Here's How To Save Mashed Potatoes That Are Too Salty

Salt is an essential addition to mashed potatoes when it comes to flavor, but overdoing it can lead to an unpalatable side dish. Fortunately, there are a few easy and effective ways to rescue overly salty potatoes, including the addition of dairy products. Adding something like milk, which has a very mild flavor, will neutralize the aggressively salty spuds without altering the flavor of the side dish significantly.

Because adding a liquid to mashed potatoes can leave them too runny, you may want to use unsalted butter instead. Unsalted butter will enhance the creaminess of the potatoes while simultaneously paring down the saltiness, but it won't contribute to runniness like milk might. In the same respect, consider adding cream cheese or sour cream to mashed potatoes, as sour cream contributes to unbelievable flavors and textures, while also amending the overabundance of salt. If you're not too enthused about adding more fat to the dish, you can go another route and increase the serving of vegetables instead.

Because you can't decrease the amount of salt you've added to your potatoes, the next best thing is to beef up the concentration of potatoes in the recipe. To do so, take some raw potatoes and toss them into your food processor or blender. You can also use a potato ricer if one is available, which will ensure the best possible texture of the finished dish. Add the raw potatoes to the cooked potatoes and mix well to ensure they're fully incorporated.

Cauliflower is also beneficial for taming salty mashed potatoes, along with adding essential nutrients. According to Healthline, cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and minerals, while also being low in calories. To add the vegetable to your potatoes, mash it the same way you would spuds (i.e., using a food processor or ricer). You can also leave the cauliflower a little chunkier for a nice contrast in textures. If you're looking for a way to adjust saltiness and experience mashed potatoes like you never have before, there's one more method to try.

It might seem outlandish, but incorporating acidic ingredients like lemon juice is an effective way to tame intense salty flavors in mashed potatoes. Add lemon juice a little at a time and taste the potatoes after each addition to prevent them from becoming too sour. While it can depend on how much salt was added, you may be able to get away with using just a few drops of lemon juice.

If you're still not convinced that lemon juice is a worthy addition to mashed potatoes, consider that a beloved celebrity homemaker and chef approves of the combination. Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, developed a recipe for pureed potatoes with lemon, proving the two ingredients work beautifully together. Garten's recipe features Yukon gold potatoes and lemon zest, along with milk, unsalted butter, black pepper, and kosher salt. With these easy yet effective hacks, you never need to worry about the agony of over-salted mashed potatoes again.