Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes
on Oct 10, 2026
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These garlic confit mashed potatoes 🧄🥔 get their incredible flavor from whole garlic cloves slowly baked in olive oil until they’re soft, sweet, and practically melt in your mouth 🫠. The tender garlic is then mashed into the potatoes along with a little of that beautifully garlic-infused oil, as well as melted butter 🧈 and warm milk.
And if you want that ultra-smooth, restaurant-style texture 👩🍳? Pass the cooked potatoes through a sieve before adding everything else. It takes a little extra effort, but the result is sooo silky.
This is a fun twist on classic mashed potatoes and perfect for when you want a cozy side dish that feels a little elevated ✨.
Key Takeaways
- Garlic confit mashed potatoes take classic mashed potatoes to the next level by slowly roasting whole peeled garlic cloves in olive oil until they become soft, sweet, and mellow.
- Both the tender garlic and the fragrant infused oil are mashed into the potatoes along with butter and warm milk for incredible depth of flavor.
- For an ultra-silky, restaurant-style texture, passing the cooked potatoes through a sieve is an optional extra step…but soooo worth it.
- This elevated side dish is perfect for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas, yet easy enough for a cozy Sunday dinner.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes
🧄 The garlic is the star: Instead of roasting a whole head of garlic, peeled cloves slowly cook in a bath of olive oil until mellow, sweet, and incredibly soft.
🫒 Beautifully infused flavor: Both the slow-roasted cloves and a little of the fragrant garlic-infused oil go into the potatoes.
👩🍳 You control the texture: Mash the potatoes with a traditional masher for an easy, rustic finish or push the potatoes through a sieve for silky-smooth texture.
🦃 They’re perfect for entertaining: Serve them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinner, or anytime plain mashed potatoes simply won’t do.
Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Le Creuset Mini Cocotte
Ingredients
- 6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 large head garlic, each clove separated and peeled
- ½ cup olive oil, or more as needed to submerge the garlic cloves
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup whole milk, warmed, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons garlic-infused oil from the confit
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the potato water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Add the peeled potatoes to a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook until completely fork-tender, then drain well.
- Meanwhile, add the peeled garlic cloves to a small oven-safe ramekin. Cover in olive oil, so the cloves are fully submerged. Cover the dish with a lid or foil. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic is soft, sweet, and easily mashed with a fork.
- Mash the drained potatoes until smooth using a potato masher, ricer, or passing the potatoes through a sieve (see tip below).
- Add the roasted garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of the garlic-infused oil, salt, melted butter, and warm milk. Mash and stir until creamy and combined.
- Taste and add more salt, if needed, or a splash more warm milk if you prefer a softer consistency. Serve warm and enjoy!
Nonna’s Notes
- Don’t add all of the garlic oil. Start with 2 tablespoons in the potatoes. You can always add a little more to taste.
- The exact amount of olive oil needed for the confit will depend on the size of your ramekin. Use a small vessel so the garlic cloves are easy to cover.
- The garlic is ready when the cloves are completely tender and mash easily with a fork. Use that visual cue rather than relying only on the 30-minute bake time.
- Do not leave homemade garlic confit or garlic-infused oil sitting at room temperature. Refrigerate unused garlic and oil promptly in a covered container for up to 7 days. You can also freeze it for longer storage.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Related Recipes
Why Garlic Confit Works So Well
For these garlic confit mashed potatoes, peeled garlic cloves 🧄 are baked low and slow in olive oil until they’re soft, mellow, and easy to mash right into the potatoes. A little of that garlic-infused oil goes in too, giving the mash even more rich flavor 🤤.
This method is different from my Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, where a whole head of garlic is roasted under high heat giving them a slight smokiness, and the potatoes are finished with Boursin or cream cheese 🧀. Both start with garlic, but the way it’s cooked — and how it’s added to the potatoes — is completely different.
Ingredients
🥔 Potatoes: I recommend Yukon Gold potatoes. They have a naturally buttery flavor and make beautifully creamy mashed potatoes without becoming quite as fluffy as Russets.
🧄 Garlic: You’ll need about 20 to 24 peeled garlic cloves, or roughly 2 medium heads of garlic. It sounds like a lot, but remember: garlic confit is nothing like raw garlic. Slow cooking makes it soft, sweet, and much more mellow.
🫒 Olive Oil: The exact amount needed to cover the cloves will depend on your ramekin, which is why a small, snug baking dish works best.
🧈 Butter: Makes the mixture creamy and flavorful. You can use salted or unsalted here, just be sure to taste before adding additional seasoning to your mashed potatoes.
🥛 Milk: Loosens the mash and creates that silky smooth finish. Warm milk incorporates more easily and keeps the potatoes hot while you’re mixing.
Nonna’s Tip 🧄
The garlic-infused oil is liquid gold, but a little goes a long way in mashed potatoes. Start with 2 tablespoons so you get all that garlicky flavor without making the potatoes oily, then add more only if needed.
Best Served With
Obviously, mashed potatoes and gravy belong together 👰♀️🤵♂️. My Easy Gravy would be delicious spooned over the top. These potatoes also play well with saucy mains and holiday dinners. Serve them alongside:
- Roasted Chicken
- Easy Thanksgiving Turkey
- Roasted Leg of Lamb
- Oven Baked Meatballs
- Roasted Vegetables, or anything with a rich pan sauce 😋.
Storage and Make Ahead
Store leftover mashed potatoes 🥔 in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use them within 3 to 4 days.
To reheat, place the potatoes in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk 🥛. Stir gently until warmed through, adding a little more milk or butter if needed.
Garlic stored in oil requires more careful handling 👋. Do not leave homemade garlic confit or garlic-infused oil sitting at room temperature. Refrigerate unused garlic and oil promptly in a covered container for up to 7 days.
For the best and safest approach, only make as much garlic confit as you expect to use within a few days, or freeze the extra for longer storage 🧊.
More Mashed Potato Recipes
Common Questions
Do I have to pass the potatoes through a sieve?
No, it’s completely optional. A regular potato masher gives you delicious mashed potatoes with much less effort. The sieve is simply an extra step if you want that smooth, silky texture.
Does all the garlic oil go into the potatoes?
No, the ½ cup of olive oil is used to cook the garlic, not the amount you should mix into the potatoes. Start with 2 tablespoons of garlic-infused oil in the mash. You can also drizzle a little over the finished potatoes.
How long does the garlic take to soften?
Garlic confit bakes in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350°F (177°C). To check for doneness, look for cloves that are soft and sweet. They should be fork tender.
Can I make the garlic confit ahead of time?
Yes, but homemade garlic stored in oil must be refrigerated promptly and should never be stored at room temperature. For food safety, keep it refrigerated and use it within 7 days, or freeze it for longer storage.
Can I make the mashed potatoes ahead?
Yes! Make them, cool them promptly, and refrigerate in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve, gently reheat them on the stovetop with a splash of milk. Add a little butter if necessary to bring back that creamy texture.
