Easy Loaded Mashed Potatoes
With crispy bacon, loads of cheese, sour cream, and green onions, these loaded mashed potatoes don’t need any gravy! In fact, you might just want to make a meal out of them—they’re that good.
While I do love classic mashed potatoes and slow cooker mashed potatoes, even the best mashed potato recipes need a little somethin’-somethin’ to jazz them—most of the time, that somethin’ is gravy. (This turkey gravy is my absolute favorite.) The great thing about loaded mashed potatoes, though, is that they pack in ALL the flavor without having to whip up a saucepan of gravy to serve with them.
The idea here is that these mashed potatoes have all the same ingredients as your typical loaded baked potato. We’ve got cheese, sour cream (mixed IN the mashed potatoes, making them tangy and supremely creamy), bacon, green onions, and did I mention cheese? Oh yeah, I did, but it deserves to be mentioned twice: these potatoes are cheesy.
Make these for a potluck and they’ll disappear fast. Serve them for a holiday dinner and you’ll have a new tradition when everyone demands you make them next year too. There’s no going wrong with these fully loaded mashed potatoes. And if you love them, be sure to make my easy loaded potato soup recipe and loaded potato skins too.
Ingredients for Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Bacon – Feel free to use turkey bacon if you prefer it!
- Yellow Onion – Caramelized onions are my secret ingredient for making these loaded mashed potatoes extra delicious.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes – Buttery Yukon golds are my favorite for making mashed potatoes.
- Cream Cheese and Sour Cream – A dynamic duo for the richest, creamiest mashed potatoes you’ll ever eat.
- Salted Butter – You just can’t have mashed potatoes without a few pats of butter.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – If you’re feeling ambitious, I highly recommend shredding your own. A nice sharp cheddar will add so much flavor to this recipe.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper – I like freshly ground black pepper because it has a more dynamic flavor.
- Green Onions – Or chives, for a milder flavor and softer texture.
How to Make Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full printable instructions.
- Crisp the bacon. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat then transfer it to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Lightly caramelize the onions. Sauté the onions in the bacon fat until they’re beginning to caramelize. Remove from heat and drain off the fat.
- Boil the potatoes. Add the potatoes to a pot and then fill it with water until it’s 3/4 full. Add salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain. Pour the liquid off of the potatoes and transfer them to a mixing bowl with the cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper.
- Mix. Use a hand mixer to combine until the potatoes are mashed with only a few chunks.
- Assemble. Fold in the cheese, half the bacon, and the onions. Transfer to a serving bowl and add the remaining cheese, bacon, and green onions before serving.
Tips for Making Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Here are some pointers for making sure your loaded mashed potatoes turn out perfect.
- Cut the potatoes to the same size. This ensures that they’ll all be perfectly tender at the same time.
- Don’t overmix the potatoes. If you mix them too much, they’ll end up glue-y. It’s absolutely fine for there to be chunks of potato left behind!
- Use a hand masher if you need to. Like your potatoes chunkier? Or maybe you don’t have a hand mixer? You can use an old school potato masher instead. Or, for smoother mashed potatoes, use a potato ricer to rice the potatoes into a mixing bowl, then add the other ingredients.
Variations
I love this recipe as written, but here are some ways you can make it your own.
- Replace some of the potatoes with cauliflower. I don’t recommend replacing them all with cauliflower, but you can swap up to half of the potatoes for cauliflower to lower the carb count a bit and sneak in some extra nutrition.
- Make them vegetarian. Replace the bacon with your favorite plant-based bacon and add a little smoked paprika for that smoky flavor. Steamed chopped broccoli florets are a good substitute too if you love your baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese!
- Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Plain Greek yogurt is a tangy swap for sour cream that adds a little protein to the dish.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Transfer leftover loaded mashed potatoes to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. I recommend reheating them in the microwave for the best results; if you warm them up in a saucepan, you’ll need to add some liquid and that never really works out very well because the flavor becomes diluted.
What to Serve With Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Honey Garlic Pork Chops
- The Best Meatloaf Recipe
- Cajun Blackened Turkey Breast
- Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Pan Fried Pork Chops
More Potato Recipes
- The Best Potatoes Au Gratin
- Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Red Potato Salad
- Greek Lemon Potatoes
- Best Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
- Everything Seasoned Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
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Get the Recipe: Loaded Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounces sour cream
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 chopped green onions
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook the bacon in the skillet until crispy, approximately 4-5 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Add the onions to the skillet and cook until beginning to caramelize. Remove from the heat and drain off the fat.
- In a large stockpot filled 3/4 of the way with water, add the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Continue to cook over medium heat until they are fork tender. Approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a strainer and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cream cheese, half and half, butter, salt and pepper to the potatoes.
- Using a hand mixer, mix all the ingredients on medium speed until thoroughly combined and the potatoes are broken up. The mixture should be fluffy with a few potato chunks throughout. (Be careful not to over beat the potatoes because they can become gummy.)
- Add the cheese, half the bacon and the sautéed onions. Fold into the potatoes with a spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, bacon and green onions.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.