Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Your search for the best mashed potatoes recipe stops right here. These creamy garlic mashed potatoes are so incredibly good, y’all. Extra fluffy, cheesy, garlicky, buttery, and giving everything you would want in this signature starchy goodness! It’s the perfect side dish to go along with your favorite mains and holiday faves!

The holiday season has got to be one that I always seem to look forward to. For personal reasons and for business reasons. For one, this time of year is my most favorite; and two, it’s also a time of year when my website traffic goes into overdrive, ha! I absolutely love to see it and I am thrilled to develop more and more holiday-inspired goodness. Y’all, these mashed potatoes, swoon.

I honestly can’t believe it’s taken me so long to share this recipe but here we are. Just in time for your holiday dinners and beyond, my favorite mashed potatoes recipe has landed. Listen, I’ve tinkered with this recipe for some time now and I’m obsessed! They’re different than ya average and I love this.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The recipe title speaks for itself, peeps. No one (at least I hope) wants bland, non-flavorful, and sad mashed potatoes. When you run a quick search on mashed taters, people are looking for flavorful, creamy, fluffy, cheesy, garlicky, and buttery mashed potatoes. ⇢ What’s to love about this recipe? These creamy garlic mashed potatoes are nailing every single one of those elements!

…& more side dishes that you cannot miss: my southern collard greens, this smoked gouda mac and cheese, or my buttermilk skillet cornbread.

What You’ll Need For This Recipe

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

• Yukon Gold potatoes: No other kind of potatoes will do for me when it comes to mashed potatoes. They have a rich, golden-flesh that is as buttery + moist as it looks! A good substitute that I recommend is russet potatoes.
• Whole milk: Mashed potatoes need a liquid component for balance/texture. As such, I love using whole milk. 2% or alternate milk of choice works, too. Additionally, you can also substitute with buttermilk as well.
• Sour cream: A touch of tanginess imparts nice flavor, sour cream or crème fraîche will give mashed potatoes exactly that (plus, amps up the creaminess).
• Butter: A mashed potatoes recipe without butter is just offensive.
• Mascarpone cheese: This is an Italian cream cheese that gives off a sweeter flavor, more acidity, and less tang than American cream cheese. It creates a lovely rich and creamy taste that makes this recipe so, well, creamy.
• Boursin® Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese: This one is an off-the-cuff ingredient that I have really come to enjoy. Boursin® is a brand of Gournay cheese. It’s a creamy, crumbly blend of real cheese with herbs- perfect to elevate the garlicky-ness in these creamy garlic mashed potatoes!
• Garlic paste: One of my favorite grocery shopping must-haves. Garlic paste is completely smooth and packed with big, bold garlic flavor. If this item isn’t accessible to you, feel free to use about 2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic. Also, you can roast some cloves of garlic/a whole head of garlic, too!
• Salt/pepper: Season the creamy garlic mashed potatoes, to taste!
• Freshly chopped chives: Perfect for some freshness and for serving.

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How To Make Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

1. Peel and cut the potatoes. For skin-free mashed potatoes, you’ll need to peel the potatoes. Afterwards, cut them into rough quarters.
2. Boil the potatoes. Add them into a large pot, cover with water and a pinch of salt. Then boil them until they’re fork-tender when pierced.
3. Drain the potatoes. Carefully drain the potatoes into a colander in the sink.
4. Use a potato ricer. Working in batches, place the boiled potatoes into a potato ricer and press the riced potatoes directly back into the pot.
5. Add the other ingredients. Add in the milk, sour cream, butter, mascarpone cheese, boursin cheese, garlic paste, and salt/pepper. Mix to combine.
6. Season the mashed potatoes. Once all of the ingredients are fully combined, season the mashed potatoes with salt/pepper, to taste.
7. Serving. Empty into a large serving bowl, garnish with some melted butter, freshly ground black pepper, and chopped chives, if desired!

Tips + Tricks For Perfect Mashed Potatoes

⇢ For the most drool-worthy, mouthwatering mashed potatoes, here’s some info:

• Go for Yukon Gold potatoes: As I mentioned earlier, this type of potato has a really nice, buttery flavor and tender texture that is perfect for mashed potatoes. It is the one I recommend above all else and is typically readily available in your local grocery stores. Yukon Gold or bust, ha!
• To peel or nah?: This one is subjective, friends. Personally, I love my creamy garlic mashed potatoes to be silky smooth and skin-free. If you love a lil rustic/down-home vibe to yours, feel free to leave the skin fully on (or peel off a little)- just be sure to wash the skins before boiling. You do, you.
• Potato masher or potato ricer?: Another one that is all in personal preference. You can use a good ole fashioned potato masher or a potato ricer. ⇢ I *highly* recommend using a ricer for the silkiest, smoothest, and downright lusciously-fluffy creamy mashed potatoes. A ricer basically ensures your final product will be free of any pesky lumps. It helps to yield the fluffiest mashed potatoes…almost like buttercream, gah. It’s a great kitchen tool investment that you can use for other things as well!
• Warm up the milk: I like to warm up my milk in the microwave for a bit prior to adding it into the mashed potatoes. I do this so as to not shock the already hot/warm potatoes with super cold milk straight from the fridge. This isn’t entirely needed but helps to keep your mashed potatoes warm- otherwise, you might need to re-warm the pot (full reheating notes, below).
• Butter is your friend: Don’t be afraid to add a few swishes of melted butter on top of the dish as a garnish. Mashed potatoes and butter are bff’s, y’all.

Recipe Notes, Make-Ahead Tips, Cooking Methods, & Alternate Variations

• Let’s talk milk: I recommend whole milk for its fullness/richness. However, feel free to use 2%, skim, or lactose-free milk. I do not recommend using any alternate milks like almond or oat (these may alter the taste).
• Make-ahead potatoes!: Holiday cooking or special event cooking can get very hectic on the day-of. ⇢ Good news: these creamy garlic mashed potatoes can be made up to 2 days in advance of being served! Make this recipe ahead of time and store it inside of an airtight container in the fridge.
• Slow cooker mashed potatoes?: This can be done! With this method, there is no boiling/draining as the potatoes will steam with this method. Add the peeled/quartered potatoes into your crockpot along with 1 cup of water, the butter, garlic, salt/pepper. Cook on low for 2-3 hours or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Once tender, mash the potatoes (or use ricer). Stir in the milk, sour cream, mascarpone, and boursin cheese. Move the slow cooker setting to “keep warm” and garnish with more butter and chives when ready to serve.
• Alternate flavors/variations: These are creamy garlic mashed potatoes but feel free to play around and put your spin on it! Add some shredded cheddar cheese and bacon/pancetta crumbles. Top with crumbly blue/gorgonzola cheese. Garnish with brown butter, if you feelin’ fancy! Etc, etc.

Reheating Leftover Mashed Potatoes

⇢ There are a few different ways to reheat those leftover mashed potatoes:

• STOVETOP: This is my favorite method! Place the leftovers into a saucepan or larger pot (if you have a good bit of leftovers) over low heat. Pour in a little more milk/cream/buttermilk to help loosen the potatoes along with more butter. Continuously stir the mixture together to avoid the bottom from scorching. Cook together until the potatoes have heated through.
• MICROWAVE: With this method, the timing will vary based on the leftovers you’re trying to reheat. Place the leftovers into a microwave-safe vessel and reheat them in 30-45 second intervals until heated through completely. I’d add a few pats of butter and a splash of milk, if needed, to rehydrate the potatoes as well. Stir well to combine before serving.
• OVEN: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the leftovers into an oven-safe baking dish (if they aren’t already). If your dish is straight from the fridge, let the dish sit out on the counter to come up to room temperature. Then cover the dish with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the mashed potatoes are heated through. Stir in more milk/butter before serving.

What To Serve With Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

⇢ Literally anything that your stomach desires! These mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish to accompany your holiday main entrees and beyond. Whether it’s for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or a simple family dinner, these creamy garlic mashed potatoes will be a great addition. They pair well with hearty faves like chicken, turkey, sliced ham, seared steak, and so much more!

We love serving these potatoes with my chicken with caper cream sauce, my smothered pork chops, these braised short ribs, and my roast chicken.

Hope y’all enjoy these creamy garlic mashed potatoes, until next time! ♡

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