These Rosemary Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side for fall and the holidays! They're made with sauteed onion and rosemary, they're really creamy and so easy to make! You can keep them classic or make them dairy free.
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Why This Recipe Works
Creamy and flavorful - These are probably the creamiest potatoes I've ever made. They're mashed using a handheld mixer which is what makes the texture so smooth and creamy. Sauteed onion with garlic and fresh rosemary give these potatoes a ton of flavor with minimum effort.
Easy to make - The recipe calls only for simple easy-to-find ingredients and everything comes together really easily. Using a handheld mixer also makes mashing the potatoes easier and creamier as a bonus!
Versatile - If you don't have fresh rosemary, you can use dried rosemary or opt for fresh oregano, sage, or marjoram. The recipe is easy to turn vegan-friendly. I use cashew milk and regular butter which you can easily swap for a vegan one.
Ingredient Notes
- Russet potatoes - These are the perfect potato variety for this recipe. They're high-starch and yield light and fluffy potatoes when mashed. Their starchy drier texture allows them to soak up any sauces (milk, butter, gravy, etc.) which makes them the perfect choice for mashed potatoes.
- Onion - Yellow onion is the best choice here. Shallots or red onion can also be used if necessary. I recommend chopping it as finely as you can to avoid having big chunks of onion in the potatoes and it will also increase the caramelized flavor.
- Fresh rosemary - I highly recommend fresh rosemary over-dried if you have it available. You'll saute it with the onion and it gives the mashed potatoes so much more flavor than dried rosemary would. It's also softer and not as "prickly" as dried rosemary.
- Garlic - You can either use fresh minced garlic or garlic powder but I highly recommend fresh, it adds a ton more flavor!
- Butter - You can use regular or vegan. If I'm using regular, I usually go with salted one. Try to always go with one made with sea salt.
- Milk - Any milk you prefer in mashed potatoes works here. My dairy-free go to is cashew milk because it has a mild flavor that doesn't change the flavor of the potatoes as almond milk would. Regular cow's milk also works great.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, cook the potatoes. While they're cooking, you'll have time to prep the rest of the recipe.
Peel and dice your potatoes and add them to a large pot. The smaller you dice them, the quicker they will cook. Cover them with water and add a good pinch of salt. Bring them to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until soft.
While the potatoes are cooking, sautee the aromatics.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter, oil, finely diced onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, add finely chopped rosemary and more butter if needed, and cook for another couple of minutes. Lastly add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
When your potatoes are done cooking, drain them and return to the pot. Add the sauteed onion,rosemary, and garlic and milk and butter.
You can either use a potato masher to mash the potatoes or a handheld electrical mixer. Both work, it just depends on how smooth you want the potatoes to be. Most often, I opt for the mixer. Plus it's less arm work and I find it quicker.
Serving and Storing
Serve the potatoes while they're still hot, drizzled with more melted butter, and garnished with strings of fresh rosemary if desired.
You can serve these with anything you'd normally serve mashed potatoes with. They make the perfect side for any holiday dinner and can be made ahead!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Make sure the potatoes have cooled completely before closing the container with a lid.
To warm the mashed potatoes back up, transfer them to a skillet or a sauce pan and add a splash of milk and some butter to make sure they don't stick. Heat them up gently while stirring often until heated through.
FAQs
I use cashew milk to make these which is vegan but I also add regular butter so they're not fully vegan. You can easily use dairy-free butter and milk to make these potatoes vegan-friendly.
If you're out of rosemary, fresh thyme or sage would work just as well. Marjoram is also a great choice or any combination of those herbs.
Yes, it's best to freeze them in a freezer-safe bag. That way you can break them up easily and they will defrost faster. Make sure you add a good amount of butter and milk to the potatoes so that they're creamy after defrosting. Defrost in the fridge overnight and heat up on the stove.
Other Potato Recipes
Potatoes always make the best recipes and so I'm including five of my favorite ones below! Especially those waffles and Mediterranean potatoes! To see all the latest sides, head over to the Sides category.
📖 Recipe
Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Rosemary Mashed Potatoes are made with fresh rosemary and make the perfect holiday side! Really easy, simple, and so creamy!
Ingredients
- 1000g russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into even pieces
- 1 tsp sea salt, divided
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (½-¾ cup chopped)
- 3-4 strings of fresh rosemary, stems removed, finely chopped (2-3 tbsp)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 cup cashew milk plus more as needed
- Black pepper to taste (optional)
- More melted butter and fresh rosemary for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Add ½ teaspoon sea salt. The smaller you chop the potatoes, the quicker they will cook but once they start boiling they will take 15-20 minutes to cook. Use a fork to see when they’re done. They should be very soft.
- While the potatoes are cooking, cook the onion.
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter, avocado oil, finely chopped onion, and the remaining ½ teaspoon sea salt.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until glossy. Stir often. Add more oil or butter if needed.
- Add the rosemary and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir often.
- Lastly, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Take the pan off the heat and set it aside.
- Once the potatoes are soft, drain them and add them back to the pot.
- Add 1 cup of cashew milk and the cooked onion, rosemary, and garlic mixture.
- Use a potato masher or a hand mixer to mash the potatoes. I like mine very smooth so I use a potato mixer. Just be careful and start slow so the milk and potatoes don’t splash.
- Add more milk as needed to achieve desired consistency. Add more salt and pepper to taste if desired.
- Serve topped with more melted butter and fresh rosemary for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
Butter and oil: The recipe calls for both butter and oil for cooking the onion, rosemary, and garlic. Butter adds flavor and oil prevents the butter from burning too quickly because it has a higher smoke point. You can use either or both.
Storing: Once cool, store the potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
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Enri Lemoine
I made these mashed potatoes last night, and they were simply delicious. I think I'm making them for my 2022 Thanksgiving gathering. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Heidy
Wow, these Rosemary Mashed Potatoes had fabulous flavor, and I loved how the rosemary complemented the mashed potatoes! I will be making these again for the holidays!
Amanda
These mashed potatoes are so good! I just love the fresh flavor the rosemary added, and they were perfectly rich and creamy.
Jessica
Perfect side dish for our chicken thighs last night! The rosemary is such a great blend with the potatoes, even the kids were asking for more :)
Sean
These were wonderful and fluffy with a great flavor. Just the way I like my potatoes.
Erin
These potatoes were SO good! Totally making these for Thanksgiving, thanks!
Kristina
I love rosemary and mashed potatoes but have never thought of using them together- boy was I missing out! These are so much better than plain mashed potatoes. I did make the vegan version using oat milk and dairy-free butter...yum!
ramona
I love mashed potatoes and i cant wait to try out this recipe, thank you for sharing this!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
I could have an entire meal of just mashed potatoes! These were so flavorful and incredibly easy! Seriously, thank you so much for sharing!