Old-fashioned basic mashed potatoes that are easy to make. All you need is potatoes, milk, butter and garlic salt to make these creamy potatoes.
Basic Mashed Potatoes
This is my go to mashed potatoes recipe that I make 9 out of times when making mashed potatoes.
Sure, sometimes on the holidays I’ll make Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes for a real treat but the majority of the time it’s these potatoes right here.
They only require a few ingredients (potatoes, milk, butter, garlic salt) and they’re so easy to make. Even though they’re “basic” they’re my family’s favorite. Serve with plenty of gravy next to a classic old fashioned main dish like Crockpot Chicken and you have the best kind of dinner!
How to Make Easy Mashed Potatoes
Peel and chop your potatoes. I am a lazy peeler and leave a little bit of skins on them, but you can peel them clean if you want Chop them up into 1-2 inch pieces, the key is cutting them to be the same size so they cook evenly.
Add potatoes to a large pot of water, along with garlic salt. Garlic salt is an important ingredient here as the potatoes are going to take this garlic flavor while they cook.
Cook until a fork easily slides into the potatoes, about 15-20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and place back into the pot.
With a spoon, masher or your hand mixer (don’t turn it on yet), mash up the potatoes. This helps break them down before you mix them.
Add milk and butter into the pot and turn your hand mixer on and mix until creamy and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Adjust as needed, need to be more creamy? Add a little bit more milk or butter until you have the consistency you want. I like to add 2 tablespoons of butter at a time, and/or just a small splash of milk. Sometimes you need to adjust to get the perfect consistency if you used slightly more than 2 pounds of potatoes.
Eat them! Enjoy!
Can I use raw garlic instead or garlic salt?
Yes! If you’d like to use raw garlic instead of garlic salt you can. Add 3 cloves of garlic (peeled) to the water while the potatoes boil. Drain garlic with the potatoes and place back into the pot and proceed with mixing.
Can I use heavy cream instead?
You can use heavy cream or half-and-half instead of milk if you’d like, this will make the mashed potatoes a little more creamy. You can even add cream cheese to make them super creamy ! Alternatively, if you’re going dairy free, try my dairy free mashed potatoes which will kinda change your life!
Storing Leftover Mashed Potatoes
Store leftover mashed potatoes in a container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze mashed potatoes if you have lots of leftovers!
Classic Dishes to Serve With Mashed Potatoes
30 Minute Chicken Marsala
Bangers and Mash
Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Crockpot Mushrooms
Chicken and Gravy Sandwich
Instant Pot Pork Chops and Gravy
Oven Rotisserie Chicken
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Baked Salmon
Slow Cooker Ham
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Easy Mashed Potatoes
PrintIngredients
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-2 inch even size pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a large pot of water. Add garlic salt and stir. Bring water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cook on a low boil for 15-20 minutes or until a fork easily slides into the potatoes. Drain potatoes and place back into the pot.
- Add milk and butter and mix with a hand mixer until creamy and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir again. Do they need to be more creamy? Then add a little bit of extra milk or butter (try adding 2 more tablespoons) and stir again until you have the perfect creamy consistency.
- Serve and enjoy!
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