Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes Recipe - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

This Creamy Cheese Mashed Potatoes Recipe is so simple and comes together in just 25 minutes. These mashed potatoes are smooth, creamy, decadent, and loaded with butter and herbs!

Looking for something a little extra? Try these Loaded Mashed Potatoes or these Cheesy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes!

Sometimes only ultra-decadent, rich and creamy mashed potatoes will do!

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of healthier but still super delicious options out there but when I want mashed potatoes I want the real deal.

This Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes Recipe is one of those instances.

These mashed potatoes are so insanely rich, flavorful, decadent, creamy, and basically everything you could want in mashed potatoes.

They pair perfectly with Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Perfect Roast Chicken or Air Fryer Steak!

So let’s get into it!

Ingredients Needed:

• Potatoes: Yukon gold or Russet potatoes are my favorite.
• Salt: you’ll salt the water to boil the potatoes to add extra flavor.
• Milk: I use whole milk to make the potatoes super creamy. Half and half also works great!
• Cream Cheese: use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
• Butter: you can’t have mashed potatoes without butter, right?!
• Seasonings: we’re kicking the flavor up a notch with a blend of garlic powder, dried parsley, and black pepper.

How to Make Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

This delicious mashed potato recipe comes together in a total of 25 minutes. Here’s how:

1. Prep: Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2″-3/4″ cubes. Add them to a pot of cold water and mix in 1 tablespoon of salt.
2. Boil: Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
3. Mash: Drain the water, then add milk, cream cheese, butter, and seasonings to the pot. Mash everything together, then taste and adjust as needed before serving.

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes Recipe FAQs

Tips and Notes

• Peel the potatoes. When I use Yukon gold or Russet potatoes, I prefer to remove the peel because it can become tough and chewy when cooked.
• Chop evenly. Make sure your potato chunks are evenly chopped into 1/2-3/4″ pieces so they cook quickly and at the same rate.
• Start with cold water. Starting the potatoes in cold water ensures they cook evenly.
• Don’t over-cook. Overdone potatoes can become dry and gluey. The potatoes are done when they can be easily pierced with a knife.
• Use room temp ingredients. Bring the butter and cream cheese to room temperature before mashing them into the potatoes. The softer the texture, the more easily they mash smoothly with no lumps.
• Don’t over-mix. Resist the urge to use a mixer or food processor for mashing. Over-mixed potatoes can become thick and gluey.

Cream Cheese Mashed Potato Variations

• Make them cheesy. Feel free to finish these potatoes off with a sprinkle of your favorite cheese if you like.
• Make them lactose-free. You can easily find lactose-free cream cheese, milk, and cream if needed.
• Lighten them up. Feel free to use light cream cheese if preferred. In something like this I don’t think anyone will notice a difference.
• Spice things up. Feel free to add in different herbs, spices, sauces, or even pesto to give these potatoes a different flavor.
• Use flavored cream cheese. Grab the flavored cream cheese instead and reduce or eliminate the added herbs until after you taste test.

Leftovers?

Got leftovers?

Use them in this Creamy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie, this classic Shepherd’s Pie made with ground beef, or this Twice Baked Potato Casserole with Ham.

Serving Suggestions

These Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are perfect next to Air Fryer Chicken Legs, Turkey Meatloaf, Baked Pork Chops, Chicken Burgers, you name it!

More Mashed Potato Recipes to Try