Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite holiday dishes, but they were never my favorite dish to prepare. It’s not that they’re hard to make; it’s that traditional mashed potato recipes become dry or gluey when mashed ahead of time. So, I always ended up scrambling around at the last minute to finish the potatoes, which is really stressful! When I became a restaurant chef, I discovered new ways to make mashed potatoes. After all, the cooks aren’t mashing your potatoes to order when you go out to eat.

I learned that successful make-ahead mashed potatoes contain a few essential ingredients: lots of butter to create a silky-smooth texture, sour cream to enhance the potato’s fluffy texture, and cream cheese (the true secret ingredient in this recipe). This smooth, soft cheese melts into the potatoes and infuses every bite with ultra-creamy texture. Plus, cream cheese is subtly sweet and mildly tangy, making good mashed potatoes taste even better.

Ingredients for Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

• Potatoes: We recommend using fluffy russets, creamy Yukon golds or a mix of both. Remove the peels for smooth mashed potatoes, or keep them on for a more rustic look and texture.
• Cream cheese: To make the cream cheese easier to work with, soften cream cheese by letting it stand on the counter for 35 to 45 minutes. Or remove it from the wrapper and microwave the cream cheese on a microwave-safe plate in five-second intervals, turning the cheese over on the plate each time, for about 20 seconds total.
• Butter: Butter makes everything better, a saying that rings particularly true with mashed potatoes. In addition to adding richness, butter coats the potato starches in fat. That helps create silky, smooth mashed potatoes that are less likely to become gummy.
• Sour cream and milk: Tangy sour cream balances the richness of the cheese and butter, and milk thins the potatoes to the perfect consistency. If you’re not sure what to do with the rest of the sour cream tub, try making one of these sour cream desserts.
• Seasonings: You can add any number of seasonings to mashed potatoes. We like the savory combination of onion powder, salt, garlic powder and pepper.

Directions

Step 1: Boil the potatoes

Place the potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.

Drain the potatoes, and return them to the pan.

Editor’s Tip: Cut the potatoes into uniform pieces, and start them in room-temperature water instead of boiling water. Otherwise, the potatoes can cook unevenly and the mash will turn out lumpy instead of smooth.

Step 2: Mash

Mash the potatoes, gradually adding the cream cheese, sour cream and butter.

Stir in the milk, onion powder, salt, garlic powder and pepper.

Editor’s Tip: We recommend using a handheld potato masher for this step. It’s easy to overmash potatoes in a blender or food processor, and the texture can become gluey and gummy.

Step 3: Store the mashed potatoes

Transfer the mashed potatoes to a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. If desired, sprinkle the top with cheese and bacon. Refrigerate, covered, for up to two days.

Step 4: Reheat the mashed potatoes

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the potatoes from the refrigerator and let stand while the oven heats.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through. If desired, sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Recipe Variations

• Loaded make-ahead mashed potatoes: Top the mashed potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled cooked bacon and chopped green onions to make them taste like loaded baked potatoes.
• Herby make-ahead mashed potatoes: Stir in chopped herbs like parsley, thyme or rosemary alongside the milk, similar to this garlic and herb mashed potatoes recipe.
• Garlicky make-ahead mashed potatoes: Add a whole garlic bulb (cloves separated and peeled) to the water with the potatoes, as we do for this chunky garlic mashed potato recipe. Or add roasted garlic alongside the cream cheese when mashing the potatoes.

Can you make mashed potatoes ahead of time?

Armed with the right recipe, you can absolutely make mashed potatoes ahead of time. This recipe uses plenty of butter and sour cream to keep the potatoes moist. And cream cheese gives the potatoes a creamy consistency, so they’ll taste great today, tomorrow or the next day!

How to Reheat Mashed Potatoes

We recommend reheating mashed potatoes in the oven or microwave. To reheat mashed potatoes in the oven, follow the recipe directions above, heating them in a covered baking dish in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes.

If you’re running short on time, microwave the mashed potatoes, covered, for one minute. Stir the potatoes, and continue microwaving and stirring in 30-second increments until heated through. Since you need to stir the potatoes for even heating, you may need to add extra butter or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to restore the potato’s creamy texture.

How long do mashed potatoes last in the fridge?

Mashed potatoes are good for up to four days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, if you plan to serve these do-ahead mashed potatoes as a side dish, we recommend serving them within two days. After that, the potatoes will dry out and are better suited for leftover mashed potato recipes like shepherd’s pie or potato cakes.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Tips

Can you peel potatoes ahead of time for mashed potatoes?

You can peel the potatoes a day ahead of time, but make sure to store them in water. Otherwise, the potatoes can oxidize and turn brown. Peel and chop the potatoes, and store them in water in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to cook, drain and discard the water. Then, boil the potatoes as directed.

How long do you boil potatoes for mashed potatoes?

We boil cubed potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, but the actual boiling time depends on the potato’s size. Whole potatoes take longer to boil than diced potatoes, so adjust the cooking time as needed. You’ll know when the potatoes are finished cooking if a fork inserted in the potato goes in without any resistance.

How do you keep make-ahead mashed potatoes warm?

You can use an oven or slow cooker to keep make-ahead mashed potatoes warm for up to two hours. After baking the potatoes, reduce the oven temperature to 200°. If you need to free up the oven for other dishes, keep food warm using the slow cooker’s warm setting. Either way, keep the potatoes covered to prevent them from drying out.