Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes are perfect for busy holidays. Prepare these extra creamy potatoes 2 days in advance and reheat before serving.
This Make-Ahead recipe is the perfect Side Dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It turns out just as rich and fluffy as my Easy Mashed Potato Recipe and Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, even after being stored in the fridge and reheated to serve. Try it with my Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Recipe
This mashed potato recipe is a life-saver on the holidays. Before I discovered this easy hack, mashed potatoes were always one of the last dishes I made on the holidays. Even though mashed potatoes are a fairly simple recipe it’s stressful trying to cook and mash the potatoes at the same time you’re getting the Roast Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, and other dishes ready.
This potato recipe takes at least one thing off your plate on a day full of a million other things to do. With lots of guests and dozens of recipes to cook, having your mashed potatoes done in advance can make all the difference. With the potatoes already mashed in advance, all you have to do is pop them in the oven to heat up for a stress-free side dish. It’s sure to become a go-to recipe that’s a favorite with the whole family.
Ingredients
- 9 medium russet potatoes: Medium russet potatoes are the go-to option for ultra-creamy mashed potatoes. The starchy potatoes have a fluffy, airy texture when mashed and mix well with the creamy ingredients. You could also use Yukon gold potatoes if you don’t have any russet.
- 4 ounces cream cheese: Let the cream cheese sit on the countertop for about an hour to soften before adding it to the recipe. The rich ingredient adds a creamy, tangy flavor and helps to stabilize the potato mixture.
- ½ cup sour cream: Sour cream adds a similar tangy flavor and helps boost the richness.
- ½ cup heavy cream: Add heavy cream to smooth out the potato mixture and balance the tangy flavors added from the sour cream and cream cheese.
- ½ cup unsalted butter: Butter is a must in any classic mashed potato recipe. It gives the potatoes a delightful buttery taste and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Seasonings: Add a little flavor to the simple Make-Ahead- Mashed Potatoes by seasoning with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Potato peeler: For smooth, creamy mashed potatoes without any potato peel chunks, start the recipe by removing the potato skin with a vegetable peeler.
- Knife: A sharp chef’s knife is the best tool for cutting whole potatoes into cubes.
- Large pot: Boil the potatoes in a Dutch oven or another large pot.
- Potato masher: To break the tender potatoes down into a mash, use a classic potato masher. Some other tools you can use to mash the potatoes are a food processor or an electric mixer.
- Medium saucepan: Prepare the creamy mixture on the stovetop in a separate pan.
- Baking dish: After preparing the potato mixture, spread it into a casserole dish to store the make-ahead recipe in the fridge.
- Plastic wrap: Cover the potatoes in plastic wrap to maintain flavor and keep them from drying out in the fridge.
How to Make
Time needed: 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- Cook Potatoes:
Cut the raw potatoes into chunks and put the potatoes in a large pot. Pour cold water water over the top, enough so there’s about an inch of water above the potatoes. Turn the stovetop to medium heat and bring to a boil. Continue to cook the potatoes for 18-20 minutes. You can test if the potatoes are tender with a fork. Drain the water out of the pot.
- Mash:
Use a hand-held potato masher to mash the potatoes. Continue to mash until they reach they reach your desired consistency.
- Cream:
Stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, butter, salt, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Pour the mixture over the mashed potatoes and continue to mash until the cream is worked into the potatoes.
- Store:
Pour the Mashed Potatoes into a 9×13″ oven-safe dish. Let the hot potatoes cool, then cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheat:
On the day of preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once the oven is ready, take the plastic wrap off the potatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes. Cook until the top is lightly browned or just until the potatoes are heated through.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 9 medium russet potatoes , peeled and cut into 2" chunks (3 pounds)
- 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add potatoes to a pot covered with water by an additional inch.
- Bring to a boil then cook for 18-20 minutes until tender.
- Drain water.
- Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
- In a medium saucepan stir together cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, butter, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Pour mixture over potatoes and mash well until well mixed.
- Pour potato mixture into a 9×13" baking dish, let cool for 15 minutes then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove plastic wrap and cook potatoes for 30-40 minutes until hot and lightly browned (if desired).
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: How make-ahead potatoes stay fluffy
This is one of my favorite recipes for mashed potatoes! Along with how convenient it is, these Mashed Potatoes may be the fluffiest and creamiest you’ll ever try. They’re able to maintain the fluffy texture even while stored in the fridge due to the cream and butter mixture in the recipe. The combination of sour cream, heavy cream, and cream cheese makes the potato recipe wonderfully rich and keeps them tender through the refrigeration and baking process.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, this recipe is intended to be prepared in advance. However, I don’t recommend making it more than a couple of days ahead of time, or it can start to lose its fluffy texture.
Nutritional Facts
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Tips
Follow these quick tips for perfectly fluffy, rich, and comforting mashed potatoes!
- Cut potatoes into even-sized chunks
- Before boiling potatoes, slice them into evenly sized pieces so that they cook at an even speed. Check that the cooked potatoes are fork-tender before draining the water.
- Mash to your desired consistency
- Depending on your preference, you can mash the potatoes until entirely smooth and creamy or leave a few potato chunks in the mixture. If you want your potatoes extra creamy, using a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer is a great option.
How to Store
- Serve: To make sure this Make-Ahead Potato recipe stays fluffy and doesn’t dry out, don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours after baking.
- Store: To store the Mashed Potatoes, cover the dish in plastic wrap or aluminum foil or put the leftover potatoes in an airtight container. It will keep well for 3-5 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze the potatoes for up to 10 months. Let the Mashed Potatoes thaw in the fridge, and then bake them in the oven to reheat them.
Frequent Questions
Yes, this recipe is ideal if you want to prepare mashed potatoes ahead of an event, but if you’d prefer to prep and bake them all in one day, follow the recipe and then bake the potato mixture right away.
The dairy-free version of this recipe will have a slightly different taste and texture, but it is possible. Swap out the butter for a vegan butter spread and the heavy cream for unsweetened coconut or non-dairy cream. You can swap out the cream cheese and sour cream for vegan alternatives or dairy-free unsweetened yogurt.
Variations
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes: To make this great recipe into a creamy garlic potato dish, try mixing in 3 cloves of minced garlic. You can add the garlic while you add the creamy ingredients.
- Seasonings: You can boost the flavor of your holiday dinner by seasoning the potato dish with onion powder, paprika, dried parsley, dried oregano, or mustard powder.
- Low-fat Mashed Potatoes: To make reduced-fat Mashed Potatoes, use low-fat cream, cream cheese, and sour cream. You can also use low-fat milk instead of heavy cream.
- Toppings: There are plenty of delicious toppings you can add to these Creamy Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes. After you’ve reheated the Mashed Potatoes, try adding chives, green onions, shredded cheese, or bacon bits.
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This recipe is so perfect for busy days, I make it ahead and reheat it a day or two after and it’s still amazing! Thank you for the wonderful tips and recipe.
I’m glad to know it’s such a hit, Natasha.
this recipe has been a life saver when needing to make mashed potatoes but dont have time before the dinner! These make ahead potatoes are the best!
Yay! I’m glad you find it helpful.
This quickly became a favorite side dish! So good and delicious!
It goes with just about anything.
This is so good! Quickly became a favorite side dish!
I’m glad you love it so much.
We’ve always been lovers of potatoes and this mashed potato recipe is so delicious! I made this for Christmas dinner and everyone loved them! Definitely making these again soon!
I’m glad to know it’s such a hit, Beth. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
I made these mashed potatoes 2 days ahead for Thanksgiving. The family loved them! We heated them up for leftovers the following day and some were just eating the potatoes plain – no gravy! This make ahead recipe definitely made the day easier! Thank you!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! I love having a few dishes made ahead as to not have to worry about it that day. Less stress, for sure.