AI-generated photo.
American · Signature, Thanksgiving · United States · Holiday
Mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes (mashed potatoes), a Thanksgiving dish from the United States.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Mashed potatoes is cooked in Thanksgiving as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Boil the potatoes until a knife slips in, then mash them with warm milk and butter until they are smooth and still a little rough. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
79
Health score
Light & nourishing
Healthy
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 9%
- Carbs 61%
- Fat 31%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Suits · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium stay modest, with some fiber.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 4.6 g, under the 25 g mark.
Suits · Low sodium
About 313 mg of sodium, under the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Watch · Dairy-free
A milk ingredient is in the required list.
Suits · Vegetarian
No meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Suits · Gentle when sick
Mild, not fried, and not a very rich plate. Comfort, not a treatment.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Potato135 kcal
- Unsalted butter54 kcal
- Whole milk18 kcal
- Black pepper1 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 22.2. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 207 kcal. Two portions would be about 414 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. Milk
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 155 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Swap the main ingredient for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.
The seasoning and the method stay. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 207 kcal | 10% |
| Protein | 4.6 g | 9% |
| Carbohydrate | 32.2 g | 12% |
| Fiber | 3.7 g | 13% |
| Total sugars | 2.8 g | 6% |
| Fat | 7.2 g | 9% |
| Saturated fat | 4.4 g | 22% |
| Cholesterol | 20 mg | 7% |
| Sodium | 313 mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 794 mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 61 mg | 5% |
| Iron | 1.4 mg | 8% |
| Magnesium | 44 mg | 10% |
| Zinc | 0.7 mg | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 61 mcg | 7% |
| Vitamin C | 34.5 mg | 38% |
| Vitamin D | 0.3 mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin E | 0.2 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin K | 4 mcg | 3% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.2 mg | 13% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.1 mg | 8% |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.9 mg | 12% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.5 mg | 32% |
| Folate | 27 mcg | 7% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.2 mcg | 7% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sodium stays in a comfortable range.
- Much of the energy comes from a fast starch such as white rice, white flour, or sugar.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Potato6 potatoes700 g
Unsalted butter2 tbsp30 g
Whole milk0.5 cup117 ml
Black pepper0.5 tsp1 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Swap the main ingredient for the same weight of firm tofu or chickpeas when you want a meatless pot.. The seasoning and the method stay.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Mashed potatoes. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh potato, unsalted butter, whole milk, black pepper, kosher salt. Mashed potatoes is cooked in Thanksgiving as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Boil the potatoes until a knife slips in, then mash them with warm milk and butter until they are smooth and still a little rough. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Mashed potatoes is cooked in united states. Add the herb at the end so it stays green and fragrant.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Mashed potatoes, until the edges take a little color. Tomato sauce is ready when it looks darker and a spoon leaves a brief line.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Mashed potatoes at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 28 minutes. Mashed potatoes is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
Simmer 28 min
- 🇺🇸 United StatesNorth Americasig-united-states-mashed-potatoes-step-4
Mashed potatoes, step 5
Step 5 · Mashed potatoes
5Check the center of Mashed potatoes, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇺🇸 United StatesNorth Americasig-united-states-mashed-potatoes-step-5
Mashed potatoes, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Mashed potatoes for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in united states, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Mashed potatoes in this shot order and no other: steam rising off the finished plate; a colander and a cloud of steam; the table set with the garnish in a small bowl; a knife sliding into the potato or vegetable. Slate words for the editor: apron, ramekin, reduce, ivory, birch, ridge, iron, caramel, anchor, ripple.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Mashed potatoes is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
If it goes wrong
- Mashed potatoes looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Mashed potatoes turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Mashed potatoes, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Mashed potatoes belongs to Thanksgiving. The method above is the one that makes it recognizable.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Boil the potatoes until a knife slips in, then mash them with warm milk and butter until they are smooth and still a little rough.
Allergens in the required list: Milk.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.