Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

You simply can't go wrong with this delicious make ahead mashed potatoes recipe... Filled with cream cheese AND sour cream, it makes the BEST mashed potatoes. Always fluffy and delicious!

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Alrighty, y'all should know by now that I don't take calling ANY recipe "the best" lightly... But as mashed potatoes go, these truly are THE BEST. How do I know? Well, they converted my lifelong mashed potato-hating nephew. He still dislikes mashed potatoes in general, but he'll eat helping after helping of these and STILL ask for more.

Truthfully, I'd even go so far as to say these baked mashed potatoes are better than the best... Why? Because you can make them up to 48 hours in advance of when you plan to serve them. Sounds totally crazy, but once you try these make ahead mashed potatoes, you'll never want to make them any other way.

We're talking an amazing mashed potato recipe with creamy texture and rich flavor, that's SO good you don't even need gravy!

P.S. You don't even have to peel the potatoes!!! More on this in just a moment...

Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

This make ahead mashed potatoes recipe has actually been around on my site since 2013, but I decided to revisit and revamp the original recipe for two reasons:

1. The original recipe called for 6 medium potatoes. Um, hello — what kind of potatoes? Which are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes? And really, what does a medium potato even look like? So I recalibrated it to use a 3-lb. bag of Yukon Gold potatoes, which are the ideal potato for a creamy, dreamy, and fluffy mash.
2. I discovered the Instant Pot! Now I won't go so far as to call these Instant Pot mashed potatoes or even pressure cooker mashed potatoes, because really all we're doing is steaming the potatoes in it to prep them for the actual recipe. But if you haven't tried pressure cooking your potatoes yet, you are in for SUCH a treat! So quick, easy-peasy, and minimal cleanup.

So if you were a little frustrated with the inconsistencies between batches with my original recipe (I know I was), print a new copy and dig out your Instant Pot now!

Instant Pot Yukon Gold Potatoes

Maybe one of these days I'll get around to a full Instant Pot Yukon Gold potatoes tutorial, but honestly, I think most people know the Instant Pot basics at this point. Am I wrong? Happy to go into more detail — just let me know.

Basically, you just place the trivet in the bottom of the insert and dump in the whole 3-lb. bag of Yukon Gold potatoes (NO peeling necessary!!!). Pour in 1.5 cups of water, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Do a 5-minute NPR, and then vent any remaining steam.

And here's why I feel like Yukon Golds are so freaking amazing (besides being so flavorful): at this point, you can simply press each potato through a potato ricer into a bowl — NO PEELING! The thin skins will stay behind in the ricer, and you're left with perfectly riced potatoes that are ready for mashing.

Trust me, you will NEVER want to go back to the stovetop peeling, dicing, boiling method ever again!

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Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream

Once you've got your riced potatoes ready, it's time to jazz them up a bit. Why go with just mashed potatoes with cream cheese OR mashed potatoes with sour cream, when you can pull out all the stops and make mashed potatoes with cream cheese AND sour cream?!? Plus some milk and butter for good measure...

Oh, and you can't leave out the secret ingredient — ONION SALT! I was seriously so happy to find that my favorite brand of salt, Redmond Real Salt (#notsponsored just a fangirl), makes an onion salt variety. Its savory flavor totally makes this recipe for mashed potatoes sing.

Is it weird that I have a favorite brand of salt? Wait, on second thought, don't tell me if it is. I don't care — their fine sea salt is what I use every. single. day.

Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

At this point, you basically just whip everything together until the potatoes are all light and fluffy. I typically use my hand mixer for this, but you could also use your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Spoon the mashed potatoes into a greased ceramic baking dish (I just use a little more butter), cover, and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When you're ready to bake it, just uncover it, dot the top with some extra slices of butter (mo' butter, mo' better in my book), and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until heated through.

That's it! If you've been stressing about getting a big dinner on the table for the holidays or otherwise and have been wondering "can you make mashed potatoes ahead of time?", this new and improved recipe is your knight in shining armor. Can't wait to hear what you all think!

Printable Recipe ↓

Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

4.70 from 40 votes

You simply can’t go wrong with this delicious make ahead mashed potatoes recipe... Filled with cream cheese AND sour cream, it makes the BEST mashed potatoes. Always fluffy and delicious!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 354 kcal

Key Equipment

• heavy duty potato ricer
• hand mixer
• 3-qt. cast iron oval baker

Cook ModeToggle on to prevent your screen from going dark.

Ingredients

  

.5x1x2x

• ▢ 3 pounds baby gold potatoes
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese - softened (½ brick)
• ▢ ¾ cup milk
• ▢ 6 tablespoons salted butter - divided
• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoons onion salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes using your preferred method (boiling, Instant Pot*, etc.) until you can pierce them easily with a fork. Drain and press each potato through a potato ricer (no need to peel first).
2. With an electric mixer, gradually beat in sour cream, cream cheese, milk, 4 tablespoons of the butter, onion salt, and pepper until light and fluffy.
3. Spread the mixture in a greased casserole dish and cover with foil. Chill for up to 48 hours.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dot the top of the potato mixture with remaining 2 tablespoons of sliced butter.
5. Bake uncovered at 350℉ for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Recipe Notes

*Instant Pot Yukon Gold Potatoes

Place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant pot insert, and dump in the whole 3-lb. bag of Yukon Gold potatoes (NO peeling necessary!!!). Pour in 1.5 cups of water, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Do a 5-minute NPR, and then vent any remaining steam.

Featured Products

Heavy Duty Potato Ricer

Cast Iron Oval Baker

SHOW NUTRITION INFORMATION HIDE NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving: 1g | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 711mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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Copyright © 2010–2025 Unsophisticook | Tara Kuczykowski

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes for a Crowd

Because they're prepared ahead of time, these make ahead mashed potatoes are ideal for feeding a crowd. The recipe, as written, makes approximately 8 servings as a side dish. I typically double it for Thanksgiving dinner (or Easter dinner, or Christmas dinner, etc.), which works out very well, and the cook time stays the same.

Well, actually, I make TWO double batches — one in my pretty ceramic baking dish for the big dinner and a second in one of these aluminum foil pans. This way I'm sure to have some to serve with the rest of the leftovers!

P.S. If you do happen to have leftover mashed potatoes, this skillet shepherd's pie is the perfect recipe for using them up!