That advice comes from certain culinary “hacks” or health claims, but it depends on why you’re doing it. Here’s a clear breakdown:
🥔 Mashed Potatoes Basics
- Traditional recipe:
- Most mashed potato recipes add milk, cream, or butter for creaminess and flavor.
- Water alone can be used, but it may make potatoes less rich and a bit gluey if overmixed.
- Why some say “don’t add milk or water”:
- Texture: Over‑hydrating can make potatoes too soft or watery.
- Health claims: Some viral posts claim skipping milk prevents fat or cholesterol, but this is minor — it only slightly reduces calories/fat.
- Flavor: Pure mashed potato flavor comes through if you just mash cooked potatoes with a little oil, butter, or seasoning, without extra liquid.
- Alternatives:
- Olive oil or broth instead of milk: adds creaminess and flavor with less saturated fat.
- Greek yogurt or avocado: healthy fat and tangy taste, can replace milk/cream.
✅ Bottom line:
- You don’t have to add milk or water, but skipping them mostly changes texture and richness, not your health dramatically.
- If your goal is healthier mashed potatoes, using olive oil or yogurt instead of milk/cream is a safer, tastier tweak than just leaving potatoes dry.
If you want, I can give a super-easy mashed potato method that’s creamy, healthy, and doesn’t need milk or water — it’s actually delicious. Do you want me to do that?