These Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes are rich, creamy, and delicious served with ham, turkey, or beef. Get these easy mashed potatoes made a day or two in advance and check them off your to-do list. A fabulous way to make your holiday meal prep a whole lot easier!
Looking for more classic potato side dishes? Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes or Scalloped Potatoes are two of our favorites.
I’ve lost count of the number of Thanksgiving dinners I’ve hosted over time, but with each passing year, I’ve added more and more make-ahead recipes to my collection. My younger, overly-ambitious self used to attempt to create the entire menu the day of the event and I’d inevitably end up in a heap of sheer exhaustion once our guests left.
Don’t do this.
There are so many dishes that can be done ahead and this recipe for Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes is one of the best. Why? Because mashed potatoes are one of the worst things to prepare while guests are hovering around the kitchen. Mixer whirring away, potatoes flying . . .
Again, don’t do this.
These are not your average, everyday mashed potatoes. These special occasion mashed potatoes are totally worthy of your holiday menu.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
There are some important elements to making mashed potatoes that will reheat to creamy perfection. The secret is in the dairy! When you add a bit of cream cheese and sour cream, it enhances the texture and ensures the potatoes will reheat perfectly. I also add some freshly shredded cheese to up the flavor factor.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are my top choice for mashed potatoes. They hold just the right amount of moisture and starch for a naturally creamy mash. Russet potatoes, on the other hand, are more drier and more starchy, which can make them fluffier but also easier to overwork, leading to a gluey texture if you’re not careful.
- Shredded cheese: Sharp cheddar adds great golden color and such great flavor. I also add some Havarti, which is a fantastic melting cheese with a smooth, buttery, almost nutty flavor. This is the combo I use but you could substitute any cheese you love.
- Warmed milk: I use 2% milk because it’s what I keep in the fridge and with all the other added dairy, it’s plenty rich enough. You can use whole milk, if you’d like. The milk should be warmed briefly in the microwave before adding it to the potatoes.
- Other dairy: Butter, sour cream, and cream cheese. I balance things a little by using light sour cream and ⅓ less fat cream cheese. There’s still enough fat in these products for a great result without making the potatoes overly rich.
- Seasoning: A little Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or your favorite all-purpose seasoning), and salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- Fresh chives: Garnish your finished potatoes with some minced chives for a pop of color and mild onion flavor.
How to Make Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Boil: Add the peeled and quartered potatoes to a large pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and return it to a boil, then, reduce heat and simmer until tender all the way through when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
- Add the dairy: Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the dry pot. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, about half of the warmed milk, and the butter.
- Mash: Choose your method! You can use an electric mixer or use a potato masher and do it by hand. If using an electric mixer, mix them just until combined to avoid a gluey texture. Add as much of the remaining milk as needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Add the cheese: Add the seasoned salt and shredded cheeses.
- Finish: Stir with a spoon until the cheese is melted and well combined. Season to taste with additional salt (if needed) and pepper.
- Refrigerate: Transfer potatoes to a greased casserole dish and allow them to cool. Then, cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate them for up to two days.
- Bake: About an hour before you’d like to reheat the potatoes, remove the dish from the refrigerator to take the chill off. Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake them, covered for 30 to 45 minutes, or until warmed through. Garnish with chives just before serving.
Tips for the Best Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Avoid runny mashed potatoes: After adding the cooked, drained potatoes back to the pot, toss them briefly over low heat to cook off any remaining moisture on the potatoes or the bottom of the pot.
Don’t overwork the potatoes: When mashing, be gentle! Overmixing releases more starch and can make your potatoes gummy if you mix too long.
Cool before refrigerating: Let your mashed potatoes cool completely before storing them in the fridge. This prevents condensation, which can make them watery when reheated. If you do end up with condensation, just blot the surface of the potatoes with paper towels and cover the dish with a fresh sheet of aluminum foil before baking.
More Holiday Side Dish Recipes You’ll Love
- Melting Sweet Potatoes | Foodie with Family
- Crock Pot Stuffing | Valerie’s Kitchen
- Ambrosia Salad | My Baking Addiction
- Maple Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes | Valerie’s Kitchen
- Cheddar Dinner Rolls | Valerie’s Kitchen
- Check out my full collection of side dish recipes, salad recipes, and bread recipes for more ideas!
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Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- ¾ cup milk, divided
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I use ⅓ less fat)
- ½ cup sour cream, light or regular
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning, like Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
- 1 cup shredded Havarti cheese,
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Instructions
- Coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over HIGH heat. Add potatoes, cover, and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender all the way through when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Drain well and return the potatoes to the dry pot.
- Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds and set it aside.
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, about half of the milk, and the butter and mix with an electric mixer just until combined. Add as much of the remaining milk as needed to reach the desired consistency and mix again until no lumps remain but being careful not to overmix. Add seasoned salt, Havarti, and cheddar and stir with a spoon until well incorporated. Season to taste with additional salt (if needed) and fresh ground black pepper.
- Transfer potatoes to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake immediately or refrigerate for up to two days.
- Remove dish from refrigerator about an hour before baking time to take the chill off. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake, covered for 30 to 45 minutes, or until warmed through. Garnish with chives and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Potato Recipes
This post was originally published on March 21, 2018. It has been updated with new text and images.
I must say I’ve never thought to make mashed potatoes ahead of time. So you’re swearing to me that they stay fluffy and don’t thicken?!!
These look heavenly and I foresee them on my Easter dinner table! Yummy!
Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful Easter 🙂
ahhh I’d gobble up these potatoes at any get together!
Thank you so much, Kayle! I hope you have a wonderful Easter with your new little guy 🙂