Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes are a buttery, fluffy, and flavorful side dish that's perfect for everyday dinners and holiday gatherings. With mellow garlic, just the right amount of richness, and options for making ahead, this is a go-to recipe you'll come back to again and again.
For more mashed potatoes recipes, see my posts for Crockpot Mashed Potatoes and Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes!
Recipe Overview
This cozy Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe is creamy, buttery, and full of rich garlic flavor - perfect for weeknight dinners, Sunday roasts, and holiday gatherings.
- Total Time: 30 minutes with about ~10 minutes prep
- Texture: Creamy, fluffy, and smooth (or rustic if you leave the skins on)
- Flavor: Balanced garlic - not overwhelming
- Make-ahead friendly: Oven, stovetop, and slow cooker instructions included
- Flexible: Works with gold, red, or russet potatoes
What I Love About This Recipe
This recipe is so easy, it brings simple ingredients together beautifully - garlic, butter, potatoes, and a touch of creaminess.
And the garlic flavor? It’s not sharp or overpowering, just mellow and perfectly flavored. If you want to add additional garlic flavor, it’s an easy increase in garlic powder!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this oh-so-simple but delicious side dish.
- Potatoes: Yukon golds make naturally creamy mashed potatoes, but russet (peeled) or red potatoes (peeled or unpeeled) work just as well.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor. Adjust salt depending on whether you’re using salted or unsalted.
- Sour Cream: Makes the potatoes extra creamy with just a touch of tang. Greek yogurt works as a substitute.
- Milk (or broth): Use whole milk, half-and-half, nondairy milk, or vegetable broth - whichever suits your table.
- Garlic Cloves: Simmered with the potatoes until soft, mellow, and sweet - not sharp or overpowering.
- Garlic Powder: Adds depth of garlic flavor to finish.
- Salt & Black Pepper: Season generously - potatoes love salt.
- Chives (optional): A fresh, bright finishing touch for serving.
How to Make Creamy Mashed Potatoes
These mashed potatoes come together easily with just a few simple steps and pantry ingredients.
- Step 1: Cut or quarter the potatoes and place them in a large pot with the garlic.
- Step 2: Cover with water to reach 1 inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high, and boil for 10-12 minutes.
- Step 3: Cook until the potatoes are easily pierced in the center with a fork. Drain the water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Step 4: In a large bowl, use a potato masher or hand mixer (my favorite method) to break up the potatoes with a bit of the milk. If using a hand mixer, be very careful not to overmix to achieve a creamy texture rather than a gummy one.
- Step 5: Add the butter, remaining milk, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix the potatoes just until the ingredients are combined. It’s important not to overmix the potatoes! Taste and adjust for salt and pepper if needed.
Variations
- Extra Creamy: Replace half the milk with half-and-half or cream.
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Swap the boiled garlic for one whole head of roasted garlic, mashed in.
- Buttery Herb: Stir in chopped thyme, rosemary, or parsley before serving, as I’ve done with my herb-infused crockpot mashed potatoes.
- Cheddar Mashed Potatoes: Fold in 1-1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar at the end.
- Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes: Replace butter with good-quality olive oil for dairy-light or Mediterranean-style mash.
Serving Ideas
These mashed potatoes pair beautifully with:
- Roast turkey or chicken schnitzel
- Beef stew or pot roast
- Pork tenderloin or skillet pork chops
- Meatloaf
- Sautéed mushrooms or caramelized onions
- Holiday meals (Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter)
Try my Easy Turkey Gravy - especially perfect for holiday tables.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes Ahead
Garlic mashed potatoes are excellent for preparing ahead, especially for holidays or gatherings. The key to reheating is adding a bit of liquid (milk, cream, or broth) and a small amount of butter to restore the creamy texture.
Make Ahead (Refrigerator): Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed. Cool slightly, then transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the Oven: Spoon the potatoes into a baking dish. Add ½ cup milk or cream and 2 tablespoons butter over the top (do not stir). Cover with foil and bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. Stir before serving.
Reheat on the Stovetop: Place the potatoes in a pot over low heat. Stir in ½ cup milk or cream and 2 tablespoons butter, and warm gently until creamy and hot.
Reheat in a Slow Cooker: Transfer the prepared potatoes to a slow cooker. Cover and keep on Low for up to 4 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, add ½ cup milk or cream and 2 tablespoons butter, switch to High, and warm through.
Best Tips for Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Salt the water well. Potatoes absorb flavor as they cook. The water should taste like the sea-this is the first step to properly seasoned mash.
- Simmer, don't boil. A gentle simmer keeps potatoes tender without breaking apart or becoming waterlogged.
- Drain fully. After cooking, let the potatoes sit in the warm pot for a minute to release steam. This helps prevent watery or thin mashed potatoes.
- Warm the dairy. Gently warm the milk and butter before adding. Warm dairy absorbs more easily, preventing the potatoes from tightening or becoming gluey.
- Add liquids gradually. Start with a splash, stir, then add more until you reach the texture you love-soft, creamy, and smooth.
- Taste and adjust. Potatoes need more salt than you think. Season at the end and taste again before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Leaving the skins on adds flavor and texture, especially with red or gold potatoes. Peel if you prefer a smoother mashed potato.
Avoid over-mixing. Mash by hand and add the dairy gradually. Overworking releases starch, resulting in gluey potatoes.
Yukon gold potatoes create the creamiest mash with a naturally buttery flavor. Russets (peeled) also work well if you want a lighter, fluffier texture.
The simmered garlic, as you often see in French recipes, offers a mellow flavor. For stronger garlic, add extra garlic powder or stir in roasted garlic. For milder, remove the simmered cloves before mashing.
Yes. Use olive oil instead of butter and broth or nondairy milk in place of milk. Add additional salt to taste.
They do. Freeze fully cooled mashed potatoes in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat gently with added milk and butter to restore texture. See my Easy Guide to Freezer-Friendly Meals for more tips on freezing.
A slow cooker on Warm works well for up to 4 hours. Stir in a splash of milk before serving to refresh the creaminess.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
Looking for other side dish recipes like this? Try these:
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Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (or red potatoes if preferred), peeled if desired.
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk dairy or nondairy or vegetable broth
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and halved
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder to taste
- 1 ½-2 teaspoons salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper or 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional: chopped chives for serving
Instructions
- Cut or quarter the potatoes and place in a large pot with the garlic. Cover with water to reach 1 inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high, and boil for 10-12 minutes.
- Cook until the potatoes are easily pierced in the center with a fork. Drain the water and transfer to a large bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine hot (drained) potatoes, butter, milk, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Use a potato masher or a hand mixer (my favorite method) and mix the potatoes just until the ingredients are combined. It's important not to overmix the potatoes! Taste and adjust for salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
- Instant Pot Method: Place the metal rack in the bottom of your pressure cooker. Add 1 cup water, and place potatoes on the metal rack. Cover and pressure cook on manual for 8 minutes. When finished, quickly release the pressure, remove the potatoes, and proceed with the recipe.
- Potatoes: You can use any potatoes you prefer (peeled or unpeeled). I’m using gold potatoes, but red potatoes or russet potatoes (peeled) are also delicious!
- Garlic: I love using whole garlic in this dish, and it generally mixes in really well, but if you don’t want bits of garlic, mince it and stir it into the potatoes with the milk and sour cream.
- Making Ahead in the Oven: Add the prepared mashed potatoes into a large baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Preheat the oven to 325°F and pour 1/2 cup milk or cream over the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of butter without stirring. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. Stir before serving.
- Making Ahead in a Slow Cooker: Prepare the mashed potatoes, spoon into a slow cooker, cover and keep on low for up to 4 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, switch the heat to high and s tir in 1/2 up cream or milk and 2 tablespoons of butter. Let the milk warm before stirring and serving.
- Making Ahead on the Stovetop: Prepare the mashed potatoes, add 1/2 cup cream or milk and 2 tablespoons butter. Set over low heat and gently stir until warmed through.
- Want to add gravy? I love my easy turkey gravy recipe, especially for Thanksgiving.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
For every holiday, special occasion, or just an evening when we’re crafting a comfort food dish, this is the mashed potato recipe I always make. It’s delicious, simple, and the perfect side dish!