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These Spinach Mashed Potatoes are creamy, flavorful, and packed with garlicky spinach. Made with Yukon Gold potatoes, heavy cream, butter, and fresh spinach, they’re a delicious upgrade to regular mashed potatoes. The spinach adds beautiful color, extra nutrition, and a subtle earthy flavor that pairs perfectly with the buttery richness. Perfect for holidays, Sunday dinners, or any time you want to make mashed potatoes feel special.
Why you’ll love it
We started making these spinach mashed potatoes when we wanted to sneak more vegetables into holiday dinners. Turns out, nobody just tolerates the spinach—they actually love it. The bright green color makes the dish look fancy, and the garlic-cream spinach adds so much flavor that even our picky eaters ask for seconds.
What makes these special is the technique. We cook the spinach in garlic and cream first, then blend it smooth (or leave it chunky, totally your call) before folding it into the potatoes. This way you get the flavor distributed evenly and this gorgeous pale green color that looks like something from a restaurant.
Yukon Gold potatoes are our secret weapon here—they’re naturally buttery and creamy, so you get velvety mashed potatoes without dumping in a ton of butter or cream. The Parmesan at the end adds this subtle salty, nutty finish that just ties everything together. These are the kind of mashed potatoes people remember and actually request next time.
Helpful Tips
- Choose a creamy potato variety. Yukon Gold is a great option, but Russets can also be used—they’ll just be a bit lighter and more starchy.
- Start with cold water. Always start potatoes in cold water, not boiling. This makes sure they cook evenly all the way through instead of getting mushy on the outside.
- Don’t overwork the potatoes. This is where people mess up! If you mix too much, you develop the starch and end up with gluey, gummy potatoes. Just mix until smooth and stop.
- Steam dry the potatoes. After you drain them, let them sit for a minute or two. This evaporates extra moisture so you get fluffier mashed potatoes.
- Blend or don’t blend the spinach. Your call! For smooth, restaurant-style green mashed potatoes, blend it. For rustic texture where you can see the spinach, skip the blender.
- Use fresh spinach. Fresh spinach wilts beautifully and tastes better than frozen. If you’re using frozen, make sure it’s completely thawed and squeeze out ALL the water first.
You’ll need
How to make spinach mashed potatoes
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cook potatoes: Boil in salted water for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain and let steam dry.
- Spinach cream: Sauté garlic in butter, add spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in cream and simmer briefly.
- Blend: Blend for smooth texture or leave as is.
- Rice: Mash or rice the potatoes until smooth. Add butter, salt, and pepper.
- Combine: Fold in spinach mixture (you may not need all). Add a little milk if needed to loosen.
- Finish: Stir in Parmesan, adjust seasoning, and serve.
Substitutions and variations
- Make it dairy-free. Use olive oil or vegan butter instead of regular butter, and coconut cream or unsweetened almond milk instead of the dairy.
- Add more garlic. If you’re a garlic person like me, go ahead and use 5-6 cloves. More is better.
- Use kale instead of spinach. Kale works great but needs a tiny bit longer to cook. Just pull off the tough stems first.
- Make it extra cheesy. Add more Parmesan, or stir in some cream cheese or sour cream for crazy creamy potatoes.
- Add fresh herbs. Chives, parsley, or dill folded in at the end add extra freshness.
- Make it vegan. Use vegan butter, plant-based cream, and nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.
- Roast the garlic. If you want mellower, sweeter garlic, roast whole cloves and mash them in.
- Top with bacon. Crispy crumbled bacon on top is never a bad idea.
Leftovers and storage
Mashed potatoes are best right away, but you can definitely save leftovers with the right technique.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze them for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To reheat:
- Stovetop (this is the best way): Warm them gently in a pan over low heat, stirring a lot and adding a splash of milk or cream to make them creamy again.
- Microwave: Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each one, and add a bit of butter or milk.
- Oven: Reheat covered at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, stir halfway through and add a splash of cream.
Stovetop is honestly the way to go—they stay creamy and don’t dry out.
Make-ahead instructions
Prep ahead: Peel and cut the potatoes up to 4 hours early. Just keep them in cold water in the fridge so they don’t turn brown. Drain before cooking.
Make fully ahead: You can make the whole thing up to 2 days early. Keep it in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove, adding extra butter and milk to bring back the creaminess.
Keep warm for a party: If you’re making these for a dinner party, keep them warm in a slow cooker on low for up to 2 hours. Stir every now and then and add milk if they start looking dry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honestly, we don’t recommend it. Frozen spinach holds SO much water and it’ll make your mashed potatoes watery. If frozen is all you’ve got, thaw it completely and squeeze out every drop of water using a kitchen towel before you use it.
You overmixed them. When you work potatoes too much (especially with a food processor), it develops the starch and makes them gluey. Just mix gently until combined and then stop.
You can chop the spinach really finely before cooking it, or use an immersion blender right in the pan. Or honestly just leave it chunky with visible spinach—it’s still delicious.
Love Mashed Potatoes? Try These Next
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Boursin Mashed Potatoes
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Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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Cottage Cheese Mashed Potatoes
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Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes
Did you make these Spinach Mashed Potatoes? We’d love to hear how they turned out! Leave a star rating and comment below and let us know what you served them with!
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Spinach Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes, (Yukon Gold or Russet), peeled and cut into chunks
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup warm milk, optional, if needed
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook potatoes: Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15–20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain well and let them sit for 1–2 minutes to steam dry.
- Spinach cream: In a pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant (do not brown). Add the spinach and cook until fully wilted. Pour in the heavy cream and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Texture choice: Blend the spinach mixture for smooth, restaurant-style or leave as is for rustic texture.
- Mash: Mash the hot potatoes using a masher or potato ricer. Add 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Mix gently until smooth.
- Combine: Fold in the spinach mixture until smooth and evenly combined. If needed, add 1–2 tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Finish: Stir in Parmesan and adjust seasoning. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Best potatoes: Yukon Gold = naturally creamy and buttery; Russet = lighter and fluffier
- Do not overcook potatoes or they will absorb too much water
- Steam-dry after draining for fluffier mash (removes excess moisture)
- Blend spinach well for a silky, restaurant-style finish
- Add liquids gradually—you may not need the full amount
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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