This 4-ingredient Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe is an easy side dish for the holidays – or any day! With rich butter and tangy cream cheese, you can make the potatoes silky-smooth or chunky, whatever your family likes.
Homemade mashed potatoes go with so many meals – and are an absolute MUST with holiday meals and dishes like Swedish Meatballs and a good ol’ Classic Pot Roast. And this Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes recipe eliminates the guesswork in making a perfect bowl of mashed potatoes – with only four ingredients!
Why You’ll Love These Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
These creamy mashed potatoes will get a gold star at all your upcoming holiday dinners in terms of flavor and simplicity!
- Classic. No holiday dinner is complete without a side of mashed potatoes.
- Family-friendly. Whether your family likes silky-smooth mashed potatoes or a more rustic version, it’s easy to make this recipe however you like (with or without the peels!).
- Versatile. Add in some sweet potatoes, smokey bacon, or caramelized onions if you want to switch things up.
- Effortless. This simple potato side is ready in just 30 minutes!
What You’ll Need
Tangy cream cheese and butter add enough creamy richness and flavor to make this a truly irresistible side dish. Besides salt Scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts.
- Potatoes – For the silkiest mashed potatoes, you’ll want to peel them. But it’s not necessary.
- Salt – Super simple seasoning is all this recipe needs.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter, but salted butter is fine. Just pay attention to how much salt you add, so the potatoes don’t get too salty.
- Cream cheese – Full-fat cream cheese offers richer, fuller flavor and a creamier texture, but reduced-fat works too.
What Are The Best Potatoes For Mashing?
Potatoes like Yukon Gold are best for making these creamy mashed potatoes. They have a medium starch level, which helps give extra-creamy texture to this dish. They also have a richer flavor, which keeps the overall ingredients list short.
Like potatoes?! Then also check out my easy Baked Potato recipe. It gives you the BEST baked potatoes – with salty, crispy skin and tender, fluffy insides. And you can make them in the oven, microwave, air fryer, or on the grill!
Recipe Variations
While garlic mashed potatoes are a classic variation, caramelized onion creamy mashed potatoes take any dinner to the next level.
- Garlic mashed potatoes. When boiling the potatoes, add 5 peeled garlic cloves to the water. Then, mash the cooked cloves into the potatoes.
- Bacon-cheddar-horseradish mashed potatoes. Stir 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup of bacon bits, and 1/4 cup prepared horseradish into the finished potatoes.
- Caramelized onion mashed potatoes. Fold in 1 cup of caramelized onions.
- Kitchen-sink mashed potatoes. Stir in 2 cups of small-chopped leftover roasted or sautéed vegetables.
How To Make Creamy Mashed Potatoes
You can use the same recipe to make silky smooth or rustic mashed potatoes. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Boil the potatoes. Add the potatoes to a large pot, cover potatoes with 1″ to 2″ of water, and place the pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then add the salt. Boil for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a large heat-proof bowl.
- Prep the butter and cream cheese. While the potatoes are cooking, place softened butter and cream cheese in a large heat-proof bowl and set aside.
For silky mashed potatoes
- Process it. Use a potato ricer (or food mill with a medium disc) to process the potatoes into the bowl with butter and cream cheese. Stir vigorously until smooth and well combined.
FOR RUSTIC MASHED POTATOES
- Hand-mash it. Add the potatoes to the bowl with butter and cream cheese. Use a hand masher to mash the potatoes to your desired texture. Stir well.
Do I Need To Peel The Potatoes?
Not necessarily. Although, peeled potatoes make the smoothest, silkiest mashed potatoes…if that’s your goal! If you decide to leave the peel on, they’ll be rustic-style. It’s completely up to you.
How Long Do You Boil Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes?
Quartered potatoes boil within 15-20 minutes. However, the exact time will depend on the size of the potato chunks and the actual cooking water temperature – so you may need a couple minutes more or less. They should be fork-tender, which means you should very easily be able to press a fork through them, without any resistance.
Tips for Success
The secret to the best creamy mashed potatoes is hot potatoes and softened ingredients.
- Don’t let them cool. The colder the potatoes get after straining them, the harder they are to mash. Use them immediately, while still hot or warm, for easiest mashing.
- Watch the temperature. Set the butter and cream cheese on the counter 1 hour before cooking. This way they’ll soften and melt into the potatoes much more easily.
- Don’t over-mix. When stirring the mashed potatoes in the bowl, don’t over-mix them because they’ll become rubbery.
- Adjust the consistency. If the mashed potatoes are too thick for your liking, mix in 1 tablespoon milk, heavy cream, or buttermilk at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
Serving Suggestions
These creamy mashed potatoes are a classic side for all your holiday dinners.
I love them with my Baked Pork Chops, Grilled Turkey with Brown Sugar, Roast Beef, or Beef Pot Pie.
Other veggie sides include my mom’s Broccoli Salad, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, and Honey Garlic Carrots. If you really want to treat your guests, make my Mashed Potato and Wild Rice Stuffed Mushrooms – for even more mashed potato goodness!
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers
Don’t forget to stir as you reheat the mashed potatoes so they heat up evenly.
- Fridge: Place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat: Microwave in 20 to 30-second intervals until warm. You can also use a pan over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, for 8-9 minutes or so. Add a bit of milk if they are dry.
More Easy Potato Side Dishes
Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds gold potatoes, peeled and quartered (such as Yukon Gold variety)
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt, for the water
- 1 pound unsalted butter
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover them by 1" to 2" of water. Place pot on stovetop over high heat. When the water is at a full, rolling boil, add the salt. Boil potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender. You should be able to break them apart easily with the side of a spoon. Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a large heat-proof bowl.
- While potatoes are cooking, place softened butter and cream cheese in a large heat-proof bowl and set aside.
- For silky-smooth mashed potatoes: Pass the drained potatoes through a potato ricer (or use a food mill with a medium disc) into the bowl with the butter and cream cheese. Stir vigorously with a sturdy spoon until smooth.
- For rustic, chunky mashed potatoes: Add the drained potatoes to the bowl with the butter and cream cheese, and use a wire potato masher to mash the potatoes to your desired texture. Stir well to fully incorporate the butter and cream cheese.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was first published in 2021, then updated in 2025.
Over the top yummy mashed potaoes.
In addition to your ingredients I’ve always added sour cream and garlic salt to my mashed potatoes and gave them a quick twirl in my stand mixer. My mom calls them party potatoes. And of course we never need gravy – but my family has never been big gravy fans anyway.
This sounds like a great way to lighten up my mashed potatoes and make them even easier to make!
5 star