Copycat Red Lobster Mashed Potatoes
These amazing white cheddar mashed potatoes are creamy, cheesy, and buttery with just a hint of garlic. These decadent potatoes have both heavy cream and sour cream in them!
It’s one of our perfect Make Ahead Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Creamy mashed potatoes are one of my favorite dishes to serve during the holiday season, but they are also regularly part of my weeknight meals for serving with 40 Clove Garlic Chicken or Steak Bites with Garlic Butter.
If you love the yummy Red Lobster mashed potatoes, then you’ll love this potato recipe. But you don’t have to eat lobster tails at a restaurant to enjoy the best mashed potatoes. And this decadent side dish can even be made ahead of time.
These have just the right amount of heavy cream and sour cream to make them super creamy and delicious but not too heavy. The sharp white cheddar cheese adds a nutty saltiness that’s perfect with the fluffy potatoes.
Ingredients
This is meant to be a brief overview of the cheddar mashed potatoes recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
- Potatoes: I love the texture of red potatoes. Alternatively, starchy potatoes like russet or Yukon Golds yield the fluffiest potatoes.
- Unsalted Butter: Salted butter also works if that’s what you have on hand, but using unsalted will allow you to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Fresh Garlic: Mince the garlic finely. It will cook in the melted butter, yielding a mild garlic flavor.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt.
- Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper yields bold flavor to your potatoes.
- Sour Cream: Both full fat and low-fat sour cream will work. Sour cream adds tanginess to the potatoes.
- Heavy Cream: While you can use regular milk or light cream, heavy cream adds the richest flavor and texture.
- Cheddar Cheese: I love the flavor of sharp white cheddar cheese. You could also use other varieties of cheddar. buttery fontina, nutty gouda, or even fresh parmesan.
Optional: Chopped herbs like fresh parsley, fresh thyme leaves, fresh dill, or even green onions.
Tips
Do not over-mix the potatoes, or they will release extra starch and become gummy. While some people use an electric mixer or handheld mixer, I don’t recommend it since it’s easy to overbeat the potatoes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the potatoes hot, topped with a sprinkle of paprika or fresh herbs like dill or fresh chives, and extra butter and sour cream on the side. You could also serve them with Dill Compound Butter or Garlic Chive Butter.
Whether you’re serving these buttery mashed potatoes with our Best Juicy Turkey Recipe for Thanksgiving or Homemade Salisbury Steak for Sunday supper, this recipe does not disappoint!
Try topping my Shepherd’s Pie with these sharp cheddar cheese potatoes instead.
Our cheesy mashed potatoes are also amazing, along with my Petite Sirloin Steak, Beef Tips with Gravy, or Beef Short Rib Ragu.
Storage and Reheating
To Store: Allow the potatoes to cool. Place leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
To Reheat: Place the potatoes into an oven-safe dish and bake at 350˚F for 20-30 minutes until warmed through. If the potatoes seem dry, you can add a bit more butter and cream.
Alternatively, you can warm up individual portions in the microwave. Use a microwave-safe dish and warm in 30 second intervals until heated through.
Similar Recipes
Next time, try one of these tasty side dishes:
Not ready to make our creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes yet?
Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes peeled and quartered
- 3 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 6 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, then use a sharp knife to quarter potatoes.3 pounds potatoes
- Place potatoes into a large pot and fill with cold water until the potatoes are all submerged.
- After that, place the pot onto a burner set to high heat to bring it up to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce to medium heat. Boil potatoes until they are fork tender.
- Pour the potatoes carefully into a colander set over the sink. Drain water completely.
- Place the pot back onto a burner set to medium.
- Then, melt the butter in the pan, then cook the garlic for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.3 ounces unsalted butter, 3 cloves garlic
- Return potatoes back to the pot and use a potato masher to mash potatoes until they start to break down. You can leave them lumpy or mash a bit more for a creamier texture.
- Season potatoes with salt and pepper.1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- Next, use a rubber spatula to mix in the sour cream and heavy cream. You can further mash the potatoes if you like but stop as soon as you reach your desired consistency.1/3 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Finally, stir in the shredded white cheddar cheese.6 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- Transfer to a large bowl or other serving dish and serve hot.
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Colander
Notes
- Prepare the mashed potatoes recipe according to the instructions above 1-2 days ahead of time.
- Allow the potatoes to cool for 15-20 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
- Above 40-minutes before you want to serve the potatoes, remove them from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake the potatoes for 20-30 minutes until heated through.
- Add an extra tablespoon of butter and then use a fork to fluff up the potatoes.
- Serve hot.
- For a lighter version, substitute whole milk for the heavy cream, and use low-fat sour cream.
- Substitute white cheddar cheese with buttery fontina, nutty gouda, or even fresh parmesan.
- Garnish with your favorite herbs like fresh parsley, fresh thyme leaves, fresh dill or even green onions.
Nutrition
