Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

These Garlic Mashed Potatoes are creamy, buttery, garlicky, and ready in just 30 minutes. Perfect to whip up for a weeknight dinner and to serve at all your holiday meals.

There’s nothing better than fluffy mashed potatoes unless they’re these Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Growing up, my Dad would add cheese to our mashed potatoes and I thought that was just about the best thing ever – until I had them with garlic.

I don’t make this creamy garlic mashed potatoes recipe nearly enough but I sure do order them when we eat at our favorite restaurant. I might have mentioned before our family is a potato-lovin’ gang and it’s so true. Our favorite way to prepare potatoes is by smashing them and baking them in the oven until they are crisp. These garlic mashed potatoes are now a strong second!

Holiday Side Dish Week

It’s #HolidaySideDishes Week and that means new recipes from me and PLENTY of ideas and inspiration from several of my foodie friends. Look for those delicious recipes at the end of each post this week. Many thanks to Heather from Hezzi D’s Recipe Box for hosting again! I’ll be posting again on Friday with another recipe, Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The mashed potatoes are so creamy and rich and infused with a delicious garlic flavor.
• Easy to make in about 30 minutes.
• Potatoes go with nearly every entree you can make for dinner, like this slow cooker spiral ham!
• We love serving these garlic mashed potatoes with this slow cooker Mississippi Pot Roast. Drizzle the delicious beef gravy over these potatoes for that extra yummy goodness.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

These potatoes are packed with so much flavor from the five simple ingredients and the time to get them on the table is just about 30 minutes. If you’re roasting a turkey or ham, garlic mashed potatoes are perfect to make while the entree rests once it’s cooked.

Of course, you can control the garlic if the 3 or 4 cloves are too much, try using just 2 cloves to get that subtle yet delicious flavor in the potatoes. Garlic lovers will love that you can add more garlic. If you want to kick it up another notch, you can learn how to roast garlic in olive oil and add that to your mashed potatoes.

You can even make these mashed potatoes in the slow cooker and once the potatoes are cooked, you can add the rest of the ingredients. I’ll give you directions for the Instant Pot in the recipe card.

What Potatoes Are the Best for Mashed Potatoes?

Russet and Yukon potatoes are the best for creamy mashed potatoes, my favorite is Russet potatoes. They make the fluffiest, smoothest mashed potatoes with less chance of becoming gummy or turning into “potato paste” which can occur from over-mashing or mixing. Sometimes I keep the peels on a few of the potatoes to give the mashed potatoes a bit more flavor and texture. Try it sometime! You can also use red potatoes, but keep in mind to not over beat them as they will turn gummy.

Why do you start Potatoes in Cold Water?

Starting the potatoes in cold water before boiling them helps them cook more evenly. If you put the potatoes in hot water, the outsides start to cook immediately while the insides remain hard.

What do you Serve Mashed Potatoes With?

We love to serve mashed potatoes with meatloaf, oven pot roast, slow cooker Italian chicken, and this spiral ham. Of course, this mashed potato recipe makes an appearance at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, too. Leftovers are great to make Mashed Potato Puffs. They’re delicious to serve as an appetizer or a side dish. My Dad would make mashed potato pancakes with the leftovers. Potato recipes in general are the perfect side dish!

Equipment

• Large pot
• small saucepan
• potato peeler
• electric hand mixer

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 3-4 whole garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt, DIVIDED
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

Step by Step Directions to Make Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Step 1

Place stock pot with COLD water on the stove. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the water and bring the water to a boil.

Step 2

Peel and chop your potatoes, keeping them equal in size for even cooking. I’ve always been taught to rinse the chopped potatoes with cold water until the water runs clear to remove some of the starchiness.

Step 3

When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and let them boil for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Do not overcook as this will result in mushy potatoes that have too much water in them. Turn off the heat and drain when cooked and place the pot back on the burner to allow the heat from the burner to remove a bit more of the water in the potatoes.

Step 4

While the potatoes are cooking: in a small saucepan, add the butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, heavy cream, minced garlic, and pepper. Mix and cook over low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm – not hot. Keep warm until ready to use.

Step 5

Slowly add the heated cream mixture to the potatoes and beat with an electric handheld mixer or potato masher. If your large pot isn’t one you can use a mixer in, use a large bowl to mash the potatoes. Add a little at a time to the cream mixture until you reach your desired consistency. Serve warm!

Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

• Substitute the heavy whipping cream with whole milk, lowfat milk, or half and half. Sour cream can be used too.
• Use as much garlic as you like or use roasted garlic.
• Garlic powder can replace the fresh garlic if you don’t have any cloves.
• Try adding a few slices of American white cheese or some Parmesan cheese to the mashed potatoes.
• Lumpy potatoes are okay! If you prefer smooth, beat the potatoes more but be sure to not over beat or your mashed potatoes will be gummy.
• You can also use a potato ricer to mash potatoes.

Holiday Side Dish Recipes

• Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Corn Souffle from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Easy Zucchini Casserole from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Jeweled Rice from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pomegranate Acorn Squash with Burrata from Palatable Pastime
• Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese from The Spiffy Cookie
• Spinach Souffle from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sri Lankan Spicy Potatoes from Magical Ingredients
• Sweet Chili Candied Pumpkin Seed Deviled Eggs from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Truffle Risotto with Mushrooms and Asparagus from Art of Natural Living

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Enjoy!