Creamy and rich Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes, based on our popular garlic mashed potatoes recipe, are loaded with butter, rich cream and a hint of garlic (optional).
We love serving it alongside Sous Vide Filet Mignon, Sous Vide Leg of Lamb, Sous Vide Lamb Chops, Sous Vide Tri Tip, Smoked London Broil, Sous Vide Turkey Breast and Sous Vide Ribeye.
Making mashed potatoes sous vide is our go-to potato recipe for holiday’s as well as during the week when we need an easy side dish. The ease and hands off nature, not to mention the rich concentration of flavors, keeps us coming back for more.
Table of Contents
Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes Temperature
The ideal temperature to sous vide mashed potatoes is 194°F. No more. No less.
How Long To Sous Vide Potatoes
Sous vide mashed potatoes take between 60-90 minutes, depending on how large the potato chunks are.
What Potatoes Are Best For Mashed Potatoes
Choose a starchy potato like Yukon gold, russet or honey gold. All of these can also be used to make Horseradish Mashed Potatoes.
Potato Toppings and Variations
There are tons of flavor variations to mix up yo dinner! Here are some ideas to get your creativity flowing:
- Fresh herbs, like rosemary or thyme
- Three words: Crispy bacon bits
- Use Smoked Potatoes to make smoked mashed potatoes.
- Add a hit of shredded cheese like Parmesan or white cheddar
- Swap out the heavy cream with sour cream, cream cheese, or buttermilk for a hit of tang
- Skip removing the skins and increase the texture and nutritional value
- Make loaded mashed potatoes with sour cream, bacon and jalapeños (or pickled peppers)
- Top with Prime Rib Gravy, crispy onions, fried shallots, caramelized onions or chives
Recipe Tips
- DO NOT add cold milk or cream to the bag as it will curdle when it hits the hot water. Make sure to warm them up first. Just add the milk and heavy cream to a microwave safe cup and microwave for 45-60 seconds. That’s all you need. Don’t have a microwave? A small saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes works just as well.
- Don’t over-mix the hot potatoes. Too much mixing leads to gluey taters.
- Make sure the bag is fully submerged in the sous vide bath. If the potatoes aren’t fully submerged it won’t cook properly. Do not even attempt as food safety would not be guaranteed.
- Make sure all the air is out of the bag as excess air can breed bacteria.
- If your sous vide bag floats, try to re-seal or utilize something to weight it down once in the sous vide bath. You can always invest in some sous vide weights, which is the route I use these days.
Texture Options
Potato Puree (Smooth and Lump Free)
For silky smooth and lump free mashed potatoes, it’s best to invest in a potato ricer or food mill.
Rustic (A Bit Chunky)
For a classic “rustic” texture the best tool to utilize to mash the potatoes is a basic potato masher. A potato ricer or food mill will remove all the beloved lumps. Just don’t over do the mashing as it can lead to gummy and pasty taters.
Can Mashed Potatoes Be Made In Advance
Yep – you can make the potatoes up to 3 days in advance. Once they’re done cooking, just remove the bag from the water bath and plunge it into an ice bath. You can place the sealed bag in the refrigerator until you’re ready to re-heat and serve.
To re-heat just place back into a 194°F water bath and heat until warm. The picture below shows what the bag will look like after keeping in the refrigerator for a night and re-heating the next day.
What to Serve With Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
Weekday Staples:
Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
Instant Pot Corned Beef / Sous Vide Corned Beef
Shake and Bake Chicken
Air Fryer Cornish Hen
Holiday Meals:
Prime Rib
Sous Vide Prime Rib
Smoked Prime Rib
Smoked Beef Tenderloin
Sous Vide Ribeye Steak
Individual Beef Wellington
Smoked Turkey
Instant Pot Turkey
Double Smoked Ham
Smoked Rack of Lamb
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Potatoes, Peeled and Cut Into 1/2" Cubes (*Note 1)
- 1-2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled (*Note 2)
- 8 oz Unsalted Butter + More For Serving (*Note 3)
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ cup Whole Milk, Warmed (*Note 4)
- ½ cup Heavy Cream, Warmed (*Note 4)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the sous vide water bath to 194°F.
- Add the potatoes, garlic, butter, salt, milk and heavy cream to a vacuum sealable bag (or a gallon size Zip lock bag if using the water displacement method) and vacuum seal.
- Transfer the sealed bag to the water bath and cook for 60-90 minutes, until the potatoes are soft throughout.
- Use tongs to remove the bag of potatoes from the hot bath.
- Place a large strainer over a large pot and drain the potatoes. The large pot underneath the strainer will collect the hot milk/butter mixture. Do not discard the liquid as you need this for the next step.
- Add 1/4 cup of the reserved milk/butter mixture to the hot potatoes and mash using a ricer or potato masher.
- Continue adding more of the milk/butter mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your preferred consistency is reached. Taste and add extra salt and pepper, if needed.
- Divvy up into individual bowls and top with extra butter, if desired. Enjoy immediately for best temperature and texture.
