Mashed Potatoes with Cheese

This Mashed Potatoes with Cheese recipe is the perfect comfort food side dish. Packed with 5 different types of cheese, it is extra creamy and full of flavor. Learn how to make the best cheesy mashed potatoes from scratch with this easy recipe.

Why Make Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

There are so many reasons to make this mashed potatoes with cheese recipe. Here are my top three reasons:

• Extra creamy texture: this mashed potatoes recipe includes five different types of cheese. They all work together to give this recipe lots of flavor and creaminess.
• Simple ingredients: this easy recipe uses common ingredients that are widely available at the grocery store.
• For holidays or weeknight dinners: mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. This recipe makes it easier to enjoy them from scratch for a holiday meal like Thanksgiving or family dinner.

Ingredients Needed

Making mashed potatoes with cream cheese and boursin cheese is easy. Here is what you’ll need to gather:

• Russet potatoes: I use washed and peeled potatoes. If russet potatoes are not available, other great options are to make mashed potatoes with red potatoes, Yukon golds, or other yellow potatoes.
• Cold Water: this is needed to boil or pressure cook the potatoes in an Instant Pot.
• Butter: I personally use salted butter, but unsalted butter will allow you to salt to taste at the end. I cut these into 1 tbsp pieces so that it’s easier to mix.
• Milk: I used whole milk
• Boursin Cheese: softened – I used the garlic and fine herbs variety, but shallot and chives and caramelized onions and herbs also work
• Cream Cheese, softened 
• Shredded Cheese: when I first tried this recipe, I used an Italian blend cheese, which includes a mixture of parmesan cheese, provolone cheese, and asiago cheese. But, you can also use another kind of cheese. Some of my favorites to use are mild or sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, white cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese!
• Garlic Powder: This gives the potatoes more garlic flavor than the herb seasoning mix alone. For extra garlic flavor, but you can swap garlic powder for 2-3 roasted garlic cloves.
• 24 herb sprinkle seasoning: This is my go-to spice mixture because it has so much flavor like black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, sage, rosemary and thyme in one bottle.
• Sea Salt

Be sure to check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact ingredient amounts and full instructions.

How To Make Mashed Potatoes with Cheese

1. Add the potatoes to the steamer insert of an instant pot. Pour in one cup of water. 
2. Pressure cook the potatoes on high for 12 minutes.
3. Use quick pressure release to remove the lid.
4. Add the potatoes to a large bowl with the butter (the hot potatoes will melt the butter) or drain the Instant Pot cooking pot and put the potatoes back with the butter.
5. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes.
6. Stir in cheese, seasonings, and spices and enjoy – if your potatoes are not hot enough to melt the cheese, you can add the mixture to a microwave-safe dish to heat for 30 seconds to one minute.

Recipe Tips & FAQs

• Save time by boiling potatoes in an Instant Pot: you can certainly add your potatoes with cold water to a large pot and boil them, but that can take 20-30 minutes longer. I prefer to boil the water and cook the potatoes at the same time in the Instant Pot pressure cooker.
• Drain your potatoes well: one of the benefits of using an Instant Pot to boil potatoes is that the potatoes never actually touch the water. So, there is no worry about the potatoes having too much leftover water inside. But, if you boil your potatoes in a pot of water, be sure to drain them well.
• Use a food processor or electric mixer if you don’t have or can’t use a potato masher, but don’t over-mix (use the pulse function only) because mixing your potatoes too much can cause mashed potatoes to become like glue.
• Cut the butter and cheese into pieces: this is optional, but makes it easier to mix these cheesy mashed potatoes without overmixing the potatoes

Variations

• Swap the butter with garlic butter: add flavor to this recipe by using garlic herb butter, lemon garlic butter sauce, or cajun garlic butter. If using garlic butter, be sure to save the salt until the end.
• Make a loaded cheesy potato bake: you can make loaded mashed potato casserole by add these to a baking dish with more shredded cheese on top (bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted). Then, you can top them with green onions, sour cream, and bacon.

Storage and Leftovers

Store your leftover creamy cheesy mashed potatoes in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

More Recipes to Enjoy

Turn this side dish into a delicious meal with some of these recipes:

• Collard Greens With Smoked Turkey
• Smothered Pork Chops
• Patti Labelle’s Mac and Cheese Recipe
• Smothered Chicken