Substitute for Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Gold potatoes are a popular potato variety used in various dishes for good reason - they are a great choice due to their buttery taste and versatility.

Known for their golden-yellow flesh this variety of potatoes is one of the best potatoes for everything from mashed potatoes to homemade potato chips.

A popular choice due to their thin skin this type of yellow potato is readily found at most grocery stores at most times of the year.

What if you can't find Yukon Gold potatoes? Here are our tips for finding the best substitutes to meet the needs of most home cooks.

What Are Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Gold potatoes are a specific type of potato from Canada that is a cross between a yellow and white potato, generally labeled as such.

They have a distinct buttery yellow color to them and have a smooth, nutty taste with a creamy flesh making them a great all purpose potato.

While it is a yellow flesh potato, it is not the same as a potato that is labeled or colored as “yellow” or “gold.”

Yukon Gold is a specific type of potato and will be specifically labeled at a local grocery store or farmer’s market when you are shopping.

The delicious flavor, creamy texture, and versatility are why famous chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Ina Garten prefer them when cooking.

These yellow potatoes boast a waxy texture that holds up well to cooking making them a good option for wide array of dishes and preparation styles.

Why Can I Not Find Yukon Gold Potatoes?

A recipe that calls for Yukon Gold potatoes is common, but the potato occasionally is not. But why is that?

The simple answer is that Yukon Gold potatoes are not a popular variety with potato growers due to their susceptibility to a number of diseases.

While still grown by some farmers, a vast majority have turned to other yellow colored potatoes that are easier to produce and profit from.

The Yukon Gold variety is a highly versatile type of potato, but farming is a business that typically requires a large, successful crop to turn a profit.

The potato market is largely predictable, with a vast majority of sales going toward chip companies.

Considering this, there is little incentive to grow Yukon Golds in high supply.

What Is a Good Substitute for Yukon Gold Potatoes?

As they can be difficult to find, you may wish to substitute Yukon Golds in a recipe that calls for these yellow-fleshed potatoes.

That said, not all potatoes are created equal so finding the best option for a Yukon Gold potato substitute will lend you the best results when making a variety of different recipes.

Yukon Gold potatoes are considered a medium-starch potato, which helps to dictate where it will best perform.

Starchiness dictates the texture, fluffiness, heaviness, and denseness of the potato’s final preparation, so you will not achieve the same results with just any potato replacement.

The closest substitute for Yukon Gold potatoes truly depends a bit on personal preference along with the preparation and cooking methods.

Ultimately the best choice comes down to how you're cooking with potatoes.

Here are some of the most common varieties of potatoes, all of which are a fantastic option depending on your particular potato recipe.

• Boiled - Red potatoes, white potatoes, fingerling potatoes, purple potatoes
• Fries - Russet potatoes are great for making fries like our herb and garlic oven fries
• Gnocchi - Russet potatoes are an excellent choice for making gnocchi for dishes like our gnocchi casserole
• Gratin or Scalloped - Russet potatoes are perfect for scalloped potatoes and 
• Hasselback - Russet potatoes are a common choice when makikng hasselback potatoes
• Mashed - Russet potatoes are ideal for mashed potatoes like our olive oil mashed potatoes recipe
• Pan Fried - Red potatoes
• Potato Salad - Red potatoes, baby potatoes and fingerling potatoes make a great choice when making potato salad
• Roasted - Russet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, baby potatoes and red potatoes are perfect for dishes like our Greek roasted potatoes recipe
• Soups (pureed) - Russet potatoes are delicious for making creamy soups like baked potato soup
• Soups (chunky) - Red potatoes and white potatoes are great in chunkier soups like our turkey vegetable soup recipe

Why Are Yukon Gold Potatoes Good?

These popular potatoes are easily recognizable with their bright-yellow, blemish-free skin and smooth, round shape.

Their smooth texture and even shape makes them one of the prettiest types of potatoes! (Yes, potatoes can be pretty.)

While delicious roasted or mashed, Yukon Golds are hold together in stews and casseroles without breaking down, and likewise an excellent choice for baking and frying.

Which Makes Better Mashed Potatoes - Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes?

Hands down, Yukon Gold is considered the winner for creamy, thick, buttery flavored mashed potatoes, but Russet potatoes are no slouches.

That said Yukon Gold potatoes absorb notably less water than Russet or Idaho potatoes, preventing them from becoming mushy.

Russet potatoes make a perfectly good mash, and are lighter and fluffier than Yukon Gold, but are also generally less flavorful.

Yukon Gold potatoes havde a naturally buttery flavor that really sings compared to the more mild flavor of the Russet, but both are delicious.

Overall Best Substitute for Yukon Gold Potatoes

While it's true that Yukon Gold potatoes can be subbed out for a number of different potato varieties depending on the dish, there's one overall best substitute.

If forced to pick just one, the over best substitute for Yukon Gold potatoes is likely to be Russet potatoes for a number of reasons.

Because of their mild flavor, Russet potatoes are equally versatile and work well for everything from potato skins to making steak fries to your favorite delicious side dish.

They're also a good choice due to their high starch content making them an especially great option for mashed potatoes due to their fluffy texture.

Finally, you can almost always find Russet potatoes when you need them and that makes them a fantastic substitute all the way around.