These mashed red potatoes skip the peeling step entirely and come together in one pot in 30-minutes with just five simple ingredients. A creamy, buttery side dish with all the comfort of classic mashed potatoes and half the work!

Overhead shot mashed potatoes in a white bowl. Bowl is surrounded by bowls of butter, salt and pepper, and chopped chives.

5 star review

“These were the tastiest mashed potatoes I have ever made myself. They cooked up perfectly and didn’t take a lot of work. I really appreciate the “one-pot” aspect.”

– Heather
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How to Make Make the Perfect Mashed Red Potatoes with Skin

Mashed potatoes are always a hit, but they can be a bit time consuming. I mean, if I can avoid peeling potatoes, I will! That’s why I set out to create an easy mashed potato recipe that tastes just as creamy and buttery as classic mashed potatoes but with way less effort. The secret is using red skinned potatoes (which you don’t have to peel!) and preparing everything in one-pot.

The result? You can have creamy mashed red potatoes in just 30 minutes with no fuss! Red skinned potatoes (as well as Yukon gold potatoes) have thinner skins than russets, so when cooked, the skins blend beautifully into the mashed potatoes without compromising texture or flavor. Plus, you save time and effort by skipping the peeling step entirely.

In testing this recipe, I tried the method of heating up the milk and butter in a separate pot before adding to the cooked potatoes that many recipes swear by, and it’s not necessary, especially when you’re trying to save on dishes and cleanup! Adding the milk, butter, and sour cream directly to the drained potatoes while they were still hot blended everything perfectly without the extra step. Now I call that a win! Serve these mashed potatoes alongside basically anything, but I love them with my slow cooker mississippi pot roast for a classic comfort meal, or pile them onto plates with slow cooker meatballs for an easy weeknight dinner.

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Red Mashed Potatoes

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Overhead shot of the following ingredients: milk, salt, butter, raw potatoes, and sour cream.
Gather ingredients.
Overhead image of raw, chopped potatoes in a white pot with water.
Add potatoes & water to pot and boil.
Overhead shot testing cooked potatoes with a knife. Pot is surrounded by butter, milk, sour cream, salt, and a potato masher.
Cook until tender & drain.
Overhead image of milk being poured into a pot with cooked potatoes, sour cream, butter, and salt.
Add remaining ingredients.
Overhead shot of mashing potatoes.
Mash all ingredients together.
Overhead shot of serving mashed potatoes out of a white bowl. Bowl is surrounded by bowls of butter, salt and pepper, and chopped chives.
Serve with black pepper & chives.

Testing Notes for Red Skin Mashed Potatoes

  • I left garlic out of these mashed potatoes to keep the flavor simple enough for any main dish, but garlic is an excellent addition! You can either add 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic or 1-2 cloves of fresh minced garlic when you add the milk, butter, and sour cream.
  • Add the potatoes to cold water, then bring to a boil instead of dropping them into already-boiling water. Starting with cold water lets them cook evenly from the outside in, so the centers are tender at the same time the edges are!
  • Pull the milk, butter, and sour cream out of the fridge while the potatoes cook so they reach room temperature by the time you mash.
Overhead shot of mashed potatoes in a pot with chopped chives and melted butter on top, and a wooden spoon in the pot.
Close up overhead image of mashed potatoes with chives and melted butter in a white bowl with a gold spoon.
Overhead shot mashed potatoes in a white bowl. Bowl is surrounded by bowls of butter, salt and pepper, and chopped chives.
5 stars (3 ratings)

Mashed Red Potatoes (One-Pot)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 6 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Creamy mashed red potatoes made in one pot in 30 minutes with no peeling required. The perfect buttery, skin-on side for weeknights or holidays!
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Ingredients

  • 2 ½ pounds red skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • ¾ cup 2% milk
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 4 tablespoons room-temperature butter
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil.
  • Carefully add the potatoes, reduce to a strong simmer, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a knife, about 20-25 minutes.
  • When the potatoes are fork tender, strain, then add back to the warm pot over low heat.
  • Immediately add the milk, sour cream, butter and salt. Mash with a potato masher until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Taste and add additional salt, butter, or sour cream if desired. Serve with optional freshly ground pepper and chopped chives.

Notes

  • Salt the cooking water generously, like you would pasta water, with about a tablespoon of kosher salt per quart. The potatoes absorb seasoning as they cook, and I always need far less salt at the end when the cooking water was properly salted from the start.
  • Mash with a potato masher, never an electric mixer or blender. Overmixing red potatoes activates too much starch and turns them into gluey paste, which I learned the hard way and now avoid by mashing by hand every time.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6), Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 498mg, Potassium: 916mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 336IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition disclaimer
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