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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 it
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.
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.
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 – for that delicious savory quality
- 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 them carefully. 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.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Using a handheld potato masher until smooth ensures you won’t overwork them.
- 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, and this butter dish has measurement markings right on it for convenience.
- Here is the Dutch oven I use to make these potatoes in.
What to serve with mashed potatoes
- 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!
- They go with pretty much any main course from my Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe to Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin or Creamy Lemon Parmesan Cod.
- If you’re cooking this for the holidays, you’ll want to make it with my Easy Roast Turkey and Turkey Gravy 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.
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.
- This mashed potato recipe is also on page 235 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How many russet potatoes will I need?
3 pounds worth (it says in the recipe card… just scroll down to the bottom of the post).
Unfortunately I don’t have a scale so I’m not sure how many would equal 3pounds….
I know you’re probably not able/don’t want to go to the store today since it’s Thanksgiving, but for future reference, you just weigh them at the store (every produce section of every major grocery store has a scale). I don’t give the # of potatoes for recipes like this because potato sizes vary so much. If you’re using Russets, generally 2-3 Russets will weigh a pound (so like 2 large ones would weigh a pound or so), but sizing can vary. Let me know if you end up trying the recipe. I will say mashed potatoes are somewhat forgiving, so I think you’ll be ok. You may need to adjust the liquid quantities if the potatoes seem too wet/dry so add it in gradually. Happy Thanksgiving!
Typically you will buy 2lb, 3lb or 5lb bags at the store. I buy whatever bag the recipe calls for to make it easy.
So good, garlicky and creamy!
So glad you enjoyed ’em! 🙂
Love this recipe easy to do and very tasty. My Husband loved it so did I. A definite keeper
That’s great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to review it! 🙂
Can I make this a day ahead of time and reheat in a crockpot?
I think that should work fine! You may need to re-mash them a bit (possibly add more cream or chicken broth if needed).
Looking forward to making these for Thanksgiving. Should I use salted or unsalted butter? Or does it even matter?
I always use unsalted because then it’s easier to control the amount of salt. If you use salted butter, I’d add less than the suggest 1 teaspoon of salt (at least to start with, and you can taste & adjust as needed). Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Totally going to use this for Thanksgiving this week! Quick question: can I replace the minced garlic with garlic powder? If so, what would that the equivalent be? Thanks! xx
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it. Hmmm… I don’t see why that wouldn’t work! I would start with 1/2 teaspoon, mash it, and then add more if needed. I’m starting on the low side just in case you find it a bit overpowering.
Love this recipe! I’m Polish and love garlic so I put more in then your recipe states. Mmm-mmm good. Loved by the whole family!!. First time using cream, won’t be the last. Quick, easy and tasty Thank you!
Sorry meant to put that above
I also add extra garlic to everything haha. So glad you enjoyed the cream too! Thank you!
Loved loved this recipe! I was trying to mash it super smooth since my husband has texture issues and I ended up adding it to the blender… Bad idea lol made it whipped mash! Other than my bad idea, they were amazing before I blended them up lol thought you would appreciate my oopsie
Hahha your comment made me laugh. That is too funny. Oh well, I’m glad that they tasted good at least. 😀
Great recipe very easy to follow .
Added extra garlic and use nonfat half and half instead .
Thank you
Awesome! Glad you liked it! 🙂
Can I use half-n-half instead of heavy whipping cream??
Sure, but the recipe may not turn out the same.
Decided to wait until I had heavy cream in the house and it was well worth it. They are delicious and were a big hit with my family. Thanks!
Awesome!!