The Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes

These easy Homemade Mashed Potatoes are creamy, full of garlic flavor! Done in 30 minutes, they are perfect for the holidays. Serve them with my favorite roasted turkey recipe for a winning feast!

So, you like the tators? Then you need to make my moms Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes or these Garlic Herb Smashed Potatoes.

The Best Homemade Mashed Potatoes

When it comes to the holidays, homemade is best! Am I right? None of this boxed dinner kinda stuff. At the holidays, we whip out the big guns.

Which is why I’m arming you with these epic creamy mashed potatoes for the holidays. I don’t think I realized that I didn’t have a classic mashed potato recipe on my blog. (um.. what?) Well, that’s changing right now! Especially since we have Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner… a.k.a the season of all the food!

I know everybody has their own idea of the “perfect” or “best” mashed potatoes, so to each their own. But in my humble opinion, outside of my momma’s Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes these are the best classic version of Mashed Potatoes ever. They’re super easy to make, rich, creamy, buttery, luscious and addicting.

What You’ll Need

It’s crazy I know, but it doesn’t take much to make some epic mashed potatoes. You just need to have the right quantities and give it a little love, tender and care. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to have on hand in order to make these creamy mashed potatoes.

• Potatoes: A combination of Russet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes. You could also use Idaho potatoes in place of russet if you’d like. I peel the skin off (because it looks cleaner and my kids don’t complain), however, if you’d like to leave it on that’s fine too.
• Milk: The key component to “creamy” mashed potatoes … milk. 
• Butter: The melted butter gives that classic “buttery” taste we all love in mashed potatoes. I highly recommend following the directions and melting it in the sauce pan. The flavor is WAY different than just adding a chunk to the pot, trust me.
• Cream Cheese: Maybe it’s a Midwest thing, but I grew up on sour cream and cream cheese in my mashed potatoes. The cream cheese in these just adds a tangy flavor that cuts through the starchiness from the potatoes and fat from the butter & milk. Let’s just say it’s my secret weapon!
• Spices: Obviously salt and pepper – and the more salt the better, trust me potatoes need it. I also use garlic powder in this recipe bring the flavor to the next level.

Can I use different potatoes?

I’ve found that the best combo to ensure they are creamy and not overly starchy is to use half russet and half yukon gold or white potatoes. If you’d like to use half russet and half red potato that would work too.

Can I leave the skin on?

Yes, you can absolutely leave the skin on the potatoes. You would just cook them with the skin on and mash them up per normal. Personally, I’d still take off the russet potato skin because I’m not a fan of the flavor. 

How to Make Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes are probably one of the easiest sides to make. You can make them on the stove, in the instant pot or even in the crock pot! Here are the instructions on how to make mashed potatoes on the stove:

1. Cut potatoes into quarters. Rinse off thoroughly and add to a large pot along with just enough water to cover the potatoes.
2. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until they are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, to a small saucepan over medium heat, add butter and milk. Simmer, whisking the entire time, until butter is melted and the milk is warm.
4. Next, drain the potatoes into a strainer then add back to the large pot, along with cream cheese, milk/butter mixture, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
5. Using a potato masher or a hand mixer,  mix/mash until the potatoes are the consistency you’d like. Add more salt to taste.
6. Serve!

Tips for Success

• Make sure to cut your potatoes into equal sizes so they cook evenly. 
• Do not over cook your potatoes. They start to take on water if overcooked. So instead of putting them on the stove a forgetting about them, make sure you set a timer and keep an eye on them. As soon as they are fork or knife tender, pour the water out and drain.
• Salt. Salt. Salt. I am not an “over salter” but when it comes to potatoes the more salt the better. Trust me!
• Heat your Milk before adding it to the potatoes. This keeps the potatoes hot and it absorbs into the potatoes better. 
• If you like more of that garlic flavor, add 3-4 garlic cloves to the pot with your potatoes while they are cooking.

Serving Suggestions

If you aren’t serving mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner, there are so many other mains and sides to serve them with! Here are a few ideas:

• Cowboy Steak
• Beer Can Chicken
• Perfect Roasted Chicken
• Crispy Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic
• Maple Dijon Roasted Butternut Squash Brussel Sprouts Salad
• Best Spinach Salad with Apples, Pecans and Gorgonzola
• Bacon Cauliflower Au Gratin
• Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Can I Make these Ahead?

Yes you can make these ahead. Just make the potatoes and allow them to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use them. I would not make them more than a day in advance.

To heat the potatoes I like to spread them into a casserole dish and add a few pats of butter, then warm them in an oven set to 350F for about 30 minutes. Cover with tin foil if you would prefer the top of your mashed potatoes not to brown in the oven.

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