Easy Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe (2024)

These really are THE BEST Mashed Potatoes! Made with our special method, they come out extra creamy and are off the charts delicious with the addition of sour cream AND cream cheese.

These mashed potatoes are easy enough that they are our go-to for a family meal on a busy night, but special enough that we use them on the holidays as well! If you want perfect mashed potatoes, you found them!

The Best Mashed Potatoes are EASY + Homemade!

When you find the recipe that is not only the best tasting but super easy and 100% doable on a busy night, you have a WINNER!

These mashed potatoes have been so well loved by our family over the years. When I serve them I constantly get asked for the recipe, so I am sharing it with you today!

The reason why these are the BEST Mashed Potatoes:

1. EXTRA creamy and full of flavor
2. EASY – no peeling, babysitting, or extra dishes, just one pot!
3. Make Ahead– Can be made up to 3 days in advance when needed
4. Scalable– these are just as easy to make for the holidays to feed a crowd as they are to make for a weeknight dinner for a family of 4.

I hope you enjoy this family favorite as much as we do!

How to Make Garlic Mashed Potatoes from Scratch!

This recipe is as simple and easy as promised. In this section I will walk you through my personal notes, tips, and tricks for this recipe.

Since we have readers with a variety of experience levels that use our recipes, I will add a lot of detail and hope to answer all of the questions that may arise when cooking. If I miss your question, please feel free to leave me a note in the comments.

The Ingredients

These are a basic, yet flavor packed garlic mashed potato. We use simple, everyday ingredients to get the most flavor and the best creamy texture possible!

The Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

The best mashed potatoes start right with your selection of potatoes. Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes definitely make the most creamy and delicious mashed potatoes!

It may seem like all potatoes are basically the same, but in reality potatoes have varying levels of starch content which can make the end result after cooking quite different.

Yukon Gold are my favorite pick because:

• They boil well
• The peel is tender and flavorful so no peeling is needed
• They are naturally buttery
• They mash without getting gummy

This recipe can be used with both yukon gold or red potatoes, as you can see in my photos, we make them with both!

The Garlic

These Mashed Potatoes use not one but TWO kinds of garlic to flavor them!

It may seem like a lot, but don’t worry, our secret little method of boiling the garlic along with the potatoes, not only makes the process easier (no messy garlic presses) but also cooks the garlic perfectly to mellow the flavor.

The garlic powder gives it a little extra boost at the end, and you can add more or less to taste based on how garlicky you like your potatoes to be.

EXTRA CREAMY

The key to getting the potatoes to be extra creamy is the combo of:

• Butter
• Cream Cheese
• Sour Cream

We don’t use milk in this recipe, but instead sour cream to make the potatoes even more creamy and give them a hint of tanginess! The cream cheese also adds tons of flavor and supports the texture of the mashed potatoes, while being able to melt right in.

How Long to Boil the Potatoes

This step is KEY!

How we boil the potatoes for mashed potatoes is a huge part of how they turn out in the end.

Always cut the potatoes before boiling. This will allow them to cook more quickly and evenly, resulting in a much creamier and tastier potato!

The potatoes should be cut into 1-2 in chunks as uniformly as possible. Depending on the size of your potatoes, this is usually cutting them into quarters or eighths.

Bring the water to a boil, then cook them for 8-12 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce them.

Dry The Potatoes

This sounds strange but is super easy and another key to what makes these the best mashed potatoes.

All you have to do is drain the potatoes in a collendar, then return them to the hot pot they came from and place them back on the hot burner (that you cooked them on but is now turned off.)

The residual heat from the pot will help the extra water evaporate from the potatoes which allows us to get creamier potatoes instead of watery potatoes.

Mash the Potatoes

Last but not least, we need the perfect mash.

I leave the potatoes on the burner and add the cream cheese, sour cream, butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano right on top.

Then I use a potato masher to mash the potatoes as I stir the ingredients into them.

Once you get the desired consistency (I like mine a little chunky) you can switch to a spoon and make sure everything is fully incorporated.

Tip: Avoid over mashing the potatoes. When they are over mixed or worked too much, they can start to become gummy.

Recipe Variations

These Garlic Mashed Potatoes are great because they have a flavor that meshes well with many other flavors and different dishes. They make an excellent base to expand on if you want to get creative and try something new!

Here are a few variations for the classic garlic mashed potato recipe.

• Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes – Make as directed stirring in 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese with the cream cheese and sour cream. Top with additional grated parmesan to serve.
• Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes – Mix in 2 packages of dry ranch seasoning per 5 lbs of potatoes along with the cream cheese and sour cream. Once the potatoes are combined, stir in 1 cup of crispy crumbled bacon.
• Fresh Herb Mashed Potatoes – Make as directed. Add 1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary, 3 tbsp freshly chopped oregano, 3 tbsp freshly chopped basil, and 1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme to the potatoes at the end and stir them in to evenly distribute. Top with melted butter and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
• Pesto Mashed Potatoes – Reduce sour cream to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup freshly prepared pesto when mixing in the cream cheese and sour cream.
• Cilantro Cheddar Mashed Potatoes – Make as directed adding 1 cup (or more to taste) of freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese when mixing in the cream cheese. Once the potatoes are mashed and mixed, stir in 1/2 cup (or more to taste) finely chopped fresh cilantro.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

If you want to get ahead for a busy week, or for a holiday meal, you can prepare these mashed potatoes ahead of time and simply reheat before serving.

Not all mashed potatoes work well for being made ahead, but the combination of using a low starch potato, preserved with dairy fat from the ingredients allows these potatoes to reheat well without becoming watery or grainy like other recipes.

Refrigerator Directions

You can make these mashed potatoes up to 3 days ahead of serving when stored in the refrigerator.

To make ahead:

1. Make potatoes as directed in the recipe.
2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
3. Reheat per directions below.

Freezer Instructions

1. Make as directed in the recipe.
2. Scoop in single servings onto a cookie sheet and freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container.
   -OR-
   Freeze larger portions in a freezer bag. Scoop into the bag, squeeze out air and tightly close, then use a rolling pin to flatten so it can be stored flat and stacked.
3. When ready to eat, thaw for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Reheat per directions below.

Reheating Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

When you are ready to serve the mashed potatoes you can reheat them on the stove top, or in the oven or even the microwave!

Stove top

1. Place mashed potatoes in a pot.
2. Heat over low-medium heat, stirring regularly.
3. Stir in milk or cream a tablespoon at a time until they are are the desired consistency using up to 1/4 cup.

Oven

1. Place mashed potatoes in an oven safe dish and cover with foil.
2. Place in an oven preheated to 350˚F. Bake 10-20 minutes, or until heated through.
3. Stir and add milk or cream as needed.

Microwave

1. Place mashed potatoes in a microwavable dish and cover with a paper towel.
2. Microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on how much is in your dish.
3. Stir well, and continue to microwave in 30 sec-1 minute increments until the potatoes are heated through.
4. Add milk or cream as needed to create the correct consistency.

How to Serve Mashed Potatoes

These homemade garlic mashed potatoes are delicious enough to be eaten on their own, but also flavor neutral enough to be served with white or brown gravy if that is your preference!

Topping options

Here are some other topping options that taste great with mashed potatoes:

• Butter
• Chopped green onions
• Parmesan cheese
• Bleu cheese
• Crumbled bacon

Main dish pairings

Mashed Potatoes go well with holiday meals and every day meals! Here are some of our favorite entrees that go well with mashed potatoes.

Holiday dishes

• Turkey
• Ham
• Prime Rib

Every Day Dinners

• Chicken Marsala
• Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork
• Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders
• Balsamic Pot Roast
• Creamy Chicken and Asparagus

More EASY Side dish options

I really hope that you enjoyed my favorite mashed potato recipe as much as my family does! If you did, please take a moment to look through a few more of our side dish recipes and mark something to add to your next dinner!

• Corn Casserole – Reader favorite!
• Southern Squash Casserole
• Creamy Chicken Piccata
• Pressure Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• PERFECT Oven Roasted Vegetables – My go-to recipe!
• Homemade Buttermilk cornbread

Leave a Reply

1. Elisabeth Smith

   November 1, 2023

   See Also

   Best Baked Eggplant Parmesan Recipe: Incredibly Rich & Tasty Classic

   
   The flavor was good, but I definitely feel it needs milk or cream.

   Reply

2. kim

   June 7, 2023

   Do you need too peel the potatoes first?

   Reply

   1. Kimber Matherne

      June 26, 2023

      I don’t because we like the texture and extra nutritional benefits of the peel, but you can if you prefer completely smooth mashed potatoes.

      Reply

3. Amy M

   September 16, 2022

   
   Yummy! Picky eater kid said garlic amount was perfect, not too overpowering.

   Reply

4. Kaylin

   July 31, 2022

   
   Very good taste! I used frozen potatoes (Ore-Ida Steam ‘N’ Mash). They were definitely soft after boiling for 8 minutes. I don’t think I drained them enough, because my potatoes ended up runny. I added some parmesan to try to help thicken. Runny or not though, they still taste good enough to get seconds!

   Reply

5. Kelsey

   November 23, 2021

   I love this recipe! It was requested for thanksgiving.. I have to make 15 pounds worth. Do you think I could make it and then put it in the crockpot to keep warm for a few hours?

   Reply

   1. Kimber Matherne

      November 23, 2021

      Absolutely! I’d add a little extra liquid because they get more solid as they sit. I actually just did this for my husband’s work.

      Reply

      1. Kelsey

         November 23, 2021

         Awesome, thank you! Should I add more liquid while making the potatoes or after I make them and when I put them in the crock pot? Also, what liquid did you add?

         Reply

         1. Kimber Matherne

            November 24, 2021

            I added it while making them so they were thinner than normal. I used heavy cream but milk would work also.

            Reply

6. Kayce

   September 15, 2021

   These mashed potatoes had great flavor. Works perfect as a side dish.

   Reply

7. Mary Tristan

   April 6, 2021

   
   Was amazing.

   Reply

8. Dani Monique

   January 12, 2020

   Are you to peel the garlic cloves? And then place whole garlic in with the potato chunks?

   Reply

   1. Kimber Matherne

      April 3, 2020

      Yes you peel them and place them in whole. They will cook with the potatoes and then be soft enough that they get mashed when the potatoes do.

      Reply

9. Mari

   January 4, 2020

   Unsalted butter?

   Reply

   1. Kimber Matherne

      January 9, 2020

      I always use salted but have tried the recipe with both and it doesn’t effect the taste much either way.

      Reply