Recipes

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes are perfect for your next dinner party or any time of the week. They start with naturally buttery yukon gold potatoes that mash into a bowl of tangy sour cream, fresh chives, butter, and salt to create the ultimate comfort food side dish. 

Sour cream and chive mashed potatoes are perfectly comforting for an Easter dinner sitting on a dining table.

Mashed potatoes are like the classic American side dish. Lusciously smooth, my sour cream and chives version gets even better with cool, creamy sour cream and a slight onion-y bite from the chives. 

Not to mention the yukon gold potatoes.

They’re a level up from traditional russet potatoes. With a naturally buttery flavor, these tasty potatoes always have a place at my dinner table regardless of how they’re served. 

I created this recipe in particular over the holidays when I knew I wanted some ultra rich, fluffy, whipped potatoes for our small dinner.

Let me tell you, these did not disappoint. 

I had leftovers for days and I thoroughly (I mean, thoroughly) enjoyed them. I immediately jotted down all the ingredients and measurements, so I could share this on the blog one day. Here we are, just in time for Easter.

So, here is my recipe for Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes, one of my favorite dishes ever.

A beautiful display contains sour cream and chive mashed potatoes next to a pitcher of gorgeous blue hydrangeas.

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Tips for Success | Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

If you want, you can go to the trouble of roasting garlic beforehand if you don’t have garlic butter and aren’t fond of garlic powder. Just cut the top off a head of garlic, drench in olive oil and roast in wrapped foil at 400ºF for about 30 minutes or so. Once cooled, you can simply squeeze the gooey, roasted garlic out. I personally prefer using premade garlic butter instead because it saves me time. I love Shatto’s garlic butter in particular.

Out of sour cream? Use cream cheese instead. It will achieve the same desired results. Sour cream and cream cheese are like sisters anyway. Essentially the same thing with different textures. Sour cream is obviously more tangy, but mixed with potatoes you can’t tell the difference between the two.

Russet potatoes are perfectly fine if you don’t have yukon gold potatoes available. In fact, just about any type of potato would taste better with sour cream and chives added to them.

When I’m lazy, I don’t even bother peeling the potatoes. Peels are good and mostly disguised when mashed up and mixed into everything else. Plus, they contain some extra fiber.

If you don’t have a hand masher but have an electric mixer, use that instead. I enjoy a few lumps of potatoes in my mashed potatoes. Nothing is worse than too-thin mashed potatoes, to me. They are indeed called “mashed potatoes,” not “mushy potatoes.” I like mine with a bit of fluff to them.

An array of mashed potato ingredients are arranged on a large dining table.

Tools

Hand masher

Large pot

Knife and cutting board

Vegetable peeler

Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

Yukon gold potatoes – These are far superior to other potatoes, but you can also use russet potatoes.

Sour cream – Use regular or light sour cream for the perfect extra tang and creaminess to your mashed potatoes.

Milk – Whole milk or 2% can be used in this recipe for a flavorful, satiating taste.

Garlic butter – Butter infused with garlic makes this recipe easier since it’s already premade, but you could use 4 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of garlic powder instead OR 2 tablespoons of crushed, freshly roasted garlic.

Chives – Fresh or dried chives will do in this recipe. This herb adds just enough bite to the potatoes.

Salt – Season with sea salt or regular table salt, to taste.

How to Make Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Rinse and peel the potatoes. 

Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them into a large pot of salted water.

Yukon gold potatoes have been rinsed, peeled, and diced on a cutting board.
Diced potatoes go into a pot of water to boil before mashing.

Bring potatoes and water to a boil on high heat and then turn the heat down to a low boil. 

Simmer potatoes on the stove for about 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Potatoes are done when a fork slides right through them when inserted. 

Drain the water from the pot using a colander.

Next, add the sour cream, butter, and milk to the pot and begin mashing with a hand masher. Everything will incorporate as you mash, so no need to worry too much about stirring it all together. Mash until they are mostly smooth with a few lumps.

A woman is mashing sour cream and chive mashed potatoes together for a meal.
Mashed potatoes are incorporated with other ingredients for a feast.

Add in the chopped chives and salt, stirring until fully incorporated. Serve hot.

Sour cream and chive mashed potatoes are on a linen next to a hand masher and wooden spoon.

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Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes are perfect for your next dinner party or any time of the week. They start with naturally buttery yukon gold potatoes that mash into a bowl of tangy sour cream, fresh chives, butter, and salt to create the ultimate comfort food side dish.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword easy recipes, easy sides, mashed potatoes, potato dish, side dish
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 305kcal

Equipment

  • 1 hand masher
  • 1 large pot
  • 1 vegetable peeler
  • 1 knife and cutting board
  • measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/3 cup garlic butter
  • 2 tbsp chopped, dried chives OR 1/4 cup fresh, chopped chives
  • sea salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Rinse and peel the potatoes.
    3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
  • Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them into a large pot of salted water.
    3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
  • Bring potatoes and water to a boil on high heat and then turn the heat down to a low boil.
    3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
  • Simmer potatoes on the stove for about 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Potatoes are done when a fork slides right through them when inserted.
    3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
  • Drain the water from the pot using a colander.
    3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
  • Next, add the sour cream, butter, and milk to the pot and begin mashing with a hand masher. Everything will incorporate as you mash, so no need to worry too much about stirring it all together. Mash until they are mostly smooth with a few lumps.
    8 oz sour cream, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/3 cup garlic butter
  • Add in the chopped chives and salt, stirring until fully incorporated. Serve hot.
    2 tbsp chopped, dried chives, sea salt, to taste

Notes

If you want, you can go to the trouble of roasting garlic beforehand if you don’t have garlic butter and aren’t fond of garlic powder. Just cut the top off a head of garlic, drench in olive oil and roast in wrapped foil at 400ºF for about 30 minutes or so. Once cooled, you can simply squeeze the gooey, roasted garlic out. I personally prefer using premade garlic butter instead because it saves me time. I love Shatto’s garlic butter in particular. 
Out of sour cream? Use cream cheese or unsweetened greek yogurt instead. It will achieve the same desired results. Greek yogurt practically tastes identical to sour cream, and cream cheese is like sour cream’s sister. Sour cream is obviously more tangy than cream cheese, but mixed with potatoes you can’t tell the difference between the two.
Russet potatoes are perfectly fine if you don’t have yukon gold potatoes available. In fact, just about any type of potato would taste better with sour cream and chives added to them.
When I’m lazy, I don’t even bother peeling the potatoes. Peels are good and mostly disguised when mashed up and mixed into everything else. Plus, they contain some extra fiber.
If you don’t have a hand masher but have an electric mixer, use that instead. I enjoy a few lumps of potatoes in my mashed potatoes. Nothing is worse than too-thin mashed potatoes, to me. They are indeed called “mashed potatoes,” not “mushy potatoes.” I like mine with a bit of fluff to them.

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