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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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These healthy Garlic Mashed Potatoes are creamy and much lighter than traditional mashed potatoes, and taste so darn good! The perfect side dish at any holiday.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Best Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Adding garlic to mashed potatoes is a game changer! There’s no need to add loads of cream and butter to make creamy mashed potatoes, you can make them healthier and still taste delicious! This easy garlic mashed potatoes recipe is the perfect side dish for roast beef, meatloaf, filet mignon, air fryer steak, or serve this at your Thanksgiving table with your Dry Brine Turkey. If you have leftovers, make these Leftover Parmesan Mashed Potato Patties. If you have an Instant Pot, you may want to try these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.

Healthy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

  1. Potatoes: I use Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed which have a naturally buttery texture. Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes can also be used instead.
  2. Garlic: use about 4 large garlic cloves or more if you want it extra garlicky
  3. Cream: Instead of heavy cream, sour cream works great. Full fat Greek yogurt would also work.
  4. Liquid: use chicken broth or vegetable broth and some fat free milk
  5. Butter: At the end I add just a touch of whipped butter for flavor.
  6. Seasoning: kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste.
  7. Fresh herbs: top with fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme or chives.

How To Make Mashed Potatoes

  1. Put the potatoes and garlic in a large pot with salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil.
  2. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  3. Drain and return potatoes and garlic to the pot over low heat. Add the sour cream and remaining ingredients.
  4. Using a potato masher, mash until smooth. If it’s too wet, let it cook a few minutes until the texture is perfect. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with herbs.

Tips for creamy mashed potatoes healthier:

  • When the potatoes are still warm, I drain them and add a combination of milk, broth and sour cream with just a small amount of butter for flavor.
  • To mash the potatoes I like to use a potato masher or a hand mixer to get them extra whipped. I don’t recommend an immersion blender, it will make it pasty.

What to serve with mashed potatoes:

Garlic mashed potatoes pair well with a variety of main dishes:

Variations:

If you have more time, roast the garlic instead for extra flavor.

Add in different vegetables like cooked cauliflower or parsnips for a twist on classic mashed potatoes.

Dairy Free – replace the milk for dairy free milk and swap the sour cream for this dairy-free heavy cream.

Garlic Mashed Potatoesmashed potatoes

More mashed potato recipes:

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

4.85 from 19 votes
4
Cals:165
Protein:5
Carbs:31
Fat:3
These healthy Garlic Mashed Potatoes are creamy and much lighter than traditional mashed potatoes, and taste so darn good! The perfect side dish at any holiday.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Yield: 5 servings
Serving Size: 3 /4 cup

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put the potatoes and garlic in a large pot with salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil.
  • Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  • Drain and return potatoes and garlic to pan over low heat. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients. Using a masher, mash until smooth and if it's too watery, let it cook a few minutes until the texture is perfect.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with herbs.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 3 /4 cup, Calories: 165 kcal, Carbohydrates: 31 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 9 mg, Sodium: 112.5 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 3 g

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160 comments on “Garlic Mashed Potatoes”

  1. Avatar photo
    Athena Colucci

    This recipe looks great. I am preparing for a large Christmas crowd and would like to make it ahead and freeze it. Can this be done? Has anyone had good results? I am planning on using yogurt and almond milk with baby red’s mashed potatoes.

  2. These were incredible. I added fresh oregano, garlic and onion powder, and they were perfect. I was worried they’d be too watery but the longer they simmered, they came to the perfect consistency.

  3. I boiled the potatoes/garlic in 5 cups water with 2 bouillon cubes, 2 teaspoons salt. Eliminated chicken broth. Used red potatoes. Everything else was the same. Delicious. Will definitely be making this again.

  4. it’s good but it needs tweaking to get the taste just right. for example, I add a bit more butter and maybe a little cheese.

  5. Avatar photo
    Connie R Baldwin

    Husband made the potatoes unsupervised. He added the garlic raw to the finished mashed potatoes. Whoo boy, there were no vampires at my house last night!! My advice: supervise all cooks! 🙂

  6. Read the comments and decided to go for it anyway…not sure if folks didn’t drain the water after the potatoes were done or what….but mine came out perfect. I followed the recipe exactly. I just made them, eating them with the Salisbury meatball. I used fresh Chives as my herb and this was really great. Thanks Gina!

  7. Well, this recipe rocked my world. Trying to lose weight, but we love mashed potatoes, and this succeeds in texture and flavor with a minimal use of fat. Other recipes have not. Thank you! I made them as smashed potatoes, just my preference for we like the peel and feel it is healthy. For those who feel they are watery, when the potatoes are done try putting them in a strainer and covering them with a dish cloth for several minutes, which will absorb some of the moisture. Then proceed with the recipe.

  8. Delicious! I was worried it would be a little watery like some comments, but it thickened up as I mixed it. I don’t have a potato masher but a large serving spoon worked fine to mash.

  9. I can’t seem to find Yukon gold potatoes. Do you know a good substitute that won’t change the calorie count?

  10. Did not turn out as expected. They were too soupy and had no flavor. Followed recipe, and drained potatoes so not sure where I went wrong.

  11. Can these be made the day ahead and baked to reheat? I have a casserole recipe for mashed potatoes that I can do that for, would love to know if it would work here, for Thanksgiving.

  12. Avatar photo
    Angela Sarkisian

    These came out amazing! Whole family loved them and they didn’t have all the extra calories. Thank you for the recipe

  13. I can’t remember if I reviewed this before but this recipe is outstanding!!! Itycteamy, delicious and soul satisfying.

  14. I found them to be a bit watery. I couldn’t find whipped butter in stores so just used regular butter. Is that the problem? Or should I just add less chicken broth next time?

    1. Avatar photo
      Christopher J Auffrey

      After draining, return to pot & turn on high for 30 seconds to evaporate the water.  

      1. I don’t ever need as much chicken broth as it calls for. It could depend on the potatoes. Add a little at a time to get to the consistency you like. I thought I was answering someone’s question. But I will review again. These are outstanding! Making them again tonight and will have leftovers another night. Delicious!!

  15. You have made my non-mashed potato liking 8 year old actually finish ALL of his mashed potatoes!!! You are my hero!!

  16. Didn’t use whipped butter and they were very watery. My bad! So I cooked them on the stove to dry them out and they were very good.

  17. Avatar photo
    Lori Bhargava

    As a general note, if a recipe calls for chicken broth, it is not vegetarian.  As an example, the skinny garlic mashed potato dish is not vegetarian as it is written. 

    1. The ingredients clearly say for Vegetarian use Vegetable broth which would make it vegetarian and the post correct

    2. Avatar photo
      regina falange

      As a general note, read everything before making assumptions. As an example, 1/2 cup fat free chicken broth (sub vegetable broth for vegetarian).

  18. Made this recipe to go with turkey meatloaf.  Delicious, easy to make and used up the potatoes I needed to cook! Will definitely make again. 

  19. Thanks again for your great recipes , I used almond milk & Greek yogurt & they turned out delish!! 

  20. Looks so good- can you substitute sour cream for Greek fourth to save points or you think flavor will be significantly different t?

  21. The best mashed potatoes I’ve ever made. They were so good and I loved that they weren’t as fattening as regular mashed potatoes. 

  22. Gina – do you think the calories or taste would alter if I used a different kind of potato? I have a bunch of red potatoes I’m trying to get rid of! 

  23. Avatar photo
    Kaley Donaldson

    Any idea what the new smart points value is for this??? I have an unhealthy love for mashed potatoes and I would love to be able to have them this way!!

  24. I made this tonight and my boyfriend and I loved it! I don't think he even noticed that it was much less fatty than traditional recipes! I think next time I would add a bit more garlic, but otherwise we loved these!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your recipe!

  25. Avatar photo
    Billie McShane

    I triple the garlic because I feel like you can never have enough garlic and it was so good!! I'm glad that I portioned and froze some because I might have ate the whole pot.

  26. Avatar photo
    Mike Hesserton

    You just put all the ingredients with the potatoes in a pan on the stove and mash together. It's pretty obvious.

  27. Avatar photo
    Sarah Barringer

    Gina, I am making the potato skins this week and would like for the insides (that I save from the skins) to not go to waste. I am saving them (as suggested per the skins recipe) so I can make these mashed potatoes. But this recipe doesn't tell you how to do that…I am assuming that since the insides are already cooked, I would just add the other ingredients and mash together. But what about the garlic cloves? How do I incorporate those into my recipe?

    1. I came here wondering the exact same thing. Hoping Gina or anyone else can chime in about how to do this!

  28. Great! I love making real mashed potatoes and since we're trying to watch what we eat more these days, this is a good stepping stone idea for me. 🙂

  29. You've got another winner here, Gina! I'm happy to see the recipe for the skinny mashed potatoes. I've only seen the cauliflower ones before which are delicious too.

  30. You've got another winner here, Gina! I'm happy to see the recipe for the skinny mashed potatoes. I've only seen the cauliflower ones before which are delicious too.

  31. Finally made these tonight and WAHOO a huge hit with my family! Even my youngest who doesn't care for mashed potatoes loved them! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

  32. GIna,

    What herb is your favorite in these potatoes? Do YOU use all three when you make these or do you pick just one usually?

  33. To Anon on 12/17 – it's the immersion blender that killed it. Over-mashing/stirring a potato will release too much starch and make it glue. You should always use a masher, or if you want a finer texture use a potato ricer, and when mixing in the liquid be gentle. More folding than stirring.

  34. I made this last week and didn't really like it. I didn't have any chicken broth so used a little extra milk and blended it with my immersion blender. It tasted like paste. Maybe it was the extra milk that gave it a weird consistency.

    1. Don't use an immersion blender for mashed potatoes. Ever. It will turn out like Elmer's Glue. Not the recipe's fault.

    2. Don't use an immersion blender for mashed potatoes. Ever. It will turn out like Elmer's Glue. Not the recipe's fault.

  35. Avatar photo
    Mélanie Béland

    This looks yummy!

    I had one question though: How does Americans usually make their mashed potatoes? Because I look at the ingredients and I usually just use butter (light of course), milk and some spices(garlic, onion, celery salt, cracked pepper).

    Using fat-free milk ad light butter, do you think I may have been making skinny mashed potatoes all my life without knowing? lol

  36. I just made these last night and was absolutely floored by how good they were. They had so much flavor and tasted so rich! Thanks for the recipe!

  37. I am in the process of baking the jalapeno popper stuffed chicken AND these mashed potatoes… Dinner in a half hour… WE SHALL SEE!

  38. So I was thinking about making these, without the sour cream, and substituting for whip cream and beating it to the proper thickness. The guy I'm seeing doesn't like cheese or the flavor of cheese or sour cream, so I thought this might be a good alternative, while maintaining the same consistency. (I'm making the skinny meatloaf cupcakes for his birthday dinner) Has anyone else tried this? Or do you know of any other good substitutes? Greek Yogurt is out, since it still has the "spoiled" milk flavor that he doesn't enjoy… Thanks!

    1. Another option I could try would be to do Sweet Potato mashed as well or as an alternative and just use apple sauce… hmm.

  39. My stupid self forget the garlic so I used garlic powder instead. I also added Parmesan and a little more butter and it really kicked it up a notch!

  40. FYI – I've frozen mashed potatoes many times in the past, they freeze well and defrost fine, so that shouldn't be a problem.
    To the comment above about this not being vegetarian. I disagree. Potatoes are a vegetable. Some "vegetarians" eat Chicken, or eggs, or chicken broth, others don't. If a vegetarian does not eat chicken broth, they could easily omit it by using vegetable broth or water instead. In any case, who cares if they are linked incorrectly? This is still an amazing recipe, and you are nitpicking.

  41. I'm sure these are lovely, but I don't think they should be linked from the vegetarian section due to the chicken broth…

  42. Made these tonite, We always taste our food out of the pan when cooking, so when my husband and i both took a bite all you hear is..mmmmm. They were absolutely amazing. Best potatoes i've ever had, and made. Thank you.

  43. Hi Gina, I just moved and haven't been able to unpack my kitchen stuff but the slow cooker is handy (because I can't live without it!) and my 2 stepkids and inlaws (father, mother, brother, girlfriend) are coming to visit in a couple of days (and staying 2 weeks!. I don't think I'll be ready to cook much with the short time time I have, stress, plus 3 kids (an "energizer bunny" toddler and a breastfeeding infant")….Could you please advise how can this recipe be modified to be done on a slow cooker? Thanks! I'll be forever grateful ; )

  44. Gina, I know you've gotten a ton of comments that say the same thing, but man. You knock it out of the park with these. The first time I followed your recipe for these, I FORGOT to put the garlic IN THE WATER. I never heard of it before, so instead of reading, I skimmed, and ended up using garlic powder. When we ate them, I thought, "man this is so good. It couldn't have made a big difference leaving the garlic out and subbing in powder." Couldn't have been more incorrect! I made these, to a T, last night. My husband and I raved about them for the rest of the evening. I will never make mashed potatoes another way again!

  45. Making these potatoes right now, can't wait to eat them 🙂 I was wondering if you could clarify though….At the top it says Servings 5 and serving size is 3/4 cup, but then later you commented back to someone saying Servings are 4 and the serving size was a little more than a cup. I am brand new to WW so maybe I am just confusing myself! Thank you for all your hard work, It is much appreciated!

    1. Avatar photo
      Gina @ Skinnytaste

      I deleted that comment not to confuse anyone, I had changed the recipe around a while ago, just go by the nutritional info.

  46. I'm a newbie here and this was my first recipe of yours I made. Served last night w/ a simple roast and my hubbie at all the leftovers. I didn't have sour cream (which my husband refuses to eat if he can see it or anything else white for that fact lol) so i replaced w/ 2 tbsp tofutti cream cheese and used soy milk b/c my son cannot have dairy. He never noticed and they tasted great. My new recipe for mashed potatoes. :o)

  47. Avatar photo
    rubberguitar@msn.com

    AWESOME! I didn't have sour cream so I used plain Greek yogurt… My family loved them. Thanks for you hard work and dedication!

  48. These mashed potatoes were so yummy, I made them with a pot roast and my husband did not even think they were "skinny" and neither did I.

  49. Avatar photo
    tomj429@yahoo.com

    P.S. I am trying to avoid dairy, so I subbed Tofutti better than sour cream and used almond milk, they still taste great!

  50. I also made the potato skins recipe and had filling left over. I followed this recipe to the tee and the mashed potatoes are delicious. However, I only used 3 russet potatoes to make 6 potato skins. If you used 7 potatoes, I would say double the ingredients for the mashed ones.

  51. Hi Gina! I have the filling from your potato skins that I made for Super Bowl yesterday. I wanted to use it today for this recipe so it doesn't go to waste. Can I follow this to the tee, or do I need to make adjustments?

  52. Avatar photo
    JulienScottsKitchen

    I have used plain Greek Yogurt in this recipe in place of sour cream a number of times with great results.

    I think the yogurt is a tad tarter and may be creamier. But difference is almost undetectable in these since the amount used is relatively small.

    Good luck!

  53. Ok…it is official. After enjoying your recipes for over 5 months, I am finally leaving a comment. The clincher is that my husband (who has yet to "officially" jump on plan with me) just asked me to write down "Gina's mashed potato recipe…you know the one that the kids like" This is from a guy who is legendary in our household for making YUMMY mashed potatoes with a stick of butter, half and half AND sour creme.

    I can not thank you enough for recipes that can keep a foodie like me on plan and excited to prepare meals that the whole family can enjoy. You are a gem!

    Results: I have lost 32 pounds since August 2011 on Weight Watchers. Woo hoo!

  54. I made this tonight along with the Roasted Parmesan Green beans for New Years eve. They were both perfect with our filet. Thanks for the great recipes.

  55. Would it hurt the taste or lower the points if I substituted cauliflower for some of the potatoes? BTW, I have just started WW and I have been using your recipes almost every day for dinner. They have all been awesome!

  56. I'm confussed. The calories and serving size at the beginning of the recipe is different then in the comments. Please advise which is correct.

  57. Hi Gina!

    This recipe was delicious! I'm featuring it over on my blog today 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    1. Mashed potatoes do freeze alright. Once they thaw they look watery and grainy but once you heat and fluff them they are pretty good.

  58. Just made these tonight. We like very flavorful food so I did add some Season All and a little garlic powder. They were delicious and it's a big serving. Thanks Gina!

  59. Hi Gina,

    The recipe states that the serving size is 3/4 cup but I see you answered one of the readers (loveveritas) that it is a little more than one cup. Could you clarify for me?

    Thanks!

  60. I made these tonight and they were the best mashed potatoes I have ever made. Thank you Gina! I'm so glad that I discovered your website 🙂

  61. I am an old friend of weight watchers and so is my hubby. I lost 60 pounds and then quit. So what is this point plus business? Lol sorry probably a funny question. I love your recipes gina. They are truly a godsend! I used them before and i am starting to use them again! I am going to try these tomorrow night….i hope i dont mess them up and they turn out as good as everyone says.
    Ps….hows that cookbook coming along???? Please hurry up and make one so I can buy it! 🙂

  62. I'm trying to teach my kind, sweet, totally inept in the kitchen boyfriend how to cook healthy food (eggs and PB&J sandwiches are all he can make "from scratch") and I have been using your recipes like a Bible. If you don't make it, he doesn't trust that it'll work/taste good! Thank you!!!

  63. Very, very tasty! Made along side your turkey meatloaf and streamed asparagus, and hubby is a very, very, happy man!
    Thanks for great recipes. Have you ever thought about writing a cookbook? Or if you have, have I missed it?

  64. Avatar photo
    LesleyfromWI

    When I saw my son got for seconds, I knew this was a hit. They never knew it was a healthier version, which is what I strive for! Served with Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime and a nice salad!!

  65. Avatar photo
    Sienna's Mom & Dad

    We used to make mashed potatoes w/ a whole stick of butter & table cream. My hubby said that these taste different but so good! So shocked that something like mashed potatoes can still be so yummy! 🙂

  66. HI

    Would like to make this tonight. Just wondering do u use all three herbs or just pick one? Sorry silly question.

    Thanks
    Bev

  67. Oh My! These are divine! I didn't even add the herbs, and they were amazing. I have never done the garlic like that – great idea and so easy. Have you ever added lemon zest to your mashed potatoes? I was doubtful when my son suggested it, but they are good that way. I don't think I will ever make them any way but Gina's though from now on – thanks for another delicious recipe!

  68. As I started to make this tonight, I realized I have no sour cream in the house. I checked and yogurt is supposed to be a good substitution and I happen to have plain non-fat in the house. Hope they come out as good as the original.

    1. How did this turn out? I would love to use ff greek yogurt as I have that on hand, and always need to find uses for it!

  69. Avatar photo
    Barry and Rochelle

    FYI, This recipe on the Points Plus program is 5 per serving. And if you use light sour cream and real butter (all I have) than it's 6 per serving.

    New to weight watchers. Love your blog! When I make your older recipes I'll be sure to leave a comment and let you know the Points Plus value. Thanks!

  70. Good. My husband liked them and so did I! I had some french fingerlings versus yukon gold and I left the skin on–they turned out great.

  71. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Russet would be great, but I'm not sure about the Ranch Dressing, I have not tried that. It might be good, but more like a potato salad taste.

  72. I dont have yukon gold or sour cream right now but I want to make the mash potatoes.I have russet potatoes, using them would be same points? Any ideas of something I can substitute in place of the sour cream like light ranch salad dressing (2 tbsp = 40 cal)? Thanks, Betty

  73. Is it the gold potatoes that make the difference? Would the calories be more if you used white potatoes?

  74. Gina these are AH-MAZING! I joined Weight Watchers about a month ago and my boyfriend moaned and groaned about having to eat "rabbit food" and he has been so impressed with how the recipes from your site have tasted! I made these tonight with the roasted broccoli and grilled Asian chicken. Needless to say you've saved my ears from a ton of complaining about so called "rabbit food"

  75. These are delicious, I like them BETTER than the high fat version. This is a new staple in my house.

    1. How do you get them to not taste starchy? Whenever I make mashed potatoes they taste like starch. Please help me and tell me what I’m doing wrong! Thank you! These look amazing! I can’t wait to make them. -Ashley 

  76. Thanks for this great recipe. I made it tonight for my elderly aunt and I as a side dish for dinner. She loved it and so did I! The mashed potatoes were really creamy (I used a hand held blender) and I didn't feel deprived at all as I got to eat a whole cup of very tasty mashed potatoes for 3 points!
    Thanks Gina. All your recipes look and sound fantastic and I look forward to making many more!

  77. Sorry Lindsey, It will take me a while to add calories to my older recipes. I'll try to find the time soon.

  78. sorry to keep asking this, but how many calories do you think are in this? i am obviously keeping up with my calories and points. i'm OCD like that.

  79. My family has always been crazy about mashed potatoes – complete with a whole stick of butter and half and half. Now that I am a WW (lost 23 lb so far) I need to lose the high fat foods. I tried this last night and it was wonderful. The Yukon Gold potatoes gave it a beautiful golden color. I added some chopped fresh taragon for the herb. I must say that I liked this just as well, if not better than the high fat version. Thank you Gina. This is the third recipe of yours that I have made and they are all great!

  80. For an even quicker, less traditional cooking method, put a few potatoes, diced, in a microwave steamer. I usually add the garlic too and hit the potato button on the microwave. They cook really well this way! And a bit easier.

  81. I made this for my family tonight and they loved it. Me too! The servings were good and the taste is fantastic. I lost 50 pounds some years ago on the original WW program. Today’s program is so much easier. Great job and some fantastic recipes. I want to try the Tuna next. Steve Kirk blogs on senior health at http://www.theperfectsense.com.