These ultra creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes are perfect for Thanksgiving! A Thanksgiving or holiday spread isn’t complete without some creamy, dreamy mashed potatoes. These potatoes are loaded with roasted garlic and browned sage butter for the ultimate mashed potato recipe.

If you’re looking for an easy and delicious mashed potato recipe for Thanksgiving, then these Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes are it!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes are a staple at any table during the holidays! Roasting the garlic turns it sweet and mellow with tons of savory flavor and absolutely transforms average mashed potatoes. Add in some browned butter and aromatic sage and what could be better?

While I love mashed potatoes during the holidays, they’re a must-have for me year-round. Most of my favorite comfort foods are braised meats like this Red Wine Braised Beef or this Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder and they pair so perfectly with creamy mashed potatoes.

If you’re looking for a mashed potato recipe that will have your guests raving, this is it!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

One Pot – Who doesn’t love a side dish recipe that comes together in one pan? This is an easy mashed potato recipe that comes together in one pot in 20 minutes. On Thanksgiving, you want sides that are easy and make-ahead friendly and this recipe fits the bill!

Doesn’t take up oven space – Oven space is a hot commodity during Thanksgiving and any side dishes that can be made on the stovetop are life savers! Not only are these roasted garlic mashed potatoes made in one pan, but they’re also made on the stovetop.

Easy vegetarian side dish – With Thanksgiving and Christmas being sort of meat-heavy holidays, I love having a couple of vegetarian sides for my guests. Not only does it provide balance to the heavier dishes, but it can be accommodating to a wide variety of diets. This Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato recipe is also gluten-free!

Minimal ingredients – You only need a handful of ingredients to bring these Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes to life! The best side dish recipes are the ones that don’t require a ton of fancy or hard-to-find ingredients.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is so easy to make! Make sure to check out my section on which tool to use for mashing your potatoes.

Tools Needed

• Potato Ricer or Hand Mixer or Hand Masher
• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• 4 qt pot or dutch oven

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Potatoes. Yukon gold are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes, hands down. You could also use red potatoes, if that’s what you prefer.
• Butter. We’re going to slightly brown our butter for extra flavor. Use salted butter for best flavor.
• Garlic. We’re using whole garlic heads here for roasting so we get tons of garlic flavor.
• Half and half. The half and half makes our mashed potatoes extra creamy. You could substitute whole milk or heavy cream depending on how rich you like potatoes.
• Sour cream. Optional, but it makes these mashed potatoes extra, extra creamy!
• Sage. Fresh sage leaves toasted in the brown butter make for the most incredible flavor. You could skip the sage altogether, but I think the garlic and sage make a nice combo.

The Process

1. Roast the garlic. Cut the tops off the garlic heads to expose the tops of the garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and wrap both heads in foil. Roast at 375 F for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown and soft.
2. Boil the potatoes. Peel (or don’t) the potatoes and cut them into 2″ chunks. Place them in a 4 qt pot and cover with cold water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are very tender and easily pierced with a fork.
3. Make the butter. Towards the end of the cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter is very lightly brown. Add the chopped sage and cool for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Drain the potatoes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the hot pot that they were boiled in.
5. Mash. Lightly mash them, and add the browned sage butter. Continue to mash the potatoes and add the warmed half and half and sour cream. Squeeze the garlic from the husks into the potatoes. Mix until the potatoes have reached your desired texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve right away.

Tips for Perfect Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

There’s nothing more disappointing that when mashed potatoes end up gluey or sub par. Here are my foolproof tips for perfect mashed potatoes every time.

1. Cut the potatoes in even sizes. Cutting the potatoes in even chunks ensures that they all cook evenly and at the same rate! Don’t get them too small, they can get water logged while boiling.
2. Keep the potatoes hot. If you want a truly creamy taste and texture, you can’t let the potatoes cool before mashing—you want to start getting busy with them as soon as possible after they’ve been boiled and drained. 
3. Add warm ingredients. Adding the warm butter and warmed cream to the mashed potatoes keeps them from cooling down as you mash them. The shock of adding cold ingredients to warm potatoes can cause them to seize up and become gluey.
4. Don’t shy away from salt. Potatoes are bland and we do NOT want bland mashed potatoes. Don’t be afraid of adding salt to get flavorful mashed potatoes. Salt the potatoes in stages and taste in between. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.
5. Make the mashed potatoes last. Mashed potatoes can get gluey as they sit, so I always make my mashed potatoes right before everyone sits down to eat. This ensures that they’re hot and fresh. You can cut the potatoes ahead of time and submerge them in water, but don’t start cooking until you’re about 30 minutes out from eating.

Follow these tips and you’ll be cranking out mashed potatoes like a pro every time!

The Best Potatoes for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

There are a lot of people who say that russet potatoes are the best potato for mashed potatoes, but I am firmly team Yukon gold. I consider Yukon Gold potatoes the best choice for classic dense mashed potatoes. Their rich texture and subtle creaminess make them great for all of your mashing needs. They’re uniform in texture, and have the perfect textural mix between waxy and starchy.

Yukon gold potatoes are also VERY forgiving and rarely end up gluey. They have a naturally buttery flavor and don’t absorb excess water meaning you end up with the creamiest mashed potatoes. I always use Yukon gold potatoes for mashed potatoes and they’re perfect for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Peeling or not peeling the potatoes is totally up to you!

How to Roast Garlic

Roasting garlic takes it from spicy and sharp to pure caramelized sweetness. Adding roasted garlic to mashed potatoes take them from good to incredible. Here’s how to roast garlic:

• Preheat your oven to 400°.
• Peel off any loose pieces of papery husk on the outside.
• Slice off the top opposite the root end to reveal the tops of the raw cloves.
• Drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and wrap the head of garlic in foil.
• Roast until caramel-colored and tender, about 45 minutes.
• Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out of the husk and add them to your mashed potatoes.

Roasting garlic is incredible in dips, sauces, dressings, added to softened butter, pasta, or just spread on a slice of toasted sourdough. Once you’ve experienced the glory that is roasted garlic, you’ll never go back!

Ricer vs Hand-Mixer vs Hand Masher

There are obviously a lot of methods for mashing potatoes and a potato rice, hand mixer, and hand masher are the most common. So which is the best method?

Potato Ricer

A potato ricer is widely regarded as the best tool for mashed potatoes that are smooth and fluffy. Built like a big garlic press, it works by pushing cooked potatoes (one or two at a time) through a perforated grate, creating stringy, broken-down potato bits without releasing a ton of starch. That being said, this is a tedious and messy process that can feel like a lot when you’re in the process of making a large feast for Thanksgiving.

Hand Mixer

This is hands-down my favorite method for mashing potatoes! This may be controversial, but it’s the way my grandma and mom did it, and it’s the way I do it. Potatoes made this way are light and fluffy with a few lumps, and they come together very quickly. Because you can use your hand mixer with any size bowl, it’s an easy way to make a very big batch at once. Plus, it’s super easy clean up! Take care not to overmix and you’re golden!

Potato Hand Masher

If you love a rustic-style mashed potato, then a potato masher may be for you! This is a tool to get things done quick and dirty. If you’re looking for mashed potatoes with lots of texture, a hand masher is the way to go.

Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes

If you have leftover Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, they’re very easy to store and freeze!

To store: Cool the mashed potatoes to room temperature and transfer them to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, add the mashed potatoes to a small pot or medium heat. Add a little milk to adjust the texture while stirring constantly until warm.

To freeze: Place the cooled mashed potatoes in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Press as much of the air out of the bag as possible before sealing. This helps prevent freezer burn. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before rewarming.

If you’re looking for a way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, these potato and onion pierogies are a hit always!

If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Potato Recipes to Try Now

Caramelized Onion Potatoes au Gratin
Caramelized Onion and Bacon Mashed Potatoes
Sumac Potato Wedges
Crispy Potato Tacos

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