Classic mashed potatoes get a healthier makeover with this healthy mashed potatoes recipe! Made with Greek yogurt, roasted garlic and cream cheese, these homemade yogurt mashed potatoes are perfectly creamy, fluffy and so flavourful! They make for an easy and delicious side dish that can be served for a weeknight meal, Thanksgiving dinner, or any special occasion! {Gluten-free & vegetarian}
Healthy Mashed Potato Recipe – So Fluffy & Creamy!
Mashed potatoes are a must have side dish, especially during the holiday season. But to get them restaurant quality, they are often loaded with butter and heavy cream. Well not any more!
With these healthy mashed potatoes made from scratch, you can enjoy creamy and fluffy potatoes without a ton of extra saturated fat. Greek yogurt and cream cheese are the secret ingredients that give these potatoes a creamy texture, while adding a dose of protein and calcium.
Plus, the roasted garlic totally kicks the flavour of these mashed potatoes up a notch, especially when topped with this Gravy Recipe Without Drippings!
Super quick and easy to prepare, these creamy mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for any family weeknight meal or holiday table!
For more healthy sides, be sure to try my Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Green Bean Almondine.
Why We Love These Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes
- Lower in saturated fat: These potatoes are made with Greek yogurt, which replaces the heaps of butter and cream commonly found in mashed potatoes, making it a much more heart healthy option. Just a few healthy swaps transform this classic side dish!
- Simple: Made with just a few basic ingredients, this tasty potato side is ready to serve in a little over 30 minutes.
- Make ahead: If you are planning on serving this as part of a bigger feast, these yogurt mashed potatoes are easy to make ahead of time and can easily be reheated.
Required Ingredients
- Potatoes – I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe. They are naturally more creamy than Russet potatoes and have a bit of a buttery flavour.
- Greek yogurt – I typically use 0% plain Greek yogurt since it incorporates a nice creamy consistency and dose of protein. You can also sub in regular yogurt or Greek yogurt with a higher fat percentage, if desired.
- Garlic – Roasted garlic adds an amazing flavour to the mash. You can roast it at the same time as the potatoes are cooking so there’s no added effort or time required!
- Cream cheese – A bit of cream cheese adds some extra creaminess to these mashed potatoes. Use a lower fat cream cheese for less calories and saturated fat.
- Butter – A small amount of butter incorporates that classic mashed potato taste, but much less is used than your traditional mashed potatoes to keep this recipe on the healthier side.
- Parsley – I like to add in parsley for freshness and to incorporate extra flavour and colour. You can also use other fresh herbs like chives or dill if you prefer.
How to Make Fluffy Mashed Potatoes – Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place garlic head in a 6 oz custard cup or small baking dish and drizzle with oil. Bake, uncovered, until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the diced potatoes into a large saucepan. Add cold water to the pan until the potatoes are covered by at least an inch of water. Add some salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes.
- Add Greek yogurt, cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper to cooked potatoes. Squeeze roasted garlic from cloves into potato mixture.
- Mash potatoes using a potato masher until smooth and creamy, and thoroughly combined. You can also whip the potatoes briefly with a hand beater for a creamier consistency. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and additional black pepper if desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
How Many Potatoes Per Person
A typical serving of mashed potatoes is about 1 cup per person or the equivalent of about 1/2 pound of potatoes. You can use the following guidelines to determine how many potatoes you’ll need to use when serving your mashed potatoes.
A lot of people like to pile on the potatoes so it’s always better to have extra just in case!
- 1 person = 0.5 pounds of potatoes = 1 medium sized potato
- 4 people = 2 pounds of potatoes = 4 medium sized potatoes
- 6 people = 3 pounds of potatoes = 6 medium sized potatoes
- 10 people = 5 pounds of potatoes = 10 medium sized potatoes
Tips for the Best Mashed Potatoes
- Roasting garlic: To roast the garlic, keep the peel on and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. The garlic is done when it’s tender and fragrant. You can also do this step ahead of time to save on preparation time.
- Rinse the potatoes before cooking: Rinsing the potatoes before boiling helps remove excess starch, thus making them more creamy and less gluey.
- Make them uniform: Cut the potatoes in cubes that are uniform in size so that they finish cooking at the same time. The potatoes are ready to be mashed when they can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Potato skin: You can peel the skin off or leave the skin on the potatoes if you prefer. If you choose to leave it on, the peel adds some additional dietary fiber!
- If the potatoes seem too dry: Add a bit more Greek yogurt. You can also add some broth, milk or buttermilk to achieve desired consistency.
- Do not over mash or whip the potatoes as this can lead to a glue-like consistency. If you choose to whip the potatoes with a handheld electric mixer, be sure to do it for only a few seconds on low speed to prevent over mixing.
Recipe FAQs
The best potatoes for mashing are starchy and floury potatoes. I like to use Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, however white potatoes will also work well. When it comes to mashing, it’s generally best to avoid waxy potato varieties like fingerling and red potatoes if possible.
Potatoes typically need to be simmered for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until they’re tender enough that you can easily poke through the potatoes with a fork.
Yes! Simply prepare your mashed potatoes and allow them to cool completely. Then transfer them to a freezer safe bag, container or tightly covered freezer safe casserole dish and place them in the freezer for up to one month.
Most mashed potatoes contain an abundance of butter, cream or sour cream, which doesn’t always make them the healthiest option. This mashed potato recipe has been lightened up by replacing the sour cream with Greek yogurt and using less overall butter for a more heart healthy option. Additionally, potatoes are rich in vitamin C, B6 and potassium and the roasted garlic adds a dose of antioxidants for a nutrient-rich side dish.
How to Store
Storing Leftovers: This recipe makes a great make ahead dish! To store, allow the mashed potatoes to cool to room temperature and then place in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep well for up to four days.
Freezing: Pack the cooked and cooled mashed potatoes in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to one month. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How to Reheat Mashed Potatoes
You can reheat these mashed potatoes with Greek yogurt in a casserole dish at 300 degrees F for an hour covered with foil.
You can also warm them up over medium low heat on the stovetop. If your potatoes are stiff, you can stir in a couple of tablespoons of milk to loosen them up. Stir them frequently so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
What to Eat With Mashed Potatoes
Due to the simplicity of this side dish, these healthy mashed potatoes pair perfectly with so many different mains!
Try them out with the following recipes:
- Slow Cooker Turkey Roast
- Christmas Beef Roast
- Air Fryer Boneless Turkey Breast
- Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Thanksgiving Sausage Stuffing
- Parmesan Crusted Cod
- Walnut Crusted Salmon
- Fish with Easy Lemon Garlic Sauce
- Almond Coconut Crusted Chicken Fingers
- Cranberry Meatballs
What to Do With Leftover Mashed Potatoes
There are lots of ways to put leftover mashed potatoes to good use!
Try using them for:
- Potato pancakes
- Shepherd’s pie
- Pile them into a sandwich with other Thanksgiving leftovers
- Make loaded mashed potatoes with cheese, bacon and green onions
- Make a mashed potato bake
- Make potato soup (or toss some into this Creamy Cauliflower Soup)
Recipe Variations
- To make lower carb: Replace half the potatoes with mashed cooked cauliflower.
- To make low fat: Skip the butter and use 0% Greek yogurt and light cream cheese.
- To make dairy-free: Use dairy-free Greek yogurt, vegan butter and leave out the cream cheese.
- Switch up the herbs: Try fresh dill, chives or rosemary instead of fresh parsley.
- To make creamier: Add milk, vegetable broth or chicken broth.
- Not a garlic fan: Skip the roasted garlic.
More Healthy Potato Recipes
- Healthy Potato Salad
- Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Healthy Roasted Potatoes
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Chicken Potato Soup
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Healthy Mashed Potatoes with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 whole head of garlic top third sliced off and discarded
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes scrubbed, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt or more to taste
- 2 ounces cream cheese (1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper or more to taste
- Finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place garlic head in a 6 oz custard cup or small baking dish and drizzle with oil. Bake, uncovered, until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the diced potatoes into a large saucepan. Add cold water to the pan until the potatoes are covered by at least an inch of water. Add some salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes.
- Add Greek yogurt, cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper to potatoes. Squeeze roasted garlic from cloves into potato mixture.
- Mash potatoes using a potato masher until smooth and creamy, and thoroughly combined. You can also whip the potatoes briefly with a hand beater for a creamier consistency. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley.
- Taste and adjust flavours accordingly, adding more Greek yogurt or a bit of milk if you want the potatoes creamier, additional butter if you like them more buttery, or more salt, pepper or parsley to incorporate additional flavour.
Notes
- Roasting garlic: To roast the garlic, keep the peel on and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. The garlic is done when it’s tender and fragrant. You can also do this step ahead of time to save on preparation time.
- Rinse the potatoes before cooking: rinsing the potatoes before boiling helps remove excess starch, thus making them more creamy and less gluey.
- Make them uniform: Cut the potatoes in cubes that are uniform in size so they finish cooking at the same time. The potatoes are ready to be mashed when they can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Potato skin: You can peel the skin off or leave the skin on the potatoes if you prefer. If you choose to leave it on, the peel adds some dietary fiber!
- If the potatoes seem too dry: add a bit more Greek yogurt. You can also add some broth, milk or buttermilk to achieve desired consistency.
- Do not over mash or whip the potatoes as this can lead to a glue-like consistency. If you choose to whip the potatoes with a handheld electric mixer, be sure to do it for only a few seconds on low speed to prevent over mixing.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted October 2020 and was updated October 2022 to include more helpful tips and photos.
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