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Home » Uncategorized

How to Steam Potatoes

Jul 23, 2015 · 7 Comments

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Steamed potatoes with butter and herbs.

 

Steamed potatoes. Don’t they sound…kind of boring? I’d never really thought about steamed potatoes.

For my friend’s birthday party, her husband made an incredible clam steam. Along with the clams, sausages, and corn, there were, you guessed it, steamed potatoes. At first I thought I’d give the steamed potatoes a pass. I mean, they were just potatoes! Better to save tummy room for those clams, right?

Well, after I’d eaten my share of clams, I still had a wee bit of room–perfect for half a potato. Since these were large white potatoes, I asked my husband to share with me. (Spoiler: This does not end well for Greg.) I cut the potato in half, poured some melted butter on it and gave it a generous sprinkle of salt.

Oh my! This potato was so good! It’s flesh was creamy while the skin remained almost “snappy” without being tough. When Greg decided to nab his share of the potato, I, um, decided I didn’t feel like sharing!

I wondered if I loved the potatoes so much because they steamed above clams and sausages or if perhaps steamed potatoes were just that good. After making several batches this summer, I can affirm: they are just that good.

Here’s how to make them. (You’ll need a steamer basket to make the potatoes. That’s it!)

Rinsing potatoes under running water in a calendar.

Wash potatoes. You can steam any size potato but I think small ones are best. I picked these up at the farmers’ market.

Pot of water for Steamed Potatoes.

Add about one-inch of water to the bottom of a large pot.

Small potatoes with a smiley face.

Look for the smiling potato. (Okay, you don’t have to do this. But, seriously, how cute is that potato?!?)

Potatoes in steamer basket.

Place potatoes in the steamer basket. Arrange the largest potatoes on the bottom of the basket and the tiny guys on top.

Steamed Potatoes in pot with glass lid.

Cover. This is important! You can’t steam potatoes in an open pot!

Steamed Potatoes in pot.

After about 30 minutes of cooking over medium heat, it’s time to check the potatoes. If you really tiny potatoes, check them after 20 minutes. For big potatoes, wait 40 minutes.

Checking doneness of steamed potato with a knife.

You want your knife to slide easily into the potatoes. (I always check a few just to be sure they are all ready.)

Butter in measuring cup for steamed potatoes.

Melt two tablespoons of butter.

Pouring melted butter on steamed potatoes.

Pour over potatoes.

Stirring steamed potatoes and melted butter with a rubber spatula.

Stir.

Steamed Potatoes with kosher salt in a red bowl.

Add a generous sprinkling of kosher salt.

Steamed potatoes in a red bowl with butter and herbs.

And herbs. You can use dried or fresh. I love (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE) Penzey’s Parisien Bonnes Herbes. But use whatever you love. Dill, basil, and chives are especially nice.

Stirring steamed potatoes with melted butter, salt, and herbs.

Stir.

Steamed Potatoes with butter and herbs.
And serve. The finished potatoes are creamy with an intense and lovely potato flavor.

Steamed potatoes with butter and herbs.
5 from 5 votes
Print

How to Steam Potatoes

Steamed potatoes are easy, quick, and best of all, delicious.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

  • 28-32 ounces small baby potatoes, such as baby Yukon gold or red potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted (1 ounce; 28 grams)
  • Kosher Salt
  • Fresh or dried herbs

Instructions

  1. Wash potatoes. Add about one-inch of water to a pot that has a fitted steamer basket or can hold a steamer insert.
  2. Place potatoes into steamer basket. Cover pot. Turn pot to high. When steam starts to escape from the lid, reduce heat to medium, about ten minutes.
  3. Steam until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Time varies depending on the size of the potatoes.
  4. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl. Pour melted butter over potatoes. Stir. Season with kosher salt and herbs to taste.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cathy Taylor says

    July 09, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you! I’ve heard steamed potatoes were the way to go for potato salad and I cooked regular golden potatoes for about 40 minutes (forgot about them and the water cooked off–oops!l. I followed your lead by adding basil, dill, chives, sea salt, pepper, and ghee at the end. Oh my goodness! I’m pretty sure none of these potatoes area going to make it into potato salad tomorrow! So good! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      July 18, 2018 at 1:46 pm

      Glad you liked them!

      Reply
    • Trent says

      July 25, 2018 at 10:01 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Brockney C says

    December 19, 2018 at 11:40 am

    5 stars
    Thank you! Looks delicious. I often steam vegetables but have not tried it with potatoes. Going to get some new potatoes for this evening, the small ones, yes that definitely sounds more logical. Cheers!

    Reply
  3. John says

    April 25, 2019 at 3:33 pm

    5 stars
    Came for the recipe, left a comment because of the little smiling potato. That potato made my day-o.

    Reply
  4. BEV says

    June 20, 2019 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    What a delicious side dish this is! We have a new family favorite. I had only five smaller potatoes, so my dish provided small portions, but I will try the recipe with the large potatoes soon.
    Thank you for posting this.

    Reply
  5. Erica Niska says

    March 12, 2020 at 6:10 pm

    Steamed potatoes also make the best mashed potatoes. So light and fluffy!

    Reply

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Elizabeth Barbone

I'm Elizabeth. Welcome to GlutenFreeBaking.com --- a judgment-free baking space. Here you'll find easy recipes, product reviews, and other good stuff that makes gluten-free living easy and a lot more fun!

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