Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate Creamed Potatoes for your holiday table! Make the holidays easy with this MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATOES RECIPE! This creamy dreamy mashed potato casserole is SO SIMPLE so you don’t have to be trapped in the kitchen this Thanksgiving.
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes are the easiest way to make your holiday meals simple and delicious. Thanksgiving will be so easy with this recipe!
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes might just change your life! I have been on a major mashed potato kick this year. Thanksgiving is always the most popular holiday on The Cookie Rookie and I wanted to make sure you guys had PLENTY of options for the big day!
Great potatoes are one of the top Thanksgiving sides, and we definitely have you covered. We have:
- Herb Roasted Potatoes
- Cheesy Herb Scalloped Potatoes
- Crispy Parmesan Potato Wedges
- Bacon Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Mashed Potatoes
- and of course tons of sweet potato options!
Those are all great, but they also all require a bit of prep. If that’s not for you, or if you don’t have the time (hellllo, Thanksgiving is crazy busy!), this Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe is for you!
These Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes are equally delicious and can be made up to 2 days in advance! BONUS! You’re gonna love these.
The Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe
When Mom comes over to help me with blog recipes, I know I’m going to have a full day of eating….and eating and eating. This week we made 9 THANKSGIVING RECIPES in one day to photograph. It was a bit wild, but boy was my stomach happy. My feet…not so much.
I’m not ashamed to say I ate my weight in these Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes and they were so satisfying.
Even more exciting is I’ll get to have them again in just a week and a half at Thanksgiving! They’re our clear favorite for the holiday season due to how easy they are to make, and the incredible flavor. Anything I can make 2 days ahead of the big holiday is a winner in my book! These Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes paired with our MAKE AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY we have real perfection on our hands!
Can you make mashed potatoes ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can only do so much cooking & preparing on the day of Thanksgiving. Make your life easier by getting things ready the day before, or even a couple of days early.
These Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes are the perfect thing to prepare ahead of time. You can easily get everything ready up to 48 hours early:
- 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
All you have to worry about on Thanksgiving day is putting them in the oven to cook! And don’t forget to prep this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe to go with the potatoes.
How to Cook Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
If you’re making mashed potatoes ahead of time, you’ll need to know how to cook them when it’s time to eat them. On Thanksgiving Day (or whatever day you’re planning to eat these):
- Take the potatoes out of the refrigerator a couple hours before cooking.
- Using 1/4 cup of stick butter, cut it into small slices and scatter them on top of the potatoes.
- Bake uncovered for 50-65 minutes at 375°F.
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes are both easy and delicious!
My passion in life these days (other than watching every reality show I can get my hands on) is showing how easy cooking delicious food really can be. I’m here to make you look good with minimal effort. Some great recipes to pair with these Creamed Mashed Potatoes include Instant Pot Turkey Breast and Copycat Honey Baked Ham. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Still looking for some more easy Thanksgiving Recipes to make along with these Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes? Check out these easy holiday recipes:
- Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
- Sauteed Asparagus Recipe with Pancetta
- Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe
- Creamed Corn Recipe with Bacon, Parmesan & Mascarpone
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Turkey Stuffing Recipe
See the recipe card below for full details on how to prepare Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes. Enjoy!
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
For the Potatoes:
- 5 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
- ¾ cup 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened; divided
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup Half-and-Half or whole milk
- ½-1 teaspoon salt or Lawry’s Seasoned Salt per taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried chives optional
For the Optional topping:
- ¼ cup 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
For the Potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 2 quart casserole with cooking spray.
- Peel potatoes, remove eyes, and cut into 3” cubes. Steam (or boil) the potatoes just until fork tender, but not falling apart. Remove from heat. Drain the water and place potatoes in the saucepan; mash potatoes one minute over LOW-MED 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 butter, cream cheese, whole milk 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.
- Spoon potatoes into the casserole dish and bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 48 hours.
- When ready to bake, heat oven to 375°F.
- Cut the remaining ¼ cup butter into smaller pieces and scatter them around the top. (*See below for an alternate topping.)
- Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are hot.
For the Alternate topping:
- In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons softened butter, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Mix together until coarse crumbs form. Crumbs can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Don’t add the butter crumb topping until ready to bake the potatoes.
- Enjoy!
Note: 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.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Thank you for such a large number of recipes. Delicious desserts is what you need for a good holiday!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Sam!
If I can get a jump start on dinner, I’ll do it! These make ahead mashed potatoes are PERFECT for that, and this recipe is delicious! These mashed potatoes come out thick and smooth and so tasty. I’m talking steakhouse quality mashed potatoes here! They are easy to make too, and this recipe makes a lot. Perfect if you’re having company for dinner because you can assemble it the day before and bake it when you’re ready. Who wants to spend the entire time fussing in the kitchen when you have guests? Not this girl! If you’re not having company, there’s nothing wrong with leftover mashed potatoes! I took the leftovers and made a shepherd’s pie with it. YUM!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Christine!
Best potatoes!! Taste and creamy.
I’m SO happy to hear you loved them, Margarette!
I LOVE THIS!!!! Is it possible to make ahead and then throw into my crockpot to warm?
I think that would work! Haven’t tried it that way but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Just stir often to make sure it stays creamy and mixed together.