Cheesy Mashed Potatoes Recipe

This cheesy mashed potatoes recipe is a wonderfully delicious, fool-proof side dish to add to your everyday meals or special holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.

You can make them as smooth or lumpy as you like. The flavor is out of this world with lots of butter, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and garlic powder! Your family will lick their plates clean.

Perfect mashed potatoes for adding gravy or delicious without. Leftovers are a breeze to deal with by turning them into these tasty fried mashed potato patties.

Great served with my Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing, London Broil, Meatloaf, Salisbury steak, turkey dinner, ham, or any meat or roast you're serving.

💖 Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy - Simple ingredients and simple steps - your kids can even help with the process.
• Satisfying - Potatoes are very filling and the epitome of comfort food! The flavors in these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes mean that gravy is not needed, but you can certainly add gravy to take it up another notch.
• Great for Daily or Special occasions - Easy enough for everyday, but special enough for guests and special meals like Thanksgiving.

🥘 Ingredients

What You'll Need:

Ingredient Notes:

• Potatoes: Use whatever potatoes you have on hand, but I believe the best potatoes for mashed are russets, as they tend to be drier and fluffier. Red- or yellow-skinned potatoes don't mash as readily and are more likely to clump. Just make sure you cook them thoroughly, and you shouldn't have a problem with lumpiness.
• Butter: I use salted butter. If you use unsalted, you will likely need to add more salt to the potatoes. Be sure to taste before adding more salt.
• Sour cream: I use full-fat sour cream (is there anything such as low-fat sour cream?). You can also use plain yogurt if you wish. Whichever you use, please don't skimp on the fat - by doing so, you will skimp on flavor.
• Milk: I like to use whole milk, as it makes a creamier mashed potato. You could also use half and half or cream. If you use a lower fat milk, just realize your potatoes may not turn out as creamy.

(See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions)

📖 Substitutions / Variations

• Cheese: I love using sharp cheddar, as the flavor really adds to this recipe, and the cheese melts readily. You can use other cheeses, as long as they melt readily and have good flavor, or you can leave the cheese out altogether.
• Potatoes: I tend to use russet potatoes, as they are a drier potato and turn fluffier and smoother when mashed, but you can use yellow or red potatoes as well. You can even leave some or all of the skin on as long as the potatoes are nice and fresh and have unblemished skin. You don't want dark spots or bruises in your mashed potatoes. I don't recommend leaving any skin on for thicker-skinned varieties like russets - only the thinner-skinned varieties.
• Sour cream: I have used plain yogurt instead of sour cream before, and the flavor and texture are the same.
• Broth vs water: You can use chicken, beef, or vegetable broth in place of the water if you have it. This will lend an extra bit of flavor to your cheesy mashed potatoes.

🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions

How To Make Mashed Potatoes From Scratch:

Step 1: Peel, wash, and chop potatoes, removing any dark spots.

Step 2: Add potatoes to medium-sized pan, and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook covered for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are softened.

Step 3: Drain water and add salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, butter, and cheese.

Step 4: With burner still on low heat, mash ingredients together with a fork or potato masher until butter and cheese are melty.

Step 5: Add milk and sour cream and stir together. Heat on low until heated through.

Step 6: With a hand mixer, mix until as smooth as desired. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Serve hot.

(Scroll down for full recipe and print capabilities)

💭 Expert Cooking Tips

• Don't overcook your potatoes, as they will start to incorporate into your water. Cook just until softened. You should be able to poke them with a fork or sharp knife, and they will separate a bit when done.
• Don't leave out the sour cream if possible, as this ingredient really adds a nice depth of flavor and creaminess to the recipe.
• Use a hand mixer, stand-up mixer, or food processor to get your potatoes as smoothly mashed as you like.