This homemade mashed potatoes recipe is irresistibly rich and creamy, full of great flavor, easy to make, and always a crowd favorite.
These are my favorite mashed potatoes of all time. Nothing fancy or unexpected…just really, really good.
– Christy
Everyone’s Favorite Mashed Potatoes
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones we come back to again and again. And this homemade mashed potato recipe has been a reader favorite here on Gimme Some Oven for more than a decade now — tens of thousands of you have made them and given rave reviews! ♡
It’s easy to see why. These mashed potatoes are perfectly smooth and creamy, yet still taste light and fresh. They’re rich and buttery without being heavy, with just the right hint of garlic and a subtle tang from cream cheese. They come together quickly with a simple ingredients and a few pro tips (like warming your milk and butter for extra silky potatoes). They’re easy to scale for a cozy weeknight dinner or a holiday crowd. And most importantly — they are absolutely delicious.
If you’re looking for a go-to mashed potato recipe to keep forever in your repertoire, this is the one!
Cheers,
Watch How To Make Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Potato Tips
Before you get cooking, here are my top tips to guarantee light, creamy, perfectly seasoned mashed potatoes every time:
- Use a blend of potatoes. A 50/50 mix of Russet and Yukon Gold gives the perfect balance of fluffy, starchy, creamy and naturally buttery.
- Cut before boiling. Evenly sized pieces cook faster and more evenly than boiling whole potatoes.
- Don’t overboil. Too much water is the enemy of mashed potatoes! So be sure to remove them as soon as a knife slips in easily to avoid waterlogged, gluey mash.
- Pan-dry after draining. Shake the hot pot for a minute to steam off extra moisture and keep the potatoes light.
- Warm the dairy. Warm milk and butter incorporate much more smoothly and help keep the mash creamy, not sticky. I just pop mine in the microwave briefly before adding.
- Season in layers. Salt the water generously and taste again at the end — proper salting makes all the difference between bland and irresistible potatoes!
- Invest in a masher. If you like more rustic, chunky mashed potatoes (my personal favorite), I recommend this OXO masher. If you like smooth mashed potatoes, I recommend this smooth OXO masher.
Mashed Potato Variations
Want to put your own spin on this classic mashed potatoes recipe? Try one of these easy variations:
- Instant Pot mashed potatoes: Want to save a burner? You can easily make these in the pressure cooker. Here’s my full tutorial.
- Garlic mashed potatoes: Double or triple the garlic for extra flavor, or roast a head of garlic while the potatoes boil and mash the sweet roasted cloves right in.
- Loaded mashed potatoes: Stir in shredded cheddar, crispy bacon, and chopped green onions. (Want a little kick? Add sliced jalapeños too.)
- Vegan mashed potatoes: Use plant-based butter, unsweetened non-dairy milk, and vegan cream cheese (or skip the cream cheese altogether).
- Mashed sweet potatoes: Swap in sweet potatoes for the Russets and Yukon Golds for a sweet twist.
- Herby mashed potatoes: Fold in fresh rosemary, thyme, dill, parsley, tarragon, or chives.
- Cheesy mashed potatoes: Mix in a generous handful of shredded Parmesan, cheddar, Gruyère, or whatever melty cheese you love.
- More favorite mashed potato seasonings: Sprinkle in Old Bay, ranch seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, or Za’atar or Everything Bagel seasoning for a fun flavor boost.
FAQ
Definitely! Make them up to 1–2 days ahead, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently on the stove or in a slow cooker on “warm,” stirring in a splash of warm milk or cream as needed to loosen them back up.
Transfer them to a slow cooker on the “warm” setting for up to 3 hours, or cover the pot and place over the lowest heat setting, stirring occasionally and adding a little warm milk if needed.
Absolutely. Let them cool, then store in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently with a splash of milk or broth.
I don’t recommend it. It’s too easy to overmix using an electric mixer, which can quickly turn the potatoes guey. A hand masher usually gives the best texture.
If they’re too thick, stir in more warm milk a little at a time until they reach your desired consistency. If too thin, you can mash in extra cooked potatoes or let them sit on low heat to steam off some moisture.
Plan on about ½ pound of potatoes per person — this recipe uses 5 pounds, which makes enough for about 10–12 servings.
More Potato Recipes To Try!
The BEST Mashed Potatoes!
Ingredients
- 5 pounds potatoes (I use half Yukon Gold, half Russet potatoes)
- 4 to 6 large cloves garlic, minced
- fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- toppings: chopped fresh chives or green onions, freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes. Feel free to peel your potatoes or leave the skins on. Then cut them into evenly-sized chunks, about an inch or so thick, and transfer them to a large stockpot full of cold water.
- Boil the potatoes. Once all of your potatoes are cut, be sure that there is enough cold water in the pan so that the water line sits about 1 inch above the potatoes. Stir the garlic and 1 tablespoon sea salt into the water. Then turn the heat to high and cook until the water comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain the boil) and continue cooking for about 10-12 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in easily with almost no resistance. Carefully drain out all of the water.
- Prepare your melted butter mixture. Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat the butter, milk and an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt together either in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is just melted. (You want to avoid boiling the milk.) Set aside until ready to use.
- Pan-dry the potatoes. After draining the water, immediately return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, place it back on the hot burner, and turn the heat down to low. Using two oven mitts, carefully hold the handles on the stockpot and shake it gently on the burner for about 1 minute to help cook off some of the remaining steam within the potatoes. Remove the stockpot entirely from the heat and set it on a flat, heatproof surface.
- Mash the potatoes. Using your preferred kind of potato masher (I recommend this masher in general, or this masher if you prefer extra-smooth), mash the potatoes to your desired consistency.
- Stir everything together. Then pour half of the melted butter mixture over the potatoes, and fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula until potatoes have soaked up the liquid. Repeat with the remaining butter, and then again with the cream cheese, folding in each addition in until just combined to avoid over-mixing. (Feel free to add in more warm milk to reach your desired consistency, if needed.)
- Taste and season. One final time, taste the potatoes and season with extra salt if needed.
- Serve warm. Then serve warm, garnished with gravy or any extra toppings that you might like, and enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Fantastic recipe! I know I’m being one of those people who change the recipe but I think it’s handy for others who read the comments. Changes were minor. Instead of using whole garlic I used the pre-minced in a jar kind (I know, I know). And instead of putting it into the potato water to boil, I put it into the milk/butter mixture. Essentially giving us a very garlicy (but yum) mashed potatoes as an end result.
I’m not sure if adding the garlic to the potato water then draining would result in the same? Anyways, definitely a keeper for our family and I renamed it to Garlic Mashed Potatoes! Since I do think the way I made them ended up very garlicy.
A simple to prepare and excellent tasting dish, my favorite type especially on a weekday night. I’ve never used cream cheese in mashed potatoes and was pleasantly surprised at the improvement it made. I also found the instructions about folding in the melted butter/milk and then the cream cheese made for a more pleasant texture when eating. I always thought the more mixed the butter, milk, and potatoes were the better the dish would be but I know better now.
Am I missing where the quantity of potatoes is listed? I’m so confused with the directions!
I made a grammatical typo in my submitted comment a few minutes ago, in the first sentence… Apologies. Should have said “with any mashed potato recipes in the past” instead of “these” in the first sentence.. feel welcome to fix it before posting.
(ie, “Amazing! I haven’t had a lot of success with any mashed potato recipes in the past but all the tips with this recipe, including the minced garlic in water, pan-dry step and folding in the barely melted butter/milk/salt combo, were incredibly helpful. My husband said these were the best he ever tasted too! Thanks for sharing this great recipe.”)
Amazing! I haven’t had a lot of success these mashed potatos in the past but all the tips with this recipe, including the minced garlic in water, pan-dry step and folding in the barely melted butter/milk/salt combo, were incredibly helpful. My husband said these were the best he ever tasted too! Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
My family loved these at Thanksgiving. I told them I was making them again for Christmas and they were really excited. They would eat bowls of these as leftovers until they were all gone. This is a great recipe, thanks for sharing!
I tried this recipe for the first for Christmas dinner this year. When I have a niece come to me and says “please Aunt Louie, can you send me this recipe” that speaks volumes to me. The combo of the two different potatoes made this recipe so delicious, creamy and full of favor. I will not fix mash potatoes but this way. I want to try creme fraiche instead of cream cheese to see if the taste changes at all or the texture. I also wonder if you could still use the cream cheese and replace the milk with the creme fraiche.
I was cooking just for two, so I weighed out 2 1/2 lbs of potatoes, and halved the remaining ingredients. It turned out perfect. I don’t have a potato masher, so I dump everything into my mixer and used the coated flat beater sparingly. Worked like a charm. I also put the finished dish into the refrigerator and microwaved it when I was ready to serve. I didn’t put enough salt in — heart patient in the house — But I put a little extra on mine — delicious! I will keep this recipe in my notebook of favorite recipes.
Salted or unsalted butter?
These mashed potatoes were fantastic! I’ve always been the one to take charge of mashed potatoes during the holidays (because they’re my favorite food ever) but I’ve never had a great recipe to use, I always kind of just wing it. I had a work potluck recently so I figured I’d find a recipe to try and wow my coworkers. Well I found the WOW recipe! I had several people stop by my office to tell me how amazing the potatoes were and they wanted the recipe. I will now be making these forever!
I made this with buttermilk instead of whole milk – heated that in a saucepan with the butter and added the minced garlic at that time. Wow!!