Get the Recipe: Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
These delicious and easy make-ahead mashed potatoes are enriched with cream cheese and sour cream for extra flavour and creaminess. Make 2 days ahead and refrigerate or freeze for up to one week ahead.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Russet (baking) potatoes
- 12 oz full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (1 1/2 standard blocks)
- 3/4 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons fine table salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Peel and halve or quarter 5 lbs Russet (baking) potatoes, depending on how large they are. Place in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. (Be sure to use a knife to test several potatoes to ensure they are tender. The knife should pass through the potato easily.) Drain the potatoes into a colander and let stand for a few minutes to dry the potatoes. .
- Using a large bowl and an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the potatoes together with the 12 oz full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature (1 1/2 standard blocks)), 3/4 cup full-fat sour cream, 1/2 cup butter (melted), 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg and 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons fine table salt (to taste) (start with 1 teaspoon of salt and add more as needed, to taste. I usually use about 1 1/2 teaspoons).
- Spoon into a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 week. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before reheating.
- To reheat: Preheat in a 300F oven, covered with foil for about 30 minutes or until heated through. If desired, you can switch the oven to broil for a few minutes at the end of heating to brown up the top of the potatoes a bit.
If you would like perfectly smooth mashed potatoes, run the cooked potatoes through a potato ricer before mixing with the seasonings.
Notes
Note: This recipe was updated in September 2026. The recipe was scaled up to use all of a standard 5 lb. bag of potatoes, which produces a larger batch more suitable for feeding a crowd at holiday dinners.
Note 1: The eggs are optional and can be omitted. The potatoes are lovely either way. With the added eggs, the potatoes are a touch soufflé-ish (a little lighter).
Tip!
While these large-batch, make-ahead potatoes are perfect for holiday meal-planning, they are also great for doing some meal prep. After mixing, simply portion into meal-sized portions and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat covered in the microwave or a 300F oven to serve.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for substitution suggestions and step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 207kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 423mg, Potassium: 666mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 257IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 1mg
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