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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Can I freeze this?
Want to make the Sunday before thanksgiving
Unfortunately, they don’t freeze well – Sorry!
Hi Jen, i always add sour cream and butter to my mashed potatos (along with a LITTLE) heavy cream or milk. Since you emphasize the “no gluey” texture of these potatos, would sour cream screw that up?? Thank you.
I don’t recommend sour cream — sorry!
Hi Jenn-
My family loves roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Can you add roasted garlic to this for make-ahead? Will it work as well?
Sure, Jill, that should work. Please LMK how they turn out!
This looks really good and I plan to make these. Could I use boiled potatoes or does the baked method ensure better results?
I’d stick with baking the potatoes. Hope you enjoy!
I just finished making these for the third time….every time they come out perfectly! It’s so great to have the potatoes done in advance! I followed the directions precisely. My son calls them “two day old mashed potatoes “. They’re now a Christmas/Thanksgiving tradition!
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!
Hi Jen,
I have made these twice. They taste SO good the day I make them. But when I reheat the next day as instructed in the microwave, both times the result was not good. I wish I could figure out what I did wrong, because they were the best mashed potatoes I have ever tasted.
After reheating, they were kind of runny. I thought maybe I forgot to poke holes in the plastic wrap so the 2nd time I made sure I did. But I had the same result. Altogether different taste and texture.
Hi Kelly, sorry you’ve had a problem reheating these! Next time, I’d use 1.5 cups of cream instead of 2. You might also try reheating the potatoes in a saucepan over medium-low heat instead of the microwave. This allows for better control over the texture, as you can stir frequently and evaporate any excess liquid. Hope you have better luck if you make them again!
If you can make these 2 days ahead- can you make them 4 days ahead? I’m going to have a lot more time on Sunday than I am on Tuesday (have to work M-W Thanksgiving week)!
Hi Emily, I’ve only made these 2 days ahead of time. You likely can get away with pushing that to 4 days. Please LMK how they come out!
Hi Jenn,
I want to try these next week for Thanksgiving, but can only find heavy whipping cream. Is that the same as heavy cream?
Hi Tina, the two have slightly different fat content but they are interchangeable, so the heavy whipping cream is perfectly fine to use. Enjoy!
Hello Jenn,
I would like to try these for Thanksgiving week. Do you think I could reheat them in a Crockpot?
Hi Shannon, haven’t tried it, but a number of readers have commented that they’ve reheated (or kept the mashed potatoes warm) using a crockpot, so I think it’s worth a try. Enjoy!
Hi, how do you feel about warming it up in a crock pot? Planning on making this soon for a pot luck 🙂
Hi Erica, I haven’t tried it, but a number of readers have commented that they’ve reheated (or kept the mashed potatoes warm) using a crockpot, so I think it’s worth a try. Hope everyone enjoys!
Could half and half be used instead of cream?
Hi Carol, Unfortunately half and half won’t work here. If you don’t want to use heavy cream, you may want to consider this recipe instead.
Could this recipe me prepared with yukon gold potatoes?
Unfortunately this won’t work with Yukon golds – sorry!
Hi! I need to triple this recipe this year. Can I just triple all the ingredients or is there anything else I should be aware of? Thank you! Delicious
I’d just triple all the ingredients. 😊
Thank you!
Can these be reheated in the oven as well as the microwave, or will the oven dry them out?
Thank you!
Sure – I’d set the temp to 350 degrees. They should take 30 to 40 minutes and I’d give them a stir halfway through. Enjoy!
The only mistake I made with these potatoes was in not making more. The group I had which is only four of us consumed 3 pounds and probably could’ve had more. This is the best smoothest most perfect mashed potatoes I’ve ever had and the ability to make them a day earlier is an incredible blessing.!
Hi,
I thought using an electric mixer made potatoes gummy because of starch. Is that accurate or should I just use a potato masher instead?
Thank you,
Dorothy
Hi Dorothy, if you use the method I do in the recipe and follow the directions carefully, the potatoes won’t come out gummy. Hope you enjoy if you make them!