Level up your side dish game with this delicious loaded mashed potato casserole. Creamy and rich and are easy to make ahead of time, making them a great option of Thanksgiving and the holidays.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
When it comes to deciding what to serve up for Thanksgiving and Christmas I always want to find lots of make ahead options to make the day less stressful in the kitchen. And that’s where this delicious loaded mashed potato casserole comes in!
Super easy to make, this side dish is creamy and buttery, and of course, loaded with bacon and cheese. What’s not to love?!
For more mashed potato side dishes, be sure to check out my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Butter and “Cheesy” Vegan Mashed Potatoes.
Why you’ll love this Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole:
- Make ahead: This casserole can be made up to 2 days ahead of time, so it’s a great option if you are planning to serve them as part of a big feast.
- Perfect for a crowd: This recipe will easily feed up to 10 people and is easily halved and doubled.
- Simple: Easy to make with simple ingredients, this dish is quick to prep and delicious to eat!
How to Make Mashed Potato Casserole
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Boil the waters until fork tender and drain.
- Mash the potatoes with the butter, creams, and cheeses.
- Add some cooked bacon and chives and combine and season.
- Spread the mashed potatoes in a baking dish.
- Cover with foil and cook, uncovering halfway through.
- Sprinkle with cheese and bake.
- Top with bacon and chives and serve.
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Make it ahead of time
This loaded mash potato casserole can be made two days in advance.
- Make the mashed potato mixture and spread it into the baking dish.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Remove plastic and cover with foil.
- Cook in a preheated oven for 50 minutes, removing the foil halfway through.
- Add cheese and bake until melted and serve with bacon bits and chives.
What are the best potatoes to use?
My top potato when making mash is Yukon Gold. They are nice and starchy so get really fluffy. Russets are also a good choice, but stay away from waxy potatoes like red skinned or fingerlings.
What do you serve them with?
This loaded mashed potato casserole is the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas or Thanksgiving meal. Try it with:
Tips!
- Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender and boil off any excess moisture.
- Use starchy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Russet for the best mashed potatoes.
- If making ahead of time, let the potatoes cool completely before storing.
- Leftovers will keep well for 3 to 4 days and can be reheated in the oven.
More Holiday Side Dishes
This Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole is just ONE of our favorite holiday side dishes! Be sure to try these other amazing recipes.
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole (Make Ahead)
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt divided
- 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper divided
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick)
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature (½ brick)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1½ cups half-and-half or heavy cream warmed slightly
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- 1 pound bacon cooked crisp and crumbled, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives divided
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Place the potatoes in a large Dutch oven and cover with 1-inch water. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder; stir well. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Drain the potatoes and return to the empty, still hot pot. Set the pot over low heat to boil off excess moisture from the potatoes – this should take just about 1 minute.
- Mash the potatoes, then and add the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, half-and-half, and 1 cup cheese. Stir well. Add half of the bacon and 1 tablespoon chopped chives. Stir well. Taste and, if needed, season with additional kosher salt and black pepper.½ cup unsalted butter, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1½ cups half-and-half or heavy cream, 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, 1 pound bacon, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, 1 cup sour cream
- Spread the mashed potatoes into the prepared baking dish.
- At this point, the potatoes can be cooked immediately or refrigerated up to 2 days.
If baking immediately…
- …adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake just until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and top with reserved bacon and chives. Serve.
If making ahead…
- …cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- When ready to cook, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake 30 minutes at 350°F, then remove the foil. Continue baking for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through. Add the reserved shredded cheese and cook just until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and top with reserved bacon and chives. Serve and enjoy!
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
- Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender and boil off any excess moisture.
- Use starchy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Russet for the best mashed potatoes.
- If making ahead of time, let the potatoes cool completely before storing.
- Leftovers will keep well for 3 to 4 days and can be reheated in the oven.
Nutrition Information
My potatoe mixture seems a little soupy. Is this normal?
They definitely shouldn’t be soupy! Did you boil off the excess moisture before adding the dairy? If so, then I think you may have had a bit under 5 pounds of potatoes, which could lead to the mixture becoming soupy.
Made this for Easter Dinner today and even my daughter who hates mashed potatoes loved this recipe. I did leave out the bacon since this was a side dish for bbq pork ribs. So to substitute for the lack of bacon flavor I added 1 tsp more of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of onion powder and 1/4 tsp of Slap yo Mama seasoning. But even before adding those spices, the recipe came out really good. Thank you for this post.
Thanks for sharing, Tiffany!!
I’m just using your recipe on 11/24/21 and chose it because it has the ingredients my sister uses for her loaded mashed potato dish. You might not see my comment or reply to it but I noticed SOUR CREAM listed in the directions but not in the ingredient list. I added 1 cup. Seems to have a good sour cream flavor. Can you verify the amount?
One cup!
In a number of the previous recipes you have posted, you reference the amount of spices, etc with a decimal measurement. Having been used to using 1/4 to 1 tablespoon and the same for cup measurements. I’m having trouble figuring out what is the equivalent in the cup or spoon measuements.
Thank you for you support and the great recipes. Bill K