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These Garlic Mashed Potatoes add plenty of roasted garlic and fresh chives to my beloved 3-ingredient mashed potatoes recipe. It’s a simple way to add more flavor to your favorite meals and holiday menus.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Garlic: 40 cloves of garlic sounds like a lot, and it is! But once it’s roasted, the flavor is super mellow and delicious. You’ll get about 20 cloves of garlic per bulb, so grab 2 bulbs (or 3 if the bulbs look small).
- Potatoes: For the fluffiest, smoothest, and most flavorful mashed potatoes, choose high-starch potatoes like Russet, Idaho, or Yukon gold potatoes. Waxy potatoes (such as new, red, or white varieties) require more mashing to become creamy which could result in gluey, pasty spuds.
Step-by-step instructions
- To roast the garlic, in a dry medium skillet over medium-low heat, toast garlic cloves until spotty, dark brown, and slightly softened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand until garlic is completely soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and mince garlic, set aside.
- To make the potatoes, in a Dutch oven or large stockpot, add potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt. Add cold water to cover potatoes by 1 inch.
- Over medium-high heat, bring to boil and partially cover pot. Cook until potatoes are tender and a fork can be easily slipped into the center, stirring once or twice, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well, tossing in a colander to remove excess water.
- Wipe pot dry. Return potatoes to pot and mash to a uniform consistency. Using a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter and minced garlic until just incorporated.
- Fold in 1 ½ cups of milk, adding the remaining ½ cup as needed to adjust the consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with chives if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipes makes about 12 cups of mashed potatoes, enough for 12 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Peel and cube the raw potatoes up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with water and chill in the refrigerator. You can also roast the garlic in advance. Store the whole, roasted bulbs covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or, try my Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, a recipe that uses cream cheese and egg whites for a little more staying power.
- Freezer: Cool the garlic mashed potatoes completely, then spoon into a freezer-safe container. Label, date, and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Oven-roasted garlic: Trim off the tops of the garlic bulbs, drizzle each one with olive oil, and wrap in foil. Roast in a 400-degree oven for about 40 minutes until soft. Once cool, squeeze the bulb to release the softened garlic.
- For chunky, rustic-style potatoes: Use a basic potato masher. A waffle-head masher will mash the potatoes into a smoother consistency if you like them somewhere in between.
- For super-smooth mashed potatoes: Use a potato ricer (peeled potatoes) or food mill (unpeeled potatoes). These gadgets make the smallest, finest pieces of cooked potato, which fluff up beautifully.
- Classic mashed potatoes: For the classic version without the garlic, try my best mashed potatoes recipe.
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes: For a low-carb, highly satisfying side dish, try cauliflower mashed potatoes (without a potato in sight).
- Boursin mashed potatoes: Soft-skinned small red potatoes mixed with fresh herbs and a block of Boursin cheese. You don’t even have to peel the potatoes!
- Mashed sweet potatoes: These mashers are flavored with fresh thyme and a touch of brown sugar.
- Small batch: Making mashed potatoes for your next date night in? Try my scaled-down mashed potatoes for two recipe. You’ll need about 10 cloves of garlic to make them garlicky.
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes: My take on classic mashed potatoes, made in the crock pot.
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes: Made with just 3 simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper). These vegan mashed potatoes are easy, wholesome, and delicious.
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Garlic Mashed Potatoes
These Garlic Mashed Potatoes add plenty of roasted garlic and fresh chives to my beloved 3-ingredient mashed potatoes recipe. It's a simple way to add more flavor to your favorite meals and holiday menus.
Ingredients
- 40 cloves garlic unpeeled (about 2 bulbs, see note 1)
- 5 pounds Russet potatoes peeled, quartered, and cut into 1-inch chunks (see note 2)
- 1 cup butter melted (2 sticks)
- 1 1/2 cups milk hot, plus more if desired (up to 2 cups)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- chopped fresh chives for garnish, optional
Instructions
To roast the garlic:
- In a dry medium skillet over medium-low heat, toast garlic cloves until spotty, dark brown, and slightly softened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand until garlic is completely soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and mince garlic, set aside.
To make the potatoes:
- In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, add potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt. Add cold water to cover potatoes by 1 inch.
- Over medium-high heat, bring to boil and partially cover pot. Cook until potatoes are tender and a fork can be easily slipped into the center, stirring once or twice, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well, tossing in colander to remove excess water.
- Wipe pot dry. Return potatoes to pot and mash to a uniform consistency. Using a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter and minced garlic until just incorporated.
- Fold in 1 ½ cups of milk, adding the remaining ½ cup as needed to adjust the consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with chives if desired.
Notes
- Garlic: 40 cloves of garlic sounds like a lot, and it is! But once it’s roasted, the flavor is super mellow and delicious. You’ll get about 20 cloves of garlic per bulb, so grab 2 bulbs (or 3 if the bulbs look small).
- Potatoes: For the fluffiest, smoothest, and most flavorful mashed potatoes, choose high-starch potatoes like Russet, Idaho, or Yukon gold potatoes. Waxy potatoes (such as new, red, or white varieties) require more mashing to become creamy which could result in gluey, pasty spuds.
- Yield: This recipes makes about 12 cups mashed potatoes, enough for 12 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Peel and cube the raw potatoes up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with water and chill in the refrigerator. You can also roast the garlic in advance. Store the whole, roasted bulbs covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or, try my Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, a recipe that uses cream cheese and egg whites for a little more staying power.
- Freezer: Cool the garlic mashed potatoes completely, then spoon into a freezer-safe container. Label, date, and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Oven roasted garlic: Trim off the tops of the garlic bulbs, drizzle each one with olive oil, and wrap in foil. Roast in a 400-degree oven for about 40 minutes until soft. Once cool, squeeze the bulb to release the softened garlic.
- For chunky, rustic-style potatoes: Use a basic potato masher. A waffle-head masher will mash the potatoes into a smoother consistency, if you like them somewhere in-between.
- For super-smooth mashed potatoes: Use a potato ricer (peeled potatoes) or food mill (unpeeled potatoes). These gadgets make the smallest, finest pieces of cooked potato, which fluff up beautifully.
- Classic mashed potatoes: For the classic version without the garlic, try my Best Mashed Potatoes recipe.
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes: For a low-carb, highly satisfying side dish, try cauliflower mashed potatoes (without a potato in sight).
- Boursin mashed potatoes: Soft-skinned small red potatoes mixed with fresh herbs and a block of Boursin cheese. You don’t even have to peel the potatoes!
- Mashed sweet potatoes: These mashers are flavored with fresh thyme and a touch of brown sugar.
- Small batch: Making mashed potatoes for your next date night in? Try my scaled-down Mashed Potatoes for Two recipe. You’ll need about 10 cloves garlic to make them garlicky.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 390kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 7gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 248mgPotassium: 1068mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 891IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 2mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
These are the bomb dot com.
Another favorite that I have not tried it at home. Thank you!
Hi CJohn, I hope you had the opportunity to try these! They are absolutely delicious! – Meggan