These Parmesan Mashed Potatoes are irresistibly creamy and luxuriously buttery, with a tangy twist from a little cream cheese. This is the best easy side dish that will instantly elevate any meal. A fluffy bowl of cheesy mashed potatoes brings a touch of elegance to the holiday table and will make your Thanksgiving feast even more memorable.
Why You’ll Love These Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- Skill Level: Easy
When you want to go beyond classic Instant Pot mashed potatoes, these Parmesan mashed potatoes are the dish for you. But, you don’t need to save cheesy potatoes just for special occasions. They’re just as good served on a casual weeknight with slices of gluten free classic meatloaf and a side of corn pudding. Like my bacon cheddar cheese mashed potatoes recipe, parmesan mashed potatoes are packed with plenty of cheese for extra flavor. You may never make regular mashed potatoes again!
What makes parmesan mashed potatoes stand out? Could it be the blend of sour cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan that perfectly complements the buttery potatoes? This dish is never boring and it makes a wonderful side dish to all sorts of meat mains from roast to baked fish. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- Perfectly creamy. Adding plenty of butter is the first step to getting the best mashed potatoes, and in my cheesy version, the sour cream and cream cheese take them even further! You’ll love the velvety texture here, which tastes so decadent.
- Naturally gluten free. You can see from the ingredients list below that every ingredient in these mashed potatoes is naturally gluten free. I love making dishes that everyone can enjoy, whether or not they need to keep gluten free.
- Versatile. These potatoes are special enough to be worthy of a holiday celebration but they’re welcome anytime. Because they’re so easy to make you can quickly whip them up to make a regular weeknight dinner less ordinary.
What You’ll Need
See my ingredient details for this parmesan mashed potatoes recipe. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Potatoes: You’ll use a combination of Idaho russet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes. See my note on what potatoes are the best for making mashed potatoes below.
- Salt and Pepper: I use coarse kosher salt and black pepper.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter. If you need to use salted butter, adjust the amount of added salt so that the mashed potatoes are not too salty.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds an earthy flavor. Use garlic powder if needed.
- Milk: Whole milk is best for richness, although 2% will also work fine.
- Sour Cream: You can swap the sour cream for the same amount of plain Greek yogurt if you wish.
- Parmesan: Grated or shredded cheese works fine here.
- Cream Cheese: Use block cream cheese rather than whipped, and bring it to room temperature before adding it to the potatoes.
- Parsley: Chopped parsley is added as an optional garnish.
What Kind of Potatoes Are Best?
For the fluffiest and best mashed potatoes, start with a starchy potato that will break down easily. Varieties of starchy potatoes include Yukon gold, russet, and Idado potatoes. Skip waxy potatoes such as red, fingerling, or baby potatoes because they tend to hold their shape better (ideal for the grill, but not for mashing!) and can lead to lumpy mashed potatoes.
How to Make Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
I’ve outlined my method for these creamy mashed potatoes in the photos below. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Prepare. Peel and chop the potatoes.
- Cook potatoes. Boil the potatoes with salt until fork tender, then drain.
- Melt butter. Now add the butter and garlic to the pot and heat until the butter bubbles.
- Add milk. Stir in the milk.
- Mas the potatoes. Return the potatoes to the pot and mash them using a potato masher until they reach your preferred consistency.
- Keep mashing. Mash the potatoes .
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the sour cream, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, pepper, and salt.
- Serve! Add additional butter and top the potatoes with parsley to serve.
Tips & Variation Ideas
See my tips below for how to create the smoothest, creamiest mashed potatoes that everyone will love!
- Cook the potatoes thoroughly. There are few things worse than mashed potatoes with lumps. The first step to perfectly cooked potatoes is to cook them long enough (about half an hour). You want them to be very fork-tender, and to almost fall apart when you check them with a knife or fork. If the potatoes still seem firm, continue cooking them until they are soft.
- For lump-free potatoes: A potato ricer is a great tool to eliminate lumps in your mashed potatoes. You can press the cooked potatoes through the ricer to remove any undercooked pieces that could create lumps.
- To use a hand mixer: Mixing mashed potatoes with a mixer tool can be helpful, but make sure to mix the potatoes on medium speed and stop as soon as they are creamy. If you over-mix mashed potatoes they can turn gluey.
- Go classic: If you wish, you can easily turn parmesan mashed potatoes into classic mashed potatoes by leaving out the cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Then follow the recipe instructions as written.
- Make them richer. For even richer parmesan mashed potatoes, substitute the milk for heavy cream. Or, if you wish to make thicker mashed potatoes, reduce the milk to ½ cup.
How to Store & Reheat Extras
- Fridge – Transfer cooled parmesan mashed potatoes to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat – Place the potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl, then heat them in the microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring after 1 minute, until heated through.
Make it a Meal
These parmesan mashed potatoes go wonderfully with all sorts of meat mains from your classic holiday turkey or roast to a piece of salmon. Some serving ideas include:
- Holiday main dishes. Parmesan mashed potatoes are wonderful on the Thanksgiving or holiday table with a whole Herb Roast Turkey or Rosemary Balsamic Roast Chicken. These potatoes are also a fantastic side to a Bottom Round Roast with homemade gravy.
- Homemade meatloaf. As mentioned, mashed potatoes and meatloaf were made for each other. For another spin on meatloaf, try my cheesy French Onion Stuffed Meatloaf or make savory Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze.
- Seafood. Mashed potatoes are also lovely with fish dishes. Skip the potatoes in my Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan dinner and serve the salmon and green beans with a scoop of parmesan mashed potatoes. My recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Salmon also pairs nicely with these potatoes.
- Other vegetables. Along with some of these main suggestions, add a side of vegetables to your plate along with parmesan mashed potatoes. If you love parmesan, make Creamed Spinach. Or, try a platter of Blue Cheese Roasted Vegetables.
More Easy Sides to Try
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Idaho russet potatoes , peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes , peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt , divided
- ¼ pound (1 stick, 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup grated or shredded parmesan
- 4 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water. Add the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender.
- Remove and drain the potatoes. Set aside.
- To the large pot, add the butter and garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and the butter is bubbling. Add the milk. Mix until
- combined.
- Return the potatoes to the pot. Use a masher for your potatoes. Mash until you reach the consistency you like.
- Add the sour cream, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, pepper, and the remainder of the salt. Mix until combined.
- Top with parsley and additional butter, if desired.