Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are rich, smooth and buttery, with a full block of cream cheese beaten in and a hint of garlic. They’re the potatoes to make for company and holiday dinners, and they’re easy enough for any weeknight when you want comfort food. Five pounds of russets make 10 servings.
How to make it: Start 1-inch russet cubes in cold water, bring them to a gentle boil and cook them for 15 to 20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain, then beat them with cream cheese, butter, milk, salt, garlic powder and pepper until smooth and fluffy.
Why You’ll Love It
- Extra creamy: a full 8-ounce block of cream cheese and a stick of butter make them rich and smooth.
- Simple method: simmer the cubes, drain them and beat everything together until smooth.
- Feeds a crowd: 5 pounds of potatoes make 10 servings for a holiday table.
- Company-ready: they hold warm in a slow cooker or wait in the fridge until baking day.
Ingredient Notes
Russet potatoes: Five pounds, washed and peeled. If you like a more rustic mash, leave the peels on.
Cream cheese: A full 8-ounce block, softened. It needs to be very soft before it goes in, so let it come to room temperature (no more than 2 hours out of the fridge), or microwave it in 15-second bursts until it gives easily.
Butter: One stick (1/2 cup). If you like, warm it with the milk in the microwave until the butter melts and the milk is hot.
Milk: Whole milk keeps the potatoes rich, but any milk works.
Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, which gives the hint of garlic. Chopped chives are optional, for serving.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds russet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 to 1 cup whole milk, or any milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Chopped chives, optional, for serving
How to Make Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
1. Cut the potatoes. Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1-inch cubes.
2. Simmer until tender. Put the potatoes in a large stockpot and cover them with cold water. Bring them to a gentle boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Drain. Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pot, or put them in a large mixing bowl.
4. Mash and beat. Add the cream cheese, butter, 1/2 cup of the milk, the salt, garlic powder and pepper. Mash slightly to break up the large pieces, then beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. For thinner potatoes, add more milk, up to 1 cup in all.
5. Serve. Serve right away, garnished with chopped chives if you like.
How to Make Them Ahead and Keep Them Warm
When you’re cooking for company, you can make these potatoes early and keep them warm for a few hours, or make them up to 2 days ahead and bake them. While they’re held warm, USDA FSIS says they must stay at 140°F or warmer; check with a food thermometer.
In a slow cooker, for 3 to 4 hours. Preheat the slow cooker. Make the potatoes as written, spoon them in straight from the pot while they’re hot, and stir in an extra 1/4 cup or so of milk to keep them from drying out. Keep them on warm for 3 to 4 hours, checking with a food thermometer that they stay at 140°F or warmer. The slow cooker only keeps hot potatoes hot; it isn’t for warming up cold ones.
Over simmering water, up to 2 hours. Spoon the potatoes into a heatproof bowl, cover it and set it over a pot of simmering water. They’ll hold this way for up to 2 hours; check them the same way.
In the fridge, up to 2 days. Spread the finished potatoes in a 9×13-inch dish greased with butter or nonstick spray, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days. On the day, let the dish stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven heats to 325°F. Bake with the foil on, since covering helps them heat all the way through. The time of about 50 minutes comes from a make-ahead batch made with sour cream (the first variation below), so let the thermometer decide: they’re ready when the center reaches 165°F.
Tips for Success
Why are my mashed potatoes watery?
Two things cause it: boiling too hard and cooking too long. Keep the pot at a gentle boil, because on very high heat the cubes fall apart and turn watery, and stop as soon as a fork slides in easily.
After draining, set the pot back over low heat for a minute or two and shake it so the extra moisture can evaporate. Or let the potatoes sit in the colander for 3 to 4 minutes, until they look dry.
Why are my mashed potatoes gummy?
They were overmixed. Beat them on medium only until they’re smooth and fluffy, then stop. If a batch has already turned gluey, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of melted butter per pound of potatoes and fold it through gently. Repeat if needed.
Should I salt the cooking water?
You can. Add about a tablespoon of salt once the water boils, so the potatoes absorb some as they cook. If you do, start with less of the teaspoon of salt in step 4 and taste before adding the rest.
Variations
- With sour cream: use 6 ounces of cream cheese and add 1 cup of sour cream along with the butter, 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, for the same 5 pounds of russets.
- Chicken broth instead of milk and butter: mash 3 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes with a 14.5-ounce can of reduced-sodium chicken broth warmed with garlic powder and salt, then stir in an 8-ounce tub of cream cheese spread until it melts.
- Chive and onion: use a chive and onion cream cheese spread, or stir 2 tablespoons of chopped chives into the finished potatoes.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, or within 2 hours of taking them off the warmer, in shallow covered containers, and to eat them within 3 to 4 days, counting from the day you made them, including any days they spent in the fridge before baking. For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for 3 to 4 months and thaw them in the fridge. Reheat covered on the stove over medium heat, in the microwave or in the oven, adding a little milk if they look dry, until they reach 165°F. Don’t reheat them in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
These potatoes are great with gravy, so pair them with a main that brings its own. Serve them next to slow cooker turkey breast for Thanksgiving, under slow cooker Salisbury steak meatballs, or with slow cooker pot roast with gravy or crockpot chicken and gravy, plus a crisp green salad. Leftovers can become cheesy mashed potato puffs, and for a party-style side, try garlic Parmesan mashed potato cups.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why put cream cheese in mashed potatoes?
Cream cheese makes mashed potatoes extra creamy and smooth. With the butter and a little garlic, you get rich, buttery potatoes full of cream cheese flavor.
Can I use cream cheese instead of heavy cream for mashed potatoes?
Not on its own. Cream cheese still needs a liquid, such as milk, cream or broth; here it goes in with 1/2 to 1 cup of milk. For an even richer bowl, swap the milk for warm heavy cream: 3/4 cup with 8 ounces of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of butter for 3 1/2 pounds of potatoes.
Are russet or Yukon Gold potatoes better for mashing?
Both are starchy potatoes, and both work with this method. Of the two, Yukon Gold works best for mashing, since it’s less starchy than russet and absorbs less water as it cooks.
Can I use a potato masher instead of a mixer?
Yes. Mash the potatoes with the cream cheese, butter, seasonings and 1/2 cup of the milk until they reach the texture you like, adding more milk a little at a time.
Final Notes
Taste the potatoes once they’re beaten and add more salt or pepper if they need it. If you make them, tell me in the comments how they turned out.
Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 5 pounds russet potatoes washed, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 1/2 to 1 cup whole milk or any milk; start with 1/2 cup and add more for thinner potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- chives chopped, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1-inch cubes.
- Put the potatoes in a large stockpot and cover them with cold water. Bring them to a gentle boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pot, or put them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cream cheese, butter, 1/2 cup of the milk, the salt, garlic powder and pepper. Mash slightly to break up the large pieces, then beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. For thinner potatoes, add more milk, up to 1 cup in all.
- Serve right away, garnished with chopped chives if you like.
