Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This is my go-to homemade mashed potatoes recipe, perfect for any dinner. Using simple ingredients like Idaho potatoes, milk, butter, and garlic salt, these mashed potatoes are incredibly creamy and flavorful. Despite the basic ingredients, the result is a creamy side dish that complements any meal. Whether you’re preparing a weeknight dinner or a special holiday feast, these mashed potatoes are sure to be a hit!

Basic (but delicious) Mashed Potatoes

This is one of my family’s favorite “basic” mashed potato recipes that I make (as well as my no peel Yukon Gold 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 or soy sauce mushrooms next to a classic old fashioned dishes like Crockpot Chicken, Meatloaf, Bangers and Mash or Creamed Peas and you have the best kind of dinner!

What kind of potatoes should I use?

I recommed using Idaho, Russet or Yukon potatoes for mashed potatoes.

1. Idaho/Russet Potatoes: Russet potatoes are the most popular choice for mashed potatoes. They have a high starch content and a low moisture content, which means they mash easily and result in fluffy, creamy potatoes.
2. Yukon Gold Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes have a buttery and creamy texture, making them an excellent choice for mashed potatoes. They have a slightly lower starch content than Russet potatoes but are still a great option.

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!

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