Mashed potato casserole is creamy, cheesy, quick, and easy to prepare! This side dish is topped with crispy bacon and chives, perfect for holiday dinners or when cooking for a crowd.
Make Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe
Our simple Mashed Potato Casserole recipe combines the best parts of my Loaded Mashed Potatoes and Crack Potatoes and creates one delicious side dish that’s literally “loaded” with flavor.
What I love most about this cheesy mashed potato casserole is its easy preparation in advance. Simply beat your boiled potatoes with butter, garlic powder, pepper, salt, sour cream, milk, and cheese, place the mixture in your casserole dish, and cover until you’re ready to bake.
Better than twice baked potatoes for a large family gathering and more convenient than making multiple baked potatoes, this loaded mashed potato casserole is the perfect compromise – it’s an easy-to-assemble accompaniment to a main meal of meat in the form of classic comfort food.
Why We Love Mashed Potato Casserole Recipes
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Perfect way to prepare mashed potatoes for a crowd.
- Filled with all the flavors of a fully loaded baked potato in the form of an easy mashed potato casserole.
- Delicious side dish to serve with a holiday meal, potluck dinner, or at a family reunion.
Mashed Potato Casserole Ingredients
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: These potatoes are often considered the best for mashed potatoes due to their naturally creamy texture and buttery flavor.
- Cold water
- Salted butter
- Sour cream
- Whole milk
- Garlic powder
- Ground white pepper: You can use ground black pepper in place of the ground white pepper if you prefer.
- Salt
- Chives
- Bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions And Additions
- Pick Your Potatoes: I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes in this recipe, but you can use any potatoes you prefer. I have used russet potatoes and red potatoes in this recipe and they turned out great.
- Tasty Toppings: This casserole can be topped with almost anything you would put on a baked potato. My favorite toppings include extra sour cream, bacon, chives, french fried onions, minced garlic, and cream cheese.
How to Make Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe
- Prepare The Potatoes: Cover the potatoes with cold water, stir in the salt, and bring the water to boil. Cook for 18-22 minutes or when you can easily pierce with a fork.
- Make The Potato Mixture: Drain the potatoes and mix with butter, garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Beat in the sour cream, milk, and cheddar cheese until no lumps remain.
- Bake: Add the potato mixture to the baking dish (Image 1) and top with cheddar cheese (Image 2). Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted (Image 3).
- Sprinkle And Serve: Sprinkle bacon and chives on top (Image 4) and serve. Enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Mashed Potato Casserole
- Make sure not to overmix your potatoes. They will become gluey and tough if they are mixed for too long.
- The purpose of warming the milk is so that you don’t bring down the potatoes’ temperature when mixing.
- It’s best to let the sour cream sit out while the potatoes are cooking so that it can come up to room temperature before adding it to your hot potatoes.
- You can make this dish ahead of time and then when you’re ready to eat it, pop it back into the oven to heat it up!
- This recipe could easily be cut in half for a smaller family dinner.
How to Store Mashed Potato Casserole
- To Store: Store leftover baked mashed potato casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the leftover casserole in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: I like to reheat individual servings in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel, so the casserole does not dry out.
What To Serve With Mashed Potato Casserole
A mashed potato casserole pairs perfectly with so many main meals. Try serving them as a side with my slow cooker butter chicken, air fryer turkey breast, crock pot Philly cheesesteak, or grilled salmon.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
Roasted Cauliflower Popcorn | Mexican Corn Salad (Street Corn) | Air Fryer French Fries | Better Than Takeout Fried Rice | Easy Baked Beans | KFC Coleslaw | Scalloped Potatoes | Chicken Potato Casserole | Potatoes Au Gratin
Mashed Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and cut into quarters
- Cold water to cover potatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick salted butter softened
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk warmed in the microwave for 45 seconds
- 3 cups cheddar cheese divided in half
- Chives finely chopped
- 10 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- In a large pot add quartered Yukon Gold Potatoes. Cover with cold water and place on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add ½ tsp salt and stir into water. Bring water to a boil and let potatoes cook for 18-22 minutes (depending on the size of your cut potatoes). Potatoes are done when you can easily pierce with a fork.5 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes, Cold water to cover potatoes, ½ teaspoon salt
- Drain potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer with beaters, break the potatoes up in the bowl. Add 1 stick of softened butter, garlic powder, ground white pepper, and salt. Mix with a hand mixer for 30 seconds on high.1 stick salted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1½ teaspoon salt
- Add sour cream, warmed milk, and ½ of the cheddar cheese to the bowl. Beat on high until no lumps remain in potatoes.½ cup sour cream, ½ cup whole milk, 3 cups cheddar cheese
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add potato mixture to the baking dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted.3 cups cheddar cheese
- Sprinkle cooked bacon and chives on the top of the casserole. Serve and enjoy.10 strips bacon, Chives
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store leftover baked mashed potato casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the leftover casserole in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: I like to reheat individual servings in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel, so the casserole does not dry out.
- Make sure not to overmix your potatoes. They will become gluey and tough if they are mixed for too long.
- The purpose of warming the milk is so that you don’t bring down the potatoes’ temperature when mixing.
- It’s best to let the sour cream sit out while the potatoes are cooking so that it can come up to room temperature before adding it to your hot potatoes.
- You can make this dish ahead of time and then when you’re ready to eat it, pop it back into the oven to heat it up!
- This recipe could easily be cut in half for a smaller family dinner.
Nutrition Info
If you tried this Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Great recipe! Easy to make and my family loved it
Hi Barb! Thank you for the feedback! So glad it was a hit!