Creamy Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
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Perfect for the busy holidays, these ultra-creamy make-ahead mashed potatoes can be prepared two days ahead of time and reheated in the microwave.
As much as my family loves buttery, gravy-drenched mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, I’m always hesitant to make them because they’re typically a last-minute dish. Traditional mashed potatoes don’t hold up well when made ahead—they often turn dry, grainy, or even gluey, which is a real letdown for such a special occasion. And the idea of mashing potatoes at the eleventh hour, while juggling a dozen other dishes in a kitchen buzzing with guests of all ages, is downright nerve-wracking!
That’s why I was thrilled to discover a method for make-ahead mashed potatoes from Cooks Illustrated that works really well. These mashed potatoes stay ultra-creamy and can be made up to two days ahead of time. Best of all, they reheat perfectly in the microwave—a lifesaver when oven and burner space is at a premium during the holidays.
“This recipe yielded the smoothest mashed potatoes ever. This is my go-to mash now until I depart this earth.”
What You’ll Need For Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Interestingly, the recipe calls for baking the potatoes instead of boiling them. In all my years of cooking, I have never seen a mashed potato recipe that starts with baked potatoes. But it makes sense: water is the enemy of perfectly mashed potatoes. If the potatoes are too wet, they become dense and heavy. (That’s why most recipes instruct you to “dry” the boiled potatoes on the stovetop before adding the butter and liquid.) In many ways, the recipe is similar to twice-baked potatoes, which can also be made mostly ahead.
Baking the potatoes does take longer but it’s a tradeoff: you don’t have to peel or dry the potatoes and it’s completely hands-off. And since the potatoes cook directly on the oven rack, you won’t even dirty a pan!
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, place the potatoes directly on an oven rack and bake until very soft, 50 to 60 minutes. While the potatoes are still hot, cut each in potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out all of the flesh from each potato half into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or the bowl of an electric mixer). Break the cooked potato flesh down into small pieces using a fork, potato masher, or rubber spatula.
Beat on low speed until completely smooth and no lumps remain, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. It’s important to do this while the potatoes are still hot, otherwise you’ll end up with lumps.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a simmer.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a large rubber spatula, gradually fold in the hot cream and butter mixture. Folding (rather than stirring in the stand mixer) prevents the potatoes from becoming gluey.
It will take a few minutes to mix the liquid in; keep folding until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Mix in the salt, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheating Instructions
To reheat, poke lots of holes in the plastic wrap with the tip of a knife and microwave at medium-high (75 percent) power for about 14 minutes. Stir the potatoes halfway through reheating to be sure they warm evenly. Season to taste, then transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the chives and serve warm.
If you’d prefer to reheat the potatoes in the oven, transfer them to an oven-safe dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure they heat evenly.
Video Tutorial
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Creamy Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3½ pounds Russet potatoes
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- Chives, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (235°C) and adjust an oven rack to the middle position.
- Prick each potato a few times all over with a fork. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack (alternatively, you can place them on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet). Bake until very soft, 50 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. (Err on the side of overcooking rather than undercooking them.)
- Remove the potatoes from the oven. While they are still hot, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using an oven mitt or a folded kitchen towel to hold the hot potatoes, scoop out all of the flesh from each potato half into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (*see note below on using a potato ricer, food mill or hand-held electric mixer). The flesh near the skin gets a little tough, so be sure to leave it behind. Break the cooked potato flesh down into small pieces using a potato masher, fork, or rubber spatula. Beat on low speed until completely smooth and no lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (Note: it’s important to mash the potatoes while they are still hot, otherwise you’ll end up with lumps.)
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and 6 tablespoons of the butter to a simmer.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and, using a large rubber spatula, gradually fold in the hot cream and butter mixture. It will take a few minutes to mix it all in; keep folding until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Stir in the salt, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap (the bowl should be large enough that the potatoes don’t touch the plastic wrap). Refrigerate for up to 2 days. (DO NOT FREEZE)
- To reheat, use the tip of a knife to poke about 10 holes in the plastic wrap, and microwave at medium-high (75 percent) power until the potatoes are hot, about 14 minutes, stirring halfway through the reheating time. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving dish, top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and sprinkle with the chives. Serve hot.
Notes
- For perfectly smooth potatoes, pass the potato flesh through a potato ricer or food mill before adding them to the mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a hand-held electric mixer. If you don't have an electric mixer, pass the potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer and then whip by hand with a wooden spoon.
- Oven-Reheating Instructions: If you’d prefer to reheat the potatoes in the oven, transfer them to an oven-safe dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure they heat evenly.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I weighed everything on my kitchen scale & somehow wound up with potatoes that were absolutely drowning in liquid. It was the consistency of a thin soup. I did steep the cream with some garlic, peppercorns & thyme before putting it back on the heat to add the butter, but I don’t think that small change would somehow affect the amount of liquid that drastically.
Thankfully we were able to run to the bodega for more potatoes to save it, or else we would have been out of luck for thanksgiving dinner. Once we added the extra potato (an extra 3lb!), they were good and everyone seemed to like them. I did like the consistency and the baking method, so next time I guess I’ll just do more potato & less liquid.
Why is 2 days the limit to make a head. What happens if you made them 4 days ahead. Thanks
Hi Cheryl, I’ve only made these 2 days ahead of time. You likely can get away with pushing that a bit, but I always err on the conservative side when giving that guidance.
Thanks, since I asked this question my out of town company pushed back their arrival by a day. I think I will push my luck and go for three days out. Fingers crossed. I appreciate the quick response.
Cheryl
I’m making 3 days out also since I have to travel! We’ll have to compare results. Someone mentioned eating them for a week so I think I’ll be good!
I never comment on cooking sites but I had to comment on this recipe. It was fantastic! My family loved it! It came out so good – better than if I made it that day. I was pleasantly surprised. I had my doubts but was forced to try because I didn’t have enough time to cook everything for Thanksgiving and have us eat at a reasonable time so I made it the night before. Ha! I’m never going back to the way I used to cook mashed potatoes. Thanks for the recipe!
Perfect!
These were excellent! I tripled the recipe and mixed each batch separately so not to overwhelm my mixer. I was nervous about making mashed potatoes ahead of time but they were a hit and it was so nice not to deal with boiling and mashing while getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table. I’ll definitely make these again!
These are my go-to mashed potatoes – they are so easy (and convenient – I love recipes I can make ahead without sacrificing the final dish in any way), and they invariably turn out luxurious and smooth and full of flavor. I know it’s controversial and not recommended, but I used half and half, and they were still totally delicious. Another crowd-pleaser!
This one is a no for me. Some things you just need to make at the end; mashed potato is one of those things. I am admittedly a mashed potato snob. I normally use a mix of yukon golds and russets, boiled in either cream or water with plenty of salt, spin them while hot through the food mill, add the butter FIRST, and then incorporate cream or half and half and plenty of salt. We were going to someone else’s house, so I needed a recipe that could be reheated in her microwave. I figured, with this many good reviews, it must be great! Wrong. The only thing I did differently is put the hot potatoes through a ricer before hand mixing in the hot cream and butter mixture. Maybe the russets were stored improperly or were old, but the texture was grainy. They tasted good, of course, but the texture was off. I think the salt and liquid in the boiling method breaks down the potato for a smoother mash, and adding the butter first keeps them fluffy and prevents glueyness. Never again. But the bigger lesson is this: never make a new recipe on a Holiday that you haven’t tested first.
AMEN!
Your recipe probably didn’t turn out the same because you didn’t follow the recipe… such as putting the potato’s through a ricer….that is what made the texture different.
Any changes to a recipe will have different results.
good luck.
Yeah, I don’t think so. This recipe is for people who don’t know how to cook, and don’t know how good properly made mashed potatoes can be.
I’m thinking that it’s quite possible the texture was grainy because hand mixing was done in the end all instead of using a stand mixer to mix the potatoes until smooth before folding in the hot cream and butter. That would be my immediate guess anyway.
These potatoes were absolutely delicious and the hit of my Thanksgiving dinner. Multiple people commented that they were the best mashed potatoes they ever had (including me). And so wonderful to eliminate the stress of trying to make them right before dinner is served. A real game changer.
I will say that I did 1.5 times all ingredients to serve 9 people and I had very few leftovers. Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe, Jenn!
I made these for Thanksgiving yesterday and they were by far the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever made. I used 12 large russets for 9 people and there was hardly any leftovers! I will definitely make them again!
Everyone loved these creamy mashed potatoes at our Thanksgiving meal! It was so easy preparing them the day before and heating them up in the oven while the other sides cooked. Thank you Jenn for another great and reliable recipe!
These are brilliant. I just tripled the recipe for a large Thanksgiving gathering (made each batch separately) and it was so simple with great results. The only thing I did differently was to add a couple crushed garlic cloves to steep in the milk and then discarded them before adding to the potatoes. And a little bit of white pepper when I added the salt. Won’t ever make mashed potatoes any other way in the future. Thank you!