The Best Healthy Mashed Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is milk or water better for mashed potatoes? ›

Potatoes are like pasta, in that they leach starches into their cooking liquid. In the case of pasta, you want to reserve some of that liquid to give sauce a luscious shine and bind it to the noodles.

Wealth of micronutrients. In addition to carbohydrates — a needed energy source for your body and brain — potatoes contain a wealth of micronutrients. They're a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. As a bonus, potatoes are low in calories, contain no fat or cholesterol, and are sodium-free.

The best potatoes for mashed potatoes are a starchy varieties like russet, Idaho or Yukon gold. Starchy potatoes are best for mashed potatoes because they have a fluffy, almost airy texture that breaks down easily.

The secret ingredient is just ice-cold water.

You soak the potatoes in iced water before they are cooked. This eliminates much of the starches in the potatoes, resulting in a super light and fluffy mash. It's also like when you make rice.

It is totally fine to eat potatoes every day. While how you prepare and cook potatoes and how much you eat could possibly impact your health, whole potatoes with skin are a nutritious vegetable with health benefits.

Yes, mashed potatoes can be helpful in losing weight. They can be a substitute for other starchy foods, like rice and pasta, which are higher in calories. Remember to keep them mashed and not have them in the form of French fries. Have them with a mustard dressing or have a serving of grilled food.

The very best mashed potatoes start with a ricer, a relatively inexpensive piece of kitchen equipment that forces your cooked food through tiny holes. "If you don't have a ricer, you could use a stand mixer, a hand mixer and you could even use a whisk if you've cooked your potatoes properly," Harvey said.

The best potatoes to use for mashed potatoes are Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes because of their high starch content. Yukon gold potatoes are another good option, the texture of Yukon gold is a bit more buttery and not quite as starchy.

Which is healthier rice or mashed potatoes? ›

Of rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread, potatoes are the healthiest of these starchy and complex carbohydrate foods. This is because potatoes are dense in nutrients, containing essential minerals, vitamins, and other micronutrients. Potatoes are also high in fiber, helping to satiate hunger and regulate blood sugar.

Yet not all carbs are created equal. What was most unexpected about the results, is that even french fries cooked in oil came out higher in the carbohydrate health hierarchy than pasta and rice. Mashed potatoes were the real winner, with children consuming 30-40 per cent fewer calories at meals.

Extra virgin olive oil. It's adds a rich, buttery flavor to the potatoes … without any actual butter. And it helps to give them that perfectly creamy, fluffy texture thanks to the healthy fats involved.

Heavy Cream: Adds so much extra flavor to these potatoes. You can also use whole milk. Water: Helps create enough liquid to boil the potatoes in. Potatoes: I swear by Yukon golds; they turn out fluffy, smooth, and full of flavor.

A potato ricer is widely regarded as the best tool for mashed potatoes that are smooth and fluffy. Built like a big garlic press, it works by pushing cooked potatoes (one or two at a time) through a perforated grate, creating stringy, broken-down potato bits without releasing a ton of starch.

Adding milk or cream to boiled potatoes helps make them smooth and creamy in mashed potatoes due to the science of starch gelatinization and fat emulsion. When potatoes are cooked, the starch granules present in them absorb water and swell. This process is known as gelatinization.

For the very best result every time, always gently warm the butter and milk before adding to the potatoes, rather than adding cold dairy straight from the fridge. Here's why: Warm dairy is absorbed faster and more easily, with less stirring than its cold counterpart.