By: Becky Hardin
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Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate potato side dish for your Thanksgiving or holiday table! This creamy dreamy mashed potato casserole means you don’t have to be trapped in the kitchen this holiday. Prep it days ahead of time then pop it in the oven on the day of–it’s so easy!
Table of Contents
What’s in this Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe?
If you’re looking for some Thanksgiving dishes you can make ahead of time, then these easy baked mashed potatoes are exactly what you need. Creamy ingredients, simple seasonings, and an optional topping make delicious potatoes!
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are the best for fluffy mashed potatoes with a creamy texture.
- Butter: Softened butter adds richness, moisture, and flavor. We also add cubes of butter on top, which gives them a browned and buttery finish.
- Cream Cheese: Softened cream cheese adds a really creamy texture.
- Half and Half: Use half and half (or whole milk) for an extra splash of moisture.
- Seasonings: I like to use Lawry’s seasoned salt for the best flavor, but you can also use regular salt and pepper. Add in some dried chives if you like!
Pro Tip: If you’d like to add a topping to these make ahead potatoes, mix butter, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle on top before baking.
What else can I add to these make ahead potatoes?
These make ahead mashed potatoes are essentially a casserole that you can prep ahead of time, then bake and serve. So it’s easy to add some other ingredients into the mix without any extra steps. Add in bacon crumbles, green onions, minced garlic, caramelized onions, or anything you might usually throw on top.
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How far ahead of time can I make mashed potatoes?
These potatoes can be cooked, mashed, and prepped for cooking up to 2 days ahead of time.
Can I prep potatoes ahead of time for mashed potatoes?
This recipe boils, mashes, and mixes the potatoes, so they’re ready to cook. If you simply want to prepare potatoes to make traditional mashed potatoes on the day of, you can peel and cut them, then submerge them in water (in the fridge) overnight.
How long do you bake mashed potatoes in the oven?
This make ahead mashed potato casserole needs 40-45 minutes to bake in the oven at 375°F. If you cook them straight from the fridge, you might need to add 10-15 minutes.
Can I bake these mashed potatoes right away?
Even though this recipe was designed to be made ahead of time, you can absolutely bake them right after prep and enjoy them immediately.
How to Make Ahead, Store, and Cook
Here’s how to make these mashed potatoes ahead of time:
- Peel and cut potatoes.
- Boil potatoes to soften them up.
- Mash them up with milk, butter, & cream.
- Put the potatoes in a casserole dish, cover, & put them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them.
- These can be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 days before cooking in the oven.
- When ready to cook, let them come to room temperature, then place the prepared potatoes in the oven and bake until warmed through.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
After the mashed potatoes have been cooked and dinner has been eaten, you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. Store them in an airtight container, and store in the fridge up to 4 days, or the freezer up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
Serving Suggestions
These make ahead mashed potatoes pair perfectly with make ahead gravy, Thanksgiving turkey, and all the rest of your Thanksgiving side dishes!
5-Star Review
“Best potatoes!! Tasty and creamy.” – Margarette
Recipe
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes Recipe
4.33 from 34 votes
Author: Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie
Prep: 30 minutes minutes
Cook: 45 minutes minutes
Total: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Serves6
Prep, mash, and mix your potatoes ahead of time, so you can have creamy and delicious mashed potatoes ready for Thanksgiving with ease!
Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.
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Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature and divided (1½ sticks)
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (1 brick)
- ½ cup half-and-half or whole milk
- ½-1 teaspoon seasoned salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried chives optional
Recommended Equipment
8×8-inch Baking Pan
Instructions
Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray and set aside for now.
Peel the potatoes, remove any eyes, and cut them into 3-inch cubes.
5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
Steam (or boil) the potatoes just until fork tender, but not falling apart, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Drain the water and place the potatoes in a saucepan; mash the potatoes for one minute over medium-low heat to remove the excess moisture/steam from the potatoes. Remove potatoes from heat.
If the saucepan is large enough, leave the potatoes in the pan, and add ½ cup of butter, cream cheese, half-and-half, and seasonings. (If the saucepan is too small, place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl to mash.) Mash the potatoes until they are light and fluffy. Season to taste.
¾ cup unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup half-and-half, ½-1 teaspoon seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried chives
Spoon potatoes into the casserole dish and bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F.
Cut the remaining ¼ cup butter into smaller pieces and scatter them around the top of the potatoes.
Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are hot.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
- This dish can be made up to two days in advance. If making the potatoes ahead, remove them from the fridge 2-3 hours before cooking. Add an additional 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
Storage:Once baked, store these mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 655kcal (33%) Carbohydrates: 69g (23%) Protein: 11g (22%) Fat: 39g (60%) Saturated Fat: 24g (150%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 10g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 106mg (35%) Sodium: 351mg (15%) Potassium: 1689mg (48%) Fiber: 8g (33%) Sugar: 5g (6%) Vitamin A: 1577IU (32%) Vitamin C: 77mg (93%) Calcium: 115mg (12%) Iron: 3mg (17%)
Did You Make This?I want to see! Be sure to upload an image below & tag @thecookierookie on social media!
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