These Garlic Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes are so flavorful, fluffy and buttery! Make them once and they will become your go-to holiday mashed potato recipe!
If you’re anything like me, the mashed potatoes are the real star of the holiday meal! I usually go pretty traditional with my flavorings but they must be homemade! I hope you give these delicious Garlic Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes a try this Thanksgiving!
Mashed potatoes are the glue that brings all the other holiday sides and mains together! They’re not a hard dish to make, but they can be hard to make right. Mashed potatoes call for more seasoning than some might think and a good amount of butter always makes them taste delicious 🙂
Garlic Herb Butter Mashed Potato Ingredients & Substitutions
- Potatoes – I prefer to use regular brown russet potatoes when I make mashed potatoes. I know a lot of people love to use Yukon gold because they are naturally creamier, but I find they have a slight sweet taste and love the flavor of russet potatoes. You can use whatever kind of potato you like.
- Butter – You can use regular butter or plant based butter in this recipe. I would recommend using an unsalted butter just so you can have control about how much salt goes into the mashed potatoes.
- Milk – You can use cow milk or plant based milk. If using plant based milk, just make sure to use a completely unsweetened one.
- Fresh Herbs – I like to use hearty fall herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves for these garlic herb potatoes. The herbs mostly just flavor the milk and butter mixtures so people aren’t actually eating pieces of the herbs unless you garnish with them.
- Garlic – I like to flavor the butter and milk with fresh garlic but garlic powder would also work. I would use about 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, give it a taste and add more if needed.
- Salt and Black Pepper – To Taste.
How To Make The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter
- Start by preparing the potatoes. Wash your potatoes and then peel them with a vegetable peeler. It is totally optional whether you want to peel them or not, I prefer to since I used russet potatoes and they have a thicker skin.
- Cut your potatoes into medium sized chunks. You want them to all be similar sized so they have the same cook time. Place diced potatoes into a large pot and cover with cold water. I like to add a couple teaspoons of salt. Bring potatoes to a boil, turn down to a simmer and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and add them back into the pot and keep the lid on the make sure they stay warm.
- Make the butter sauce while the potatoes are cooking. In a small saucepan, add the butter, milk, garlic and fresh herbs. Mix everything together and once butter has melted, keep heat on low and let everything simmer together for about 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat off, put a lid on the pot and let sit for about 15 minutes.
- Strain out the fresh herbs and garlic chunks from the butter mixture and then pour it over the cooked potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes to desired texture and then mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Feel free to add extra butter or milk if you want the mashed potatoes to be on the saucier side!
Mashed Potato Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this recipe gluten free? Yes!
- Are these garlic herb butter mashed potatoes vegan? They are easily made vegan by using vegan butter and plant based milk.
- Can these mashed potatoes be made ahead of time? Yes, you can make them up to 2 days in advance for best results. They can also be frozen for up to 6 months in an airtight, freezer friendly container.
- How should I re-heat them? You can re-heat them on the stovetop, in the microwave or over a double boiler on the stovetop. You will probably have to add a little extra milk or butter to get them to a nice consistency.
- Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh herbs? You can, I would suggest using about 1 teaspoon of each to start with and there’s not as much of a need to let the herbs and garlic steep in the butter mixture.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes?
Holiday Salad with Cabbage and Kale
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Garlic Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Garlic Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes are super creamy and flavorful! They will soon become your go to holiday mashed potato recipe!
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 medium sized russet potatoes, or potato of choice
- 1/2 cup butter (regular or plant based)
- 3/4 cup milk, regular or plant based
- 4–5 cloves garlic, very roughly chopped
- Fresh herbs: 1 sprig rosemary, 2-3 sprigs thyme, one bay leaf, 1-2 leaves sage (whatever you prefer!)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Start by preparing the potatoes. Wash your potatoes and then peel them with a vegetable peeler. It is totally optional whether you want to peel them or not, I prefer to since I used russet potatoes and they have a thicker skin.
- Cut your potatoes into medium sized chunks. You want them to all be similar sized so they have the same cook time. Place diced potatoes into a large pot and cover with cold water. I like to add a couple teaspoons of salt. Bring potatoes to a boil, turn down to a simmer and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and add them back into the pot and keep the lid on the make sure they stay warm.
- Make the butter sauce while the potatoes are cooking. In a small saucepan, add the butter, milk, garlic and fresh herbs. Mix everything together and once butter has melted, keep heat on low and let everything simmer together for about 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat off, put a lid on the pot and let sit for about 15 minutes.
- Strain out the fresh herbs and garlic chunks from the butter mixture and then pour it over the cooked potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes to desired texture and then mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Feel free to add extra butter or milk if you want the mashed potatoes to be on the saucier side!
Notes
I like to mix in a tablespoon or two of extra butter at the very end!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Side Dish, Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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