These Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are rich, creamy, and decadent ... basically the best homemade mashed potatoes recipe ever!
Best of all, they're so easy to make! Serve them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or anytime of year.
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Yesterday, I shared my dad's Classic Bread Stuffing recipe. So I thought it would only be fair if I shared one of my mom's recipes today ... and it's one of my all-time favorites!
Let's be real, there are good mashed potatoes, and then there are great mashed potatoes. And these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are the BEST mashed potatoes!
This recipe is rich, creamy, and decadent. The cream cheese gives these potatoes a slightly tangy flavor that's absolutely mouthwatering.
Serve these delicious Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving or Christmas ... or any day of the week! They're super easy, and you don't need any fancy techniques or ingredients to make them.
This recipe is guaranteed to please your family and friends, and I know you're going to love it, too. Keep reading for all the details!
Ingredients
This easy Cream Cheese Potatoes recipe uses basic ingredients you can find in any grocery store. Here's what you'll need:
- Potatoes
- Cream Cheese
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Salt (I prefer Kosher salt.)
- Pepper (Make sure to use fresh-cracked pepper.)
I like using red potatoes for this recipe ... they have so much flavor. Yukon Golds would also be delicious, or you could use Russet potatoes. You can leave the skins on or off.
Feel free to use a reduced fat cream cheese, but don't use fat free. It's just not good, and most importantly, you'll miss out on that tangy cream cheese flavor. I used Neufchâtel cheese, which works perfectly for this recipe.
How to Make Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
This recipe is so simple to make! You can find a printable recipe with exact measurements at the end of this article, but here's a quick overview:
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Make sure they're all about the same size, that way they're all be done cooking at the same time.
- Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Add a couple tablespoons of salt, too.
- Cover pot and bring water to a boil.
- Remove lid, then cook potatoes until they're tender. You can poke the potatoes with a fork to test doneness, but your best bet is to simply taste test a potato or two.
- Drain potatoes, then return to pot.
- Add cream cheese and butter, then mash. As you mash, add just enough milk to get your desired consistency. Start with less milk! You can always add more if needed, but you can't take it away if you add too much.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Tips for the Best Potatoes
- You can make these Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese with the skins on or off. If your potatoes are small, like mine were, you may want to peel about half the potatoes. Otherwise, there may be too many potato skins in your potatoes.
- Start the potatoes in cold water. This will help them cook more evenly.
- For best results, use room temperature butter and cream cheese. And warm the milk in your microwave (or a small pan) before adding it. This will make mashing easier, as well as keep the potatoes from cooling off too fast.
- I prefer a little texture in my mashed red potatoes, so I use a potato masher. For the smoothest mashed potatoes though, you'll want to use a potato ricer. A ricer will give you super smooth potatoes without turning them into a gluey, overworked mess.
- After mashing, taste the potatoes, then add salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine all the ingredients. Do not skip this step or you will have bland potatoes, no matter how much cream cheese and butter you use!
- I love serving these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes with my homemade mushroom gravy ... total comfort food. But they are delicious all on their own, too.
- Have leftover mashed potatoes after the big meal? Use them to make this yummy Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe can be served anytime of year, but it's perfect for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas!
I recommend pairing it with this Classic Bread Stuffing (my Dad's recipe), Mushroom Gravy, Roasted Vegetables, Cranberry Orange Sauce, and if you're looking for an amazing vegetarian entree, this delicious Mushroom Wellington.
Related Recipes
Looking for more holiday ideas? You'll love these recipes, too!
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Mushroom Stuffing
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries, Pecans, and Blue Cheese
- Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
- Mushroom Strudel
And by the way, you can find all of my Thanksgiving recipes here!
Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red potatoes
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
- ½ to 1 cup whole milk, warmed
- kosher salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Peel potatoes (if desired) and chop.
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold, well-salted water.
- Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove lid, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook potatoes until tender.
- Drain potatoes well, then add cream cheese and butter. Mash, adding just enough milk to reach desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve potatoes hot. Enjoy!
Nutrition
This recipe is also available as a web story, if you'd like to see a quick overview of the steps!
