I won’t bury the lede. For the creamiest, dreamiest mashed potato recipe, you must make your mashed potatoes with cream cheese!

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are the BEST. EVER. Fluffy yet creamy, with a silky, luxurious texture that tastes absolutely phenomenal with my easy, full-of-flavor vegetarian gravy. You have to try this easy + delicious mashed potato recipe!

Best Ever Mashed Potatoes with cream cheese in an oval dish with thyme leaves and a pat of butter.

Table of Contents

The Story Behind the Recipe

I first published this cream cheese mashed potatoes recipe in 2012. It’s been awhile! Here’s the story I told about them back then:

For years and years, I whipped potatoes into a frenzy in a frenetic attempt to achieve the perfect silky-smooth consistency. Then I heard somewhere that you shouldn’t beat your potatoes with a mixer to within an inch of their lives, because it breaks down the starches in the potatoes and makes them gummy. Oooohhhhh. Mashed potato learning curve, what can I say.

And so the next batch was all by hand with a potato masher. Were they super, duper smooth? No. Were they oh-so delicious and, with their little lumps here and there, unmistakably and perfectly homemade? Oh, yes.

And then I found this recipe from Queen Martha, and I gave cream cheese a spin. Peel and boil the potatoes and drain, as usual. Then hand-mash them with copious amounts of butter, an entire block of cream cheese, and milk. I hand-mashed and left a few lumps here and there, and they were glorious.

A wooden spoon lifts mashed potatoes from a dish.

Why You’ll Love Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

I call these “Best-Ever Mashed Potatoes” because they’re the best I’ve ever made (or tasted, for that matter). Please don’t take it as my bashing your granny’s recipe. Just, to my family and to me, they’re the best ever.

The cream cheese gives them such a decadent, almost melt-in-your-mouth texture, plus just a tad bit of tang that you don’t get otherwise.

Readers say …
“I made these tonight and they were SOOOOO good. My husband agreed that they were the best ever.”

-Sarah
Ingredients for the best-ever mashed potatoes with cream cheese.

Ingredients

  • Potatoes – I use russet potatoes. You could also use Yukon Gold potatoes. I wouldn’t recommend veering from either of those options.
  • Cream cheese – Yes, an entire block. Trust me.
  • Butter – Use room temp butter if you can. It’s so much easier to melt it into your potatoes. You’ll want a stick for the potatoes and a couple of generous pats for the top. Unsalted or salted are both fine.
  • Milk – Whole milk is perfect, though you can also use half and half if you prefer an even richer mashed potato recipe.
  • Salt & pepper – Lots of both is my preference!

Adaptations/Variations

  • Dairy-free/vegan version: You might be better off making these dairy-free mashed potatoes, but it is possible to make these mashed potatoes dairy free by swapping the butter, cream cheese, and milk for plant-based options. Unsweetened oat milk is especially nice in mashed potatoes.
  • Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes: For a spin on the ever-popular Boursin mashed potatoes, you could either swap in some Boursin for the cream cheese or make your own garlic and herb cream cheese to add to your mashed potatoes. Transcendent!

How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

First, fill a pot about halfway with water and set it over your burner to boil. Grab a vegetable peeler and peel your potatoes, then add them to the pot. Boil them until tender (I use a fork to make sure it easily goes through a potato).

Drain the potatoes in a colander and place them back in the pot. Add the cream cheese, butter, 1/2 cup of the milk, and some salt and pepper. Start mashing!

A top view of potatoes, cream cheese, butter, and milk in a pan for mashed potatoes.
Mashing potatoes with a masher.

You can mash them by hand, leaving them lumpy or making them more smooth, whichever is your preference. Or you can use a potato ricer for fluffy yet smooth mashed potatoes. Your choice!

Add more milk until the mashed potatoes have reached the consistency you like. Taste them (yummm) and then add more salt and pepper until they’re perfect.

I like to serve them up in a big dish with a couple of generous pats of butter and some fresh herbs.

Best Ever Mashed Potatoes with cream cheese in an oval dish with thyme leaves and a pat of butter.

Tips for Success

  • Use a potato masher or ricer, NOT a mixer. The idea is to keep the potatoes fluffy while you’re mashing them, so don’t go crazy. Mixing them with a hand mixer can release too many starches, which can make mashed potatoes gummy.
  • Start with room temp cream cheese and butter. This just helps them melt into the potatoes much easier.
  • You can boil your potatoes whole or cut them into halves or quarters. If you make them smaller, they’ll cook faster.

I hope these best-ever mashed potatoes with cream cheese are as big a hit for your family as they have been for mine over the years! They’re luxuriously creamy and taste so amazing … basically taking your already-delicious classic mashed potatoes and making them miles better. We love these mashed potatoes!

Close-up top view of Best Ever Mashed Potatoes with cream cheese in an oval dish with thyme leaves and a pat of butter.

Make-Ahead Tip

Make these mashed potatoes up to two days ahead of time. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, then warm them up either in a slow cooker on warm (stir every 30 minutes or so), over the stove top, or in the oven, covered so they don’t dry out. You can also heat them in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.

A wooden spoon lifts mashed potatoes from a dish.

Can I Freeze Mashed Potatoes?

You can freeze mashed potatoes with cream cheese up to one month ahead of time. Place them in an airtight container, then thaw overnight in the fridge. Warm them up in one of the ways listed above in “make-ahead ideas.”

Close-up top view of Best Ever Mashed Potatoes with cream cheese in an oval dish with thyme leaves and a pat of butter.
5 from 2 votes

Ultimate Mashed Potatoes Recipe (with Cream Cheese!)

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 8 servings
Our very favorite mashed potato recipe. A special ingredient, cream cheese, makes them extra creamy and oh-so delicious.
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Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 10 medium potatoes; peeled)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature is best)
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick; plus more for serving; room temp is best)
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (+ more to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (+ more to taste)

Instructions

  • Fill a large pot halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Carefully add peeled potatoes.
  • Boil over high heat until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 25 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and drain potatoes in a colander. Put drained potatoes back in the pot and put back on the stove over low heat.
  • Add the cream cheese, butter, 1/2 cup of the milk, and a hefty pinch salt and pepper.
  • Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until they reach desired consistency, adding more milk a little at a time until they're the texture you'd like. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if you like.
  • Spoon into a large bowl and top with a generous pat of butter and some fresh herbs if you like. Serve.

Notes

Vegan/Dairy-Free Option:

Swap the butter, cream cheese, and milk for plant-based options. Unsweetened oat milk is especially nice in mashed potatoes.

Make-Ahead

Make these mashed potatoes up to two days ahead of time. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, then warm them up either in a slow cooker on warm (stir every 30 minutes or so), over the stove top, or in the oven, covered so they don’t dry out. You can also heat them in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.

Can I Freeze Mashed Potatoes?

You can freeze mashed potatoes with cream cheese up to one month ahead of time. Place them in an airtight container, then thaw overnight in the fridge. Warm them up in one of the ways listed above in “make-ahead ideas.”

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1g, Calories: 372kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 344mg, Potassium: 904mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 775IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 2mg

What to Serve with Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Ahhhh, the possibilities!

More Mashed Potato Recipes

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