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.
[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
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.
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.
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.
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.
6. Add plain Greek yogurt, milk, cheddar cheese, garlic, and salt & pepper to potatoes. Mash with a fork or potato masher.
7. Top your cheesy garlic mashed potatoes with fresh or dried chives. Serve immediately.
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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
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.
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.
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.
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!
Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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.
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Angela Cardamone @marathonsandmotivation.com says
Yum, these look so delicious! I am just learning how to use my Instant Pot, so this will be a fun recipe to try!!
Rebecca says
yes do it, it's so delicious! thanks!
Chrissy @ Snacking in Sneakers says
I need to take my instant pot out of the box and learn how to use it, lol. It's been sitting there for an embarrassingly long amount of time. But either way, you had me at cheesy mashed potatoes!!!
Rebecca says
haha! I was so nervous to use it for the first time! hope you make something delicious
jill conyers says
My husband is instant pot obsessed so he would be happy to make this recipe. And my kids would be happy to eat it.
Rebecca says
ohhh yes! hope they love it
Jessica Kuepfer says
Love that this is an instant pot recipe. The cheese doesn't hurt either. LOL. Looking forward to trying them.
Rebecca says
let me know how it goes if you do
Emily says
Mmm these look much denser than my cauliflower mashed potatoes. Which I do love! But I think my boyfriend would appreciate these more.
Rebecca says
you could totally do these as 1/2 & 1/2 or just cauliflower
Rachel says
Can I just tell you you're the FIRST Instant Pot recipe creator that has said "cooking time may be short but it takes a while to get up to pressure?!" When I first got my IP I was all like, "oh yay! Four minutes!" And then I was incredibly disappointed that it took over 30 minutes... but lesson learned and I KNOW new IP users will appreciate you giving them a warning that it takes longer than it appears!!
Rebecca says
oh I'm glad you appreciate this, I did realize it before (I got a good straight-forward cookbook), but was annoyed that I didn't see any other blog posts with that. 4 minutes IS NOT 30 haha
Sarah says
I still don't have an Instant Pot but with so many great uses and recipes coming out I'm starting to think I might have to get one! Sharing this with my Insta Pot friends.
Rebecca says
thanks Sarah! I like it because it's multi-purpose, I don't have a crock pot, so it was an easy decision for me
Deborah Brooks says
cheese makes everything taste better! I am debating on the instapot
Rebecca says
amen! I love mine so far for sure
Lindsey Pine says
yum!! I seriously need to think about getting an instant pot!
Rebecca says
yes! love mine so far, it does take longer than the 'cook time' but it's all hands off which is nice
Abbey Sharp says
You had me at cheesy girl! These dish looks so delicious and also I feel like that weirdly shaped potato must be good luck.
Rebecca says
thanks Abbey! and haha! no kidding, totally good luck 😉