Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes with Thyme

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Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes with Thyme | Complete your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table with these super savory, creamy mashed potatoes with brown butter and fresh thyme. These 4 simple ingredients will turn your ordinary mashed potatoes into a star side dish - while keeping it easy enough for any day of the week.

Mashed potatoes in a bowl topped with browned butter and chopped rosemary.

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What is browned butter?
Ingredients
Substitutions
Instructions
Tips for making browned butter and mashed potatoes
What to serve with Mashed Potatoes
Storage
FAQ
Recipe

Have you ever browned butter? It's exactly as it sounds - butter that has been browned. It's easy to do and it really brings your mashed potato recipe to a whole new level. Trust me. These will be the best creamy potatoes with such deep flavor.

If you love mashed potatoes and you're looking to try a new side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner or maybe your Christmas dinner, then try these brown butter mashed potatoes. They'll go great with this Shortcut Thanksgiving Stuffing, roasted green beans, and my homemade brioche buns.

Why is this mashed potatoes recipe that good?

Because:

browned butter is deliciously nutty and easy to make - it makes everything better from mashed potatoes to chocolate chip cookies to pasta with Greek Mizithra cheese (Old Spaghetti Factory anyone?)
fresh thyme is magical with potatoes and adds a wonderfully herby and savory quality
this whole dish uses only 5 ingredients - that's awesome, right?
it's super delicious. Seriously. Such rich flavor!

Browned butter takes mashed potatoes from ordinary to amazing. Browned butter is also fantastic over pasta with Mizithra cheese and it's great in sweet baking as well, such as in cookies and brownie recipes.

What is browned butter?

Browned butter is butter that has been cooked over medium heat until the milk solids separate and drop to the bottom of the pan and begin to brown. This results in a nutty flavor.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

Potatoes, a cup of milk, butter cubes, a bowl of yogurt and bowls with salt and pepper, and rosemary on a white marble counter.

butter: before cooking, cut the butter into equal sized chunks so it melts evenly.
fresh thyme: strip the leaves off of a few thyme sprigs.
potatoes: I use russet potatoes - I think they are a good potato for many dishes from baking to mashing. You can use Yukon gold potatoes if you prefer.
heavy cream: for a rich creaminess. You can omit this and use milk only.
milk: I don't like using all cream in this recipe because I don't like that much added fat. Feel free to use all cream if you prefer it.

Substitutions

Fresh herbs: Try a different herb like fresh rosemary or fresh sage in place of the thyme. I grow lemon thyme in my garden and have used that in this recipe as well - it's fantastic.
Heavy cream: I like to use plain Greek yogurt in place of the heavy cream a lot of the time when I make this but either one is good.
Dairy-free tips: while you can easily substitute dairy free milk, cream, or yogurt into this recipe, the brown butter part gets tricky. I've tried browning plant butter or just melting it in a skillet, but due to the different ingredients, it basically just sputters and spits. Diary butter browns when the milk solids separate and brown. That's isn't possible in plant butter.

A small skillet, light in color, is great for this recipe. A lighter color skillet will help you gauge the color of the butter while you are browning it.

Instructions

Prep Tips

Cut a stick of butter into even sized large chunks.
Strip the leaves off of a few sprigs of thyme
Prep the other ingredients so everything is ready once the potatoes are done.

How to make browned butter

Cut a stick of butter into even sized large chunks.
Heat a light colored small saucepan (or a small skillet) over medium heat and add the butter.
Heat the butter, stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes. The milk solids will fall to the bottom of the pot and begin to brown. The liquid will be dark amber/brown.
Stop the cooking process by pouring the butter into a small bowl.
Strip the leaves off of a few thyme stems and drop the leaves into the butter. They will snap and pop. Set aside until needed.

Butter melts in a stainless steel skillet.

Melt the butter.

Stirring browned butter with a wooden spoon in a stainless steel skillet.

Stir while the butter cooks.

The butter is done when golden with brown bits on the bottom.

Pouring browned butter into a small bowl.

Move to a bowl to stop it cooking.

TIP: The smaller you cut your potatoes, the quicker they will cook.

How to make mashed potatoes

Peel and cut potatoes into large, even chunks.
Set the potatoes into a large pot of salted water.
Bring to a boil.
Boil for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Drain the potatoes and set the pot back onto the still warm element. (You don't need to turn it back on). Let the remaining water cook off of the potatoes for a few minutes.
Reserve some brown butter for garnish, and add the rest of the browned butter to the potatoes, along with the cream, milk, salt, and pepper.
Use a potato masher and mash the potatoes, combining all of the ingredients.

Potatoes are chopped on a wooden cutting board.

Cut the potatoes into even chunks for even cooking.

Mash the boiled potatoes.

Pouring browned butter into a pot of mashed potatoes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

A spoon is used to smooth mashed potatoes in a bowl.

Smooth with a spoon.

Mashed potatoes in a bowl topped with browned butter.

Garnish with brown butter.

Add chopped thyme or rosemary.

How to Plate Mashed Potatoes

Scoop the potatoes into your serving dish.

Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon and use the spoon to make some little valleys on the surface. I make mine in a swirl shape, leading from the inside to the outside of the bowl.

Drizzle the reserved browned butter, letting it settle into the little valleys in the potatoes.

Scatter more fresh thyme over the top. Serve hot.

Tips for making browned butter and mashed potatoes

potatoes for mashing: Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes work best for their starchy texture. I use Russets for this recipe.
mashing: don't overmix or over mash the potatoes, they'll turn out gluey and thick instead of light, fluffy, and creamy.
season: after mashing the potatoes, taste and then season with salt and pepper as needed.
the pan matters: you can brown butter in any pot or pan but a light colored pan or a stainless steel pan or skillet allows you to see what's happening.
watch carefully: Butter can burn while browning, and only takes 10 minutes to brown, so be sure to watch and stir.

What to serve with Mashed Potatoes

I love these mashed potatoes as a side dish for anything from a weeknight dinner, to Sunday dinner, to part of a big holiday spread. Try this recipe with other sides like brown sugar brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli and carrots, or roasted sesame broccoli.

Try these on the side of panko chicken strips, orange cranberry meatballs (extra holiday flair!), or keep it vegetarian with oyster mushroom po'boys, or easy baked lentil balls.

Use the leftovers to make crispy potato tacos!

Storage

Leftover mashed potatoes keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or try reheating them in a frying pan. Add milk while reheating to restore the potatoes to their creamy texture.

FAQ

Which potatoes do you use for browned butter mashed potatoes?

I use russet potatoes. Russet Potatoes are good for baking + boiling. (And French fries!) This recipe uses 3 pounds of potatoes - about 8 medium-sized potatoes. Yukon Golds are commonly used for mashed potatoes as well.

What is browned butter?

Browned butter is butter that has been cooked to separate the milk solids. The milk solids turn into crispy little brown bits and the butter turns beautiful golden brown color. The result is a nutty flavor.

How do you make browned butter?

You cook it slowly while stirring and being careful not to burn it until the solids drop to the bottom of the pan and begin to brown and the liquid butter turns amber. This takes about 10 minutes total.

Recipe