Master How to Boil Potatoes perfectly-start with cold water, use waxy spuds, salt the water, and store extras for quick, versatile meals.

Super easy and quick to master, learning how to boil potatoes will give you many options at mealtime. Serve boiled potatoes plain, or season them with butter or olive oil, and your choice of a variety of seasonings and herbs. Store them plain in the refrigerator and you always have a quick side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Boiled small whole golden potatoes in a white dish with a pepper mill and serving spoon.

🔍 Quick Look: How to Boil Potatoes

Ready in: 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: ~131 kcal per serving
Main Ingredients: Small golden potatoes & fine sea salt
Elements of Taste: Earthy, Starchy, & Creamy
Cook Method: Boil
Difficulty: Easy, making it great for cooks of all levels.
Why You'll Love It: Creamy whole potatoes are cooked to perfection and seasoned simply with salt and pepper - serve immediately, or cool rapidly to store in the fridge.

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🔍 Quick Look: How to Boil Potatoes
My Top Tips for Perfect Boiled Potatoes
Ingredient Notes
Instructions for Perfect Boiled Potatoes
Make-Ahead & Storage
Ideas for Serving Hot Boiled Potatoes
Ideas for Using Cooked Boiled Potatoes
More Potato Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

One of the first cooking skills I learned was how to boil potatoes. Plain-boiled potatoes are not just a starting point for potato recipes. They are also a key food I like to keep in my refrigerator because they are versatile and can help make a quick meal. So, when I boil potatoes, I like to cook enough for dinner and some extra that I can cool and store in the refrigerator.

Although it sounds simple, I have some special tips that help make perfect boiled potatoes every time.

My Top Tips for Perfect Boiled Potatoes

Use Waxy Potatoes. Waxy potatoes include new potatoes and fingerling potatoes, available in shades of white, red, golden, and purple. These varieties are very flavorful and, because they are lower in starch, slice well.
Don't Use Russet Potatoes. Starchy potatoes, such as russets, do not hold up well after boiling. Do not use these unless you are making mashed potatoes. So, save russets for baking, where their high starch makes for a perfectly fluffy baked potato.
Do Not Peel the Potatoes. Potatoes peel far more easily after they are cooked. So, unless you need to make a quick potato purée, skip peeling the potatoes before cooking.
Use a Large Pot. The pot should be large enough to hold no more than 2 layers of potatoes, and then cover them with at least 1 inch of cold water.
Start with Cold Water. Always start by covering the potatoes in cold water, then bring both the water and the potatoes to a boil. If you add whole potatoes to boiling water, they will cook unevenly, and the surface of the potato will be done much sooner than the center.
Salt the Water. The flavor of potatoes is greatly improved by salt. So be sure to add salt to the water when boiling potatoes. You can add it when the water is cold or sprinkle it in as the potatoes come to a boil.
Test for Doneness with a Toothpick. Potatoes are done when a fork, knife, or toothpick can be easily inserted into a potato. I prefer to use a toothpick to test, as it leaves a minimal hole and will not break apart the potato.
Drain and Cool. If you are cooking potatoes to keep on hand in the fridge, cool them quickly in cold water to stop the cooking. Overcooked potatoes will not slice easily and may break apart.

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients, labeled, from top: small golden potatoes, fine sea salt, and cold water.

Here's what you need to make perfect boiled potatoes:

Small Golden Potatoes - You can use any variety except russet potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes are all-purpose potatoes and my favorite variety. But white potatoes, red potatoes, and even the blue variety are good choices.
Cold Water - Starting with cold water lets the potatoes and the water heat up evenly together and the potatoes are cooked at the same rate from the surface to the inside.
Fine Sea Salt - I have a preference for sea salt here. But any variety of salt including plain, iodized, or kosher will work just fine.

Please see the recipe card for the quantities.

Instructions for Perfect Boiled Potatoes

Washing the potatoes with a scrub brush in a sink filled with water.

Wash. Wash and scrub the potatoes well with a vegetable brush.

Process Photo 2 - Covering the potatoes with cold water.

Cover with Water in Pan. Put the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a pan large enough to hold no more than 2 layers of potatoes. Cover them with at least 1 inch of cold water and add salt.

Process Photo 3 - Simmering the potatoes on the stove.

Simmer. Bring the potatoes to a boil in the salted water over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until they are tender, but not soft. A toothpick, fork, or knife will easily pierce a potato when it is cooked.

PRO-TIP: If the peel of the potato is wrinkled or split, the potato is overcooked. Overcooked potatoes will crumble when sliced or diced for salads. But you can still use the potatoes and serve them whole or make mashed potatoes.

Process Photo 4a - Cooling cooked potatoes quickly.

Process Photo 4b - Cooled cooked potatoes in a container for the refrigerator.

If you plan to store them in the refrigerator: Immediately drain the potatoes and rinse them in cold water. Allow the potatoes to cool completely, then store them in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Process Photo 4c - Cooked, hot, small whole potatoes in a white bowl seasoned with black pepper, flakey salt, and chopped green chives.

If you are serving them now: Immediately drain the potatoes and serve. You can also dress the potatoes with your choice of seasonings.

Make-Ahead & Storage

You can boil potatoes in advance. Allow the potatoes to cool completely, then store them in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

Ideas for Serving Hot Boiled Potatoes

You can serve drained and freshly cooked boiled potatoes plain or toss them with any of the following:

Salted Butter or Olive Oil
Flakey Salt and Black Pepper
Fresh Chives or Parsley
Fresh Thyme or Dill
Vinaigrette Dressing or Sour Cream
Cooked Bacon or Finely Diced Ham
Grated Parmesan Cheese and Butter

Ideas for Using Cooked Boiled Potatoes

More Potato Recipes You'll Love

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📖 Recipe

How to Boil Potatoes

5 from 1 vote

By: Jan Nunes

Master How to Boil Potatoes perfectly-start with cold water, use waxy spuds, salt the water, and store extras for quick, versatile meals.

Print Pin

Prep Time ~ 5

Cook Time ~ 25

Total Time ~ 30

Servings ~ Servings

Calories ~ 131kcal

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Equipment

▢
Vegetable Brush
▢
Large Pot

Ingredients

▢ 3 Pounds Small Golden Potatoes
▢ Cold Water
▢ 1 Tablespoon Fine Sea Salt

Instructions

Wash. Wash and scrub the potatoes well with a vegetable brush.
Cover with Water in Pan. Put the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a pot large enough to hold no more than 2 layers of potatoes. Cover them with at least 1 inch of cold water and add the salt.
3 Pounds Small Golden Potatoes, 1 Tablespoon Fine Sea Salt, Cold Water
Simmer. Bring the potatoes to a boil in the salted water over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until they are tender, but not soft. A toothpick, fork, or knife will easily pierce a potato when it is cooked.
PRO-TIP: If the peel of the potato is wrinkled or split, the potato is overcooked.
If your plan is to store them in the refrigerator: Immediately drain the potatoes and rinse them in cold water. Allow the potatoes to cool completely, then store them in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
If you are serving them now: Immediately drain the potatoes and serve. You can also dress the potatoes with your choice of seasonings.

Notes

My Top Tips

Use Waxy Potatoes. Waxy potatoes are fingerling and new potatoes in shades of white, red, golden, and purple. They are very flavorful, and because they are lower in starch, they slice well.

Don't Use Russet Potatoes. Russet potatoes are very starchy and do not hold up well after being boiled. Do not use these unless you are making mashed potatoes. So, save russets for baking where their high starch becomes the perfect fluffy baked potato.

Do Not Peel the Potatoes. Potatoes peel far more easily after they are cooked, so skip peeling them before they are cooked unless you need to make a quick potato purée.

Use a Large Pot. The pot should be large enough to hold no more than 2 layers of potatoes, which should then be covered with at least 1 inch of cold water.

Start with Cold Water. Always start with the potatoes covered in cold water and then bring both the water and potatoes to a boil. If you add whole potatoes to boiling water they will cook unevenly and the surface of the potato will be done much sooner than the center.

Salt the Water. Salt greatly improves the flavor of potatoes, so be sure to add salt to the water when boiling them. You can add it when the water is cold or sprinkle it in as the potatoes come to a boil.

Test for Doneness with a Toothpick. Potatoes are done when a fork, knife, or toothpick easily pierces them. I prefer to use a toothpick to test, as it leaves a minimal hole and will not break apart the potato.

Drain and Cool. If you are cooking potatoes to keep on hand in the fridge, cool them quickly with cold water to stop the cooking process. Overcooked potatoes will not slice easily and may break apart.

Cook in Advance. You can cook potatoes in advance. Allow the potatoes to cool completely and store the cooled potatoes in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

Make-Ahead & Storage

You can boil potatoes in advance. Allow the potatoes to cool completely, then store them in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

Encharted Cook™ or Jan Nunes shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American