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Home » Ultimate Bangers and Mash Recipe

Ultimate Bangers and Mash Recipe

Written on October 31, 2019

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Succulent sausages nestled on a bed of buttery mashed potatoes and drenched in a rich onion gravy, Bangers and Mash has been ranked as Great Britain’s #1 most popular comfort food.   This bangers and mash recipe is the ONLY one you’ll ever need!

bangers and mash recipe best authentic traditional homemade how to make sausages onion gravy

Bangers and Mash

Having lived for 6 years in England I was able to tour around the UK and enjoy a lot of delicious home-style pub food.  We go back every year to visit and one of the meals we always make a point of ordering is Bangers and Mash.  For home-style comfort food it’s really hard to beat those succulent savory sausages embedded in a pile of creamy mashed potatoes and drenched in a rich onion gravy.  We’ve already shown you how to make the best homemade bangers and the richest onion gravy and today we’re going to put them together to create the BEST Bangers and Mash recipe that will make your taste buds sing!

What Is Bangers and Mash?

Bangers & Mash is a dish consisting of sausages served with mashed potatoes and onion gravy.  Also known as sausages and mash, it’s a quintessential British dish that’s served throughout Great Britain, traditionally in pubs, and a survey a few years ago ranked it as Britain’s most popular comfort food.

bangers and mash recipe best homemade authentic traditional onion gravy sausages

Where Did Bangers and Mash Originate?

Bangers is slang for sausages and can refer to any number of sausage varieties.  The term surfaced during WWI and became even more widespread during WWII when meat rations were low and sausages had to be made with other inexpensive fillers like rusk or breadcrumbs and a large ratio of water that would result in the sausages bursting with a “bang” when fried.  The term “bangers” stuck and has continued to be used since, specifically in conjunction with the dish known as “bangers and mash.”

While the term “bangers” can refer to a variety of different sausages, in the homemade sausage-making world the term “bangers” has come to be associated with a particular blend of seasonings and key ingredients, including ground mace and breadcrumbs, giving them a unique flavor and texture.  That said, any number of sausage varieties can be and are served with bangers and mash including one known as Cumberland sausage.

How To Make Homemade Bangers

Whether you’re a beginning or an expert sausage maker, making your own homemade British bangers is well worth the effort.

Check out our full picture tutorial on how to do it and get our Homemade British Bangers recipe!

bangers recipe homemade english sausages
© Zkruger | Dreamstime

How To Make Onion Gravy

The other key ingredient in Bangers and Mash is onion gravy.  We’ve had bangers and mash in many a pub and restaurant throughout the UK and have experienced some truly excellent onion gravies as well as the very worst that tasted little more than salty brown water.  Here is a truly excellent, incredibly rich and flavorful onion gravy recipe that we’re confident you’re going to love and it will take your bangers & mash to the highest level possible!

Check out our recipe for the BEST Onion Gravy!

onion gravy recipe best

How To Make the Best Mashed Potatoes

The final ingredient you’ll need to create your Bangers & Mash is the mash, or mashed potatoes.  Don’t cut corners on this essential part of the dish because texture and flavor are key.  Below are some tips to help you achieve those perfect mashed potatoes.

What Kind of Potatoes Should I Use?

Different potatoes are best suited for different purposes.  For mashed potatoes that are soft, smooth, creamy and flavorful you’ll want to choose a variety that is high in starch (floury/mealy), but not too high (more on that shortly).  High-starch potatoes will mash more easily and quickly which is important because the more you mash the potatoes the gummier in texture they will become.  The science behind that is that potatoes have starch cells that swell during boiling and when you mash them those starch cells rupture; the more cells that are ruptured, the gluier in texture the potatoes become.

However, if the potatoes are too high in starch they will absorb more water meaning less flavor and non-fluffy, water-logged texture.  While some people use russets for mashed potatoes, they have the highest starch content and are more ideal for baking than for mashing.

On the other side of the starch spectrum are the low-starch potato varieties (i.e., firm, waxy potatoes).  They hold their shape better after boiling and so require more mashing – this leads to overworked potatoes that too often result in a gluey, gummy potato paste.  So avoid low-starch/waxy potatoes.

For the best results, many chefs recommend using medium-starch potatoes such as Yukon Gold.  Not too high or low in starch, Yukons also have a great buttery flavor.  They have a uniform, dense flesh that is resistant to absorbing water and becoming grainy or mushy.  If you’re still partial to russets, you can use half and half.

best potatoes for mashing

Tips for Achieving the Best Mashed Potatoes:

  • Choose the right variety of potato (see above).
  • Cut the potatoes into large pieces, not small.  Small pieces enabled more water to get into the potatoes negatively impacting both texture and flavor.  Another option is to boil the potatoes whole with their skins on and peel them while they’re still hot.
  • Avoid overcooking the potatoes.  This is one of the most common mistakes.  The potatoes end up water-logged and sticky and won’t fluff up properly.
  • Thoroughly drain the potatoes.  This is another common mistake and will have the same result as overcooking them.
  • Avoid over-mashing the potatoes (see above for explanation).
  • Mash the potatoes while they’re still hot.
  • Mash your potatoes by hand.  Avoid using an electric mixer or food processor which too often results in overworked potatoes.
  • Add the butter first, then the milk.
  • Use hot milk, not cold.
  • Add the liquid gradually to give the potatoes time to absorb the liquid.
  • For the best possible texture pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill before adding the butter and hot milk.

bangers and mash recipe best authentic traditional homemade how to make sausages onion gravy

With your homemade bangers (or the best quality store-bought sausages you can find), your incredibly delicious homemade onion gravy, and your perfect mashed potatoes, you are ready to sit down to the BEST plate of Bangers and Mash EVER!

Enjoy!

bangers and mash recipe best how to make homemade sausages onion gravy authentic traditional

For more authentic and delicious British dishes, be sure to try our:  

  • Fish and Chips
  • Yorkshire Pudding
  • Mushy Peas
  • Cornish Pasties
  • Crumpets
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding
  • Mincemeat Pie
  • Beef and Guinness Stew
  • Spotted Dick
  • Yorkshire Parkin
  • Toad in the Hole
  • Chicken Tikka Masala
  • Eccles Cakes
  • Pickled Onions
  • Scottish Shortbread
  • Homemade Golden Syrup
  • Treacle Tart
bangers and mash recipe homemade traditional authentic best onion gravy

Ultimate Bangers and Mash

Kimberly Killebrew
Succulent sausages on a bed of buttery mashed potatoes and drenched in a rich onion gravy, Bangers and Mash has been ranked as Great Britain's #1 most popular comfort food! 
Print Recipe
5 from 25 votes
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Entree, Main Course
Cuisine British, english
Servings 4 servings
Calories 891 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 8 high quality pork sausages (pork is traditional but if you don't eat pork you can use chicken sausages, etc)
  • Homemade British Bangers Recipe (highly recommended)
  • 2 pounds Yukon Gold or other medium-starch potato , peeled and cut into large (2 inch) uniform chunks (or boiled whole in skins and peeled while hot)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 to 1 cup hot milk (we recommend whole but you can use 2%)
  • 1 batch BEST Homemade Onion Gravy

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Make the onion gravy in advance. See our recipe for the BEST onion gravy.
  • To Make the Mash: Place the potatoes in a pot of water and add the salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until they potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife. Be careful not to over-boil them.
    Thoroughly drain the potatoes and place them back in the empty pot set over very low heat just to maintain warmth. If using a ricer or food mill (this creates the most optimal texture), run the potatoes through it now while they're hot. If using a hand masher mash the potatoes while they're hot. (Avoid using an electric mixer or food processor. See blog post for explanation.) Mash the potatoes until fluffy and you've reached the desired degree of smoothness. Be careful not to over-mash or the potatoes will become gluey.
    Use a spoon to stir in the butter. Once melted stir in the hot milk gradually, allowing time for the potatoes to absorb the liquid after each addition. Add more hot milk as needed to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • To Prepare the Sausages: While the potatoes are boiling place the sausages in a baking dish with a little oil and roast the sausages for about 10 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. (Alternatively you can fry the sausages but baking them creates an especially nice crispy outer shell with a juicy interior.) For sausage-making enthusiasts we highly recommend our Homemade British Bangers.
  • To serve, place a mound of mashed potatoes on each plate, lay the sausages on the mashed potatoes and top with onion gravy. Peas are a traditional side.

Nutrition

Serving: 2sausages with mash and gravy | Calories: 891kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 41g | Cholesterol: 197mg | Sodium: 1771mg | Potassium: 1557mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1321IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 174mg | Iron: 12mg
Keyword Bangers and Mash
Tried this recipe? Mention @daringgourmet or hashtag #daringgourmet
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Topics include: Affiliate, All Recipes, By Country or Region, By Course, By Ingredient, By Type of Dish, Disclosure, England, Food, Gluten Free, Ireland, Main Dishes, Meat, Scotland, Wales, Western Europe as well as: bangers, bangers and mash, British, English, gluten free, gravy, mashed potatoes, onion gravy, potatoes, sausages33 Comments →

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33 Responses

  1. Micky says

    February 21, 2021 at 4:37 am

    Super tastey sauce.

    Try adding cheddar cheese and put single cream in mash rather than milk.

    And a healthier option of grilling sausages.

    Reply
  2. Neisha says

    January 22, 2021 at 12:25 pm

    After eating this one time this became a favorite! I use hot Italian sausage and the onion gravy is to die for!!! This is just as good leftover.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      January 22, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      Fantastic, Neisha, thanks so much!

      Reply
  3. Mariana says

    December 30, 2020 at 2:07 am

    Did it yesterday after my husband asked me – we’re all brazilian over here but we LOVE bangers and mash, it’s our favourite pub food.
    It’s SOOOO good, thanks! The sauce was so good we felt like eating it with a spoon!!!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 30, 2020 at 9:18 am

      I’m so happy it was a hit, Mariana, thank you!

      Reply
  4. Alex Lopez says

    December 14, 2020 at 2:32 am

    This recipe was just perfect for the rainy weekend we just had. I felt quite depressed when the weather app on my phone (climacell) said that it will be raining all through the weekend. But this recipe saved us. Thank you

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 14, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      I’m so glad, Alex, thank you! :)

      Reply
  5. Malcolm says

    November 24, 2020 at 1:42 am

    Nice recipe. Here in the UK we have a many regional varieties of bangers along with artisan variations, it is nice to ring the changes when making B&M even using sausages from Europe. You’re right B&M is the ultimate comfort food and is loved by all.

    Reply
  6. John says

    July 13, 2020 at 4:30 am

    I’ve been here and there collecting recipes from different sites. Our mock up of bangers and mash was successful. Sausage and mash with beans. We had to settle for sausage patties this go around. I really enjoyed the onion gravy and followed your tips on the mash. A real comfort dish.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 13, 2020 at 8:43 am

      Thank you, John, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipes!

      Reply
  7. Andrea Quinn says

    April 28, 2020 at 5:09 pm

    We make this at least once a month. All my kids love it. My 2 year old cleans the plate and that just doesn’t happen. We love this recipe and we can’t say enough good things about it.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      April 28, 2020 at 6:01 pm

      I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Andrea, thanks so much! :)

      Reply
  8. Margo says

    April 24, 2020 at 6:18 am

    What about mustard? And green peas?

    Reply
  9. Betty says

    April 15, 2020 at 7:15 pm

    This is excellent! We bought the bangers at Costco and they were fantastic! the onion gravy seemed to take forever to cook and I had my doubts about being “the best”. I will never ever use a different recipe for onion gravy! It really is “THE BEST”! thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      April 15, 2020 at 8:51 pm

      Woohoooo!! That’s awesome, Betty, I’m so glad your patience paid off and that you enjoyed it – thank you!

      Reply
  10. Tiffany La Forge-Grau says

    November 4, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    I’ve always wanted to make this recipe! Never found one that didn’t look gross, honestly. Boy, does yours look delicious though!

    Reply
  11. Becky Hardin says

    November 3, 2019 at 8:13 am

    Sounds so easy and so delicious. I can’t wait to make for my family.

    Reply
  12. April says

    November 1, 2019 at 12:18 pm

    I have always wanted to try bangers and mash – it looks sooooo delicious!

    Reply
  13. Toni says

    November 1, 2019 at 11:35 am

    My family really loved this! Such a delicious meal!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      November 1, 2019 at 12:17 pm

      I’m so glad, Toni, thank you!

      Reply
  14. Kim says

    November 1, 2019 at 11:20 am

    This was a BIG HIT with my husband! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      November 1, 2019 at 12:17 pm

      You’re welcome, Kim, I’m so glad your husband loved it, thank you!

      Reply
      • Cat Batham says

        March 16, 2021 at 4:49 pm

        I am making this tomorrow!! I will post up after! Thank you for the recipe!

        Reply
  15. Kristyn says

    November 1, 2019 at 10:32 am

    The ultimate comfort right there!! The gravy is so good! Love sausage with potatoes!

    Reply
  16. Anna says

    November 1, 2019 at 10:24 am

    We absolutely love this dish! The onion gravy is delicious!

    Reply
  17. Julie Blanner says

    November 1, 2019 at 7:59 am

    Wow! These are so good. I’ve never had bangers and mash before this, and this will definitely be a repeater.

    Reply
  18. Natalie says

    November 1, 2019 at 7:58 am

    Such a hit!! Excited to try all kinds of sausage with this. The potatoes were creamy & of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the gravy! So, so good!

    Reply
  19. Lauren Kelly says

    November 1, 2019 at 7:10 am

    What an incredible recipe. This is my husband’s favorite, thank you!

    Reply
  20. Billy says

    November 1, 2019 at 4:10 am

    You aren’t kidding, this is the ultimate bangers. Everything is homemade and incredibly delicious, thank you!

    Reply
  21. Beks says

    October 31, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    I used merlot and black pepper sausages , increased the onions to 3 and used a little more flour and stock . So tasty . We all loved it. 😋

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      October 31, 2019 at 10:06 pm

      Fantastic, Beks, so glad it was a hit, thank you!

      Reply
  22. Lori says

    October 31, 2019 at 6:35 pm

    So easy and so good! My husband said he would drink the gravy!! I didn’t let him. We used German sausage from our local butcher.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      October 31, 2019 at 10:47 pm

      Lol, Lori, that’s pretty much my sentiment about the gravy! So glad you guys enjoyed it, thank you!

      Reply

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kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Welcome!  I’m Kimberly and I share delicious originals, revitalized classics and authentic dishes from around the world.  Come travel the world through your taste buds!

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:
The Daring Gourmet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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