Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes — The Make-Ahead Side Dish Your Family Will Beg For

The Make-Ahead Side Dish That Saved Sunday Dinner

Sunday is our big family meal day, and after church everyone is hungry and dinner needs to be on the table fast. That’s why I reach for oven recipes on Sunday — I can get everything in before we leave and come home to a hot meal ready to go. I found this creamy baked mashed potatoes recipe on moderncrumb.com by Tara Moore, and I made them to go alongside our 2-Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chops. They were creamy, decadent, and gone in minutes. My kids are never letting me go back to regular mashed potatoes. (Stephanie’s video is embedded in the recipe card and her story continues after the recipe.)

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting StephanieCooksForACrowd.com!

Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes

The creamiest, most decadent make-ahead mashed potatoes — loaded with cream cheese, butter, and half and half, baked golden in the oven. Perfect for Sunday dinner or feeding a crowd. Recipe adapted from moderncrumb.com by Tara Moore.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 stick ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 cup half and half
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp cold butter cut into small pats
• Chives for topping optional

Method

 

1. Peel and dice potatoes. Boil in salted water for 15 minutes until tender. Drain.
2. Return potatoes to pot over low heat for 3 minutes to steam off excess moisture. This makes them fluffy!
3. Using a hand mixer, blend potatoes until smooth. Slowly add melted butter, cream cheese, then half and half. Mix until creamy and luscious. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread into a greased 9×13 baking dish or disposable aluminum pan.
5. Dot the top with cold butter pats. Sprinkle with chives if using.
6. To bake immediately: cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
7. To make ahead: cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 1 to 1½ hours.

Video

Notes

Recipe adapted from moderncrumb.com by Tara Moore. Adding the full cup of half and half is recommended if refrigerating overnight — the potatoes absorb it beautifully. If baking straight from the mixing bowl, you may want to start with ½ cup of half and half and add more to reach your desired consistency.

The original recipe is from Tara Moore at moderncrumb.com and it is absolutely incredible. I discovered it when I needed a baked mashed potato recipe that could go in the oven while we were at church, so it would be hot and ready with the pork chops and gravy when we walked in the door. Tara’s tip of letting the drained potatoes steam on low for 3 minutes before mixing is a game-changer — it makes them fluffy and not watery. I added the entire cup of half and half since I was refrigerating overnight, and I don’t regret it one bit.

These potatoes are the perfect Sunday dinner side dish. Make them Saturday night, refrigerate overnight, and pop them in the oven before church. Come home to the creamiest, most decadent mashed potatoes you have ever tasted. My family absolutely demolished them with the Crock Pot Pork Chops — and honestly, they would be incredible alongside any roast, chicken, or holiday meal too.

Find the stock pot, aluminum pans, and all the tools I use in my kitchen on my Shop My Kitchen page!

More Easy Crowd-Pleasing Side Dishes

If you loved these mashed potatoes, here are a few more sides your crowd will devour:

• Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots — The easy side dish everyone will fight over. Sweet, savory, and done in 30 minutes.
• 2-Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chops — The recipe these mashed potatoes were made for. Set it before church and come home to dinner.
• Sunday Pot Roast — The ultimate Sunday dinner for a crowd. Potatoes, carrots, and the world’s best green beans.

Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes — About Stephanie’s Recipes

Stephanie’s recipes are a little bit of everything — treasured old family recipes passed down through generations, dishes she has developed and made her own over the years, great finds from church ladies (because if you want a good recipe, ask a church lady!), and inspiration from food bloggers and corners of the internet. Sometimes she flexes her culinary muscles and creates something spectacular. But most of the time? Quick, easy, and absolutely delicious. Because at the end of the day, Stephanie cooks for her family and her people — and the best recipe is the one that brings everyone to the table, keeps them there a little longer, and leaves them happy and full.

Want crowd-friendly recipes like this one in your inbox every Saturday? Join Stephanie’s weekly newsletter — it’s free, it’s fun, and there’s always room at the table!