The best way to make mashed potatoes for a crowd is in your Kitchen Aid mixer. Try this simple recipe for perfect mashed potatoes, and you may never mash by hand again!

A bowl of mashed potatoes with butter, salt, pepper and rosemary on the top, being scooped with a spoon.

Have you ever made mashed potatoes for a crowd? In my family, one of the mainstays of every holiday table is a heaping bowl of perfect creamy mashed potatoes. I have a big, hungry family, so that means mashing up to twenty pounds of potatoes. One year, I had to wear a wrist brace for a week after completing this task (this is the glamorous life of the home cook).

Well… not this year, because the KitchenAid mixer is coming to the rescue! Using the KitchenAid to mash potatoes was a bit of a revelation for me, and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. The paddle attachment is the perfect masher, giving the potatoes a lovely creamy texture and buttery rich flavor. This delicious side dish will be the hero of your Thanksgiving dinner.

Round out your meal with some other holiday favorites, like air fryer turkey tenderloin and roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. If you have any potatoes left over (highly unlikely, in my opinion), try this delicious skillet shepherd’s pie!

Ingredients

Gather up just a few simple ingredients. For this recipe, you will need:

Potatoes: I think russet potatoes make the best mashed potatoes, but you could use yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes or another type of potato for this recipe if you prefer!
Half and half: This makes the mashed potatoes super creamy and delicious. You could substitute milk for a lighter mashed potato, or heavy cream for true indulgence.
Butter: I used salted butter. You could substitute sour cream or cream cheese for a little flavor variation.
Kosher salt and black pepper: Other yummy additions include seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh herbs like scallion or rosemary.

Equipment

For this recipe, you will need a KitchenAid stand mixer with a paddle attachment. I prefer not to use the wire whisk attachment because I have found that it can quickly lead to sticky mashed potatoes.

Similarly, I would not recommend a hand mixer or food processor for mashing potatoes. Those tools are too aggressive for this job, and can lead to gluey mashed potatoes. You can, of course, always mash by hand, which produces a lighter, fluffy texture with some lumps. The KitchenAid, by contrast, is perfect for smoother, creamier, richer mashed potatoes.

Instructions

Step One: Peel potatoes and chop them into uniform pieces, approximately a half inch big. Rinse the potatoes to remove extra starch. Add the potato pieces to a large pot and cover with cold water. Put the pot on the stove over medium heat, and boil the potatoes until they are fork tender.

TIP: Make sure that you cook the potatoes until they fall apart when stabbed with a fork. This is the most important step to creamy mashed potatoes. If the potatoes are not fully cooked, they will not mash well and you will have lumps.

A stainless steel pot with diced potatoes ready to be boiled.

Step Two: Strain the excess water off the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add half of the cream to the potatoes. Using the paddle attachment, starting on the lowest speed, mix the potatoes for about 30 seconds. Gradually increase to a medium speed and mix for about 30 more seconds.

A kitchenaid mixer with boiled potatoes ready to be mashed.

Step Three: Add the remaining half and half, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to mix the potatoes for about one more minute, until they reach a creamy consistency. Do not over-mix them. It’s much better to have a few small chunks left than to have sticky or gluey mashed potatoes!

A kitchenaid mixer with the paddle attachment with fluffy mashed potatoes in the bowl.

Storage

Store leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. If you want to store them for longer, put them in a glass freezer container and freeze for up to a month or two.

Leftover mashed potatoes are perfect for a delicious skillet shepherds pie!