Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes are perfectly rich and creamy, full of buttery and garlicky flavor. This is my all-time favorite side dish recipe and always a crowd fave! Unlike boiling potatoes in water, the sous vide method produces richer and more intense puree by immersing the potatoes in the buttery goodness during cooking, soaking up all the flavors!
This is a no-fail side dish recipe, incredibly easy to make, and packed with flavors! Great for everyday meals as well as special occasions like Thanksgiving. I like to serve it with sirloin steak, short ribs, and chicken thighs.
These sous vide mashed potatoes are the most loved and devoured side dish. They are creamy, buttery and made with a hint of garlic. The secret to this mash is that no water is introduced to the potatoes, and all the seasonings are cooked in the sous vide bag with the potatoes, so they are perfectly dense and creamy.
Sous vide means “under vacuum” in French. It’s a water bath cooking method by sealing food in a bag, then cooking for a long time to a very precise temperature in a water bath. This technique is known for being a precise and consistent way to evenly cook food.
Why Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes?
Before we get to the actual recipe, let’s talk about the benefits of sous vide cooking mashed potatoes. Here are a few advantages:
- Sous vide cooking prevents any water from getting into the potatoes, producing much richer, creamier, and more flavorful mashed potatoes than boiling.
- Sous vide machine cooks the potatoes with butter, garlic, and milk, so the flavors are completely infused into the potatoes.
- You can walk away while it’s cooking, as it’s low-stress cooking, and no need to worry about over-boiling.
- You can cook other vegetables at the same time as the potatoes. Vegetables such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, and corn can be cooked at the same temperature in the sous vide water bath.
What Types of Potatoes are The Best for Mashed Potatoes?
The best sous vide mashed potatoes start with the right potatoes. Go for starchy Russet potatoes or waxy Yukon golds. You can also use a mix of both!
What Goes into Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes?
Aside from the potatoes, there are only a few simple ingredients:
Butter: Use unsalted butter so that you have full control of how salty your mash comes out. I always want my mashed potatoes to taste nice and buttery, but you can use less butter or substitute vegan butter.
Garlic: Use fresh if possible. Add more if you like garlic flavor.
Milk: Whole milk is the best for mashed potatoes. But you can substitute low-fat milk or heavy cream.
Salt: I use kosher salt and season the potatoes at different points during the cooking process.
Toppings: My favorite topping is chopped chives, which adds freshness to the mash. You can sprinkle chopped green onions, freshly grounded black pepper, add more butter, or other herbs/ seasonings!
How to Make Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes (Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos)
Step 1: Cut the potatoes
Peel your potatoes (or you can leave the skins on for extra flavor). Then slice them into 1/2-inch thick pieces.
Step 2: Vacuum seal potatoes
Place the potato slices into a zip-top bag, then season with butter, salt, and garlic. Add milk, and vacuum seal the bag using “water displacement” technique (see details in the recipe).
Step 3: Sous vide cook the potatoes
Place the vacuum-sealed bag in the sous vide water bath and cook the potatoes at 194ºF (90ºC) for 1 hour.
Step 4: Mash the potatoes
Transfer cooked potatoes to a large bowl, and add half of the liquid from the bag. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth, adding more liquid gradually if needed to your desired consistency.
Taste and season. Add in extra salt or your favorite seasoning to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve warm.
Tips for Making The Best Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
- No vacuum sealer is required. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can easily vacuum seal a zip-top bag using “water displacement” technique.
- Don’t over-mix the potatoes. It’s best to mash until they are just combined. Otherwise, over-mixing can cause a gummy texture.
- Season with salt along the way. Add a small amount of salt into the bag before sous vide cooking, and add more during mashing. Taste along the way so that your mashed potatoes are not too salty.
The Best Temperature for Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
The best temperature for making sous vide mashed potatoes is to use a water bath at 194ºF or 90ºC. At that temp, they will take about an hour. Mash the potatoes after cooking.
How Long to Sous Vide Potatoes For Mashed Potatoes
It takes one hour to sous vide potatoes in a water bath at 194ºF or 90ºC. You can then easily mash the potatoes.
Mashed Potato Topping Ideas
Many toppings are possible for mashed potatoes! Here are a few options:
- A pat of butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sour cream
- Chives or green onions, finely chopped
- Bacon bits or crumbled bacon
- Grated cheese such as cheddar or Jack
- Cheese sauce
What to Serve With Mashed Potatoes
Main dishes going well with mashed potatoes include steak, chicken, pork and seafood. You can also pair mashed potatoes with almost any vegetable including carrots, broccoli and green beans. A crisp green salad also pairs well.
How to Store Leftover Mashed Potatoes
You can store leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Place the container in the bottom of the fridge to keep it as cold as possible.
To freeze, scoop the potatoes into a baking sheet lined with parchment and place in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, transfer to a ziptop plastic bag, seal and refreeze for up to 2 months.
FAQ
Can I make sous vide mashed potatoes ahead of time?
Yes, you can make sous vide mashed potatoes up to 3 days ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in a covered skillet over medium-low heat until hot, or by sous vide at 150ºF for at least 30 minutes.
How to add texture to mashed potatoes?
To make mashed potatoes creamier, consider adding some heavy cream, half and half or sour cream while mashing. If you are encountering lumps, a ricer is a useful tool for removing them. However, if you prefer a chunkier texture, consider leaving the potato skins on and/or adding some minced garlic.
Can you sous vide potatoes at 150 F degrees?
No, potatoes require a higher temperature like 190ºF for the starch to break down and become creamy. However, you can use 150ºF for reheating sous vide potatoes.
Variations
You can tailor this mashed potatoes recipe to your preference. Below are some popular ingredients that you can add to your mash:
- Cheese: I love to add grated Parmesan or shredded cheddar cheese to my mashed potatoes, but you can add your favorite cheese.
- Cream cheese
- Fresh herbs such as rosemary and thyme.
- Cooked bacon bits
- Jalapeños
Recipe Tools You’ll Need
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Creamy Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes or Yukon golds
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- Kosher salt to taste
Topping (Optional)
- chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat the Sous Vide Machine: Fill a large container or pot with water. Attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 194ºF/90ºC and time to 1 hour.
- Prepare the Potatoes: Wash and peel the potatoes, and cut them into 1/2-inch slices (you can also leave the skins on for extra flavor).
- Place the potato slices into a zip-top bag, then season with butter,salt, and garlic and add milk. Spread out the potatoes evenly in the bag and then seal it using the “water displacement” technique. (Just seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.)
- Make sure the potatoes are fully submerged in the water. You can add heavy kitchen items to weigh the bag down if necessary.
- Sous vide cook the potatoes: Cook the vacuum-sealed potatoes in the water bath for 1 hour.
- Mash the potatoes: When the timer goes off, transfer the cooked potatoes to a large bowl, and add half of the liquid from the bag. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth, adding more liquid gradually if needed to your desired consistency. (Don’t mix too much or it will get gummy.)
- Taste and season: Add in extra salt and garnish with chopped chives and serve warm. You can also sprinkle chopped green onions, freshly grounded black pepper, add more butter, or other herbs/ seasonings!
Notes
- If you use other types of potatoes or cut your potatoes into large chunks, it could take much longer to cook.
- For leftover mashed potatoes, you can reheat them in the microwave on high power for 2-3 minutes. Stir and repeat until piping hot throughout.
Nutrition
Ashley F says
Love the creamy texture of how the potatoes come out! Such a great way to cook them!
izzycooking says
Thanks Ashley!
Noelle says
This recipe was amazing! Such a great idea. Making again soon.
Kirstie says
I’m making pot roast at 172 degrees sous vide. Can I cook the potatoes at that temperature, perhaps for 2 hours?
izzycooking says
Hi Kristie,
The potatoes cannot be cooked properly at 172 degrees, even if you cook it for a longer time. You’ll have to cook them separately at 194 degrees for 1 hour. Hope this helps.
Serge says
I sous vide the potatoes without anything and then combine them later with the rest of the stuff. Works out great. So weird to get fully cooked potatoes that are not waterlogged and just pure potato.
Izzy says
Hi serge, glad that you like the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
Ryan Pelletier says
Just made 3 servings of these potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. AMAZING!! I left the skins on. They were a huge hit.
Izzy says
Hi Ryan, glad that you like the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
John Berardi says
Excellent easy recipe.
Tammy Mendell says
I’m excited to try this recipe out this week. Is it okay to leave the potatoes in the water bath longer than an hour incase I don’t time the rest of the meal properly?
Izzy says
Hi Tammy, you can definitely leave them in the water for extra 30-60 mins
Erin says
Can I make and seal these and then freeze to cook at a later time?