The Best Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Creamy, cheesy, and bursting with rich roasted garlic flavor, these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes are the ultimate side dish for any meal. Whether you’re prepping for a holiday feast or a weeknight dinner, this dish will quickly become a family favorite!
Erica’s Notes
How are we already less than a week from Thanksgiving!? Halp. I swear this time of year is such a whirlwind.
I do feel reassured that I’ve got some of my classic recipes locked down and on the menu. This year I’m making my go-to turkey, turkey gravy, roasted sweet potatoes and carrots, Brussels sprouts salad and of course, THESE next level potatoes.
Here’s my campaign for you to make them as well:
- Roasted garlic is sort of like sorcery and makes these mashed potatoes into something truly magical.
- Provided that you have a potato ricer, this recipe requires ZERO PEELING OR CHOPPING. Just plop the whole potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, cook and then pass through a ricer! The ricer gets rid of the peel while leaving you with a fluffy, perfectly smooth mash.
- These garlic mashed potatoes are very make-ahead friendly. I like to prep them early on in the day and then you can pop them in the oven for 40-45 minutes before serving!
- The addition of white cheddar, cream cheese and cream give these potatoes luxurious creaminess and flavor.
- I cannot think of a meal that these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes would not go well with. This is a great side dish for any protein and a green veggie or salad. Boom. Dinner is done and delicious.
Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and my favorite classic side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. I cannot wait to make these next week- cheesy garlicky goodness here we come!
What You’ll Need to Make Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Garlic: snag at least two whole heads of fresh garlic, we roast them up to caramel-y perfection!
Olive oil: fat like olive oil helps the garlic roast into a creamy paste and not dry out.
Potatoes: IMO, the best potatoes for mashed potatoes are Yukon gold potatoes. They have a medium starchiness and creamy texture that is buttery even before you add butter. At my store, they’re sometimes labeled yellow potatoes or gold potatoes. I don’t know if that’s the exact same as Yukon gold, but they work for me! The second-best option is Russet potatoes. Red potatoes are quite waxy and white potatoes can be dense and gummy so I’d skip those varieties!
Heavy cream: I didn’t promise a ‘light’ mashed potato recipe mmkay!? Heavy cream gives the most luscious flavor and texture. You could half and half or whole milk if you wanted a lighter version, but the result won’t be quite as creamy or rich.
Thyme: fresh herbs like thyme give a subtle earthiness to the cream.
Butter: I use and recommend salted butter but if you use unsalted butter, just taste and season with a pinch more salt, as needed.
Cream cheese: there’s just a bit of cream cheese in this recipe to reinforce the cheesy vibes without being overt.
Cheese: the cheese in this recipe is relatively subtle- it acts to give an amazing pop of flavor but is not in your face CHEESY. I love a mild, melty cheese like white cheddar or Monterey Jack. I recommend buying a block of cheese and grating it yourself for the best melt factor and flavor.
Salt and pepper: I use kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, both of which you can find in the spice aisle at the grocery store.
How to Make Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roast the Garlic
Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Slice the tops off the garlic heads, drizzle olive oil in between the garlic cloves, and season with salt and pepper.
Wrap tightly in foil and roast for 50-60 minutes, until golden and caramelized. Let cool, then mash the garlic into a paste.
Cook the Potatoes
Place 3 pounds of potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes, until fork tender.
Infuse the Cream
In a small saucepan, combine cream, butter, thyme, and cream cheese. Heat over low heat, stirring until smooth and infused with thyme’s flavor. Remove the thyme sprigs before adding to the potatoes.
Rice/Mash the Potatoes
Drain potatoes and pass through a potato ricer back into the large stock pot or Dutch oven. If you don’t have a ricer you can use a hand masher. Add the infused cream mixture, roasted garlic paste, grated cheese, salt, and pepper to the potatoes. Mash or fold until smooth and well combined. Taste and add a little bit of salt or pepper if needed. Add a splash of milk or cream to adjust to your desired consistency, I think it’s great as written but some folks like their potatoes ‘looser’.
Bake
Transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving dish, drizzle with melted butter, and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes for a lightly golden top.
Equipment I recommend:
Expert Tips for Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- I cannot stress this enough… potato ricer. I know I know, I’m generally against kitchen tools that only have one purpose but trust. A potato ricer makes the BEST fluffy, smooth mashed potatoes. PLUS using a ricer means you don’t have to peel the potatoes!
- You can make the roasted garlic up to three days in advance, so get them prepped, store in the fridge, and that’s one less step to tackle on a big cooking day.
- Although the potatoes are delicious straight after mashing all the ingredients together, I love giving it a final bake to get that extra toasty layer on top and make sure the potatoes are PIPING hot.
- Your potatoes are perfectly cooked when a butter knife can easily slice through one.
FAQs
Yes. Yukon golds are ideal for their creaminess, but russet potatoes also work well.
Prepare the potatoes and place them in the baking dish, up to 8 hours in advance. Store in the fridge and then bake at 400° for 30-45 minutes right before serving (pop them in while the turkey is resting!) Alternatively, you can transfer the potatoes to a crock pot and keep them on warm for several hours, until ready to serve.
Gruyère, fontina or sharp cheddar cheese would all be delicious substitutes.
Sour cream is a great substitute.
Roast turkey, grilled chicken, pork tenderloin, pork chops or steak. And some veggies like these hot honey Brussels sprouts or arugula salad.
No worries! Peel your potatoes and slice them in half before cooking. Use a potato masher to mash all the ingredients together. (see recipe instructions)
What to Serve with Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
With a lusciously smooth texture and bursting with plenty of garlic and melty cheese, these are the best mashed potatoes!
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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The Best Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (with hands off time)
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Boil + Roast
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy, cheesy and full of caramel-y roasted garlic flavor, these mashed potatoes are to die for! Pair them with any protein and any veggie for a delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled or not peeled* see note
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 bunch fresh thyme
- 4 tablespoons salted butter + a little more for drizzling
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2oz white cheddar or monterey jack cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups total)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- fresh chives or green onions, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Slice the top off of the heads of garlic, so the tops of most/all of the cloves are exposed. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil onto each head of garlic, working to ease it in the little holes in the middle of each clove as well as into the cracks between cloves. Sprinkle each head with pinches of salt and pepper and wrap tightly in foil. Place in the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes until the cloves are deeply golden brown and caramelized. Let cool and then squeeze the cloves from the skins. Use a fork to mash the roasted garlic into a paste.
- Add the potatoes to a large dutch oven or stockpot and fill with cool water. Bring to a boil and boil for 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. I don’t bother chopping or peeling my potatoes so they take a little longer to boil. If you cut the potatoes in smaller pieces, they will take less time.
- While the potatoes are cooking, combine the cream, butter, thyme and cream cheese in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter and cream cheese are melted into the cream and the thyme infuses the mixture (it’s okay if it’s a little lumpy).
- Drain the potatoes. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer back into the Dutch oven or pot you used to cook them. If you don’t have a ricer, add drained potatoes back to the pot and use a potato masher to give them an initial mash. Discard the thyme from the infused cream mixture and add the cream, using a spatula or potato masher to incorporate it into the potatoes.
- Add the roasted garlic paste, white cheddar, salt and pepper, mashing/folding it into the potatoes until they are nice and smooth. Taste and season with additional pinches of salt and pepper, if needed.
- Transfer potatoes to a baking dish and add some swooshes to the top. Drizzle with a little extra melted butter and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. (see note on baking) Serve hot, garnished with chives, green onions or thyme, if desired!
Notes
Potatoes: I do not bother peeling or chopping my potatoes, yay easy! I use a potato ricer which catches the peel when I pass the potatoes through. So it’s a win-win, I don’t have to spend time peeling potatoes AND my mash is smooth and potato skin-free. If you do not have a ricer, I recommend peeling the potatoes and slicing them in half or quarters before cooking.
Baking: finishing the potatoes in the oven is an optional step. It gives the top of the potatoes a nice roasty, caramelized color and this step can be helpful if you’re prepping the potatoes ahead of time and need to keep them warm until the big meal.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 3/4 cup mashed potatoes
- Calories: 258
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 296 mg
- Fat: 14.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.9 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 42.8 mg
