These easy-to-make cheesy mashed potatoes are based on the super popular twice-baked potatoes. You’ll also find an additional variation or two in the recipe to fancy these up a little as well. Whether you make them with the classic bacon, cheddar, and green onion combination, purely cheesy, or with my prosciutto and sage, everyone is going to love these.
My inspiration for these mashed potatoes comes from the twice-baked potatoes my mom always made growing up. But I also wanted to turn this classic into a make-head recipe.
Watch How To Make Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
You can make this recipe 2 different ways, and it’s perfect for entertaining and holidays. First, you can make the mashed potatoes and add the bacon and cheddar before serving them immediately.
Or you can pile the mashed potatoes into a casserole dish and bake them into cheesy goodness. The best part about this is you can also make them ahead to bake another day.
That’s why these are my go to for holidays and entertaining, it’s very hands off, and so easy!
And I couldn’t resist adding some variations. So you’ll find a purely cheesy and a prosciutto and sage version in the recipe card below. This flavor combination is extra good with Turkey Dinner or with your Roast Beef on Christmas day.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Potatoes – I love to use Yukon gold potatoes but Russet potatoes also work.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter in mashed potatoes, but you can also use ghee.
- Sour cream – adds a depth of tang to these mashed potatoes. You can also use heated-up heavy cream.
- Cheeses – I used sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Follow the recipe notes for different cheeses to use for the other variations. A medium cheddar also works, or pretty much any flavorful melting cheese you love. The only cheese I would avoid is mozzarella because there’s not much flavor to it.
- Green onion – both the green onion and bacon can be omitted for pure cheesy mashed potatoes. I like to add them when I’m going for that ‘twice baked potato’ flavor. You’ll also find variations in the recipe using fresh herbs like sage, rosemary, and chives.
- Bacon – bacon bits add a lot of flavor, but you can also do variations with prosciutto, pancetta, salami, etc. You can also leave any kind of cured meat out for pure cheese flavor.
- Salt & black pepper – are essential to season mashed potatoes fully. One reason homemade mashed potatoes can fall flat is a lack of proper seasoning.
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Start by peeling the potatoes if desired. Then, cut your medium-sized potatoes in half or into quarters. What you’re looking for here is even-sized pieces so that the potatoes cook at the same rate.
Step 2: Boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water until they are fork-tender tender. A knife is the perfect way to test doneness, it will insert easily when the potatoes are fully cooked, but a fork works too. Reserve some cooking water in case you need to add it later.
There’s more about boiling these and salted water in the tips below.
Step 3: Drain the cooked potatoes and mash with a potato masher and the melted garlic butter until your desired texture is reached.
From there, you will add the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onions. (Reserve some grated cheese, bacon bits, and green onions for a garnish on top if desired.)
You can season to taste with sea salt and pepper, (add cooking water to thin if necessary) and serve these immediately for dinner. Or proceed to the next step.
Step 4: If you want to bake these in a casserole, pile the cheesy mashed potatoes into a greased baking dish. Top them with some of the cheddar bacon and green onion you reserved.
From there, you can bake these immediately or refrigerate them for up to three days before baking.
Ways to serve this
- These mashed potatoes are perfect with my Herb Roasted Chicken, Baked Chicken Breast, Baked Turkey Meatballs, Pizza Chicken, or Oven Baked Pork Ribs.
- The prosciutto sage version of the potatoes is the perfect side to my Air Fryer Ribeye Steak or Tuscan Style Steak for a special dinner. They also pair well with my Pork Sirloin Roast, Creamy Garlic Chicken, or my French Onion Chicken.
- Serve these mashed potatoes either variation at your next holiday dinner. They’re great for Thanksgiving turkey dinner. And Christmas dinner paired with my Beef Tenderloin or Pork Tenderloin. I feel like the prosciutto sage version of these cheesy potatoes is best for classic holiday dinner flavors. But you can’t go wrong with the bacon cheddar version either.
FAQ’s
Yukon gold potatoes or Russets are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes. I like to use waxy potatoes (like Yukon golds) because they have more moisture and flavor than Russets. Red potatoes can also be used, but they have a heavier texture.
Over-mashing potatoes with liquid is what causes potatoes to become gluey. The key to avoiding this is to mash the potatoes with butter, which coats the starch molecules with fat and helps you have the best texture. Then, once you add the liquid, don’t overmix! Also, never put mashed potatoes into a food processor; it will create the worst gluey texture! Hand mash with a masher or use an electric mixer, and don’t overmix.
Storing leftovers
- To store – store any leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. If you make these as a casserole dish ahead of time, the leftovers won’t keep as long.
- Make ahead – these mashed potatoes are perfect for any make-ahead dinner. Store them tightly covered for up to two days before baking the casserole dish. Be sure your casserole dish can go from the fridge to the oven. There are more tips listed below.
- Reheating – place the leftover mashed potatoes into a covered greased baking dish, and heat at 250ºF until hot.
- To freeze – you can freeze leftover mashed potatoes, but the texture does not hold up well over time. I recommend eating them fresh if possible and don’t freeze the leftovers for longer than 2 to 3 weeks. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
Tips & Tricks
- Cooking the potatoes in salted water is much like cooking pasta and salted water. The potatoes will take on salt and be well seasoned as they cook. From there, you want to season to taste once you add the rest of the ingredients.
- Don’t overmix because potatoes can become gummy! Also, don’t skip the step where you mix in the melted butter before the rest of the cheese. The fat in the butter coats the potatoes’ starch and helps keep them from getting gummy.
- Be sure you use a casserole dish that can go from the fridge to the oven without cracking. I typically use Pyrex glass baking dishes for this reason. But I do have a few nice pottery dishes that work as well. This is just something you want to keep in mind so your mashed potatoes aren’t ruined if your dish can’t handle the temperature swing.
- Another tip is to take the casserole dish out of the refrigerator while the oven is preheating. This gives it a little time to come to room temperature before it goes into the oven.
Dietary Options & Substitutions
- Dairy-free – these mashed potatoes get a lot of flavor from several kinds of dairy. I don’t recommend any substitutions in this recipe for that reason. Instead, I would consider making my Mashed Potatoes with the dairy-free options.
- Vegetarian – to make these vegetarian, omit bacon or the prosciutto.
More Side Dish Recipe Inspiration
I really hope you enjoy this Cheesy Mashed Potatoes recipe! If you do get a chance to make them, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes - 4 medium
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 4 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 1 cup sour cream - room temperature
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese - grated
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 8 strips bacon - cooked, and crumbled, 1/2 cup, optional
- 1/2 cup green onions - sliced, optional
- 1 tsp sea salt - or to taste, more for boiling potatoes
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel the potatoes if desired. Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters and add them to the pot. Cover with water and add 1 tbsp sea salt to the water.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil, and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook the potatoes until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, prep the rest of the ingredients and cook the bacon.
- Reserve some cooking water when the potatoes are done, and drain the remainder. Place the drained potatoes in a mixer bowl or large bowl with room for mashing them by hand.
- Melt the butter over low heat, add the garlic, and cook over low for about 1 minute to take the edge off the garlic.
- Mash the potatoes until most of the lumps are gone with the melted garlic butter. Scrape down the sides several times to help eliminate lumps.
- Add the cream cheese and sour cream and mix. Add the grated cheddar and parmesan cheese, bacon, and green onions, (reserving some to garnish the top). Stir to combine, but don't overmix.
- Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, add reserved cooking water if you need to thin the texture. Garnish and serve immediately.
- Or butter a 9"x13" casserole dish and spread the mashed potatoes evenly into the baking dish. Top with the reserved cheese, bacon bits, and green onion. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or bake immediately at 350ºF until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 20 minutes.
- If your dish has been refrigerated, remove it from the fridge for at least 30 minutes while the oven heats up. The baking time will be 30-40 minutes if refrigerated.