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The ultimate holiday side dish. These creamy, cheesy potatoes are made with buttery Yukon Golds, mashed with cream cheese, yogurt, simple seasonings, and melty Monterey Jack. They’re not fancy—but they’re absolutely delicious. Finished with crispy garlic crumbs and a topping of Gruyère, this vintage-style casserole is simple, cozy, and always a crowd favorite. My most comforting potato casserole yet!
Potatoes are hands-down my family’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Mashed or baked, they have to be on the table or my brothers (and my dad!) would protest. We’re a Midwest family through and through—potatoes are in our DNA.
And honestly, I think a lot of you can relate. No matter where you’re from, a really good potato dish always steals the show!
This casserole might be my favorite version yet—and it’s definitely the easiest. I’ve been loving recipes that feel nostalgic, like something our grandmothers might have made, but with a few small updates. This one has all the cozy, old-fashioned flavor without any canned soup.
I didn’t hold back on the butter or cheese, though!
This recipe is actually a twist on my mom’s famous cheesy potatoes. She used to make them for every holiday, and she’s still known for them—along with her cookies, K-bars, and pies. I tested this one over and over to get it just right, and I think it’s exactly what we all need this Thanksgiving.
These are the Details
Ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- sea salt
- salted butter
- cream cheese
- sour cream or plain Greek yogurt – or use a mix
- onion and garlic powder
- fresh thyme – using dried thyme is great too
- smoked paprika
- cayenne pepper
- whole milk
- eggs
- Monterey jack cheese
For the Topping
- panko
- crushed corn flakes – or additional panko
- garlic powder
- Gruyère cheese
Kitchen Tools
For this casserole, you need a Dutch oven or large pot. A hand mixer or potato masher, and a skillet.
The Steps
Step 1: Boil the Potatoes
Peel and cube the potatoes, then drop them into a large Dutch oven. Cover with water and add a generous handful of salt.
Boil until the potatoes are fork-tender, then drain. Add the hot potatoes right back into the warm pot to let the steam escape—this keeps them fluffy!
Step 2: Mash the Potatoes
To the warm potatoes, add the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream or yogurt. Mix in the onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and the Monterey Jack cheese.
You can use a hand mixer if you prefer, but I like to mash by hand with a potato masher. Just be careful not to overmix—too much mashing can make the potatoes gummy instead of creamy!
Step 3: Add the Milk and Eggs
Once the potatoes have cooled slightly, mix in the milk and eggs. The eggs make the potatoes extra creamy and help the casserole bake up beautifully. Don’t skip them!
Step 4: Make the Crumb Topping
Melt and brown the butter until golden and nutty, then toss it with panko and crushed cornflakes. Season with garlic powder, then sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the mashed potatoes. Finish with a handful of shredded Gruyère on top.
Bake and Serve
Bake until the top is golden and the casserole is bubbling around the edges. Sprinkle with fresh thyme or parsley before serving, and a pinch of flaky sea salt if you’d like that extra savory touch.
Make Ahead
Assemble the casserole fully and refrigerate (covered) until ready to bake. Remove it from the fridge about 2 hours before baking. Bake the day you plan to serve, or bake ahead, cool completely, and reheat covered until hot—uncover at the end to crisp the topping.
You can bake anywhere between 325° and 400°—it’s not fussy! Just bake until warm and delicious.
Looking for other easy Thanksgiving sides?? Here are my favorites:
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks
Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
Lastly, if you make this Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Mashed Potato Casserole
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 640 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1-2 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
- sea salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
The Topping
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2/3 cup crushed corn flakes
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2/3 cup grated Gruyère
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x13-inch casserole dish.2. In a Dutch oven, cover the potatoes with water and boil over high heat until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and add them back into the hot pot. Using a hand mixer or potato masher, mash the hot potatoes with the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika, cayenne, Monterey jack, salt, and pepper. Gradually mix in the milk and eggs, don't over-mix. 3. Scrape the potatoes into the buttered casserole dish. 4. Make the topping. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in panko, corn flakes, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the potatoes. Top with grated Gruyère.5. Bake until golden and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Top with parsley or thyme. Serve them up and enjoy!
This post was originally published on November 10, 2025
This was a massive success at our Christmas gathering! Everyone loved the crunchy topping and the flavorful cheesy potatoes. I followed this exactly, but I used Idaho potatoes.
Thanks for the great recipe, Tieghan!
Hey Angela,
Yay!! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it!
Happy Sunday!
After reading the comments, I put about half the milk. It turned out so dry. So disappointed.
Hi Amanda,
Sorry to hear this. I would have followed the recipe as written, there is no need to reduce the milk:) Merry Christmas!
Wow! Best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had! I doubled the panko since I didn’t have cornflakes and used parmesan reggiano instead of gruyere and it was great.
Hey there,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
Absolutely fabulous! Creamy and delicious, and the topping was to die for! This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving!
Hey Valerienne,
Awesome!☃️ I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!
Easy to make and delicious! Crowd pleaser for sure. Made this for Thanksgiving and will probably do it again for Christmas.
Hey Missy,
Happy Sunday! Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win!
Delicious. Even mom had seconds (she didn’t think we needed potatoes in addition to all the other food).
Hey Karla,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Hello Tieghan,
Your Mashed Potato Casserole was indeed something to be thankful for. The smoked paprika was a nice surprise and the crispy topping added even more interest to this most unique dish.
Hey Julie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Happy Holidays!
Hey there, I am making this recipe and I think after adding the milk it has become a little too soupy. The taste is great. It’s just the potatoes have become super thinly and possibly over mixed in with the milk. Do you think if I bake them at a very high heat it may give them some more structure?
Hi Lynnette,
They should be totally fine after baking:) Have a great Thanksgiving!
These look amazing! Could this recipe be assembled the day before and put in a slow cooker to cook on the day they’re being served?
Hi there,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
I ended up using about 1/2 the milk or it would be to soupy. – So glad you advised to pour slowly or I could not have adjusted. Otherwise, this recipe looks and smells great! Can’t wait to serve for Thanksgiving!
Hey Kimberley,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for making it!
Happy Thanksgiving!
*too 🙂
How much salt in measurement would you recommend ?
Hi Hannah,
I would do 1 teaspoon of salt.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Could this be made a day in advance of serving and baked day of?
Hey Kate,
You bet! To make ahead:
Assemble the casserole fully and refrigerate (covered) until ready to bake. Remove it from the fridge about 2 hours before baking. Bake the day you plan to serve, or bake ahead, cool completely, and reheat covered until hot—uncover at the end to crisp the topping.
You can bake anywhere between 325° and 400°—it’s not fussy! Just bake until warm and delicious.
Can this be made and frozen ahead? Looks delicious! Our Thanksgiving is just me cooking this year and I am trying to do as much ahead and freeze as possible due to limited refrigerator space.
Hey Lauren,
Yes you could definitely do that! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Entire family couldn’t get enough!! Delicious and easy.
Hi Elaine,
Happy Friday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed!
Can this be made without the eggs due to allergy?
Hi Karen,
That would be okay for you to do:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!