Garlic Mashed Potatoes are buttery-rich, creamy, and infused with incredible flavor from the garlic and sour cream. It’s very simple to make but is one of the tastiest mashed potato recipes we’ve tried.
Watch the video tutorial and get Natasha’s favorite recipe for Garlic Mashed Potatoes. P.S. The potatoes reheat well if you’re looking for make-ahead dinner ideas.
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Garlic Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate side dish for Thanksgiving dinner, paired with Roast Turkey and Gravy. It’s holiday-worthy but also simple enough for tonight’s dinner. Try this dish paired with Steak, Roasted Asparagus, and maybe some Tiramisu for dessert. There are so many ways to serve this amazing potato side dish.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes Video
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Ingredients for Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Yukon potatoes are creamy and naturally buttery potatoes (use 4 lbs, or about 10-12 medium potatoes). Another good potato option is red potatoes. We like to peel the skins for a smooth texture, but you can leave the skins on if you prefer.
- Milk – we use whole milk, but any milk fat will work. Try half and half or whipping cream if you don’t mind the extra calories.
- Garlic – peel and coarsely smash with the side of your knife. You want the pieces to be large enough to easily strain out
- Salt – we use fine sea salt and add it at the very end to taste
- Butter – unsalted and softened to incorporate easily (see our tip for how to soften butter in 5 minutes)
- Sour Cream – adds great flavor (optional but very nice)
- Chives – finely chopped to garnish, or use chopped green onion or parsley
How Many Pounds of Potatoes Per Person for Mashed Potatoes?
In general, you will need 1/2 lb of potatoes per adult. So, if you are feeding 8 adults, you will need 4 pounds of potatoes.
When planning your menu, the amount you need will vary depending on what other sides you are serving, but I always like to have leftovers instead of running out. This recipe is easy to scale up or down.
How to Make Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Cook Potatoes – peel and cut potatoes into halves or quarters if larger then rinse in cold water. Note: keep peeled potatoes in water so they don’t discolor. Put potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and boil 15-18 minutes or until easily pierced.
- Warm the milk – when potatoes are nearly done cooking, in a small saucepan, combine milk and smashed garlic. Heat just until steaming then remove from heat.
- Drain the potatoes and keep them in the same pot to mash.
- Drizzle in hot milk to reach your desired texture. Cut butter into chunks and mash them into the potatoes until well incorporated. Add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt or add salt to taste.
- Serve drizzled with melted butter and chopped chives. These are amazing with our Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy.
Tips for the Best Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Rinse potatoes in cold water after they are peeled and sliced to keep them from browning and to remove excess starch.
- Do not overcook potatoes or they will become waterlogged. Cook until easily pierced with a fork. They should not be falling apart.
- Mash right away – potatoes should be mashed while hot so they don’t turn gummy.
What is the best way to peel potatoes?
This is a personal preference. I love my standard potato peeler because it feels better in my hand but some people prefer a Y-shaped peeler. My Mother loves to use a pairing knife. Go with whatever is most efficient for you.
How to get the creamiest mashed potatoes?
There are many different ways to mash potatoes, from a classic potato masher to potato ricer (a ricer will ensure zero lumps in your mashed potatoes), or an electric hand mixer or even a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. It depends on how much garlic mashed potatoes you cook (it’s hard to get a hand mixer into a super deep pot of potatoes).
Make-Ahead Tips
- Prep ahead – you can peel and chop potatoes ahead and keep them submerged in cold water in the refrigerator overnight then cook when ready.
- How to keep mashed potatoes warm – place them into a buttered slow cooker and set them to the low setting for up to 4 hours, stirring every 4 hours. If potatoes start to get dry, drizzle in some warm milk.
- To re-heat – place potatoes on a buttered skillet and sautee over medium heat until steamy hot and heated through, stirring frequently.
Leftover Mashed Potatoes Idea
You can turn leftover mashed potatoes into the most amazing cheesy Potato Pancakes.
This garlic mashed potatoes recipe is a fun spin on traditional Creamy Mashed Potatoes and is always a crowd-pleaser.
More Interesting Side Dishes
When I wrote my first cookbook, I surveyed my audience, and it surprised me how many of you wanted interesting side dish recipes, so here you go! Here are some more of our favorite side dishes to round out your menu.
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole
- Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
- Deviled Eggs with Bacon
- Easy Roasted Cauliflower
- German Potato Salad
- Stuffed Mushrooms
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 lb Yukon potatoes, 10 potatoes, peeled and quartered*
- 1 1/3 cup whole milk
- 6 garlic cloves , smashed
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 Tbsp chives, finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Place potato chunks into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for 15-18 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1 1/3 milk with 6 crushed garlic cloves until just steaming then remove from heat and set aside. Discard the garlic if desired.
- Drain the potatoes, keep them in the pot, then place over very low heat and mash with a potato masher or use an electric hand mixer (mash right away while potatoes are hot so they don’t turn gummy).
- Drizzle in hot milk to reach your desired texture. Cut butter into chunks and mash them into the potatoes until well incorporated. Add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt or add salt to taste.
- Serve warm drizzled with more butter if desired and garnished with fresh chives.
Notes
*Red potatoes can be substituted in this recipe.
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Here’s a suggestion for mashed potatoes. I make mine with butter and creme fraiche. Everyone loves my mashed potatoes.
Natasha – The are absolutely the BEST mashed potatoes. I added a variation using riced cauliflower and cream cheese. Give it a try . Fantastic taste
I’m so glad you love the recipe!
Could you use dried chives in a bottle?? looking for more trip pictures!!
Hi Janet! Fresh gives a better flavor, but yes, you could do that too.
I used 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup water (creative, I know lol, but that’s what I had in my fridge). I did keep the garlic in the milk mixture. It turned out just perfect!!! No clumps, perfect salt amount and great flavor.
That’s great, Lena! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha,
I am wondering if I could use cream cheese instead of sour cream in this recipe? If so, would I use an equivalent amount?
I can’t wait to try these!
Hi Rachel! I haven’t tested that myself. Please let us know if you experiment.
Did a practice run with these today and they turned out great! I’m making this for about 35 people on Thanksgiving and I had a couple of questions.
What do you think would be the best way to reheat for such a large group if I made it the morning of? On the stove or in the oven?
Also, would there be a change in consistency if I used salted butter? Thanks in advance!
Great to hear that, Lily. You may transfer the cold mashed potatoes to a medium saucepan or Dutch oven, cover them, and heat over low until they’re smooth, creamy, and heated through. The consistency should be fine but you can omit the salt in the recipe if using salted.
Can you please tell me what the serving size would be for this recipe?
Hi Regina! I don’t have the exact measurement for each serving. This recipe makes 10 servings when served as a side dish. You’d have to divide it into 10 equal portions or weigh the mashed potatoes (without the pot) and divide that by 10. I hope that helps. The nutrition facts listed above are per portion.
This recipe sounds really good!
Is there a way of making this recipe nondairy?
Hi C, the milk is a key ingredient in this recipe, and I haven’t tried alternatives. If you try it with a substitute, I’d love to know how you like that.