Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes with Baked Potatoes

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes are simple, creamy and so flavorful, made easy with baked potatoes. No peeling or boiling needed. Great for the busy holidays!

Let me share with you my all-time favorite method for making the easiest, fluffiest, tastiest no-fail mashed potatoes. It starts with the oven, yes that’s right, I use baked potatoes. No peeling, dicing or boiling. No water-logged, pasty potatoes. And best of all – none of the flavor of the potato is lost.

Whether your planning a large get together or a family meal, these make ahead mashed potatoes are perfect every time. You can serve them right away, store in the fridge for a few days or freeze them for several months. They are ready when you are!

This recipe is for a family sized serving, but you can make expand the recipe to make as many servings as you like.

Making Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Line a large rimmed baking sheet in foil.
2. Scrub the potatoes and dry them with paper towel. Prick the potatoes with a fork all over, then lay in a single layer with space in-between on the baking sheet. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes feel soft when lightly squeezed. Remove pan from the oven and cool until you can handle them with your hands.
3. Slice each potato in half, then use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the potato skins into a mixing bowl.
4. Add butter and toss with the hot potato pieces to soften. Add 1/2 cup of milk, salt and pepper.
5. Use a hand mixer or potato masher to mash and whip up the potatoes. (Light fluffy potatoes will be the easiest to re-heat later). If the potatoes are dry, add more milk until your desired consistency is reached.
6. Serve hot now – or store for later.

Ingredients Needed for Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Make this tasty side dish with just 3 easy ingredients + salt and pepper!

• Potatoes – choose large, uniformly sized potatoes so they will bake evenly. Big Russet baking potatoes are our favorite to use.
• Milk – whole or 2% milk is fine here. If you like your mashed potatoes super rich, substitute cream or half and half for the milk.
• Butter – essential for the amazing flavor that can only come from LOTS of butter! You can substitute margarine, but the flavor and texture may be different.
• Salt and Pepper – nothing fancy here…just regular table salt and ground black pepper.

How to Store Mashed Potatoes

This recipe can be made 2 days or even months ahead of time. The recipe can be easily doubled, tripled or more to make enough for an entire season of meals!

NOTE? – we recommend storing the mashed potatoes in smaller rather than larger portions to make re-heating easier. And definitely thaw them before re-heating in the oven. Otherwise, the re-heating time will be extended and the center of the mashed potatoes may remain frozen while the edges burn.

?Storing in the Refrigerator:

Transfer the potatoes to a baking pan or microwave-safe bowl, depending on how you will be re-heating them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store for up to 2 days in advance of serving.

?TIP: The mashed potatoes will harden in the cold refrigerator. Break them up with a spoon and add additional liquid to help them re-heat evenly and to prevent drying out.

Oven Reheating:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/176C. Use a spoon to break up potatoes in the pan, then sprinkle over 2 – 3 tablespoons of milk or broth to moisten.
2. Cover pan with foil and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour in the oven, Stir at the halfway mark.
3. When heated thru, add a little butter and dried chives or parsley to the top to make them look freshly made.

Microwave Reheating:

1. Add a few tablespoons of milk or broth to the microwave-safe bowl containing the potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the wrap.
2. Heat for 2 minutes on High power, then stir. Repeat until potatoes are heated thru. If potatoes feel dry, add more milk or broth. Stir until smooth.

??Storing Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes in the Freezer:

Transfer cooled mashed potatoes to 8 x 8 foil pans with lids for freezing. Cover top with foil (or lid), label, then cover entire container with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating Frozen Mashed Potatoes

For the freshest tasting and fluffiest mashed potatoes, we recommend reheating freezer mashed potatoes in the oven.

1. Thaw in refrigerator up to 2 days in advance of reheating.
2. Preheat oven to 350F/176C. Use a spoon to break up thawed mashed potatoes in the pan, then sprinkle over 2 – 3 tablespoons of milk or broth to moisten.
3. Cover pan with foil and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour in the oven, Stir at the halfway mark.
4. When potatoes are heated thru, add a little butter and dried chives or parsley to the top to make them look freshly made.

Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

For the best mashed potatoes choose potatoes with a high starch content. Russet Potatoes and Yukon Gold will make the fluffiest, smoothest, and most flavorful mash.

Waxy potatoes like the red or white varieties, require more mashing and fluffing to become creamy. That could lead to the dreaded “potato paste, instead of light and flavorful mashed potatoes. And that’s totally not what we’re going for here!

More Easy Potato Side Dish Recipes

• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Garlic Herb Smashed Potatoes
• Easy Baked Hasselback Potatoes