Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

A serving scoop of mashed potatoes with cream cheese on a white plate next to green beans.

Learn how to make the best mashed potatoes at home with this recipe for Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes! Only 6 ingredients needed to make the creamiest, fluffiest, and richest mashed potatoes ever. Russet potatoes, cream cheese, whole milk, and butter are the secrets to this classic side dish recipe.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cream cheese mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with cream cheese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 244kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

2½ lbs Russet potatoes (about 5-6 potatoes)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons salted butter
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup whole milk
kosher salt & black pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel potatoes and rinse them. Cut into small chunks (about 1") and put into a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water and add the 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Once boiling, cover pot with lid and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.
Put the butter, cream cheese, and milk into a glass measuring cup (or other microwave-safe container) and heat for 45 seconds.
* This helps the dairy incorporate smoother into the potatoes.
Drain potatoes in a colander and then move them to a large mixing bowl. Add the warmed dairy ingredients into the potatoes.
Use a hand mixer or a potato masher to mash the potatoes to the desired consistency.
* For smooth potatoes use a hand mixer, and for chunkier potatoes use a potato masher.
Taste and add additional kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
* I end up adding about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt at the end.

Video

Notes

Dairy : For best taste and texture use full-fat dairy products. No margarine! Use real butter, full fat cream cheese, and the whole milk as called for.

Tip : These mashed potatoes are best made right before serving. If you need to keep them warm, move them to a slow cooker (I recommend lining it with a plastic slow cooker liner to avoid burning) and leave it on the WARM setting for several hours.

Salt : I like kosher salt in this recipe but sea salt is another great option. If using table salt, you won't need as much of it because the salt granules are much finer and smaller, which means that more can fit inside the measurer. Start with less salt if using regular table salt.

Milk : Another good option for the whole milk is using half & half.

Double Recipe : This recipe easily doubles. The potatoes come in a 5 pound bag so just double every other ingredient and use the entire bag of potatoes.

Nutrition