Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Garlic mashed potatoes are made easy by boiling the garlic with the potatoes! Butter, cream, and garlic cream cheese is added for extra garlic goodness. These super easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, will have you saying good-bye to ordinary mashed potatoes! They truly make for the easiest, most delicious garlic mashed potatoes ever!
Note: This post contains affiliate links.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes Without the Extra Work
In my very humble opinion, garlic has to be one of the greatest things on this earth! I mean really, what isn’t made better by the addition of garlic! So the combination of garlic and the greatest side dish of all time, mashed potatoes, is an absolute no brainer! Garlic mashed potatoes, to me anyways, is the bees knees, only topped by mashed potatoes smothered in delicious thanksgiving turkey gravy.
The only problem, however, is actually making truly garlicky, yet easy garlic mashed potatoes. The addition of raw garlic is far to pungent, leading to an unappetizing mash. Fried crushed garlic doesn’t infuse the garlic flavor very well and frankly, just dirties an extra dish. Garlic powder tastes, well – like garlic powder, not necessarily a crowd-stopper in any way. And roasting the garlic, while absolutely sublime in flavor, takes an additional 45 minutes at least and a whole lot of fore thought!
Cook the Garlic with the Potatoes!
Cue cooking the garlic with the boiling potatoes! Not only does the garlic infuse the cooking water with a garlic essence, and in turn infuse the potatoes with said essence, by ricing the cooked garlic with the potatoes, the garlic entire flavor potential is being utilized. By using the same ricer for the garlic as for the potatoes, there is absolutely no difference in texture, and post-mixing the garlic should be evenly distributed throughout.
I have linked the potato ricer that I use here. Boiling the garlic with the potatoes removes the need for any additional time consuming steps (I’m looking at you roasted garlic), removes any pungent raw flavors, and also tastes like you used real garlic (cause duh).
Potato Ricer Substitutes
You may now be thinking, “Darn, I don’t have a potato ricer though!”, but that’s okay! There are definitely a few work arounds if you do not have one! While using a potato ricer is definitely the easiest way, and makes for the creamiest and smoothest mashed potatoes, you can use 2 other items to properly incorporate the cooked garlic cloves.
When the potatoes are fork-tender, drain the potatoes and garlic with a colander. Then using a spoon, a fork, or whatever you have, get garlic hunting! You’re going to want to dig through your cooked potatoes, find all your cloves, and separate them into a different dish. Then you can either use your garlic press to crush the cooked cloves into your mashed potatoes, or you can combine the cooked cloves with your cream in the blender or the food processor, and blend until smooth.
For Garlic Lovers
For an extra-boost of garlicky goodness, I also add garlic butter, which I just find at my local supermarket, as well as garlic cream cheese! Now this is truly where the magic happens. The garlic cream cheese not only adds yet another layer of garlic flavor, but the cream cheese adds so much to the texture of the potatoes. It transforms the potatoes into a texture that can only be described as decadently creamy, yet still ultra fluffy.
Russet Potatoes vs. Yukon Gold
This recipe can easily be made with either russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes. I tend to use russets because they’re easily accessible year-round, as well they tend to cook faster than Yukon golds as well. However due to their starchy nature, Russet potatoes tend to absorb a lot of liquid and are more prone to falling apart to mush.
Due to this, it is important that they are not cut into too small of pieces. I cut mine in half length-wise, then cut each half into 3-4 pieces. Then it is also important to be extra vigilant when boiling the potatoes as well. When you think the potatoes are on the verge of being done, keep checking them with a fork, and immediately drain them the moment they become fork-tender.
I hope this recipe allows you to incorporate more garlic mashed potatoes into your life!
Get the Recipe: Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 Russet Potatoes,, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 10-12 Whole Garlic Cloves,, peeled
- 4 tbsp Butter or Garlic Butter,, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream,, warmed
- 1/2 cup Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese,, at room temperature
- Salt & Pepper,, to taste
Instructions
- Place potato pieces and garlic cloves into a large pot, and cover with enough water so that the water is 1 inch over the potatoes. Add enough salt to the water so that the water is similar to seawater. Place over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Drain potatoes with a colander, and using a potato ricer, rice the potatoes and garlic back into the empty pot. Add butter, cream, and cream cheese to the pot, and mix well until completely combined (using a hand-mixer makes very easy work of this!). Season with salt and pepper, and serve!
- (Optional) If you do not have a potato ricer, pull the cooked whole garlic cloves out before mashing, and either use a garlic press to crush them into the mashed potatoes, or add the cloves to the cream and blend in a blender or food processor.
I love garlic mashed potatoes! I soften my garlic by gentlycooking the cloves over low heat in the butter I use to add to the potatoes after mashing. It involves an extra pan, but it works for me.
That sounds great as well! Anything to avoid the long process of roasting!
I want to make this for Thanksgiving this year. I know it says it serves four. But is that for half cup servings or one cup servings? Looking forward to trying it out!
It’s probably closer to a one cup serving!
These were amazing!! I made them for Thanksgiving and they were a hit!
Thanks!
These where the best garlic mash potatoe recipes I’ve tried! Hands down, mouth watering. My family loved them. Thanks for sharing this goodness.
Thank you!!
I made this recipe for Easter Dinner and it was a huge hit. The whole family love le them…. mmm garlicky, pillowy soft, mashed potatoes. It’ll be our new go-to
Thanks Ashley!
Can you make these a day ahead?
I can’t see why not! I would suggest that you reheat them slowly though – possibly in the oven. Alternatively, I have made these in the morning and put them in the slow cooker to keep warm for the rest of the day.
Hi I was curious to know if the garlic and herb cream cheese you used was store bought or if you make it? If it’s store bought, what brand do you use?
Store bought! I use Philadelphia Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese!