Everyone’s favorite side dish, amplified with nutty brown butter. These Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes are super easy to make, with only 5 ingredients and 4 simple steps, they are guaranteed to become a dinner time staple!
Have you experienced the true decadent indulgence that is brown butter? Well get ready! Adding a rich, nutty flavor, brown butter transforms a classic (already delicious) side dish it into a luxurious, flavorful, and decadent masterpiece. With only 5 ingredients and 4 simple steps, this recipe is a must make.
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Easy To Make
- Simple, Short Ingredient List
- Customizable
- Delicious Comfort Food
- One Pot / 30 Minute Recipe
Mashed potatoes are already a staple comfort food, but when you add brown butter to them – SPEECHLESS. This easy recipes comes together in just 30 minutes, with staple kitchen ingredients you’ll most likely have on hand already!
Made entirely in one pot, this recipe requires minimal prep and minimal cleanup, yet provides maximum flavor. You need these potatoes in your life!
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes – Yukon gold or Russets, peeled, cut into 1-2″ cubes. See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for more info!
- Butter – Unsalted! Brown butter is typically ALWAYS made with unsalted butter, it also helps control the sodium in the dish.
- Garlic – Fresh is best! Crushed.
- Milk – Any type will do!
- Parmesan Cheese – I always recommend getting fresh parmesan because this way there are no additives or preservatives! Cheese is an optional ingredient, but I find it adds a nice salty, cheesy flavor to the potatoes.
- Seasoning – Salt and white pepper. Black pepper will work as well. I like to use white pepper in mashed potatoes because it has a milder, less complex flavor and it complements the mashed potatoes nicely.
How To Make Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Cook Potatoes: Cook the potatoes in salted water, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and add to a large bowl.
- Make Brown Butter: Add the butter to a saucepan or skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the garlic, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the butter begins to change color and turn golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain it through a sieve. You can save the crispy garlic to serve with mashed potatoes.
- Mash: Mash the potatoes with the milk, Parmesan cheese, half the butter, salt and pepper using a potato masher or a hand mixer, until smooth. I used a hand mixer to make it extra smooth. Feel free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is preferred.
- Serve: Serve with remaining browned butter, crispy garlic, extra Parmesan and feel free to garnish with parsley.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Brown butter, also known as “beurre noisette” if you’re fancy, is made by cooking unsalted butter until it becomes a deep yellow/golden brown color. Brown butter is used to add a deep, rich nutty and toasted flavor to your dishes and amplifies them that much more.
The best potatoes for mashing are higher starch potatoes like Yukon golds (my favorite) or Russets. These potatoes will result in the fluffiest, smoothest and most flavor-packed mash. Of course you can use other varieties of red or white skinned potatoes, but they will require more mashing in order for them to become creamy, so save yourself the hassle.
Believe it or not, you can improve on perfection! All you need to do is add ingredients such as cheddar cheese, or bacon, fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, chives or parsley, and for extra creamy mashed potatoes, try adding sour cream!
This staple side dish can be served with practically any dish imaginable. These potatoes are rich and decadent, making them the perfect addition to any savory dinner of your choosing!
Tips
- Did you know that removing the starch reduces the carbohydrate content? Just place your cubed up, peeled potatoes under some cold running water to rinse it off. This is perfect if you’re on a low-carb diet!
- Want to make these in the instant pot? Check out my instant pot mashed potatoes recipe!
- Make sure to cut your potatoes in cubes of equal size, this will ensure that they cook at the same time!
- Just like you always salt your pasta water, you need to salt the water that the potatoes cook in. If you add salt while cooking the potatoes, you won’t need to add much later on.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover brown butter mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Freezing
Freeze leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 10 months.
Ways To Use Leftover Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Not a fan of leftovers? Fear not! Mashed potatoes are great in other recipes, so don’t ever throw away the leftovers, use them in the following recipes:
More Great Recipes To Try
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Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs potatoes Yukon gold or Russets, peeled, cut into 1-2" cubes
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¾ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Cook Potatoes: Cook the potatoes in salted water, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and add to a large bowl.
- Make Brown Butter: Add the butter to a saucepan or skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the garlic, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the butter begins to change color and turn golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain it through a sieve. You can save the crispy garlic to serve with mashed potatoes.
- Mash: Mash the potatoes with the milk, Parmesan cheese, half the butter, salt and pepper using a potato masher or a hand mixer, until smooth. I used a hand mixer to make it extra smooth. Feel free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is preferred.
- Serve: Serve with remaining browned butter, crispy garlic, extra Parmesan and feel free to garnish with parsley.
Recipe Notes
- Did you know that removing the starch reduces the carbohydrate content? Just place your cubed up, peeled potatoes under some cold running water to rinse it off. This is perfect if you’re on a low-carb diet!
- Want to make these in the instant pot? Check out my instant pot mashed potatoes recipe!
- Make sure to cut your potatoes in cubes of equal size, this will ensure that they cook at the same time!
- Just like you always salt your pasta water, you need to salt the water that the potatoes cook in. If you add salt while cooking the potatoes, you won’t need to add much later on.
- Store leftover brown butter mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- Freeze leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 10 months.
This was so good! I will make again! I left the cheese out because I love parmesan cheese but I opened mine up and it was moldy. I will try it with the cheese next time.