Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes are so easy to make and practically melt in your mouth. Perfect for any holiday party. Try them this Thanksgiving!
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes are the easiest way to make this classic Potato side. Nothing beats the convenience of a recipe you don’t have to hover over, just like with my Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes and Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes, you’ll never cook potatoes the same again!
Why You’ll Love These Potatoes?
- Same smooth and creamy texture made with hands off convenience.
- Easy to make ahead and transport to your holiday party.
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes are a holiday favorite of ours since my husband and I bought our first slow cooker together. In fact, it was the second slow cooker recipe I ever made in it. The best part about the recipe is that it doesn’t need any boiling. It is as easy as dump and cook, then a quick mash with a potato masher or hand mixer, and you have delicious mashed potatoes!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 5 pounds yukon potatoes , peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- parsley , optional for garnish
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, broth, salt, and pepper to a 3-quart slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
- Add in the garlic, butter, and sour cream.
- Mash with a potato masher or hand mixer and garnish with parsley if desired.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
Make sure that you are not adding too much liquid to your crock pot. 1 cup of vegetable broth may not look like a lot and you may be tempted to add more. You want just enough broth so that it creates steam inside of your slow cooker. Trust me, you will still get the same smooth and creamy mashed potatoes you love.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
Making Mashed potatoes in your slow cooker is going to become your go whenever you are craving them. There is no need to babysit the water to make sure it doesn’t boil over. Just simply put the potatoes in, set the timer, and you are free to move about the kitchen. This is also a great way to free up the stove for other things like Green Beans with Bacon for you holiday feast! For more made in advance potatoes, check out Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- 7 Qt. Slow Cooker: The perfect size for this side dish to serve 10-12 people.
- Potato Masher: ½ whisk, ½ potato masher, I love this kitchen tool!
- Immersion Blender or Hand Mixer: Make quick work of the potatoes by swapping your potato masher for something a little but easier.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Whenever I am in charge of the mashed potatoes for a family dinner that I am not hosting, this is my favorite way to make them. I like to make them the day before and store in the fridge overnight. It’s so easy to remove the inner pot of my slow cooker to store and transport to my next location. Then I simply set back into the slow cooker and set on warm to reheat. It’s as simple as that!
Pairing Suggestions
These potatoes go well with so many main courses, some of my favorite being this amazing Perfect, Easy Ribeye Steak or BBQ Pulled Chicken. Pair with more vegetables (it’ll make you feel less guilty about the butter and starch), like Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Rainbow Roasted Vegetables.
How to Store
- Serve: You can keep your potatoes in the slow cooker on warm for up to 4 hours. If you are serving from a bowl, potatoes can be left at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Store: Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigorater for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: To freeze the recipe, store in freezer-safe containers or Ziplocks for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat gently on the stove, adding milk if needed.
Stovetop Method
- Boil your potatoes in water (not vegetable stock).
- Once your potatoes have become tender (about 12-15 minutes), drain the water from the pot.
- Add in the rest of your ingredients.
- Add in 1 cup of heavy cream for a smooth texture.
- Mash your potatoes with a potato masher or hand held mixer.
- Check out the full recipe for Easy Mashed Potatoes.
Frequent Questions
Potatoes are heavier than they look, so account for half a pound of raw potatoes per person/serving when considering how many mashed potatoes you have to make.
As a general rule, bags of red potatoes are sold in 3lb. packages, while russet potatoes are sold in 5 and 10-pound bags. Remember, red potatoes won’t be peeled, so you don’t lose the weight of the potatoes, while russet potatoes will lose at least 5-10% of their weight in preparation.
I have successfully kept slow cooker mashed potatoes warm and covered during events for up to 4 hours before noticing any noticeable drying out.
Related Recipes
More Slow Cooker Sides
These photos were in a previous version of this post:
Thanks, Sabrina. Could I use extra low fat sour cream and skip the butter? Jennifer
It will affect the richness and the creaminess of the final dish but as long as you’re adding similar volumes of sour cream it should work!
Could this be made in a 2 quart slow cooker?
Can I use a 6 quart slow cooker without having to double the recipe?
Yes 🙂
My family loved these mashed potatoes last night! I love the simplicity of throwing everything in a crockpot and not using an extra burner on the stove, especially when its summertime. These were so easy to make and had excellent flavor! I halved the recipe and used chicken broth I had on hand. Also used a tiny bit of almond milk to help with the mashing since I don’t have an immersion blender. So yummy!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Never heard of an insert for ‘browning’! What do they think of next! (MB)
I know, right?! A great way not to miss out on any of the flavor!
Do you think this would fit into a 2 quart crockpot?
It might make the slow cooker overcrowded and not cook evenly. I’ve only tested it using a 3 qt so I’m not sure if it would be ok or not. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
Can you use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth? I want to serve this with chicken.
Sure 🙂
This looks like an amazingly timesaving recipe – we’re having about 25 for Thanksgiving. Would this recipe work well doubled in a 6qt slowcooker?
Yes, this will be perfect! Enjoy!!
I am curious. In your instructions it’s refers to red potatoes and russets, yet, in your recipe you use Yukon potatoes. Do you peel Yukon potatoes or leave them with the skin on?
I peeled the Yukon potatoes. Enjoy!!
Is it possible to add the nutrition information to the recipes?
Updated the recipe card to show them. 🙂
Hi. I just found this wonderful recipe. If all i have is a5 qt crock pot, would i make 1 and 1/2 times the recipe? Thanks.
You definitely can 🙂
I couldn’t get the crock pot mashed potatoes or the 1 hour cinnamon rolls to print. I noticed that both of these recipes had the “print recipe” button in a different place than the Mongolian Beef and the Chipotle barbacoa Beef recipes, which printed with no problems.
Sorry it took me a bit to respond to you but it looks like the issue has been resolved. I just tested both and was able to print with that button. Thank you for letting me know and sorry for the inconvenience.
Do you drain off the broth from potatoes?
No, no need to drain it.
I think my husband needs to make this soon. Mashes potatoes is his mayor specialty so I am sure he will appreciate this easy take on the recipe!
It definitely makes it easier!
I didn’t know this could be so easy!
I love any idea that frees up the stove around holiday time! These look delicious!
Definitely helps! Thank you!!
Mashed potatoes are LIFE! These sound soooo good!
Thank you so much!
This seriously looks unbelievable. I love mashed potatoes, and these are perfect.
They’re so good!! You must try them!!
I just love my slow cooker! It is so handy for things just like this!
Definitely! Why not let it do the work for us, right?!?
I love mashed potatoes and will definitely have to try this!