These Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes are smooth, creamy, packed with flavour and make the perfect side dish for any dinner!

I’m a sucker for a bowl of classic mashed potatoes, but sometimes it’s nice to switch things up. This sour cream and chive twist provides something that feels a little less heavy on the plate, but still offers loads of flavour. The sour cream adds a subtle tang and the chives keep things nice and fresh, which makes this especially good alongside richer, heavier mains. Follow me…

close up shot of sour cream chive mashed potatoes in large white dish

Ingredient Notes

You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this recipe. Nothing fancy – but they all come together to make the most irresistible mash. The full quantities are down in the recipe card, but just to quickly offer some short notes:

Floury potatoes are best – Maris Pipers (UK) and Russets (US) are great options for mash. Their higher starch content gives you a fluffier mash and helps them soak up all the dairy.
Salted butter works brilliantly – Butter is an absolute non-negotiable for good mash. You can use unsalted, but potatoes need plenty of seasoning anyway, so I usually start with salted butter and adjust from there.
A splash of whole milk – I originally tested this using only sour cream, but found the mash needed a little more body. Whole milk fixes that perfectly whilst still keeping the overall result a little less heavy. Half-and-half would also work.
Full-fat sour cream – This gives the mash that lovely subtle tang and helps keep everything rich and creamy without making it feel overly heavy.
Plenty of fresh chives – Fresh really is best here. I stir most of them through the mash, then save a small handful to scatter over at the end.

overhead shot of sour cream chive mash ingredients with text labels

Tips for Success

I’m sure everybody has their own way of making mashed potatoes, and this recipe truly is as easy as boiling and draining the potatoes, then mashing everything together. That said, there are a couple of game-changing tips I’ve picked up over the years that I really urge you to try:

Let the potatoes steam dry – Once drained, leave them in the colander for a minute so any excess steam can escape. Drier potatoes make for fluffier mash and help prevent it becoming watery.
Warm the milk and butter – I always add warm milk and melted butter rather than adding them in cold from the fridge. They blend into the hot potatoes much more easily, meaning you can get everything smooth without having to overwork the mash, which in turn would turn it gluey. I normally just use the residual heat from the pot to melt the butter and gently warm the milk while the potatoes steam dry.

Process shots: boil potatoes in salted water (photo 1), drain and steam dry (photo 2), heat milk and butter (photo 3), mash in potatoes then add sour cream (photo 4), add chives and seasoning (photo 5), stir (photo 6).

6 step by step photos showing how to make sour cream and chive mashed potatoes

Serving Suggestions

I especially love serving this with richer, saucier mains because the slight tang from the sour cream and freshness from the chives help balance everything out. It also works really nicely with big dinners like Thanksgiving and roast dinners.

In terms of specific dinners that I love pairing this with, here are my go-tos:

After more mashed potato twists? Check out my collection of Mashed Potato Recipes!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this sour cream and chive mash shall we?!

overhead shot of sour cream chive mash potatoes in large white serving dish

How to make Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes (Full Recipe & Video)

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

By: Chris Collins

These Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes are smooth, creamy, packed with flavour and make the perfect side dish for any dinner!

Prep: 15

Cook: 15

Total: 30

Servings:

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Equipment

Potato Peeler
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Pot & Colander
Potato Masher

Ingredients

▢ 3.3lb / 1.5kg Floury Potatoes, peeled & diced into chunks ~1"-1.5" (Russets/Maris Pipers work great)
▢ 2 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
▢ 1/4 cup / 60ml Whole Milk, leave at room temp (see notes)
▢ 6 tbsp / 90g Butter, sliced into small cubes and left at room temp
▢ 1/2 cup / 120ml full-fat Sour Cream, leave at room temp
▢ 1 bunch of Fresh Chives, finely diced (0.7oz/20g)
▢ Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Stir in 2 tsp salt, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook until completely knife-tender, around 15 minutes, but go by tenderness rather than the clock. Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave to sit for 1 minute to allow some steam/moisture to escape.
As soon as the potatoes are in the colander, add the butter and milk to the now-empty pot and stir until the butter melts (the residual heat should be enough to do this). Add the potatoes and mash until smooth.
Add the sour cream and most of the chives (save some to garnish) and stir until well blended (mash a little more if you need to). At this point, you can generously season to taste. I typically end up with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Remember, mashed potatoes can take a lot to season properly, so don't leave them bland.
Serve up with extra chives, then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Milk – I originally tested this recipe with all sour cream, but found the mash needed a little more body. Some whole milk fixes this perfectly, whilst keeping the mash a little less heavy than usual. Just make sure it’s definitely whole milk (not semi-skimmed or skimmed).

b) Seasoning – As mentioned, I do typically end up with 1 tsp to keep the mash well-seasoned, but I recommend starting off with less and working your way up; it’s much easier to add more than take it out.

c) Make ahead – Mash is always best served fresh, but you can allow the mash to cool completely, then tightly cover and store in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat in short bursts in the microwave, stirring as you go to ensure it heats evenly. If it dries out at all, just stir through a tablespoon or so of cream or milk.

d) Calories/Servings – This will offer 6 large portions or 8 smaller portions as part of a larger meal (i.e., Thanksgiving). Calories are the whole recipe divided by 6.