Smooth Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes that are smooth, creamy, seasoned to perfection, and cooked with milk, butter, and cheese. These suckaz are the perfect side dish. These have to be a top 10 best ever mashed potatoes recipe folks. Mashed potatoes cant get too much better than this so you got to try them at least once or you’ll be doing yourself a disservice. I cant get enough of these and they taste great with meatloaf. Try my Easy Classic Meatloaf Recipe for the perfect Sunday dinner.
Let me first start off by saying I’m extremely excited to post this recipe for my followers. Those of you who follow me on social media know I was ranting and complaining the other night about how I always struggle to make the perfect mashed potatoes.
Well, If you’re anything like me, this recipe is definitely for you. In this recipe, you’ll learn all the do’s and don’ts to perfecting mashed potatoes are these aren’t you’re ordinary mashed potatoes, these are TOP TIER baby!
I made a funny post on ig talking about how badly I wanted to purchase a potato ricer to fix the lumpy mashed potato issue I always seem to have every time I make them. Lol! Well, guess what? No more lumpy mashed potatoes for me.
I found a simple and easy way to make the creamiest, smoothest mashed potatoes ever. I even got a little fancy and added some special ingredients that took em up a notch.
Listen, you won’t find too many mashed potato recipes better than this one right here—I can promise you that! So, you all absolutely must try this recipe—just give it a shot; you won’t regret it.
I hated mashed potatoes as a kid
Believe it or not, I was never a fan of mashed potatoes until my late adolescent years because I thought they were just boring and bland. Maybe because it was one of the few things my mama just didn’t cook that well???
Shhhh, don’t tell her I told yall that. Lol! I just never understood what people loved about what I saw as a big scoop of white mush. But as I got older, I learned to appreciate the natural blandness of mashed potatoes.
I say that because the bland neutral flavor allows you to do so much with mashed potatoes and makes them pretty versatile meaning, you can serve them with anything, which I found to be convenient.
As I got older and got a chance to taste what real good mashed potatoes taste like, I had a sudden change of heart about how pointless I thought they were. This was after trying someone buttery creamy well seasoned mashed potatoes. Lol!
I saw that if you can just make them the right way and get a lil fancy without overpowering the natural flavor, they can be very enjoyable. So after months of experimenting, and trying to create this recipe, I got them just right.
I found the right combination of ingredients that made eating mashed potatoes so enjoyable and not something I detest. One ingredient being butter. I personally like to add a lot of butter to my mashed potatoes.
Feel free to use less, however, because butter is in no way healthy! I like to add shredded Parmesan and Philadelphia cream cheese as well. Now, as I had to learn, there’s a science to making good smooth creamy mashed potatoes.
It’s not as simple as “BOIL & MASH” although it may seem easy when you watch me cook them. But don’t worry because in this article I’ll tell you all the do’s and don’ts and give you the keys to making bangin homemade mashed potatoes.
But before I give you the step-by-step instructions and cooking tips, I’m going to discuss the cookware and utensils you’ll need, the key ingredients, and some alternatives.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Potatoes: Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold.
- Liquids: Water, chicken broth, heavy cream, or half & half.
- Cheese: Philadelphia cream cheese and grated parmesan cheese.
- Seasonings: Salt and black pepper.
- Other: Minced garlic and butter.
Cookware & utensils you’ll need:
- Potato peeler: Use a potato peeler, not a knife like our grandparents used to. Lol! You’ll lessen the risk of cutting yourself, and with a potato peeler, you’ll save more potatoes. You wont lose so much potato flesh to the peelings which is what tends to happen when you peel the skin with a knife.
- Knife: You need a knife, preferably a large knife, to make slicing and dicing the potatoes easier. A knife is also useful for removing the dark holes and sprouts you sometimes find on potatoes.
- Medium-sized pot: You’ll need a medium-sized pot to boil and mash the potatoes in. We’re making mashed potatoes using 2 lbs of potatoes, so a medium-sized pot will be big enough.
- Potato ricer: This utensil was a lifesaver for me because y’all know I can’t stand lumpy mashed potatoes! LMBBO! Whisking the potatoes will help to remove those annoying lumps but a RICER is more effective at doing so.
Potato ricers are haven’t sent! Because of the tiny holes in the ricer, those potato lumps that some of us hate so darn much, can’t get through them ALIVE!!! Lol!
When you squeeze the mashed potatoes through the ricer, it will leave you with potatoes that are smooth and lump-free, which is why I like it. You can purchase one at stores like Walmart or online on Amazon, just click the link above.
- Cheese Grater: If you decide to shred some block Parmesan cheese, you’ll need a cheese grater. You can buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese in the bag or omit it altogether because it’s an optional ingredient. Some people prefer classic mashed potatoes, but if you decide to add cheese, shredded block Parmesan cheese with a grater is the way to go.
- Potato masher: If you don’t have a potato ricer, you’ll need a potato masher to mash the potatoes. You still might want to use one just to smooth out the potatoes after pushing them through the ricer so they don’t look like spaghetti! Lol!
- Big spoon: Last but not least, you’ll need a big dipping spoon to scoop out and plate the potatoes.
Key ingredients and alternatives
Chicken broth: I boil the potatoes using a combination of water and broth. The broth adds another layer of flavor to the potatoes while they’re boiling.
- Chicken bouillon cubes: These are good if you don’t have any chicken broth on hand. You can add a chicken bouillon cube or two to the pot of water. One cup of water and one bouillon cube = one cup of chicken broth.
- Chicken base: This is a good alternative to chicken broth, too. If you don’t have broth or bouillon cubes, you can add and stir a teaspoon or two of chicken base into the pot of water.
- Water: And yes, you can just boil the potatoes with water. It would be a simple substitution, if you will, for the broth. Instead of using a combination of the two, just use the water. At the end of the day, it’s all you need. Broth adds flavor, but you don’t need it.
Heavy cream: Heavy cream adds creaminess and a bold, rich flavor to potatoes that regular whole milk doesn’t. It also gives the mashed potatoes a lovely velvety consistency and smoothness.
- Half and Half: This is a good substitution for heavy cream which is half cream and half whole milk. It will also provide the mashed potatoes with a good rich flavor just not as rich obviously.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk is also a good substitution if it’s all you have on hand, it just won’t give your mashed potatoes that rich bold gourmet flavor heavy cream does.
- Evaporated Milk: This is the one alternative I’ve never personally tried myself but I’ve heard of people using it for mashed potatoes so I’m going to assume it works and list it as another alternative.
Minced garlic: What are mashed potatoes without garlic? Garlic goes with mashed potatoes like gravy over rice and peanut butter and jelly. It’s probably the most important ingredient in terms of flavor.
- Garlic Paste: Garlic paste is the best substitution for minced garlic. I wouldn’t call it a substitution because you can use either one and stick with the same amount.
- Granulated Garlic: Granulated and powdered garlic make good substitutions as well—just use less. Use a garlic converter to see how much granulated garlic you will need to replace the minced garlic this recipe calls for.
- Update: I now use garlic paste. I use the Gourmet Garden garlic paste in a tube. It is the best brand of Garlic paste I’ve ever tried and the best-tasting store-bought pre-minced garlic.
Philadelphia cream cheese: This was a last-minute addition that just popped into my mind out of nowhere. I was watching a video on how to make tangy, creamy mashed potatoes on YouTube when someone added sour cream.
For some reason whenever I think of sour cream, I think of cream cheese. So I thought to myself, maybe I’ll add just a little cream cheese to see how it tastes and it took my mashed potatoes from a 5 to a 10.
Again, the combination of Garlic, Parmesan, and Cream cheese compounded with the seasonings, is what made me go from not being a fan of mashed potatoes to being excited to make and eat them more often.
- Sour cream: Speaking of sour cream, it goes well with mashed potatoes so If you don’t have any cream cheese on hand. Sour cream won’t give you the same flavor but it will give the mashed potatoes lots of flavor.
Salt: We need salt to give the mashed potatoes taste, but you can season the mashed potatoes with seasonings that have more depth of flavor. I like using salt, but here are some good alternative seasonings.
- Seasoning salt: Seasoning salt is a good substitution. It contains paprika, so it will probably give the mashed potatoes a little color, but you will have to add twice the amount of salt because it’s not as salty.
- Adobo: Like with seasoning salt, Adobo is a good all-purpose seasoning you can use if you don’t have or want to use salt. Both of these are common all-purpose seasonings I’ve tried that taste good in mashed potatoes. They give mashed potatoes more flavor and make them taste better.
Salt to taste
As a recipe creator, I’m always skeptical about telling someone how much salt to use because everyone is so different when it comes to salt. Some people are sensitive to it and others like a lot of it.
So, in many of my recipes, you will find me saying “SALT TO TASTE” when salt is listed as an ingredient, which means to season to your desired taste, or I’ll list an acceptable standard amount to use.
An amount that won’t be too much for people who can’t handle salt or are salt sensitive and enough for people who like their food well seasoned. So feel free to add as much or little salt AS YOU LIKE!!!
Choosing the right potatoes
High-starch potatoes
Choosing the right potato is very important when making mashed potatoes. You should use potatoes such as Idaho russets, which contain a high level of starch.
It also has a low moisture level. Yukon Golds, an all-purpose potato with a medium level of starch and a low moisture level, are a pretty good option as well.
Higher starch levels allow you to whip the potatoes longer before they become a gummy mess. They also have a fluffy, lighter texture, which makes them better for mashed potatoes than their low-starch counterparts.
Waxy Low-starch potatoes
Waxy potatoes like New potatoes, French fingerling, Red Bliss, baby potatoes, creamers, Red Adirondack, and Russian Banana are not good for mashing.
They are hard to mash because they hold their form, resulting in a chunky mash, aka lumpy mashed potatoes. These potatoes hold their form due to their firm flesh.
Therefore, these potatoes can withstand long periods of cooking without becoming mushy, which is perfect when you’re using potatoes for stew or boiling potatoes for potato salad!
They are also low in starch, which doesn’t give them the fluffiness and creaminess we all love in our mashed potatoes. Again, they have firm flesh and won’t break down.
How to make mashed potatoes
- Peal, slice, and chop the potatoes: When it comes to peeling and slicing potatoes, I first peel the skin with a potato peeler. Afterward, I slice each potato lengthwise 3 times. Then, I cut all the remaining thin “wedge-shaped” potatoes widthwise 5 times into relatively even-sized cubes, as shown in the photo below.
- Boil the potatoes: When you boil the potatoes, don’t pre-boil the broth/water!! Add the potatoes to cool broth or water and let them get hot while in the pot. This helps the potatoes cook evenly.
- Drain liquid and dry out potatoes: Once the potatoes are tender, you want to ensure they are as dry as possible, so strain them with a colander. To ensure my potatoes are as dry as possible, I add them back to the pot and dry out any remaining liquid.
- Mash the potatoes: The next step is to mash them with a masher or put them through a potato ricer.
- Heat the butter, milk, and cheese: Add the butter, milk, and cheese to a separate small pot and stir until everything is hot and melted.
- Combine everything: Last but not least, pour the cheese sauce into the pot of dry potatoes and stir everything in with a whisk until it’s fluffy, creamy, and smooth. Then, add your seasonings.
The BEST Smooth Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Videos
Cooking tips:
- The potatoes cook evenly when you cut them into pieces of similar size.
- Side note: Don’t forget to dig into the sprout holes and remove the potato skin and dark spots with a knife!! They won’t look good in the mash potatoes plus they’re kind of hard so remove them.
- You also want to make sure you boil them until they are very tender. This will make for less mashing (if you’re using a masher and not a potato ricer), which will help avoid overworking the starch in the potatoes.
- Cover them with a lid to help them get tender faster, and leave a crack on the side so the water doesn’t overflow, which tends to happen frequently when boiling potatoes.
- As stated earlier, using a ricer will guarantee your potatoes are lump-free and make the process easier.
- Use a whisk to break up the cream cheese and ensure everything is at room temperature before adding it to the pot.
What to serve with Mashed Potatoes:
- Steak: This is an obvious answer. The combination of steak and potatoes is famous world-wide. So, if you’re looking for a main dish to make with your mashed potatoes, you can never go wrong with a seared or smothered steak.
- Salisbury steak and meatloaf: Both are variations of steak made with beef. Like steak, they are a common and popular pairing with mashed potatoes, making them both a perfect option.
- Fried Chicken: Although not as famous as steak and potatoes, fried chicken is great with mashed potatoes, and this is a popular combo Americans cook for dinner.
- Asparagus, Spinach, and Corn: You can pair any vegetable with mashed potatoes, but asparagus is probably one of my favorite green veggies, and spinach is also a good choice.
- Sweet Corn: I make my mashed potatoes with garlic and cheese and aside something savory like steak. So sweet buttery corn just adds that lovely hint of sweetness to your dinner to balance everything out.
- Gravy: As far as toppings go, gravy has to be first on the list. We Americans don’t top our mashed potatoes with anything other than gravy.
- Cheese: We also love to add our favorite cheese to our potatoes and top them with it, so give that a shot. Cheese always takes potatoes up a notch. I don’t even eat them without some sort of cheese mixed in.
Storage and reheating
- How do you store mashed potatoes? Place them in a container or bowl and store them in the refrigerator. Make sure the container or bowl is tightly sealed with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a lid.
- Can you freeze mashed potatoes? They freeze perfectly! Just make sure they’re tightly sealed to prevent freezer burn. Storing them in the freezer will keep them fresh for 3-4 months or more.
- How do you reheat mashed potatoes? You can reheat them in the microwave or in a pot over low to medium heat until warm. If they’re frozen, you should reheat them in a pot on low heat and add a few splashes of milk or broth.
Frequently asked questions
- Why are there hard lumps in my potatoes? You either didn’t boil them long enough and there are still some uncooked parts, mashed them with cooking utensils that aren’t good for mashing, or you used waxy potatoes. My advice to prevent lumps is to make sure you boil them until they’re so tender they easily fall apart and use a ricer.
- Why do my potatoes have a weird gummy texture? The most common reason is that you overwork them by mixing them with a processor, hand mixer, blender, and even a masher. When potatoes are mashed, starch is released. The more you work on the potatoes, the more starch gets released. When too much starch gets released, the potatoes become gummy, gluey, and unappetizing.
- This is another reason why I’m so big on using potato ricers: Once you put the potatoes through them, you don’t have to worry about doing anything else to smooth them out.
Alright enough yapping listen…. those of you who have trouble making mashed potatoes correctly, as I once did, I feel this recipe is very informative and will help you immensely avoid struggling to make mashed potatoes ever again.
I also think y’all are gonna love em because I put a lot of work into making these smooth creamy garlic mashed potatoes that can rival the very best. So I hope yall give em a shot because I know you’ll enjoy them!!
If you do, leave a review in the comment section, share the recipe, rate it, and dont forget to subscribe so you’ll recieve notifications everytime I post a new recipe. And follow me on social media: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Enjoy, later.
PBJ~
The BEST Smooth Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (EASY RECIPE)
- Prep Time: 20 Mins
- Cook Time: 50 Mins
- Total Time: 1 Hr 10 Mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Starch & Other Side Dishes
- Cuisine: Soul Food
Description
Smooth, creamy, mashed potatoes seasoned to perfection and cooked with milk, butter, and cheese. The perfect dinner side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs Russet Potatoes
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 Qt Chicken Broth
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Half & Half
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 2 Tbs Philadelphia Cream Cheese (optional)
- 2 Tbs Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)
- 1 Tsp Salt + 1/8 Tsp Salt
- 1–1/2 Tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Fill a big mixing bowl with cool water and add in 1/8 tsp of salt.
- Peel the potatoes with a potato peeler, then dice the potatoes into medium size cubes.
You do this by slicing each potato 3 times lengthwise, then 4-5 times widthwise. - Place the potatoes in the bowl of water immediately after cutting them so they don’t turn brown.
- Once you’re done, drain the water, and rinse them well.
- Place the potatoes in a medium size pot and cover them with the broth and cool water.
- Place the pot over high heat, cover with a lid, and boil the potatoes for 40 minutes or until they’re very tender.
- Once the potatoes are tender, strain the broth or water, and clean the pot.
- Place the same pot over medium heat, then add in the butter, milk, cheese, and seasonings, and stir well.
- Lightly whisk until the cheese melts, then add in the potatoes.
If you didn’t decided to omit the cheese, add in the potatoes once the butter melts.* - Stir, mash, and whisk the potatoes for about 5 minutes or until they’re thick and smooth!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
by 
17 thoughts on “The BEST Smooth Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (EASY RECIPE)”
I will try this recipe. Like to read about that!
I just made those mash potatoes and they are so good !!! Thank again phillyjay ; you are heaven sent
The best mashed potatoes!! Thanks Jay!
PhillyBoyJay’s recipes are the best on the internet…..I have used a few of his recipes and they have ALL been a hit, thank you sir for taking the time out to share your talent.
(Givin honor to the recipe provider) DAMN I’M GOOD!!! These mashed potatoes are SMOKIN!! THEY ARE PERFECT! ( in taste, and texture, in every way really). I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SHARING! I expect a marriage proposal after this Man taste these here potatoes!! Lima beans, mashed potatoes, collared greens And Corn bread. I’m thinking about throwing in some Kool Aide as the beverage. If That ain’t a complete country dinner meal then I don’t know what is. But I digress.
One request,when you give the amount of potatoes to use, can you go back to using size and quantity of potatoes ( like 5 or 6 medium sized) instead of, (Or in addition to weight of potatoes) to use in your recipe please? It’s just that It’s easier to judge ( or estimate) the correct quantity for the recipe for folks like me who don’t have a kitchen scale and are weight challenged like me.
Hope you have a jiffy corn bread recipe for dressing, cuz Imma need one for my Christmas meal.
Love You!
Happy Holidays To You!!!!
Trying this recipe for my boyfriend’s birthday!
You’re shepherds pie recipe 😋 omggggg to die for!!! Thee best I’ve ever had! Thank you!
Will I get the same result if I whip them with an electric mixer?
Yea, that will work!
I saw your recipe for Shepherds Pie, using your mashed potatoes, but the recipe for the potatoes in the Shepherds pie was a little different, and included and egg yolk and sugar. Is the mashed potato recipe for the shepherds pie suppose to be different? I can’t wait to make the shepherds pie!!!!!
Sorry, I’m just seeing this comment. Shepherd’s pie is a pie, so you add egg to the mashed potatoes to stiffen them and give the Shepherd’s pie it’s shape. If you don’t add an egg to the mashed potatoes the pie will be loose and soupy.
I saw your video recipe for shepherd’s pie using your mashed potatoes and I cannot find it any more….
Delicious food
I love how you make love to your food (season your food). I made your chilli recipe and it was delicious. Thank you
I have been following Philly for some time now and I have been impressed by every dish I make following his instructions. Everything has been delicious and easy to follow. Thank you so much for your recipes.
You are the Best Do you hear me the Best social media cook EVER!!!. Everything you touch turns to gold in my family’s stomach.
Thanks, I appreciate the compliment!!!