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Cut down on your overall side dish prep time with this easy Air Fryer Mashed Potatoes recipe. Baking potatoes in the air fryer takes a lot less time and you can save your oven space for other recipes or just keep the oven off.
Megganโs notes
When it comes to holiday prep, everyone is looking for shortcuts. As a classically-trained chef, Iโm here to help navigate your prep schedule and offer suggestions for how to reduce your time and energy.
When you plan to make mashed potatoes, you probably donโt immediately reach for your air fryer. But this handy gadget can save you time, energy and stress. Air fryer potatoes goes faster than using the oven, and you donโt even have to fire up the oven at all. In the event that you need the oven for another recipe, itโs ready and waiting!
Once your potatoes are tender and fluffy, peel them and proceed with my easy, 4-ingredient mashed potato recipe. With just butter, milk, and salt, you can transform humble spuds into the star side dish of your table. This works for holidays, weeknights, and Sunday supper.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes:ย Technically, you can air fry any potato. But for the ultimate air fryer baked potato, choose a russet which has a higher starch content and makes a fluffier potato. Russets are my favorite potato for mashed spuds, too.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork.
- Transfer potatoes to preheated air fryer basket and bake until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 40 minutes, turning potatoes after 20 minutes to ensure even cooking. Cool.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes. Add to a sturdy pot or large bowl and mash to a uniform consistency. ย Using a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until just incorporated.
- Slowly stir in ยฝ cup hot milk. Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to adjust the consistency as desired.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with chives if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield:ย This recipe makes about 5 cups mashed potatoes, enough for 4 servings, 1 heaping cup each.
- Storage:ย Store leftover mashed potatoes covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Not recommended; mashed potatoes wind up watery and unappetizing after thawing from frozen.
- Assisted mixing:ย If you donโt want to mash your potatoes by hand, add them to the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer.
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes:ย This freezer-defying recipe uses cream cheese and egg whites for more staying power in the cold, and itโs part of my completeย Make Ahead Thanksgiving menu.
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes:ย Another clever way to free up oven space!
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes:ย Add the peeled, cubed potatoes to the bottom of a pressure cooker. Add cold water to cover and 1 teaspoon salt. Close the lid, set the valve to seal, and cook on manual pressure for 8 minutes. Turn off the instant pot and quick-release the pressure. Drain potatoes well, return to pot, and mash well. Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes:ย Toast garlic in a skillet (orย roast whole bulbs of garlicย in the oven), peel, mince, and add to your mashed potatoes. Youโll need about 2 bulbs (40 cloves garlic) for every 5 pounds of potatoes.
- Cauliflower mash:ย For a low-carb, highly satisfying side dish, tryย Cauliflower Mashed Potatoesย (without a potato in sight).
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes:ย Soft-skinned small red potatoes mixed with fresh herbs and a block of Boursin cheese. You donโt even have to peel the potatoes!
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes:ย These mashers are flavored with fresh thyme and a touch of brown sugar. Or tryย Sweet Potato Casseroleย with a delicious marshmallow topping.
- Small batch:ย Making mashed potatoes for your next date night in? Try my scaled-downย Mashed Potatoes for Twoย recipe.
- Irish twist:ย Colcannonย is a delicious version of mashed potatoes with cooked cabbage or kale stirred in. Youโll love that extra texture and color!
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes:ย Top your mashed potatoes with plenty of shredded cheddar cheese,ย crispy cooked bacon, and thinly-sliced scallions.
- Potatoes topping:ย Delicious mashed potatoes are critical for the best possibleย Shepherdโs Pie.
- Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes: A fun, fast, and flavorful side dish your kids will love! They take almost half the time of baked potatoes, making them perfect for busy nights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a basic potato masher. A waffle-head masher will mash the potatoes into a smoother consistency, if you like them somewhere in-between.
Use a potato ricer (peeled potatoes) or food mill (unpeeled potatoes). These gadgets make the smallest, finest pieces of cooked potato, which fluff up beautifully.
Mashed potatoes wind up watery and unappetizing after thawing from frozen (unless the recipe is created for that purpose such as our freezer-defyingย Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipeย which uses cream cheese and egg whites for a little more staying power). I donโt recommend that you freeze regular mashed potatoes.
More holiday recipes
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Glazed Ham Recipe
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Air Fryer Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredientsย
Instructionsย
- Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork.
- Transfer potatoes to preheated air fryer and bake until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 40 minutes, turning potatoes after 20 minutes to ensure even cooking. Cool.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes. Add to a sturdy pot or large bowl and mash to a uniform consistency. ย Using a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until just incorporated.
- Slowly stir in ยฝ cup hot milk. Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to adjust the consistency as desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ยฝ teaspoon pepper) and garnish with fresh chives if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Potatoes: Technically, you can air fry any potato. But for the ultimate air fryer baked potato, choose a russet which has a higher starch content and makes a fluffier potato. Russets are my favorite potato for mashed spuds, too.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 5 c. mashed potatoes, enough for 4 servings, 1 heaping c. each.
- Storage:ย Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.