Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Here's a recipe for garlic parmesan mashed potatoes that are fluffy and full of flavor. With real butter, cream, garlic, and parmesan cheese, they're extra creamy and next-level delicious. They're an easy side dish that everyone loves, and they're ready in just 22 minutes!
Also, try our roasted garlic mashed potatoes and cream cheese mashed potatoes!
These garlic parmesan mashed potatoes are the only mashed potatoes we want to eat! They're creamy and comforting and perfect for eating by the spoonful or smothering in gravy.
We've made many varieties of mashed potatoes over the years and we have a couple of tricks. First, we boil the garlic with the potatoes in the pot to infuse them with lots of garlic flavor. We also reserve a bit of the cooking water to loosen them up and make them extra creamy.
We like our mashed potatoes a bit rustic so we use a potato masher, but you can use a potato ricer to make them silky smooth. They're delicious as-is or sprinkle in some fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary for added herbaceous flavor.
Garlic parmesan mashed potatoes ingredients
This delicious parmesan mashed potatoes recipe requires just a few ingredients. Here's what you'll need:
- Potatoes – most potatoes taste great when mashed. Yukon gold potatoes are our favorite because they're the most buttery, but russet potatoes, white potatoes, or red potatoes all work well.
- Garlic – we add a generous amount of garlic to the boiling potato pot to infuse them with lots of garlicky flavor.
- Cream – or whole milk, for added moisture and to make them silky smooth.
- Butter – salted or unsalted butter, for added richness.
- Salt + pepper – for seasoning, add to taste.
- Parmesan cheese – for a boost of bold, tangy, cheesy flavor.
How to make garlic parmesan mashed potatoes
Garlic mashed potatoes are an easy and versatile side dish, and they're always a hit. All you need is a few ingredients and a potato masher. Here's how to make them in a few simple steps:
- Peel and place potatoes and garlic in a large pot and boil them until tender.
- Before you drain them, reserve about a cup of the cooking water (the starchy water helps make the potatoes extra creamy). Drain the rest of the water.
- Give the potatoes a good mash along with the cream, butter, salt, and pepper. Add a bit of the cooking water at a time until they become ultra-creamy.
- Lastly, stir in the parmesan cheese and serve!
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
FAQS
This is our not-so-secret trick to making extra creamy mashed potatoes! The starchy cooking water helps to loosen the mashed potatoes while making them silky smooth.
Store any leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes, you can make them up to 3 days ahead of time and store them in the fridge. To reheat them, top them with a touch of cream and butter and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes (or until warmed through). Give them a good stir and then serve.
What to serve with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes
These garlic parmesan mashed potatoes are a classic side dish that everyone loves. Serve them with a protein main and a simple vegetable side for a complete and satisfying meal.
They're easy enough for weeknight meals but also elegant enough to serve to a crowd for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. They taste great on their own, or when smothered in sauce like our mushroom gravy.
Creamy recipes that pair perfectly with these mashed potatoes
Favorite mashed potatoes recipes
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 2 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ cup cream, or whole milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the potatoes and garlic to a pot and cover the potatoes with water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.2 lb potatoes, 6 cloves garlic
- Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the potatoes through a colander.
- Return the potatoes to the pot and add the cream, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash well with a potato masher, then add just enough of the reserved cooking water to make the potatoes really creamy – we usually use about ¼ cup.½ cup cream, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- Stir the parmesan cheese into the mashed potatoes then serve.½ cup grated parmesan cheese
