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Tired of plain mashed potatoes? This Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole is the upgrade you’ve been looking for. Rich, creamy, cheesy, and baked to perfection. Easy to make with fresh potatoes, leftovers, or a store-bought shortcut, it’s the kind of side dish that disappears fast. Make it once, and it will earn a permanent spot on your holiday (and weeknight) table.
Mashed potatoes are about as classic as it gets, but I’ve always believed casseroles are where comfort food really shines. That’s why this Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole has become one of my go-to recipes. It takes a traditional side and turns it into something make-ahead, shareable, and worthy of a spot at the center of the table.
I’ve tested it every which way: freshly made mashed potatoes, holiday leftovers, even the prepared tubs from the refrigerated section. They all work beautifully, which makes this recipe as adaptable as it is delicious. You still get that creamy, cheesy, bacon-topped comfort everyone loves, but baked casserole-style so it feeds a crowd, comes out bubbly, and never fails to bring people back for seconds.
Why You’ll Love This Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe
- Simple: It is so easy to make with simple ingredients!
- Great Make-Ahead Dish: This savory side dish can be made a couple of days ahead. Then pop it in the oven and serve piping hot!
- Perfect for a Crowd: Feeds 8 to 10 people and is easily handled in a convenient casserole dish.
- Scale Down: Cut in half for a smaller gathering or a smaller family meal.
What’s not to love? This delicious, easy potato casserole side dish is creamy, fluffy, buttery, savory, and more! Topped with chives, cheese, and bacon- need I say more? (After all, I did mention BACON!)
Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole Ingredients
- Mashed Potatoes: Use leftovers, 2 packages from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, or make homemade.
- Heavy Cream: This makes the potatoes extra creamy and delicious. They become smooth and silky. Ultimate YUM!
- Butter: Softened or melted will work when mixing in. Butter adds creamy texture and flavor.
- Garlic and onion powder: These seasonings are subtle flavor components in this casserole. Double them if you want either one to shine.
- Salt and pepper: Add this to your liking. They are the perfect complement to potatoes.
- Crumbled cooked bacon: Nice crispy bacon puts loaded potatoes over the top.
- Chives (green onions): This is for garnishing. It adds color and flavor to the dish
How to Make Loaded Mashed Potatoes Casserole
✱ Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredients and instructions!
Step 1 | Prepare the Pan and Potatoes
Begin with a preheated oven and prepare your 13 x 9 dish.
If making homemade mashed potatoes, boil washed, peeled, and cubed potatoes in water. You can also use Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Step 2 | Loading the Mashed Potato Mix
Mix the mashed potatoes with heavy cream, sour cream, butter, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, and one cup of shredded cheese.
Step 3 | Ready for the Oven
Pour the potatoes into a casserole dish, smooth, and top with the remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 20 minutes covered and 10 to 15 minutes uncovered.
Step 4 | Garnish and Serve
Finally, remove from the oven, top with green onions, and serve!
Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe Tips
- Use whatever potatoes you like: You can buy refrigerated pre-made mashed potatoes, leftovers, or make homemade mashed potatoes.
- Start with warm or room-temperature potatoes: Cold mashed potatoes are tough to stir. If you’re using leftovers, let them warm up a bit so they mix smoothly with the sour cream and cream.
- Taste before baking: Give your potatoes a quick taste test. Since the bacon and cheese add salt, you may not need much more seasoning.
- Mix gently: Stir just until everything is combined. Overmixing can make mashed potatoes heavy and gummy instead of fluffy.
- Bake covered, then uncover: Covering keeps the casserole moist, then uncovering at the end melts and browns the cheese just right.
- Finish with freshness: A handful of green onions sprinkled on top brightens up all that creamy, cheesy richness.
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Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole Variations
- To spice this dish up or give it a Tex-Mex flavor, add taco seasoning to the mix along with chopped jalapenos or diced green chiles.
- Out of heavy cream, that is alright. You can use whole milk instead.
- For a bold taste, you can add blue cheese to the cheddar and serve it with wings!
- You can use fresh minced garlic and cream cheese in the mixture for a delicious combination.
- If you don’t like green onions or don’t have them on hand, substitute parsley or chives (fresh or dried will work).
- To spice this dish up, you can add some chopped jalapenos or diced green chiles.
What to Serve with Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole is easily adapted to any meal that is being served. For a traditional baked ham dinner, keep to the recipe here. For a Mexican twist, add jalapenos and a Mexican Fruit Salad on the side. Want an all-in-one dish? Top the easy casserole with pulled pork and a touch of BBQ sauce! YUM!
This easy potato casserole is the best side dish for any meal. Want another green? You can serve them with Southern Green Beans. For the holiday table, you can’t go wrong serving them on the side of a platter of Coke and Jelly Ham, and Black Eyed Peas.
Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Make Ahead:
Refrigerate: Assemble up to 2 days ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.
Freeze: Wrap the unbaked casserole well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
Holiday Helper: This is a great prep-ahead side dish, so you’re not juggling too many things on the big day. Leftover mashed potatoes work perfectly here, too.
How to Store and Reheat Loaded Mashed Potatoes Casserole
Leftover Storage: Cover with foil or plastic wrap or place in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freeze Leftovers: Completely cool, and then cover with plastic wrap first, then foil. Then it can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Reheat: If frozen, thaw completely in the fridge overnight.
- To reheat the entire dish, once thawed, remove plastic wrap and then cover with foil and heat in the oven at 350℉ until warmed through.
- To reheat individual servings, place the desired amount on a microwave-safe dish and reheat. Start with 1 minute and stir. Then add 30-second intervals until heated to your liking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yukon Gold or Russet is the potato I recommend. The starch in these mixes up so fluffy, whereas red potatoes are waxier, but will work if that is what you have on hand.
The recipe on its own feeds 8 to 10. But if you have several starchy side dishes on the table, it can feed even more. Served with corn casserole and dinner rolls, the recipe stretches much further. And you can easily double and even triple the recipe!
Single Recipe: 8 – 10 people
Double: 20-25 people
Triple: 30-40
Why yes, it is. When choosing the correct brand of ingredients, this can be a gluten-free side dish for them. All you need to do is use sour cream and bacon pieces that are GF, be sure the spices are all GF, and shred the cheese from a block.
More Delicious Side Dish Recipes:
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Easy Mashed Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 cups mashed potatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 to 4 tablespoons butter, softened or melted
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ½ cup crumbled cooked bacon
- ¼ cup finely cut green onion, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9-inch pan or 2-quart casserole dish by lightly spraying with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl or in the casserole dish, mix together mashed potatoes, heavy cream, sour cream, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and crumbled bacon onto the top of mashed potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and potatoes are heated through.
- Sprinkle with green onions for garnish.
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Notes
- 3.5 to 4 pounds of russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces.
- ¾ to 1 cup heavy cream or milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- salt to taste
-
Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water to inch over the potatoes, and add 2 teaspoons of salt (or to taste).
-
Bring to a boil, and boil for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Drain the potatoes.
- Add in the cream or milk, and butter. Then mash the potatoes with a potato masher or mixer. You can also run the potatoes through the ricer and transfer them back to the pot.
- Then proceed with the recipe.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
©️Soulfully Made
Awesome and so easy. Husband loves it and also great as a leftover. This will be a keeper for sure. Thank you
Thank you, Ellen!
This is really good! Wasn’t expecting it to be so good. Will be making many more times.
We had leftover mashed potatoes so I decided to give this a try. And I am so glad I did! It was amazing! If you didn’t think mashed potatoes could get any better, check this out! We love it so much, I think we will be making more mashed potatoes just to have leftovers to make this in the future!
Thank you, Mindy! I agree, mashed potatoes made better (who knew you could do that)! So easy for a weeknight meal too!
Drooling over this mashed potato casserole. So delicious. Thanks for sharing.
I just had the best compliment about your potato casserole at the dinner table (of course, I gave you all the credit :D). Super delicious and decadent recipe! You cannot beat a combo of potatoes, bacon and sour cream, right? But with all that cheese and seasoning – it’s on a whole new level! The best!
Best compliment ever! And they don’t even have to know how simple this can be! Thank you so much for sharing!
This potato casserole went perfect alongside my roast. My kids loved these potatoes and they tasted even better as left overs the next day.
Thank you, Mackenzie! Knowing your family was happy is the best compliment of all!
This casserole is so comforting and delicious!! I’ll definitely be making it again for the holidays!
YUM! What a wonderful combination of flavors here in this casserole. We didn’t have hardly any leftovers, either, so you KNOW it went over well with our family!
I absolutely loved this casserole. It went great with our meatloaf dinner!
Thank you! I agree mashed potatoes are always delish with meatloaf!
So delicious! Everyone loved it! Will be making it again!
Thank you, Min! It’s perfect because it is so simple and quick to put together!
Made this the other day for a potluck! People were scraping the dish, it was so creamy and delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
This recipe is so good! I am adding it to my list of ideas for parties — it will be such a great side dish for all kinds of family events and holidays!