These Loaded Smoked Mashed Potatoes are creamy, cheesy, bacon-packed, and finished off with a touch of smoke that ties everything together. It’s mashed potatoes, amped up and grill ready. If you’re serving steaks, ribs, or a big holiday meal, this dish fits right in.

Loaded Smoked Mashed Potatoes

These mashed potatoes are everything you want in a comfort side dish. Creamy, rich, smokey, and that signature loaded flavor combo. It’s like your favorite baked potato turned into a casserole and cooked over wood fire.

Cooking them on the pellet grill adds something you can’t get from the oven. It’s subtle but distinct and it balances all the richness from the dairy and bacon. This is an easy win if you’re trying to bring a little something extra to the table.

And don’t stress if you’re feeding a crowd. You can double this recipe with zero extra fuss. Just switch to a bigger pan and keep an eye on the top while it’s on the smoker.

Why You’ll Love This Dish

Creamy And Loaded – Everything you want in mashed potatoes, with bacon, cheddar, and ranch seasoning
Easy To Make Ahead – Boil, mash, and assemble ahead of time, then smoke before serving
Pellet Grill Flavor – Adds a subtle smokiness that takes this dish up a notch
Great With Any Protein – From steak to pulled pork, it pairs up with almost everything
Crowd-Friendly – Rich, cheesy, and indulgent, perfect for potlucks and holidays

More Easy Traeger Recipes here!

Recipe Shopping List

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Russet Potatoes – Starchy and fluffy when boiled and mashed; perfect for this dish
Salted Water – Used to boil the potatoes; enhances the flavor from the start
Butter – Softened butter helps create a silky, rich base
Cream Cheese – Softened for easy mixing; adds body and tang
Heavy Cream – Makes the potatoes extra creamy and luxurious
Sour Cream – Adds tang and moisture without making them runny
Salt & Pepper – Essential for seasoning and balance
Cheddar Cheese – Mixed in and melted on top for big cheesy flavor
Dry Ranch Dressing Mix – Optional, but adds a boost of herby, savory flavor
Cooked Bacon – Salty and crisp; adds texture and major taste
Green Onions – Fresh bite to finish the dish and balance the richness

Add our Traeger Bacon!

How To Make This Recipe

Loaded smoked mashed potatoes are easy to make. Just whip up a batch of mashed potatoes like you normally do. Salted water is not optional. Drain them well, and leave the burned on low to cook out a bit of the excess water that doesn’t drain.

Where to cook

The pellet grill makes all the difference with these potatoes. The best part is, it doesn’t even take longer than it would if you made these in the oven. If you don’t have a pellet grill, you can also use a smoker or a gas grill with a smoke tube.

Mash the potatoes

Get your potato masher out and get to squishin’. Whatever you do, DO NOT BRING OUT YOUR HAND MIXER. Hand mixers = gummy or potatoes that resemble the texture of glue, and we’re trying to avoid that at all costs.

Stir in the mixings

Gently fold in the mixings into the potatoes. No need to get crazy here. There could be some streaks of visible cheese and sour cream, and that’s okay.

Grill it

Okay so not really grill it. There are a lot of options here. If you want a heavy smoke flavor, I’d hit it on SMOKE mode (or around 160-200°) for around 15 minutes before cranking it up to 325°. If you just want a TOUCH of smoke, like – you can tell it was cooked next to a campfire, basically, just skip the smoke portion.

“10/10 fully recommend this. It was a huge hit!”
– Casey from Pinterest

Made this for my family along with a Ribeye roast. The potatoes were better than the roast. Love it ! This is one I will add to my favorites. Thank you!
– Timm from Pinterest

Recipe FAQ

Can I Make This Ahead Of Time?

Yes. You can prep the potatoes and load them into the pan up to a day in advance. Just cover and refrigerate. When ready to cook, place directly on the pellet grill and bake as directed. Add 5 to 10 minutes if starting from cold.

Can I Reheat Leftovers?

Absolutely. Cover the dish and reheat in a 325°F oven or on your grill until hot. Microwave works too, but the texture holds up best when reheated gently.

What Potatoes Work Best?

Russet potatoes are ideal because they mash up light and fluffy. Yukon golds will give you a creamier texture with a slightly buttery taste if you prefer that style.

What Pellets Are Best?

I’m really of the semi-unpopular opinion that what pellets you use isn’t really going to have that big of an impact on the end results. Maybe slightly on long smokes? But for quick grilling, especially, it just doesn’t matter enough to really worry about, and definitely doesn’t matter enough to empty a hopper and switch things out.

We usually fill our hoppers with whatever is handy, and call it good. That tends to be one of the following (affiliate links where available):
– Traeger Signature Blend
– Traeger Cherry
– Traeger Hickory
– Traeger Apple

Yield: 6 servings

Loaded Smoked Mashed Potatoes

These loaded smoked mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for whatever meal you want to cook. Especially great served with steaks!

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

Potatoes

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
water + 2 tablespoons salt (to boil potatoes)
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup cream cheese, softened
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix (optional)

Toppings

1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon
1/4 cup chopped green onion

Instructions

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Add to a large saucepan, and cover with water. Boil potatoes until fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes
Drain water from potatoes, place the pot back on the stove over low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes continually stirring to cook the remaining excess water out.
Using a potato mashed, mash the potatoes and add butter, cream cheese, and heavy cream. Mash until your desired consistency is reached.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and fold in sour cream, cheddar cheese, and ranch powder.
Spray a grill-safe dish with cooking spray, and spoon the potatoes into the pan and spread evenly. A 8-9" cast iron pan works great for this. If you double the recipe you'll want to use a 10x13.
Preheat pellet grill to 350° according to factory directions. Place the potatoes onto the grill, and bake for 45 minutes. Cover with foil if the top starts to brown.
Remove from the grill and top with the additional cheese and bacon. Sprinkle the green onions on immediately before serving.

Loaded Smoked Mashed Potatoes