These garlic mashed potatoes are light and fluffy potatoes mixed with a generous amount of sauteed garlic. An easy side dish that pairs perfectly with beef, chicken or fish, and is a must-make recipe for a holiday meal.
In my opinion, you can never go wrong with mashed potatoes, especially if there’s garlic involved. Serve your potatoes alongside other delicious side dishes such as roasted green beans and squash casserole, then watch the rave reviews come in!
Mashed potatoes are popular for good reason – they’re inexpensive, easy to make, and go well with so many different foods. These garlic mashed potatoes take the classic recipe to a new level with plenty of savory garlic flavor.
These potatoes are a perfect side dish recipe for everyday dinners or holiday feasts. Serve these potatoes with Christmas and Thanksgiving recipe favorites like Cajun turkey, cranberry salad and sauteed green beans.
Table of Contents
Garlic Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
To make these creamy garlic mashed potatoes you will need potatoes, butter, garlic, cream, parsley, salt and black pepper. For amounts and details see the recipe card below.
- Potatoes: I use Russet potatoes for this recipe because they are high starch potatoes that mash up fluffy and have a good flavor. They also absorb cream and milk well to give you smooth and creamy mashed potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes also work well, although Yukon golds do not mash up quite as fluffy as Russet potatoes.
- Cream: Get a small container of heavy cream. It may be labeled heavy whipping cream. You do not want a can of whipped cream. In a pinch you could also use whole milk.
- Garlic: When you select garlic, choose white bulbs that do not have brown or black spots. If you give a bulb of garlic a light squeeze it should be firm but not overly dry or hollow. If the garlic bulb has a strong odor, it is old and you should avoid it. Pick a bulb that does not have green shoots coming out the top.
How Do You Make Garlic Mashed Potatoes?
It is surprisingly easy to make the creamiest and fluffiest garlic mashed potatoes. First, bring a large pot of water to boil. Peel and chop potatoes into quarters. Place the chopped potatoes in the boiling water for a few minutes until they are fork tender. Drain the water from the pot leaving the potatoes in the pot. Make a savory garlic sauce by melting butter and cooking some minced garlic cloves in that butter. That garlic and butter goes in with the potatoes. Pour in a little heavy cream and mash those potatoes until they are smooth. Add a little salt and pepper and enjoy the potatoes with chopped parsley on top.
Tips For The Perfect Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- The easiest way to mash potatoes is with a potato masher. If you want super smooth potatoes, you can also try using a potato ricer. Another alternative is you can beat your potatoes with a hand mixer.
- Be sure not to mash your potatoes in the food processor. If you try it that way, you’ll end up with gluey potatoes that aren’t pleasant to eat.
- If you like smoother potatoes, add additional cream and stir the potatoes until you reach your ideal consistency.
- If you like your potatoes with extra garlic, make the potatoes as directed in this recipe then cook up extra garlic butter and stir in as much as you like.
- Mashed potatoes can be made up to 2 days in advance and reheated on the stovetop or in a covered casserole dish in the oven.
Quick Tip
Cut your potatoes into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
Recipe FAQs
Garlic mashed potatoes are potatoes cooked until tender and mashed with garlic, butter and cream. They are fluffy and savory potatoes that are great for any meal.
When you boil potatoes for mashing, you want to cook them until they are tender all the way through. Potatoes need to boil for about 20 minutes to become tender. Larger potato pieces may take a little longer to boil. You can check the tenderness by removing a potato and cutting through the middle.
You can freeze mashed potatoes. To freeze mashed potatoes, you can place individual scoops on a sheet pan, and then store the frozen scoops in an airtight container. To reheat scoops of potatoes, thaw them in a refrigerator and then microwave them until hot, about 2-3 minutes per scoop. Stir the potatoes for even heating.
You can also freeze mashed potatoes as a single batch in a container. To reheat a batch of mashed potatoes, thaw them in a refrigerator, put them in a covered baking container and heat them at 350 degrees F. until hot, about 20-30 minutes. You should stir the potatoes to make sure they are evenly heated.
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Flavor Variations
These garlic mashed potatoes are savory and delicious as-is; however, you can customize these potatoes to your taste.
- Peel: You can make this dish with the peel on the potatoes for extra texture and flavor. However, if you keep the peel you shouldn’t use a ricer to mash your potatoes.
- Rosemary: Bring extra flavor to you mashed potatoes by cooking two sprigs of rosemary with your garlic and butter. Then remove the rosemary sprigs before adding the butter to the potatoes.
- Chives: Feel free to sprinkle sliced chives on top of your potatoes. If you want chives throughout the potatoes, simply mix in 1/3 cup of sliced chives after you mash the potatoes.
- Sour Cream: If you like sour cream with your potatoes, feel free to substitute half of the heavy cream with sour cream.
- Red Potatoes: If you want garlic mashed red potatoes, try my mashed red potatoes recipe.
- Cheesy: Add 8 ounces of softened cream cheese cubes to make your potatoes creamy and cheesy. You could also stir into the hot mashed potatoes a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.
This recipe makes it easy to serve creamy and fluffy garlic mashed potatoes. If you want mashed potatoes that will wow your crowd, these potatoes are for you.
More Delicious Side Dishes
Bacon Mac and Cheese
40 mins
Crock Pot Baked Beans
2 hrs 30 mins
Green Beans with Bacon
25 mins
Cheesy Pull Apart Bread
25 mins
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Russet potatoes peeled and cut into quarters
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup heavy cream warmed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or until tender.
- Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pot.
- In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Add the melted garlic butter and cream to the pot of potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes until they're smooth and creamy. Stir in the salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Notes
- Cut your potatoes into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- The easiest way to mash potatoes is with a potato masher. If you want super smooth potatoes, you can also try using a potato ricer. Another alternative is you can beat your potatoes with a hand mixer.
- Be sure not to mash your potatoes in the food processor. If you try it that way, you’ll end up with gluey potatoes that aren’t pleasant to eat.
Love love love! Use this recipe quite often, add a bit more garlic because we’re garlic lovers. Typically will use russet or small yellow potatoes with the skin left one. Definitely making this tonight to eat with a pot roast. Excited!
These were amazing! Can you leave the skin on or do you recommend peeling them.
Potatoes came out light and fluffy! The garlic made them so delicious!
I make a big batch then freeze is 2 person size portions. They are delicious!
I’m excited to try this with heavy cream! I didn’t have it on hand so I used milk instead. Very tasty and a perfect add to DATZoo’s hamburger steak and mushroom gravy recipe!!
The garlic made these potatoes amazing!
These are my favorite kind of mashed potatoes to enjoy with dinner! Your recipe is spot on delicious; I will have to make these with Thanksgiving dinner too!
My favourite side ever, you just can’t beat creamy garlic mash!
Perfect in every way! Mine and my kids’ favourite way of eating potatoes so beautifully fluffy and flavourful. Garlic butter makes them to die for!
This is my idea of heaven! Just give me a bowl of this and I’m happy! Perfectly creamy and fluffy!
Garlic Mashed Potatoes are always a favourite in our house. These look delicious!
This Mashed Potatoes looks so creamy and delicious! I’m loving the addition of garlic! I so need to try this!
Garlic Mashed Potatoes are simply the best and these look so creamy!
I agree you can never go wrong with garlic and potatoes – mashed or otherwise. This is a perfect holiday, no-fuss recipe too.
Can these be baked? If so on what temp
What are you trying to bake? The raw potatoes?
Like you, I have a potato masher that I use for mashed potatoes, but I’ve actually found a potato ricer works even better to create that smooth texture. Have you ever tried one? Still like the masher for rustic skin-on potatoes. Love that hefty dose of garlic, too.
Looks absolutely perfect.
You just can’t go wrong with garlic and butter especially when they are in your mashed potatoes.