Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Y’all can’t tell me my Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe ain’t the absolutely best! I stand by that claim. I fold tender potatoes with roasted garlic, rich butter, and creamy liquid creating the silkiest taters out there! And the best part is these babies come together so easy y’all. And ain’t no fancy expensive gadgets like potato ricers necessary! You can legit blend these up old school style making these the most convenient as well as the best garlic mashed potatoes out there.

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Mashed potatoes may be a simple food but it can be elevated when necessary. Gone are the days of the boxed potatoes or the plain ones with a simple pat of butter and no flavor building. These legit are not your Southern mama’s mashed potatoes, just saying. Around these parts, I’m gonna give you a creamy garlic mashed potato recipe that’s not only high-quality but made with just a few ingredients. And we ain’t getting super gourmet with those ingredients. You can grab these from the standard grocery store and keep it pushing. Let’s get into it.

The Lowdown on the Best Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Cuisine Inspiration: Comfort Food Upgraded
Primary Cooking Method: Boiling and Mashing, that’s it!
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free (Can be made Vegan with a few adjustments)
Key Flavor: Bold, Rich, Garlicky with Creamy Texture
Skill Level Required: Easy Peasy y’all

• Explosive Garlic Flavor: We are not skimping on garlic here! I add in both roasted garlic and granulated garlic to get that flavor in each and every spoonful, ya dig?
• Beyond Silky: Without fancy gadgets, we still get our potatoes whipped up to perfection with a melt-in-your-mouth smooth and velvety texture.
• Staying On Budget: We ain’t breaking the bank with these ingredients. These are basic ingredients keeping it super affordable.
• Straightforward: The recipe is user-friendly and beginner ready for all my cooking newbies.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: Y’all these are my fave potatoes to use in this recipe because the texture is just downright delish and buttery making beyond creamy mashers.
• Butter – Unsalted is my preference because I like to control the salt content. Also unsalted is just fresher overall because it doesn’t use salt as a preservative.  Now let me warn you boos, I use a lot of butter in my mashed potatoes.
• Half and Half – Half and half is just a thicker creamier option versus plain ole milk.  You are also going to get a nice dose of richness, butteriness and creaminess without it being too heavy.
• Salt and Pepper – gotta season these babies up y’all! Don’t skimp here. No one wants bland mashed potatoes.
• Garlic: This recipe hits different because of the roasted garlic. It’s deep and rich flavor elevates each bite.
• Olive Oil: This allows our garlic to roast up perfectly and just a drizzle brings out the deep essence.
• Garlic Powder: Did I mention we are making garlic mashed potatoes? Welp I’ve got garlic in this recipe times 2! The granulated garlic is gonna make sure that garlic is evenly distributed through the taters. And more garlic ain’t never hurt nobody.
• Minced Chives: These green herbs are gonna pop that color and vibes with its mild oniony flavor.

How to Make Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Step 1: Roast Up That Garlic

1. Get that oven preheated to 400 F.
2. Next we need to remove the top of the garlic head so that all those gorgeous cloves are showing. That’s where all that flavor is. Add the garlic to a large piece of foil, drizzle it up with some olive oil then wrap it up.
3. Add the wrapped garlic to a baking sheet and let it roast for about an hour until its totally tender.

Step 2: Boil The Potatoes

1. Add the water to a large pot along with some salt to flavor up the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add those potatoes in and let them cook until they are completely tender, about 20 or so minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes then rinse them super well in warm water so we can get rid of that extra starch.

PRO TIP: To test if your potatoes are good to go, use a knife or fork to pierce them. If they easily pierce, you are ready to mash those babies. If not, let them boil a bit longer.

Step 3: Create Your Garlic Goodness and Mash Em Up!

1. Add your half and half, roasted garlic and butter to a medium pot over medium heat. As soon as the butter melts down and the liquid is warm, mash in that garlic.
2. Next, you want to add that garlicky goodness to your potatoes in increments letting it really absorb while you mash along the way.
3. Finally season it all up with that good garlic powder, salt and pepper (make sure you taste as you go along) and chives and serve it on up!

PRO TIP: Don’t add your liquid all at once. It is best to add in increments so you can create the texture and consistency you like. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t remove it. If you add too much, those potatoes are gonna be super soupy y’all.

What to Serve Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes With

• Fried Onion Topping: If you haven’t topped onion rings on garlic mashed potatoes, you are missing out boos! It’s something else!
• Bacon Bits: The salty, smoky and savory crunch of some candied bacon on top of these taters is textural bliss.
• Gravy It Up: Serve up mashed potatoes old school style by adding some brown gravy, sawmill gravy or even some turkey gravy or chicken gravy.
• Sop It Ideas: Recipes with incredible juices and sauces are so bomb to serve with mashed potatoes. I love this garlic mashed potato recipe served with neck bones, chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken (that gravy don’t play!), smothered pork chops or a Mississippi Pot Roast. That’s good eatin y’all.
• Classic American Comfort Meal: Ain’t nothing like my best meatloaf recipe or some classic fried chicken on a bed of these creamy garlic mashed potatoes with some Southern green beans on the side.
• Simple Dinner: Serve these up with some blackened salmon or air fryer salmon and some steamed veggies.

Recipe Substitutions

• Potatoes: Sub in russet potatoes if yukon ain’t around. Your creamy garlic mashed potatoes will end up a bit flufflier and dryer so add more liquid if you need to.
• Half and Half: I know half and half is more a speciality item so you can use whole milk if it ain’t around. You can even use half heavy cream and thin it out with some water or broth.
• Butter: You can use salted butter here and just omit some of the salt when you season up the potatoes.
• Seasoning: Grab some table salt if kosher ain’t around just use much less.

Recipe Variations and Additions

• Cheese It Up: Towards the end of mashing the potatoes, fold in some gruyere, goat cheese or cheddar for cheesy nutty flavor.
• Herb it Up: Add additional herbs beyond the chives or parsley. Rosemary and thyme are bomb options that inject so much fragrancy to the dish.
• Citrus: To brighten these up, toss some lemon or orange zest in the roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
• Vegan: Replace the butter with your fave vegan brand or margarine and use a coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk or even an oat milk instead.
• Toss in some spinach: A handful of fresh spinach tossed in will add additional flavor and some health benefits.
• Truffle it Up: Wanna go all out and get fancy with it? Drizzle in some truffle oil. Now that’s an upgrade.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Boil your potatoes in large pieces: Small pieces means more opportunity for water to get into your potatoes which means more liquid and a lot less flavor. Bigger chunks take a bit longer to cook but it’s completely worth it boos.
• Don’t allow your potatoes to cool after boiling: Start getting busy with your potatoes as soon as they are fresh out of the pot! Adding in your fats and mashing while your potatoes are hot creates a creamier taste and texture.
• Taste your potatoes along the way: These homemade garlic mashed potatoes tend to need a lot of salt because of all the starch and fat being used. It’s very easy to under or over season your potatoes if you aren’t tasting as you go. Season, stir, taste and repeat y’all.
• Don’t add your liquid all at once: Your potatoes can’t soak up all that liquid in one go and if you try to force them to, you will end up with wet soupy taters. That ain’t nobody’s bag.

How to Store and Reheat Homemade Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• Fridge: Make sure your potatoes have cooled down completely then add to an airtight container and pop in the fridge. They will last for 3-4 days.
• Freezer: These freeze pretty good y’all. Either portion them in individual servings in freezer-safe bags or containers or add them as one batch to a large container. Remove as much air as you can then toss in the freezer. They last up to 2 months.
• Reheating: Add the potatoes to a pot over low heat and stir occasionally until they are warmed up. If they seem a little dry, add some some milk or butter pats to bring back that creamy goodness and consistency you get down with. I don’t recommend using the microwave since they will dry out and not maintain the smooth texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Fave Potato Recipes

• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Smothered Potatoes
• Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes