How To Make the Best-Ever Mashed Potatoes, According to Martha Stewart (And Her Mom)

Jo Ann Liguori

Thu, November 20, 2025 at 7:32 PM UTC

5 min read

Martha Stewart's mashed potatoes recipe is a culinary heirloom passed down from her mother, featuring Yukon Gold potatoes and cream cheese for a smooth and indulgent mash.
Cream cheese is a key ingredient in Martha Stewart's mashed potatoes, adding body, smoothness, and subtle sharp notes that balance out the sweetness of the Yukon Gold potatoes.
Martha Stewart's mashed potatoes recipe involves steaming the potatoes, passing them through a ricer, and adding cream cheese, butter, cream, and milk for a velvety consistency that retains its taste and texture well after reheating.

Mashed potatoes are the epitome of comfort food : creamy, rich and endlessly adaptable. Whether they're piled high alongside slices of your Thanksgiving turkey , spoooned on top of a shepherd's pie or baked into snack bites , mashed potatoes are delicious in all forms. They make any meal feel like home.

Part of this dish's enduring magic is its simplicity. Whip up a few cooked spuds with some butter, some milk or cream and a generous hit of S&P, and you're basically good to go. But why not make a good thing even better? It seems every family has their own special twist on mashed potatoes, with "secret ingredients" ranging from roasted garlic to mayo .

And Martha Stewart 's family is no exception. I recently learned about how Martha's family makes this beloved side feel special, and it all starts with a recipe originally developed by her late mother. As a huge Martha fan, I just had to try the holiday dish that helped form her origin story.

So what did I actually think of Martha Stewart's mashed potato recipe? Read on for my honest review.

What Makes Martha Stewart's Mashed Potatoes So Special?

Martha Stewart's mashed potatoes aren't just a side dish; they're a culinary heirloom modeled on a recipe handed down by Stewart's mother, Martha Kostyra, who was affectionately known as Big Martha. During Stewart's childhood, Big Martha's signature mashed potatoes were a staple at countless holiday gatherings and everyday dinners, Stewart shared with TheNew York Times .

Over time, Stewart has made only minor tweaks to the original recipe. While Big Martha's version used fluffy Idaho russet potatoes, Stewart prefers Yukon Gold potatoes, which have a more tender texture and sweeter, more buttery taste. Stewart also runs the spuds through a ricer or food mill for the silkiest mash imaginable. But rest assured: Stewart's version delivers classic indulgence, all thanks to a blend of butter, milk, cream and cream cheese .

Wait, Why Add Cream Cheese to Mashed Potatoes?

Cream cheese might sound like an unconventional ingredient for mashed potatoes, but it's a star ingredient in Stewart's family recipe. Cream cheese adds body and smoothness while bringing in subtly sharp notes that balance out the sweetness of Yukon Golds.

The soft spread blends seamlessly into the mashed potatoes. Compared with other popular potato add-ins, like sour cream, many mashed potato aficionados say cream cheese helps the potatoes hold up better during reheating. Overall, cream cheese is ideal for achieving a smooth mash with nice flavor complexity. Once you've tried cream cheese in your mashed potatoes, you might wonder how you ever made this dish without it.

Ingredients Needed for Martha Stewart's Mashed Potatoes

Here's everything you'll need to make this classic side. (You can find all of the specific recipe details on NYT Cooking .)

Yukon Gold potatoes
Cream cheese
Unsalted butter
Heavy cream
Whole milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

How To Make Martha Stewart's Mashed Potatoes

You can find the full recipe here , but here's a rundown of the process.

Fill a large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water, add a pinch of salt and set a steamer basket in the pot, making sure the basket doesn't touch the water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Add the whole potatoes to the steamer basket, cover the pot and steam the potatoes until tender, 30 to 45 minutes depending on size. Remove the potatoes from the pot.

When the potatoes are just cool enough to handle, rub off the skins and discard. Cut the potatoes into pieces and pass through a ricer or food mill into a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, butter, cream and milk to the bowl, then mash with a masher (or beat with an electric mixer). Season with salt and pepper, and beat to desired consistency.

Return the mashed potatoes to the pot and cover to keep warm until serving.

My Honest Review of Martha Stewart's Mashed Potatoes

C'mon, it's Martha. Of course these mashed potatoes are the bomb—smooth and rich without feeling dense. The cream cheese imparts a velvety consistency and subtle tang that makes this version more interesting than your average mash, while the Yukon Golds come through beautifully with their earthy, naturally sweet notes.

This recipe also scores major points for the prep method. Steaming the potatoes—rather than boiling them— is a genius way to prevent the mash from getting watery. And passing the spuds through a ricer left no lumps. These simple yet smart steps delivered perfect results.

Also worth noting: The mashed potatoes retained their taste and texture well after reheating, which makes them a dream for make-ahead Thanksgiving prep .

Tips for Making Martha Stewart's Mashed Potatoes

If you want to make Martha's mashed potatoes (and you definitely should!), here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind.

Properly cook the potatoes

Over- or under-steaming would mess with the texture of your mash. The potatoes are done when you can slide a paring knife in with no resistance—and before they start breaking apart. If your potatoes vary widely in size, start checking them early and remove each potato from the pot as it's done.

De-chill the dairy

For proper integration with the potatoes, let the cream cheese and butter soften up at room temperature. Similarly, cream and milk and mix more easily into the potatoes when they've been warmed up on the stove first.

Don't overmix

Once you've achieved your desired texture, step away from the electric beaters! Whipping mashed potatoes for too long can result in a gluey mess.

If you're looking for mashed potatoes that taste both deeply homey and a little bit fancy, Martha Stewart's family recipe totally delivers.

This story was originally published by Parade on Nov 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.