Healthy Mashed Potatoes With Greek Yogurt

Obsessed with mashies but not sure they fit into your diet? Check out my super simple 1-pan recipe for Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes. With a double dose of added protein, these low-fat mashed potatoes with Greek yogurt are a nutritional dream come true. Better yet, you don’t even have to strain them — you’ll mash them directly in the liquid you cook them in without dirtying a colander.

I don’t know about you, but after the holidays my body craves healthy food, but my tired mind craves comfort food. This delectable recipe for yogurt mashed potatoes meets right at the intersection! You get all the cozy, comforting goodness of sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, but with less fat, lower calories, and almost double the protein. 🎉

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love These Mashed Potatoes With Greek Yogurt
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How To Make Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes
• Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
• Expert Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Easy Side Dishes
• Healthy, Protein-Packed Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes (1-Pan!)
• 💬 Reviews

Why You’ll Love These Mashed Potatoes With Greek Yogurt

Whenever I’m feeling down in the dumps, chilled to the bone, or just in need of a little food-based comfort, mashed potatoes are almost always my go-to. I don’t know why, but tucking into a bowl of mashies always makes me feel better — emotionally, at least. 😅

But, now that I’ve discovered the magic of what I’m dubbing my “healthy mashed potatoes recipe,” I know that my cravings will feed both my body AND soul. Here are another few reasons to try it:

• 1-Pan Wonder – If you’ve tried one-pot pasta recipes, you know how awesome it is to not have to strain your starches. In this simple recipe, you’ll braise the potatoes in a mix of broth, wine, and a touch of butter, then mash all the tastiness in at the end.
• Creamy & Fluffy – They’re airy and light-textured but have all the creamy richness you crave. It’s awesome!
• Made With Primarily Pantry Ingredients – I’m on a no-spend January challenge this month, so my ingredient options are a bit more limited than usual. Luckily, all the ingredients I use here are nearly always in my pantry (or growing on the windowsill).
• Better-For-You Option - With a whopping 7 grams of protein per serving (and only 215 calories and 6 grams of fat), I don’t feel the slightest bit of guilt turning these low fat mashed potatoes into the base of every meal. (By contrast, the protein in mashed potatoes is usually just 2-4 grams.)

Ingredients & Substitutions

As I mentioned, these low calorie mashed potatoes require just a few easy-to-find ingredients. Here’s what you need:

• Butter - Adding a bit of butter gives these better-for-you spuds a lovely richness. Feel free to use vegan butter if you prefer.
• Russet Potatoes - I generally prefer starchy potato varieties like Russet or Idaho for making these mashed Greek yogurt potatoes, as they end up the softest and fluffiest. That said, you’re welcome to use a lower-starch, all-purpose potato like Yukon gold if you prefer a slightly denser result. If you do, peeling is optional.
• Garlic - I love infusing garlicky flavor into my mashies. The finer you mince, the more garlic flavor you’ll get. Feel free to use jarred minced garlic to save time!
• Chicken Bone Broth - One of my favorite hacks for getting more protein in my flexitarian diet is using bone broth in place of regular stock or broth. Feel free to sub in regular chicken or vegetable broth, or stock.
• White Wine - This one is optional but adds a super yummy flavor. I like keeping a cheap box of white in the pantry specifically for cooking. If you’re fresh out or don’t keep booze in the house, swap in an equal amount of the broth you prefer.
• Full-Fat Greek Yogurt - I’ve already cut out all the cream, some of the butter, and nearly all of the milk, so even using full-fat yogurt still yields a pretty dang virtuous bowl of mashies. You’re welcome to use lower-fat yogurt if you prefer, but I think you’ll lose some of the dreamy mouthfeel.
• Kosher Salt & Pepper - How much salt you'll need will be dependent on the broth you use. I used an unsalted chicken bone broth seasoned with 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon paste, then needed about 1 ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to season it. Make sure to use freshly cracked black pepper for the best flavor.
• Milk - Start by adding just a splash of milk, as the amount you’ll need will be dependent on how far you reduce the cooking liquid and how loose you like your potatoes to be.
• Chives or Green Onions - Optional, but since the Greek yogurt gives a little tang, adding either of these alliums gives them a sour cream and onion mashed potatoes vibe. In other words, YUM.

How To Make Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes

Making these healthy mashed potatoes with Greek yogurt is a snap. Before you go pointing fingers, I’ll admit the method is a little different, but I promise the results are divine. Here’s how they’re made:

Step 1: Sauté. Melt butter in a 10"-wide skillet (preferably sort of deep) over medium heat until bubbling. Add potatoes, garlic, and a 5-finger pinch of kosher salt. Sauté until potatoes are starting to lightly brown and garlic is fragrant, about 8-10 minutes.

Step 2: Braise. Add broth and wine to skillet. Bring to boil, then reduce to med-low heat for a strong simmer. Simmer potatoes, uncovered in skillet. Stir them every few minutes to make sure all the potatoes cook evenly (not all will be fully submerged.) Continue to simmer until potatoes are fork tender and the liquid has reduced enough to become syrupy. You should be able to drag a silicone spatula along the bottom of the skillet and have a trail last for a second before the liquid seeps back in.

Step 3: Mash. Transfer potatoes and their liquid to a large bowl (or, if your skillet has high sides, you can mash in the same skillet they cooked in!). Add Greek yogurt, ¼ cup of milk, and mash. Add extra milk as desired to reach preferred consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in chives or green onions (if using). Serve hot!

Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations

If you’re wondering how to make healthy mashed potatoes that fit within your diet, try any of these easy variations:

• Lower Carb - Use just 1 pound of potatoes to braise with the broth, then roast off another pound or so of lightly oiled and seasoned cauliflower in the oven. When the cauliflower is lightly browned and fork-tender, add it, the potatoes, their syrupy cooking liquid, and the Greek yogurt to a blender. Add milk as needed to thin them, like in my OG garlic-roasted cauliflower mash recipe. 
• Vegetarian - Don’t use chicken broth? No worries! You can easily swap in the vegetable broth of your choice. Just note that this will slightly decrease the amount of protein in your final mashies.
• Dairy-Free - Use your favorite vegan butter and dairy-free Greek yogurt to get all the flavor without the lactose.

Expert Tips

• Skillet to Win It. This is a slightly strange way to make mashies, but trust me — a deep skillet is what you want! The idea is to have maximum surface area for the bone broth to reduce down, which is why I don’t recommend using a saucepan. If possible, use a skillet with deep edges so you don’t have to dirty another bowl. 😉
• Avoid Gumminess. If you use waxy potatoes (e.g. Yukon gold), DO NOT use a hand mixer to mash them. Waxy potatoes tend to become gummy when they’re over-mashed, and the power of a hand mixer will get you there much faster. 
• If you prefer more texture in your mashed potatoes, using a hand masher rather than an electric mixer is a good idea. You’re also welcome to leave the skins of wax potatoes on for a little boost of texture-meets-nutrition.
• For the absolute silkiest, smoothest mashed potatoes, feed them through a potato ricer after simmering, before adding the milk or yogurt.

Serving Suggestions

If you’re anything like me, you don’t need any pomp or circumstance to wolf down a bowl of mashed potatoes, Greek yogurt or otherwise. However, if you want a little inspo, here are some of my favorite ways to put them to use:

• On cottage pie or shepherd’s pie (like my Greek-inspired Moussaka Shepherd’s Pie).
• As the base for pierogi filling.
• As a side for your favorite meaty mains like chicken limone, Instant Pot beef stew, red wine braised short ribs, or roasted pork tenderloin.
• On your holiday table next to Dutch oven turkey breast or leg of lamb.
• Mixed with an egg and the shredded cheese of your choice, then pan-fried and turned into potato pancakes. Top with some smoked salmon, another dollop of Greek yogurt, and chives for a fancy-looking brunch or light dinner.
• Set up a DIY mashed potato bar for your next party. (I wanted to do one for my wedding, but my Mom vetoed it, LOL.) Keep the mashies in a covered slow cooker on low heat, then set out an array of sides like shredded cheese, bacon bits, more Greek yogurt (or sour cream), green onions, chives, pulled pork, etc. Seriously, y’all. The glee on your guests faces will be palpable. 

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