This Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes recipe makes the perfect side dish to go along with just about anything. They are buttery, garlicky, cheesy, and absolutely delicious, with or without gravy.
Serve for your next holiday menu, or at any time during the year that you have a craving for cheesy mashed potatoes. If you love mashed potato recipes, try these Red Mashed Potatoes, Gruyere Mashed Potatoes, or these Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
Best Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
When you combine garlic, cheese, and carbs, it’s virtually impossible to go wrong, especially if you have a family of garlic lovers like mine.
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But even if your kids are a little squeamish about garlic, just reduce the amount by half. The other ingredients are so kid-friendly that the recipe is still sure to be a hit. The Parmesan cheese, butter and sour cream bring out the sweetness in the garlic, exposing your little skeptics to its true deliciousness.
Wondering what to serve these delicious potatoes with? The good news is that they honestly go with just about anything. Try them with Mississippi Pot Roast, Pull Apart Bread or Honey Mustard Chicken. And if you have any leftover mashed potatoes, they go great on top our Homemade Shephards Pie.
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes Video Tutorial
“Idahoan” Mashed Potatoes
Maybe it’s because I am from Idaho, but we love potatoes around here. They are just so versatile and adapt to so many different flavors and styles of cooking. You can mash them many different ways, fry them, bake them, roast them, and they are great for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I’ll even admit that instant mashed potatoes are delicious! But you just can’t beat the real thing, and this recipe is so quick and easy, it’s worth the extra effort.
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes – I like red potatoes for this recipe, but Yukon gold and Idaho work well too.
- Butter – you’ll want this to be cold or room temperature. Melted butter can separate, making it hard to mix in evenly.
- Sour Cream – lite or full fat will work.
- Garlic Powder – add half of the suggested amount if you aren’t as big of a fan as I am.
- Parmesan Cheese – I use pre-shredded, but you can grate your own or use any kind of cheese that you have on hand—mild cheddar, gouda or even mozzarella would be delicious. And if you love cheese, by all means, add even more!
- Milk – any percentage will work, or use heavy cream.
How To Make Parmesan Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Boil the potatoes. Place the diced potatoes in a large pot, add two teaspoons of salt, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, and boil potatoes for 20-30 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Drain the water, then add the potatoes back to the pot. Add in your butter, sour cream, salt, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and milk (or cream).
- Mash. Mash potatoes with a hand masher, getting out all of the largest chunks. You can keep mashed potatoes as chunky or as smooth as you like. You can also use a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, but just be sure not to overmix your potatoes or they will get gummy.
- Serve. Finish with a pat of butter and chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
For a variety of reasons, you may want to make your mashed potatoes ahead of time. To make sure they taste freshly made, just boil, mix and mash your potatoes as directed, but don’t add quite all of the butter. Let them cool to room temp, and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.
When you want to reheat them (either in a pot or microwave), reheat slowly and add a touch more milk and the rest of the butter until they are soft and creamy, just like when you made them.
Yes! The fat content is the key to making mashed potatoes freeze well, so make sure to add plenty of butter and sour cream! To freeze, just cool them to room temperature and transfer them to freezer bags. Press them so they lay flat and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, you have a few options:
Microwave – transfer the frozen potatoes to a microwave-safe dish and reheat based on your microwave’s settings (either half-power, defrost…whatever works best). Make sure to stop and stir occasionally and add butter as needed.
Stovetop – transfer to a pot and reheat over low-medium, stirring occasionally and adding extra butter or a touch of milk if needed.
Oven – preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put the frozen potatoes in a covered baking dish. Heat for about 30 minutes, or until warm, and mix in any additional butter that you want.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: store in an airtight container or freezer bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: either microwave or transfer to a small pot over medium heat and add a little extra butter and milk.
Garlic and Parmesan Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds red potatoes
- 1 tablespoon salt, (for boiling water)
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into 1" cubes, then place in a large pot along with 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil potatoes for 20-30 minutes, or until they are fork-tender.
- Once cooked, drain the water. Add the potatoes back to the pot, then add in your butter, sour cream, salt, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and milk.
- Mash potatoes with a hand masher, getting out all of the largest chunks. You can keep mashed potatoes as chunky or as smooth as you like.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and finish with a pat of butter and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: store in an airtight container or freezer bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: either microwave or transfer to a small pot over medium heat and add a little extra butter and milk.
- Instead of red potatoes, Idaho or Yukon gold work great, too.
- For extra creamy potatoes, substitute heavy cream for the milk.
- You can leave the peels on or take them off, whichever you prefer, just make sure to wash them
- Start with cold water covering your potatoes, then bring to a boil. They will cook more evenly this way.
- Salting the water you boil your potatoes in seasons them as they cook.
- A hand potato masher will you give you a great rustic mashed potatoes texture.
- Cutting your potatoes smaller will make them cook faster!
Nutrition
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This Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe makes the perfect side dish to go along with just about anything. They are buttery, garlicky, cheesy and absolutely delicious, with or without gravy.
