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These garlic mashed potatoes are creamy, comforting, and easy to make. Restaurant-style mashed potatoes are totally doable in your own kitchen!
You may also like my Make Ahead Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Creamy & Garlicky) for similar recipes with different cooking methods.
Why you’ll love them
In my opinion, when you’re making mashed potatoes, this ain’t the time to go easy on the butter or cream. I remember Bobby Flay saying the same thing, and I was happy that he agrees with me. 😉 Ever wonder why mashed potatoes taste so good at steakhouses? They are absolutely loaded with butter and cream. So don’t skimp on them, whatever you do!
There are, of course, many ways to make mashed potatoes from scratch, but my all-time favorite is to use cream, making it the ultimate side dish that goes with practically everything. The classics really never fail. If you’re wondering how to make garlic mashed potatoes, you’ve come to the right place. I like to keep it simple since you can never go wrong with a tried and true method.
What you’ll need
- Potatoes – I usually like Russets for mashed potatoes, but Yukon Gold are a close second if they’re unavailable
- Heavy cream – for that signature creamy texture
- Butter – what makes really good mashed potatoes special
- Garlic – it’s way easier to mince garlic with a garlic press vs. chopping it since you don’t even need to peel the cloves first
- Salt & pepper – it’s important to be generous with salt especially to bring out the flavors
Pro tips
- When I make mashed potatoes, I always add garlic. My mom did it that way, and it just tastes right to me. I used four fairly normal sized cloves of garlic. I notice garlic cloves are getting bigger and bigger these days, but I didn’t use the huge ones.
- With that said, you can add as little or as much garlic as you want. I tried to make this recipe not too garlicky since not everyone is a massive garlic lover like me, but you can definitely taste it. My little trick is to slightly cook the garlic in the butter and cream mixture to take the edge off so you don’t have that stronger raw garlic taste.
How to make garlic mashed potatoes
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Clean and peel the potatoes, and cut them into thirds. Boil them in a pot of salted water.
- While they’re boiling, add the ingredients for the cream mixture to a small pan. Warm through until the garlic cooks a little.
- Thoroughly drain the potatoes, and return them to the pot. Pour in the cream mixture slowly, and mash using a handheld potato masher until smooth without overworking them. Top with extra butter and chopped parsley or chives if desired.
Substitutions and variations
- Starchy potatoes like Russets or Yukon Gold make the best mashed potatoes. You can use other varieties like red potatoes; just take extra care not to overwork them since they can end up gluey.
- You can definitely include potato skins if you want. It’s totally up to you. You could even peel a couple of the potatoes and leave the others as-is. Just be sure they’re scrubbed clean beforehand.
- I don’t recommend substituting the butter or cream for lower fat alternatives. It just won’t taste nearly as good! However, you could even add a bit more of each than I recommend if you really want to go all out.
What to serve with them
- I highly recommend serving my popular Creamy Garlic Chicken with mashed potatoes. Throw in a salad with my Easy Caesar Dressing, and it’s an amazing homemade meal!
- If you’re cooking this for the holidays, you’ll want to make it with my Easy Roast Turkey and classic side dishes like Green Bean Casserole.
Leftovers and storage
- They’re best fresh, but leftover mashed potatoes will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- I reheat them on a low heat and add a splash more cream and then mash them again to restore them to their former glory.
More delicious mashed potato recipes
I hope you’ll love this garlic mashed potatoes recipe as much as I do! Questions? Made it? Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram, and leave me a comment below. 🙂
Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes (or leave some/all of them unpeeled if you prefer, just make sure to scrub them well) and cut them into thirds. Add them to a salted pot of water and boil until a sharp knife easily pierces them.
- While the potatoes are boiling, add the cream, butter, garlic, and salt & pepper to a small saucepan over low heat. Let it slowly warm through. The garlic slightly cooks, infusing the cream so the potatoes are more evenly flavored.
- Drain the potatoes thoroughly and leave them in the pot. Slowly pour in the cream mixture and mash the potatoes using a hand-held potato masher. Mash until the cream has been absorbed and you've got a nice, smooth mash. Don't over-mash or they may end up gluey.
- Serve potatoes with extra butter on top (if desired).
Notes
- Serves 6-8 depending on portion size.
- Chopped parsley and/or chives make a great garnish for mashed potatoes if you happen to have some.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi!
3 lbs is such an odd amount. Especially considering most potatoes come in standard bags of 5 and 10 lbs. Is there any way you could provide an ingredient breakdown for 5 lbs of potatoes? I would really like to try your recipe but I suck at trying to adjust amounts when they aren’t exactly “doubled”. Thanks for any help!
Hi Dawn! I just use a grocery store scale for the 3 pounds. I rarely buy bags of potatoes as I don’t normally go through them fast enough. This recipe has worked out fine for others.
Love this recipe. Just like the name says, “Easy and simple” Will make again. I used 4 to 5 large russett potatoes from a 10lb bg and followed the recipe. Hope this helps someone.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!