes, your best bet is a middle-of-the-road variety. And the one many chefs turn to is Yukon gold, which is basically the Goldilocks of potatoes—not too starchy, not too waxy—just nice and creamy.

Other middle-of-the-road varieties if you want to mix things up? Standard white, yellow, blue, or purple potatoes could also work for mashed potatoes.

Other Potatoes to Try for Mashed Potatoes

While Yukon golds may be the gold standard, they aren’t the only suitable potato for mashing. Russet and Idaho potatoes are great—especially if you like a lighter, fluffier mashed potato. These potatoes tend toward the starchier end of the spectrum.

If you do decide to use a starchier variety, you might consider baking the potatoes until they’re soft enough to mash, rather than boiling them, to help preserve the fluffiness.

If you want your mashed potatoes more on the “smashed” side, with some potato skins included for a more rustic texture, you should use a thin-skinned potato for the perfect balance. You might want to give a red bliss potato a try for this type of mashed potato. Just go easy on the smashing. Because these are a little waxier, they can quickly head toward gummy if you overdo the mashing. Stick with a hand masher in lieu of a food mill or ricer for smashed potatoes, as that will ensure a more rustic feel and reduce the gumminess factor.

Worst Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

If there’s a best potato for mashed potatoes, that means that there’s also a worst type of potato to use for mashed potatoes. And in general that’s waxy types of potatoes, such as fingerlings, red, and new potatoes. These potatoes are known for keeping their shape when boiled, so they’re better suited for roasting or using in your favorite potato salad recipes. And because they keep their shape so well, they tend not to take on moisture—so your butter, cream, and other ingredients won’t mix in with them as easily.

If you do decide to use waxy potatoes like fingerlings for mashing, you’ll want to use them in a recipe that calls for a more “smashed” potato texture to avoid creating glue-like mashed potatoes.

Consider a Happy Medium for the Best Mashed Potatoes

There’s no rule that you have to stick to a single variety of potatoes when you make your mashed potatoes. So go ahead and mix it up by cooking up a few different varieties together.

For instance, try half russets and half Yukon Golds for a fluffier—but still creamy—mashed potato, or a peeled Yukon golds or two in with your red bliss potatoes to help reduce the chances that your smashed potatoes turn gummy.

Cooking Tips for the Best Mashed Potatoes

Don’t overcook the potatoes.

Your potatoes are done when you can easily stick a knife (or a fork!) in them. If you overcook them if you’re boiling them, they can become soggy and waterlogged—and your mashed potato texture could be a bit more gummy.

You can avoid this if you bake your potatoes in lieu of boiling, or consider draining the potatoes, then cooking them dry for a few minutes before mashing to help reduce the amount of moisture in them.

Don’t skimp on the other ingredients.

Butter and cream (or even sour cream) are essential for a creamy mashed potato—and a single pat and a splash of cream aren’t going to do. Ensure you use plenty of both. A pound of potatoes will be perfect with a quarter cup of cream or milk and a half stick of butte.r

Warm up the other ingredients before you add them.

Adding in cold cream and butter will just cool off your potatoes—and will mean more mixing and mashing on your part. (And that could mean gummier mashed potatoes!) Microwave the cream and butter together for a few minutes until the butter is melted.