Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes with Buttery Parmesan Crumbs {Make-Ahead!}
These creamy baked mashed potatoes are perfect for when you need to make mashed potatoes ahead of time! Also, that buttery parmesan topping is to-die for.
I really believe the world needs more make-ahead mashed potato dishes.
Recipes that can be made days ahead of time, not just hours.
The problem is that often, when mashed potatoes are made ahead of time, they end up dry and pasty and just not very good.
Until now.
These creamy baked mashed potatoes are phenomenal. And that buttery parmesan crumb situation should win you over even if the make-ahead option doesn’t.
How Are These Different Than Other Mashed Potatoes?
At the start, they aren’t all that different. Yukon Gold potatoes cook (stovetop or pressure cooker) until tender.
After that, however, the fun starts.
These creamy baked mashed potatoes also get:
- butter
- sour cream
- cream cheese
- milk
- garlic pepper
- salt + pepper
I add the butter and cream cheese, put the lid on, and let everything get soft and melty before adding the other ingredients and mashing.
The mashed potatoes will be light and fluffy and creamy and magnificent.
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
To make them ahead of time:
- spread the mashed potatoes evenly in a greased 9X13-inch dish and wrap tightly with plastic wrap or foil
- refrigerate
- make the buttery parmesan crumb topping; refrigerate that separately
- when ready to bake, uncover the potatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes, sprinkle on the topping, and bake for another 40 minutes until hot
The potatoes and topping can be made ahead of time and refrigerated (separately) for up to 2 days.
These mashed potatoes are fantastic for a basic side dish for a variety of meals. They are creamy and interesting enough that you don’t really even need gravy!
But they are also phenomenal served as traditional mashed potatoes smothered in gravy.
The little bits of Parmesan crumbs actually make “mashed potatoes and gravy” a hundred times more exciting…and more delicious.
If you are looking for a make-ahead mashed potato option for Thanksgiving, this recipe is a perfect solution!
FAQs for Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes
I haven’t made these with other types of potatoes; but you could experiment. Russet potatoes are starchier than Yukon Gold and I don’t know if they’ll stay as creamy if made ahead of time.
The mashed potatoes can be refrigerated (in the 9X13-inch dish) up to two days ahead of time. Refrigerate the mashed potatoes and topping separately.
I don’t see why not (but it really is terribly delicious)! The potatoes may be a little bit dry on top after baking without any topping.
Leaving out one of the creamy ingredients will change the texture of the potatoes. If you don’t like cream cheese (or sour cream, etc) you can try experimenting by subbing in more of one of the other ingredients, but the potatoes may not have the same creamy flavor/consistency.
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Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes with Buttery Parmesan Crumbs
Ingredients
Potatoes:
- 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese, cut into pieces
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- ¾ cup (170 g) sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarsely ground
Topping:
- 1 cup panko or regular bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes until tender. Stovetop: add potatoes, water to cover, and 1 tablespoon salt to a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Pressure cooker: add potatoes, 2 cups water, and 1 tablespoon salt to insert of electric pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for at least 10-15 minutes before releasing remaining pressure. Drain and return potatoes to insert.
- Add the cream cheese and butter to the potatoes. Cover and let the cream cheese and butter soften and melt for 2-3 minutes (this will avoid little lumps and bumps in the cream cheese). Add the sour cream, milk, garlic powder, and pepper, and mash until creamy. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly in the dish. If making ahead to bake later, wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
- For the topping, combine the crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small dish. Add the melted butter and toss to combine evenly. If baking right away, evenly spread the buttery crumbs over the top of the mashed potatoes and bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes until potatoes are heated through and the topping is golden brown.
- If making ahead, store the buttery topping in a container or bag in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap or foil from the potatoes and bake for 15 minutes. Add the topping and bake for 40-45 minutes until the potatoes are heated through and the topping is golden.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from this recipe at NYT Cooking
I couldn’t find any Yukon Gold so I had to use russet potatoes. Made exactly as written and they turned out AMAZINGLY. 10/10 recipe, will be making for many future Thanksgivings.
Hi years ago I had a recipe were you blended the potatoes you can add onion I don’t they make me ill , the pour mixture over the vegetables then scatter nuts and seeds greater cheese it was lovely, I can’t find the recipe can you help
Regards Hazel
Delicious! I like my mashed potatoes with just milk, butter, salt, and pepper, but the extras here make this dish special and compliment the topping.
I made these with the only potatoes I had, russets, and my family loved them! Before they were baked they seemed way runny and I thought I ruined them, but I baked them anyway and they were perfect!
Hi Mel! If I were to freeze these so I could make them more than 2 days ahead of time what would I need to change! Thanks!
How would I freeze these if I needed to make them farther in advance than 2 days? Just freeze the potatoes and add the topping before I wanted to bake? Thanks Mel!
You could definitely try that, Courtney – I’m honestly not sure how they’ll freeze but it’s worth a try.
These potatoes were amazing Mel. We had them for Sunday dinner with some grilled chicken and my boys liked the potatoes even better than the chicken which is unheard of around here. We had the leftovers tonight (I just warmed them back up in the oven at 350 for 15-20 mins until they started to sizzle) and they were every bit as good as the first time. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thanks so much for letting me know that, Heather!
We usually have a huge family Thanksgiving gathering and everybody brings food, but this year was different and I was on my own to cook everything for our smaller gathering. So, I turned to your website for some new recipes and ideas. When I saw this recipe for the creamy baked mashed potatoes, I knew I had to try them. It took 3 trips to the grocery store to finally get a bag of Yukon gold potatoes, but I’m so glad I persisted. (They were always sold out.) You were right – they did stay fluffy! I’m so glad I found this recipe. I was able to make it the day ahead for Thanksgiving, which made Thanksgiving Day so much easier. I also made your From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole with extra crunchy topping, your Slow Cooker Turkey with No-Fuss Gravy, and your Easy Fluffy Blender Rolls. These 4 recipes will definitely be on my “Every Thanksgiving” food list and all year long too! I made the rolls the night before and let them rise in the frig overnight. Everything turned out perfectly! Almost the entire meal was your recipes. I never have to worry about trying your recipes beforehand to make sure they’re good – I’ve never tried one of your recipes that wasn’t fantastic! All your extra notes, hints, and make-ahead suggestions are always so helpful. Thank you for sharing all your recipes. I can always count on you when I need motivation to step up my cooking game, or when I want to see and hear your kune pigs chewing pumpkins. I’m just as obsessed with your fauxfarm account!
Cathy! Thank you so much for this comment! I’m so, so happy these recipes came through for you during your small at-home Thanksgiving. Thanks for letting me know! (So happy you love those pigs – haha – they are my favorites)
Another winner from Mel! We made these for our Thanksgiving feast. I will definitely make them again! All of the add-ins made them so tasty & next level. However, they still tasted great covered in gravy, which is important on Thanksgiving day.
Thanks for letting me know you liked these potatoes, Kelly!
Absolutely fantastic. I have a make ahead mashed potato casserole that I have made for years that people rave about. This rivals that one! The crunch and saltiness of the parmesan makes this wonderful. It does work with russet potatoes.
Thanks for letting me know it worked well with russets, Elena!
Made these for thanksgiving and they came out great. Love that I could make these the day before and not have to do the potatoes the day off. Really enjoyed them.
These were the yummiest mashed potatoes! We made them for Thanksgiving and my ten year old raved about them at the dinner table and right before bed when we were talking about the best parts of our day! Thank you for another delicious winner!
That is the best, Shannon! So happy these potatoes made your 10-year old’s Thanksgiving! 🙂
Making this in a 9×9, does the time for it to cook change? Or is it still the same?
I would take about 10-15 minutes off the baking time and check at that point.
Oh, Baby… I have been waiting for this “Make-Ahead Mashed Potato” recipe from you for four years! I can not wait to make it, and thank you!
With all of the recipes you have crafted over the years, that my large family and friends have enjoyed, I am thankful for YOU this Thanksgiving! 🙂
Be Well & Blessings
Thank you so much, Nancy!!
What if I don’t have a pressure cooker?
You can cook the potatoes on the stovetop in water until tender.
I made this for a family dinner last night and it turned out amazing! I got a lot of compliments!
Thanks for letting me know!
I made these this week to go with BBQ Ribs…yummy! Everyone enjoyed them.
Yum!!! I haven’t met a mashed potato recipe I didn’t like. One of my favorite side dishes. I bet this would be so good with your balsamic instapot pork! Thanks for sharing!!!
Amen to more make ahead recipes!!! Thank you! I only make mashed potatoes with your instapot recipe (so much easier!). I’m excited to have a potato side that can be made ahead of time.
I have made mashed potatoes very similar to this for several years (even decades!) I make them for almost every holiday get-together and am known as a ‘Potato Queen’ in my family.
I have used a 5 lb bag of russet potatoes and they have worked great! I quarter the potatoes if they are large before boiling. They can get a little starchy if potatoes are boiled too long so check with fork for tenderness after 15-20 min.
Difference in recipe is mine has zero sour cream, but includes a cup of milk instead. For seasonings, it’s 1 tsp seasoning salt and garlic salt each and 1/4 – 1/2 tsp pepper. I usually sprinkle with paprika and dried parsley before baking. Crumb topping sounds delish, but I haven’t done that.
Looks great! Tempted to try this for our family, our daughter will be back from college and loves mashed potatoes. One question; the family loves gravy, could they be served with gravy on the side? (since I’ll have roast turkey) Thanks!
They are delicious with or without gravy! We had them the other night with gravy and they were super yummy!
Wow! These look amazing ! Can’t wait to try them. We eat mashed potatoes almost weekly and the instant pot method has been so life changing- also using Yukon gold potatoes has been life changing ! I think this method, along with that incredible looking topping, is about to rock my family’s mashed Potato loving world ! Can’t wait to add this to our list of “Mel’s” recipes that have become part of our family food traditions and that will be filling our bellies on Thanksgiving.