There’s no single answer to how long you should boil a potato. It depends on what you’re making, what potato you’re using, and how you’ve cut it.

For instance, are you making fluffy mashed potatoes, a potato salad that holds its shape, or preparing them for a crispy roast? Each requires a different approach and timing.

But don’t worry — this doesn’t need to be complicated. This guide cuts through the confusion to give you exactly what you need to know, whether you’re working with waxy reds, starchy russets, or versatile Yukon Golds. No unnecessary steps, no precious techniques. Just potatoes, cooked right.

The Essential Timing Guide

For mashed potatoes:

  • Russets (cut into 1-inch chunks): 15-20 minutes
  • Yukon Golds (my preference, chunked): 12-15 minutes
  • Start in cold water for even cooking and fluffier results

For potato salad:

  • Waxy potatoes like reds (chunked): 10-15 minutes
  • Slightly undercook them—they should hold their shape but yield to a fork
  • Starting in boiling water helps maintain texture

For other uses:

  • Baby potatoes (whole): 10-15 minutes
  • Russets (whole): 25-30 minutes
  • Yukon Golds (whole): 20-25 minutes
  • Red potatoes (whole): 15-20 minutes

Size Matters

Cut your potatoes into consistent sizes. This isn’t fussy chef talk — it’s the practical thing to do as a home cook. Uniform 1-inch chunks will cook evenly; random chunks will give you some mush and some crunch. Nobody wants that.

For large, whole potatoes, pierce the skin a few times with a fork before boiling. It’s not just to prevent them from exploding (which they rarely do in water anyway); it helps them cook more evenly.

Salt Like You Mean It

Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per quart of water before adding your potatoes, preferably as the water comes to a boil. Table salt works too, but use about half as much.

This isn’t just about flavor, although potatoes seasoned from within taste infinitely better than those salted after cooking. Salt in the cooking water actually helps the potatoes cook more evenly.

Hot Start or Cold Start?

Starting potatoes in cold water makes logical sense — they heat gradually and cook evenly from the outside in. This is particularly important for starchy varieties like russets, which can develop a gummy exterior while remaining undercooked inside if dropped into boiling water. For mashed potatoes, always begin with cold water; you’ll get fluffier, more evenly cooked results.

But there are times when a boiling water start makes sense. When making potato salad with waxy potatoes, dropping them into already-boiling water helps maintain their structure. The quick heat seals the exterior somewhat, preventing the potatoes from absorbing too much water and falling apart when mixed with dressing. This technique also shaves several minutes off your cooking time.

For baby potatoes or small new potatoes with delicate skins you want to preserve, the hot-start method also works well. Just ease them in gently with a slotted spoon rather than dropping them, which can cause splashing and potential burns.

How to Know Your Potatoes Done

Treat timing as a compass, not a map. To determine your potatoes’ doneness, trust your fork:

  • For mashed potatoes: The fork should slide through with almost no resistance
  • For potato salad: There should be slight resistance, but no crunch
  • The knife test: A paring knife should slide in easily but the potato shouldn’t fall apart

What Can Go Wrong (And How to Fix It)

Waterlogged Potatoes

They result from overboiling, cutting potatoes too small, or letting them cool in the cooking water.

To fix this situation, drain your potatoes immediately after they’re done, then return them to the empty, hot pot for a minute or two. The residual heat will evaporate excess moisture.

For mashed potatoes specifically, heat your milk and butter before adding them — this reduces the time the potatoes are exposed to additional liquid. If you consistently end up with soggy spuds, consider steaming instead of boiling next time; it’s a gentler cooking method that introduces less moisture.

Undercooked Potatoes

Simply return them to simmering water and check every few minutes until they reach the desired tenderness.

If you’re dealing with partially cooked potatoes that are already part of a finished dish, microwave them with a damp paper towel over the top — the steam will help them finish cooking quickly.

When potatoes are just slightly underdone, you can often just cover the pot after draining and let the residual heat finish the cooking process without additional boiling.

Unevenly Cooked Potatoes

Uneven cooking typically happens when you mix potato types or cut them inconsistently. The solution starts before you even turn on the stove: sort potatoes by size and aim for uniform pieces.

Ensure the water fully covers your potatoes by at least an inch, and don’t crowd the pot — water needs to circulate freely around each piece. A wider pot with less depth often works better than a tall, narrow one because it allows more potatoes to be in direct contact with the heat source while still having enough water movement.

Practical Tips Worth Knowing

Equipment matters:

  • Use a heavy-bottomed pot large enough for water circulation
  • Position your colander in the sink before draining — hot potatoes wait for no one

Time-savers:

  • Cut potatoes up to 24 hours ahead and store in cold water in the refrigerator
  • Parcook whole potatoes in the microwave for 4-5 minutes to cut boiling time in half

Multi-tasking opportunities:

  • Add garlic cloves, bay leaves, or peppercorns to the water for subtle flavor
  • Cook carrots or other similar-density vegetables alongside your potatoes

The Bottom Line

Boiling potatoes isn’t complicated, but it’s not just about setting a timer either. Pay attention to your potatoes, not the clock, and you’ll nail it every time. When in doubt, slightly undercook — you can always cook them more, but you can’t undo mush.