These cream cheese mashed potatoes are fabulously creamy and buttery with a hint of tanginess. This restaurant-style side dish is simple to make, and everyone will want seconds.
I have several mashed potato recipes on this website, including (but not limited to) these Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes and my Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes, but I've gotta say that these might just be my favorite so far.
I'm a fan of creamy, rich mashed potatoes that are loaded up with butter, cream, and in this case cream cheese. You could flick them at a wall and they'd stick. With that said, these aren't gluey. There's a fine line between over-mashed potatoes and potatoes that are just right, but I mean even bad mashed potatoes are usually pretty good haha. But these aren't bad at all! 😉 If you're mashing them by hand, they're less likely to go gluey, so that's why I recommend doing it the old fashioned way vs. using a hand mixer.
I left the skins on in this recipe, but that's optional. I like the added texture, and the Yukon Gold skins are fairly thin. If you leave the skins on Russets, be sure to scrub them well.
I've probably mentioned this before, but mashed potatoes and burgers/sandwiches are probably my least favorite subjects to photograph, but I wasn't even mad when I had to redo these creamy mashed potatoes when the first batch of pix didn't go so well. It's hard to build contrast with beige foods especially if you own as many light colored bowls and light backgrounds as I do! I'd say the second batch of the photos went better, as did my 9th, 10th, and 11th helpings of these potatoes. Omg.
Prefer to use sour cream? Try my similar Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream.
Recipe notes & tips:
- Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes are typically chosen for mashing because they're nice and starchy and tend to mash well. You can use red potatoes, but just take care not to over-work them or you'll end up with gluey mashed potatoes.
- I find it difficult to make mashed potatoes without garlic, but I did list it as optional if for some reason you don't want it in there. Or double it. Triple it. Go on.
- I love the scallions in there because it's sorta baked potato-esque (like sour cream and chive flavors), but feel free to leave 'em out if you're not sure.
- As with any cream cheese recipe, I suggest letting it soften beforehand because the recipe will go much smoother. You can also pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to help this process go faster.
- Don't skimp on the butter! Mashed potatoes are one place where butter definitely makes them better.
- Heating up the butter/cream cheese/cream mixture helps get the potatoes creamier vs. adding ingredients straight from the fridge that'll cool the potatoes down, and it also infuses the flavors better (like the garlic).
- Yes, this recipe has cream cheese and heavy cream. More moisture and more fat gives mashed potatoes a better taste and texture (too dry isn't good).
- Reheating tip: I reheat these on a low heat and add a splash more cream then re-mash them.
More delicious side dishes to try:
Have you ever tried making mashed potatoes with cream cheese? Questions about this tasty side dish? Let me know in the comments below!
Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 block Philly) softened
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened
- 1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup scallions chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- I recommend taking the cream cheese and the butter out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to starting the recipe, but if you forget, you can microwave the cream cheese for 20-30 seconds (the butter will melt easily enough).
- I didn't peel the Yukon Gold's I used for this recipe, but you can if you prefer (or peel half of them). Cut the potatoes into halves (or thirds if they're large). Add them to a large pot of salted water and boil until a sharp knife easily pierces them.
- Meanwhile, while the potatoes are boiling, add the cream cheese, butter, cream, garlic, scallions, and salt & pepper to a small saucepan over low heat. Let it slowly warm through (turn off the heat once it's warm or it'll get too thick). Give it a stir occasionally, but don't worry if the cream cheese doesn't completely melt in.
- Drain the potatoes and leave them in the pot. Pour in half the cream cheese mixture and mash them a bit then add the other half and finish mashing until it's all incorporated and creamy. Try not to over-mash or they may end up gluey.
- Serve potatoes with extra pats of butter on top if you like.
Notes
- Serves 6-8 depending on portion size. Or less if you're like me and eat like 5 portions at once.
- Feel free to leave out the garlic or scallions (or add more of each!).
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
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