Healthy Mashed Potatoes

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Whether you’re looking for a lighter option to balance things out or accommodating dietary needs or restrictions, this healthy potato mash delivers without sacrificing flavor. With our easy recipe, you’ll learn the best potatoes for mashed potatoes, key techniques for ensuring a rich consistency, the secret ingredients that add major flavor and the kitchen tool worth investing in to ensure a smooth texture.

How to Make Healthy Mashed Potatoes Like a Pro

Choose potatoes that are the same size. This ensures that the potatoes will cook evenly and take the same amount of time.

Reach for Yukon golds. “We preferred Yukon golds over russets for this recipe because they have a slightly sweet, buttery flavor on their own before even adding any fat,” says the recipe’s creator, Amy Stevenson, a recipe developer in the Food Network Kitchen. “They mash up nice and smooth with a rich consistency.”

Cook the potatoes whole. This helps prevent them from taking on extra moisture, which can give mashed potatoes a thinner consistency. It also helps cut down on prep time.

Add garlic for extra flavor. Adding garlic cloves to the potato cooking water is an easy way to add a little extra flavor when you’re trying to keep things light, Stevenson says. The cooked cloves are then riced with the potatoes for an added flavor boost.

Dry out the potatoes in the pan. This one-minute step helps to reduce any excess moisture, ensuring a rich consistency.

Stir in broth for savory depth. Stevenson recommends adding bone broth (or chicken broth) to the pan with milk and butter to add a savory flavor and moisture without adding excess fat or calories.

Add sour cream for creaminess. “We tried both buttermilk and light sour cream for tanginess and went with sour cream as it adds both tang and creaminess,” Stevenson says. “Buttermilk was a bit overwhelming for a lighter recipe like this.”

Invest in a potato ricer. “A potato ricer makes the smoothest mashed potatoes and can also be used for squeezing excess moisture out of cooked green vegetables like spinach or kale if you're using them as part of a filling for a stuffing or casserole,” Stevenson says.

Skip peeling the potatoes. Since Yukon golds have thin skins, you can press them through the ricer without peeling once they’re cooked and halved. “If you get too many skins in the ricer, just pick them out with a fork and/or tip of a paring knife and keep ricing,” Stevenson says.

Don’t forget the black pepper. A generous amount of black pepper adds a bit of heat to help balance the flavors, which is especially important when you’re trying use less fat and salt.

Warm a bowl for serving. Heat a serving bowl in a low oven for 5 or 10 minutes before serving to keep the potatoes hot at the table longer.

Finish with a pat of butter. A pat of butter on top makes for an appealing presentation and adds a final touch of richness.

How to Store and Reheat Healthy Mashed Potatoes

Store cooled mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can freeze mashed potatoes for meal prep by freezing them in individual portions in a freezer-safe container or bag (removing as much air as possible). You can keep mashed potatoes in the freezer for up to three months. Be sure to label containers or bags with the date and contents.

Reheat leftover mashed potatoes on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little broth or water to help reconstitute a creamy texture.

Recipes Using Leftover Mashed Potatoes

This mashed potato recipe is versatile and can be served with a variety of meals. But if you find yourself looking for leftover mashed potatoes recipes, you can make dishes such as shepherd’s pie, colcannon, potato dumplings, mashed potato pancakes and mashed potato soup.