This recipe for cream cheese mashed potatoes is the only one you’ll need! So creamy, buttery, and rich… and they’re great as a holiday side dish for Thanksgiving, or alongside a roast, steak, or juicy piece of chicken!
This is one of my Side Dish recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Mashed potatoes are one of those side dishes that are fabulous year-round, with pot roasts, chicken, and so much more.
Fluffy, creamy, and oh so rich, these potatoes are simply the best! Definitely my go-to recipe.
Even though mashed potatoes are really easy to make, on a busy holiday or weeknight, sometimes it’s nice to have things made ahead of time.
So I’ve included make ahead directions, as well as the best ways to reheat them so they’ll be perfectly fluffy and creamy and taste freshly made!
Plus, as I know the stovetop is valuable real estate during the holidays, I’ve also shared slow cooker and instant pot directions in the “chef tips” section of the recipe.
How to make cream cheese mashed potatoes?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Boil. Just like with pasta, you want to salt the water, so you’re seasoning the potatoes from the inside out.
- Check for doneness and drain. The potatoes should be easily pierced with a fork.
- Cook garlic. Melt the butter, then cook a minute or two, until garlic is fragrant.
- Warm liquids and melt cream cheese. Warming everything up ensures that it’ll mix together much better.
- Season and mash.
Helpful Tip!
I developed this recipe to use russet potatoes, since they’re more readily available and generally less expensive than other varieties. If you’d like to use another potato type, I recommend Yukon Golds. Russets and Yukon Golds are starchier, which make for very fluffy and smooth mashed potatoes. Waxier varieties, like red or white potatoes usually need more mashing to get as creamy, which can sometimes make the mashed potatoes gluey or pasty.
Variations of this recipe
- Sour cream – feel free to use 8 oz of sour cream in place of the cream cheese, or you could use 4 oz cream cheese and 4 oz of sour cream.
- More garlic – if you’d like a stronger garlic flavor, feel free to add more garlic cloves.
- Cheese – stir in a handful of your favorite cheeses!
- Loaded – stirring in some sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon pieces and extra chives or green onions gives these potatoes a loaded baked potato flavor.
- Browned butter – halfway through the potatoes cooking, add 1/2 cup butter to a sauce pan and brown. For an in depth description of how to brown butter, look for the section of this post titled “Tips for Browning Butter”. Stir in about 2/3 of the butter when mashing, and reserve the rest for drizzling over the top of the mashed potatoes.
FAQ’s
A good rule of thumb is around 1/2 lb of potatoes per person. This recipe uses 5 lbs of potatoes and serves 10 people. If you have huge potato lovers you’ll be serving, you might want to go with 3/4 lb per person.
There are three main ways to mash potatoes.
- Potato Masher – this is the most common way, and the cheapest. Potato mashers are generally less than $10. The downside is that it’s hard to get perfectly smooth potatoes by just mashing.
- Hand Mixer – it’s very easy to mash potatoes this way, and quick! The downside with this method is that it can be easy to overmix and potentially turn your potatoes into a gluey paste (especially if you used a waxier potato variety, like red or white potatoes). You can also use a stand mixer if you have one.
- Potato Ricer – the most time consuming method, but hands down the most fool-proof way to have perfectly velvety smooth potatoes. I usually use this method for Thanksgiving, but for a simple weeknight meal, I use a potato masher or my hand mixer.
Making mashed potatoes ahead of time
If you’re making these potatoes for the holidays, you’ll probably be pressed for time (if you’re anything like me that is).
The great news is, you can make the mashed potatoes then cool them completely and refrigerate in an airtight container. This can be done 1-2 days ahead of time.
The day you want to serve them, you have a couple of options to reheat them.
How to reheat mashed potatoes
- Instant Pot – add mashed potatoes to Instant Pot insert, secure the lid and press “keep warm”. Stir occasionally and warm until potatoes are heated through. Top with a few pats of butter, stir and serve.
- Crockpot – add mashed potatoes to slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours, stirring a few times. Right before serving, dollop with a little bit of butter and stir.
- Oven – add mashed potatoes to pan, and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add additional butter or cream if needed before serving.
Storage
Leftover mashed potatoes should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-5 days.
Secrets to the best mashed potatoes!
There are a few things you can do to make sure you have the absolute best mashed potatoes that would rival any restaurant’s!
- Drain well – make sure you add the drained potatoes back to the hot pot. This eliminates extra water and will make sure you don’t have watery mashed potatoes.
- Well seasoned – a lot of people under-season (namely under-salt) their mashed potatoes. This recipe is written per my family’s tastes, but use them as a guideline. If you’re sensitive to salt, start with about half of the salt, then take a quick taste. Add more salt, a pinch at a time, tasting in between until they’re just right.
- Warm the liquids – when adding liquids to cooked potatoes (like heavy cream), make sure they’re at least at room temperature, or preferably warmed if you have the time. Adding cold liquids to hot potatoes can cool the potatoes down, and keep them from being velvety smooth.
My Favorite Potato Masher!
I’ve had one of these potato mashers for years, and it’s held up really well, with no warping!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes
- 5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and quartered
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz cream cheese cubed and softened
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
Garnishes
- minced fresh parsley
- minced fresh chives
- sprinkle of black pepper
- pat of unsalted butter
Instructions
Boil potatoes
- Place quartered potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water (just enough to fully cover the potatoes). Heat over MED HIGH heat and bring to a boil.
- Season with a generous sprinkle of salt, then keep boiling for 15-20 minutes, or until you can easily pierce a piece of potato with a fork.
Drain potatoes
- Drain potatoes in a colander, then return to the same pot you cooked them in. Let the potatoes there, so any excess water is evaporated.
Melt butter and warm liquids
- To a saucepan, add butter and heat over MED heat to melt. Once melted, add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, until garlic is softened and very fragrant.
- Add the cream cheese, heavy cream, and milk and cook several minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the cream cheese is melted and the cream and milk are warmed through.
Mash
- Add cream cheese mixture to the cooked potatoes, and season with salt, black pepper, and seasoned salt. Mash with a potato masher until your desired texture is reached.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings to your tastes.
Serve
- Serve hot, garnished with a sprinkle of minced parsley and chives, and topped with a pat of unsalted butter.
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Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this recipe serves 10, but you’re free to divide the mashed potatoes into as many servings as you’d like.
Making mashed potatoes ahead of time:
You can make the mashed potatoes, then cool them completely and refrigerate in an airtight container. This can be done 1-2 days ahead of time. The day you want to serve them, you have a couple of options to reheat them.How to reheat mashed potatoes
- Instant Pot – add mashed potatoes to Instant Pot insert, secure the lid and press “keep warm”. Stir occasionally and warm until potatoes are heated through. Top with a few pats of butter, stir and serve.
- Crockpot – add mashed potatoes to slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours, stirring a few times. Right before serving, dollop with a little bit of butter and stir.
- Oven – add mashed potatoes to pan, and bake at 375°F for 30-45 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add additional butter or cream if needed before serving.
Making mashed potatoes in the slow cooker:
- Instead or quartering the potatoes, chop them into 1″ pieces.
- Add potatoes to slow cooker and cover with 4 cups of chicken broth.
- Season with a big sprinkle of salt, then cover and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 – 4 hours, or until fork tender.
- Drain well, then proceed with the “Melt butter and warm liquids” part of the recipe above.
Making mashed potatoes in the instant pot:
- Add quartered potatoes to instant pot, then add 3 cups of chicken broth and 3 cups of water (or however much water it takes to cover the potatoes).
- Season with a big sprinkle of salt, then secure the lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 12 minutes.
- Move valve to “venting” and release the pressure.
- Drain well, then proceed with the “Melt butter and warm liquids” part of the recipe above.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Tina says
These were a hit at Thanksgiving! I made them the day before then refrigerated. The next day, I used your crockpot method to reheat – I greased the crockpot with a little butter and cooked them on LOW for 3 hours (it actually ended up being longer than 3 hours, but just left it on warm until we actually ate). I used 4 cloves of garlic and added more salt to taste. Amazing!
Blondie says
I have been using cream cheese, milk, butter, salt and pepper in my potatoes for 12 years. Tried it for Thanksgiving one year and now everytime any of my kids come over for dinner they bring a large container to take home mashed potatoes. When making a roast I have roast potatoes, carrots and onions but also have to have the enormous bowl of mashed potatoes.
Deborah says
Have made these before using your recipe. They are outstanding,
creamy and oh so delicious. This recipe is on our rotation list
for mashed potatoes!
Kathy says
These were so creamy and delicious! Loved the wonderful flavor and texture.
Helen says
The best ever!!