These are The Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes you’ll ever make and super easy too! They’re loaded with butter, milk, and cream and flavored with garlic and thyme and a touch of salt and pepper!
Serve up with that juicy Maple Ham for Easter or Christmas or Slow Cooker Turkey for Thanksgiving! It’s great served under Italian Beef for easy weeknights too!
This Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe is an easy and flavorful side dish that’s perfect for holidays and weeknight dinners alike!
Nothing beats a pillow of smooth Mashed Potatoes loaded with herbs and garlic flavor and topped with butter and gravy, amirite?
These Garlic Mashed Potatoes are incredibly creamy and are our go-to for topping shepherd’s pie or just as a side!
They’re made with potatoes, garlic, thyme, cream, butter, and whole milk with a bit of salt and pepper, no cream cheese or anything like that, just simple and delicious.
Need to make this classic side dish fast? Check out my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe!
How To Make Mashed Potatoes:
Making mashed potatoes is a very simple process and easy enough that anyone can do it!
1. Begin by peeling and chopping 4 pounds of potatoes into 1-inch pieces.
2. Then place the chopped potatoes in a large pot with the minced garlic cloves and thyme.
3. Next, add the cream and milk and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and stir occasionally until the potatoes are fork-tender and falling apart.
Sometimes around Thanksgiving, heavy cream can be hard to find in stock. I have made this recipe with all half & half and it was still delicious!
4. Remove from the heat and discard the thyme stems, use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until mostly smooth.
5. Add in the butter, salt, and pepper and stir just until melted and combined.
6. Top with more butter, salt, and pepper, and fresh herbs as desired for serving.
Tips For Making Perfect Mashed Potatoes:
- Full-fat dairy products – Don’t cut corners by using skim milk or light cream and ALWAYS use REAL butter for best flavor.
- Room temperature ingredients – The cream and milk you use to cook the potatoes in doesn’t need to be room temperature, but anything added after cooking should be. This will ensure the best blend of ingredients and won’t cool the potatoes down.
- Do not let them cool – For the best mash, don’t let your potatoes sit for too long before mashing, hot potatoes will leave to the best texture.
- Cook in dairy instead of water – This recipe uses both milk and heavy cream and the potatoes are cooked right in the dairy products so there’s no need for water and no need for draining. This is what separates this recipe from most others and makes it super easy! These truly are one-pot mashed potatoes!!!
- Taste often – The base recipe uses unsalted butter so that you will want to taste often to adjust your salt and pepper to your taste.
- Use a potato masher – For the best consistency, use a proper potato masher to mashup your potato mixture, this will work much better than a fork.
How To Keep Them Warm:
If you only need 15 or 30 minutes to get the rest of your meal together, simply place the mashed potatoes in a large bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a clean dishcloth.
If you want to prep your Homemade Mashed Potatoes well in advance for Easter or Thanksgiving, simply put them in a slow cooker on low and stir occasionally.
How Long Are They Good For?
- Room Temperature: 2 hours
- Refrigerated: 3 to 5 days.
- Frozen: 10 months
Alternative Textures:
I’ve always been a person who loves a few lumps but you can use this same recipe with slight adjustments and prep methods.
- Fluffy Potatoes: In my opinion, Yukon Gold is the best, but for slightly fluffier results, you might want to try a starchier potato like Russet potatoes or do a 50/50 blend of the two.
- Super Smooth Potatoes: Run the potatoes through a ricer, do not add to a blender or food processor, this could result in a gummy texture.
- Whipped Potatoes: Transfer lightly mashed potato mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high for 4 to 5 minutes until whipped and smooth.
More Side Dish Recipes:
Best Mashed Potatoes
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Best Mashed Potatoes
Video
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Russet or Yukon gold potatoes
- 6 cloves minced garlic can do more if desired
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1-2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop the potatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in a large pot with the minced garlic.4 lbs Russet or Yukon gold potatoes, 6 cloves minced garlic
- Add the fresh thyme sprigs to the pot with the potatoes and garlic.8 sprigs fresh thyme
- Add the cream and milk, making sure the potatoes are mostly covered but some peeking above the surface is fine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and stir occasionally until the potatoes are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.3 cups heavy cream, 1-2 cups whole milk
- Remove from the heat and discard the thyme stems, use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until mostly smooth with slight lumps. Add in the butter, salt, and pepper and stir just until melted and combined.½ cup unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- Top with more butter, salt, and pepper, and fresh herbs as desired for serving.additional salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Potatoes will have some lumps.
- If you decide to add additional cream at the end, make sure it is room temperature so it doesn’t cool the potatoes down.
- For super smooth potatoes, run the potatoes through a ricer.
- For whipped potatoes, transfer lightly mashed potato mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high for 4 to 5 minutes until whipped and smooth.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Chuck, you can cut up the potatoes up to 24 hours in advance. And fully prepared mashed potatoes can be refrigerated and reheated.
Chuck says
Is it ok to prep everything and keep in fridge until ready to cook?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Judy, I definitely have a lot of easy recipes that require minimal prep time, so hopefully, that helps you out!
Judy Hubble says
I love your recipes……don’t always have time to make them, and now I’m having back problems, so I hope you have lots of esy receipes.