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Add a classic side dish to your dinner menu with these Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Chives! Cook these red mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot or stove top.
It’s difficult to find the perfect mashed potatoes recipe. You know, the creamy, smooth potatoes that aren’t lumpy and have great flavor. The kind of potatoes that make stretchy pants a necessity on Thanksgiving. These easy garlic mashed potatoes are the perfect recipe to add to your dinner menu any time.
Enjoy these potatoes with turkey tenderloin, spinach ricotta stuffed chicken, broiled scallops or maple glazed ham for a complete meal. They are the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu.
These garlic mashed red potatoes are made in the Instant Pot or Stove Top.
What People Are Saying About This Recipe
- “Followed recipe (using vegetable broth) for the Instant Pot and it was delicious!!” – Suzanna
- “Best homemade mashed potatoes I’ve had yet. Will definitely make these again!” – Kelly
- “This was excellent. Had today for Christmas dinner with red wine braised short ribs, brown butter carrots. Was excellent.” – Scott
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potatoes: Red potatoes have a smooth and hearty texture which makes them great for garlic mashed potatoes. You can substitute for Yukon gold potatoes or Russet potatoes, if desired.
- Heavy Cream: You can substitute for whole milk, if needed, but the heavy cream makes the potatoes nice and creamy.
- Stock: You can use beef, chicken or vegetable stock.
- Butter: You can use ghee instead of butter, if desired.
- Chives: You can use scallions instead, if needed.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic.
- Salt and Pepper: Elevates the flavor of the potatoes.
Steps to Make Mashed Red Potatoes
These garlic mashed potatoes are a classic dish made with red potatoes, garlic, chives, butter, heavy cream, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker or stockpot.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes on the Stove Top
- Place the cut potatoes to a medium or large pot. Add cold water to the pan until the potatoes are covered by at least an inch. Add a pinch or two of salt to the pan. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can easily poke them with a fork.
- Add butter, heavy cream, garlic, chives and salt and pepper.
- Mash together with a potato masher or handheld mixer.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Add the potatoes to an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. Pour in the broth, salt and pepper and stir. Secure the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Cook on Manual High pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the cooking time is up, allow a natural release for 5 minutes, then turn the valve to venting. Carefully remove the lid once the steam is released. They should be fork tender.
- Add butter, heavy cream, garlic and chives.
- Mash together using a potato masher or hand mixer.
Expert Tips
- Use roasted garlic to make roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
- Switch up the flavor and add some sour cream to the potatoes.
- Red potatoes are perfectly creamy and delicious, but feel free to switch it up and use your favorite kind of potatoes.
- Try making olive oil mashed potatoes by substituting the butter for olive oil.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
FAQs
Yes, they are great for mashing! They are some of the best skin-on mashed potatoes. They are thin-skinned and creamy.
Butter and cream! Make sure you bring the butter and cream to room temperature before incorporating into the potatoes – the potatoes will absorb them easier and make sure it’s easier to mix together.
If you want to make this recipe dairy-free, you can substitute almond milk, soy or another milk replacement. Adding in vegetable broth with a milk substitute can be a good way to ensure they maintain some of its creamy texture!
Sour cream definitely adds to the creamy texture of mashed potatoes, and would even go great with the chive taste in this recipe! Use about ½ cup of sour cream per cup of milk that the recipe calls for.
Yes! On some varieties the skin may be harder to chew, but the red potato skin is great. The skin from a Yukon Gold potato is great as well if you want to skip peeling your potatoes.
I love the chive flavor in this recipe, but you can also add other herbs like rosemary, thyme or even parsley. Whatever suits your taste!
If you love these potatoes, then try one a few of our other favorite homemade mashed potato recipes.
Other Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Souffle
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
- Braised Red Potatoes
- Sautéed Sweet Potatoes
- Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
Did you try these Garlic Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot or Stove Top? Leave a recipe rating and review below.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Instant Pot or Stove Top)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1.5″ pieces
- 1 cup beef or chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chives
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place the potatoes in the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. Pour in the broth, salt, and pepper and stir. Secure the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Cook on Manual High for 10 minutes. When the cooking time is up, allow a 5 minute natural release, then turn the valve to venting. Carefully remove the lid.***
- Add butter, heavy cream, garlic, and chives and mash together with potatoes until smooth using a potato masher or hand mixer. Season to taste with more salt or pepper if desired. Enjoy!
Stove Top Instructions
- Add the cut potatoes to a medium or large saucepan. Add cold water to the pan until the potatoes are covered by at least an inch. Add salt to the water. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can easily poke them with a fork. Drain water.
- Add butter, heavy cream, garlic, chives and salt and pepper.
Notes
- Potatoes: You can substitute for Yukon gold or Russet potatoes, if desired.
- Heavy Cream: You can substitute for whole milk, if needed.
- Stock: You can use beef, chicken or vegetable stock.
- Butter: You can use ghee instead of butter, if desired.
- Chives: You can use scallions instead, if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe originally published November 2018. As of October 2020, the post includes new process photos and FAQs.
This was excellent, had today for Christmas dinner with these red wine braised short ribs, brown butter carrots.
Was excellent!
Can you add the garlic cloves into the instant pot while the potatoes are cooking to help infuse the garlic flavor more and soften the cloves enough to be whipped into the potatoes with a mixer after they’re cooked?
(Same as previous comment but edited to fix typo)
Hi, Kristina! Yes, that should work fine. Enjoy!
Delicious! And I love that I was able to use my Instant Pot. Thanks for sharing!
These are dreamy & creamy! I love how easy this recipe is with it being made in an IP and mashed with a mixer! I think I’ll have my kiddos make this for Thanksgiving – love it!
Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream?
Yes, you can use half and half instead of heavy cream. Enjoy!
Best homemade mashed potatoes I’ve had yet. Will definitely make these again!
I’m so glad you loved these potatoes, Kelly! Thanks so much for your feedback.
If I were to make 5 pounds of potatoes, how much longer time would the instant pot need?
Hi, Alexis! You don’t need to adjust the cooking time for a larger batch. Cooking time is the same when using an Instant Pot.
If I make them on the stove, when do I add the beef broth?? Thank you!
If you make these mashed potatoes on the stove, you can actually omit the beef broth. Or add the beef broth to the water when cooking the potatoes. Enjoy!
These are the perfect side dish to the steaks I am making! So yummy!
Love how creamy and flavorful these mashed potatoes are. So delicious!