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    Home » Recipe Index » Vegetables

    Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (2 servings)

    November 13, 2019 Updated April 16, 2024 By Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD Appetizers, Holiday Recipe, Vegetables

    Jump to Recipe
    garlic mashed potatoes on a plate with roasted garlic next to it
    garlic mashed potatoes on a plate with text overlay

    These quick cheesy garlic mashed potatoes for two are better than your typical mashed potatoes because of the stove top roasted garlic and added dollop of Greek yogurt. They're a great side dish for Thanksgiving, Easter, or any other night. 

    cheesy garlic mashed potatoes with chives on top and other ingredients behind them

    [This cheesy garlic mashed potatoes recipe was originally posted in January 2018. It has been updated with new photos, cooking instructions, expert tips, FAQ, related recipes, video and ways to repurpose/use up ingredients]

    Table of contents

    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serve with
    • Storage/Reheating Tips
    • Substitutions/Tips
    • FAQ
    • Repurpose potatoes
    • What can I make with the leftover ingredients?

    I love this simple cheesy garlic mashed potato recipe. They're easy, with a great garlic hack, and super flavorful. Perfect for a solo dinner with leftovers or dinner for two. It's also easy to double or triple for a dinner/holiday party.

    Honestly, my favorite part of this recipe is how I steam the garlic instead of roasting it. The flavors are so similar, yet, cooking the garlic on the stove is much faster. See how in the instructions.

    Ingredients

    Scroll down to the cheesy garlic mashed potatoes recipe card for the amounts of each ingredient, but here's a quick description of what's in this recipe.

    • Russet potatoes: these have a good amount of starch in them for mashed potatoes. Or use yukon gold potatoes, these are my new favorite mashed potatoes potatoes.
    • Garlic: use roasted garlic for extra sweet flavor.
    • Plain Greek yogurt: It adds a nice tangy flavor and thickens up your potatoes. I prefer this to using buttermilk
    • Milk
    • Cheddar cheese: you can add many different cheeses to these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes. A few options are: ricotta, sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, etc.
    • Chives: fresh chives or parsley is a great topping, you can also add dried herbs to the potatoes, with remaining toppings.

    Instructions

    Scroll down to the cheesy garlic mashed potato recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here's a quick overview + photos to see how to make this recipe in general.

    cubed potatoes in a stock pot

    1. Start making your cheesy garlic mashed potatoes by adding your potato and salt to a medium stock pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes.

    2. Remove water by pouring it out into a strainer. Return potatoes to stock pot.

    garlic clove with the end cut off

    3. Prepare garlic by removing garlic cloves from outer paper layers, cut ends off each clove, smash clove with the side of a large knife. This will separate the outer paper layers from the garlic.

    garlic cloves and olive oil in a sautee pan

    4. Pour olive oil into a warm saucepan, then add garlic cloves. Cook over med-low heat, covered for 10-15 minutes.

    5. Remove water by pouring it out into a strainer. Return potatoes to stock pot.

    cubed russet potatoes with milk in a stock pot

    6. Add plain Greek yogurt, milk, cheddar cheese, garlic, and salt & pepper to potatoes. Mash with a fork or potato masher.

    cheesy garlic mashed potatoes in a black bpot

    7. Top your cheesy garlic mashed potatoes with fresh or dried chives. Serve immediately.

    PIN HERE to add to your recipe box.

    Serve with

    • Sauteed Pork Chop with Apples
    • Grilled Lamb Steak
    • Pulled Pork
    • Sheet Pan Shrimp & Veggies (swap roasted potatoes in packet, and make mashed potatoes)
    • Sheet Pan Maple Mustard Salmon
    • Parchment salmon 'in a bag' swap the potatoes that cook with the salmon for these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes.

    Storage/Reheating Tips

    These cheesy garlic mashed potatoes are easy to store for later. Store them in an airtight container for about a week. Then reheat, covered until warm. You can add a splash of milk or cream for a smoother texture.

    Substitutions/Tips

    • Cook potatoes in an Instant pot, but like all Instant Pot recipes, the pressure cooking time may be short, but it takes time to get up to pressure and to release the pressure. Plan on at least 30 minutes to cook these potatoes.
    • Check doneness of potatoes by piercing one with a fork. If it slides in and out easily, your potatoes are done. If potatoes are not done, set timer to another 5 or so minutes, and continue until potatoes are soft.
    • Use a fork or potato masher to mash the potatoes directly in the Instant Pot for your cheesy garlic mashed potatoes.
    • I kept the skins on for extra texture, ease, and nutrients. You can peel them or leave them on, either way.
    • Other great add-ins: butter, cream instead of milk, dried herbs, buttermilk, etc would all be good added to these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes.

    FAQ

    What is the best potato for mashing?

    Higher starch potatoes like russet or yukon gold potatoes are best, they make the creamy and fluffy cheesy garlic mashed potatoes and other mashed potato recipes.

    Why are my mashed potatoes gluey?

    Either you used potatoes that aren't as high in starch as russet or yukon gold (they require more mashing, which can make them gluey), or they got overcooked and lost some of that starch in the cooking water.

    How can I thicken my mashed potatoes?

    If your cheesy garlic mashed potatoes got too thinned out, you could add a little more Greek yogurt, or slowly add a bit of flour or cornstarch (remove some of the liquid to add the thickener to, and add it back in to the potatoes) to your potatoes.

    Cheesy garlic mashed potatoes with chives and pepper in a white bowl with ingredients surrounding it

    Repurpose potatoes

    • Make Gnocchi with leftover cheesy garlic mashed potatoes. Gnocchi does take time, but it's super easy & fun to make.
    • Top stewed vegetables to make a shepherds pie.
    • Add leftover cheesy garlic mashed potatoes to a soup to make it even creamier.

    What can I make with the leftover ingredients?

    When you're cooking for one, you often have leftover produce, cans of whatever ingredient, etc. Here are a couple ideas on how to use up the leftover ingredients. It'll help you save money by wasting fewer ingredients.

    • Potatoes: Rustic Potato & Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin, No-mayo Potato Salad, Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots.
    • Cheese: veggie quesadilla, chicken burger, breakfast tacos, egg roll-up
    • Greek yogurt: yogurt bowl, overnight oats, lentil stroganoff, pumpkin cake, broccoli salad with grapes

    Did you make these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes? Leave me a comment & rating to share how they turned out!

    garlic mashed potatoes with chives

    Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

    These cheesy garlic mashed potatoes can be made quickly. These mashed potatoes are better than your typical mashed potatoes because of the stove top roasted garlic and added dollop of Greek yogurt. They're a great side dish for Thanksgiving, Easter, or any other night.
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Author: Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN

    Equipment

    • Large stock pot (or Instant Pot
    • cutting board
    • knife
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Measuring Cups
    • Hand mixer or fork

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup water
    • 1 large Russet potato about 1 cups, cubed
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon roasted garlic about 3 cloves
    • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
    • ¼ cup milk
    • ½ cup medium cheddar cheese shredded
    • 1 tablespoon chives chopped

    Instructions

    • Add 1 cubed potato and ½ teaspoon salt to a medium stock pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
    • Remove water by pouring it out into a strainer. Return potatoes to stock pot.
    • Prepare garlic by removing 3 garlic cloves from outer paper layers. Next cut ends off each clove, and smash clove with the side of a large knife. This will separate the outer paper layers from the garlic. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a warm saucepan, then add garlic cloves. Cook over med-low heat, covered for 10-15 minutes.
    • Add ½ c Greek yogurt, ½ c milk, 1 c cheddar cheese, cooked garlic cloves, and salt & pepper to potatoes. Mash with a fork or potato masher. Top with fresh or dried chives. Serve immediately.

    Notes

    • Cook potatoes in an Instant pot, but like all Instant Pot recipes, the pressure cooking time may be short, but it takes time to get up to pressure and to release the pressure. Plan on at least 30 minutes to cook these potatoes.
    • Check doneness of potatoes by piercing one with a fork. If it slides in and out easily, your potatoes are done. If potatoes are not done, set timer to another 5 or so minutes, and continue until potatoes are soft.
    • Use a fork or potato masher to mash the potatoes directly in the Instant Pot.
    • I kept the skins on for extra texture, ease, and nutrients. You can peel them or leave them on, either way.
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @NourishNutriCo or tag #NourishNutriCo!

    Want time saving tips to make recipes like these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes delivered to your inbox? Click here to download my Cooking for One Time Saving Tips.

    Recipes are great, but you’ll need a simple 3 step process to create a meal plan that make cooking easy & helps you stop wasting food. Check out this expertly developed meal planning guide to get started. 

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    About Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD

    Welcome! I’m Rebecca, a food loving dietitian who has been cooking for one for over 10 years. On Nourish Nutrition, you’ll find real, quick, and nourishing recipes for one that'll get you to want to cook for yourself, because you deserve it.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Linda says

      November 26, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      5 stars
      Loved these - a new dish for anew kind of thanksgiving. Thanks for helping to make our meal special.

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        November 30, 2020 at 11:38 am

        yay! this is one of my favorites!

        Reply
    2. Justine Howell says

      November 13, 2019 at 12:02 pm

      Great way to jazz up the old traditional dish, kids loved it.

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        November 14, 2019 at 7:47 am

        totally! thanks

        Reply
    3. Whitney says

      November 13, 2019 at 12:00 pm

      5 stars
      Mashed potatoes are my fave and I only eat them from scratch but it's time consuming, I will have to try this out in my instant pot!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        November 14, 2019 at 7:48 am

        exactly! thanks

        Reply
    4. michele h peterson says

      November 13, 2019 at 10:56 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for the tips on how to avoid gooey potatoes. I've never been able to figure out why they are sometimes sticky and other times not. The Greek yogurt is a brilliant addition too!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        November 14, 2019 at 7:48 am

        ahh, right?! it's so frustrating. thanks

        Reply
    « Older Comments
    5 from 13 votes

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