Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes (Creamy, Dreamy, Effortless!)
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes are easy to prep, hands-off, and great for freeing up stove and oven space…but best of all, despite the minimal effort, they turn out creamy, flavorful, and delicious!
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If you enjoy easy slow cooker side dishes, you'll also love Crock Pot Sweet Potato Casserole, Slow Cooker Honey Cinnamon Carrots, and Slow Cooker Charro Beans!
Who doesn’t love mashed potatoes? They’re a timeless classic, beloved for their comforting flavor and texture as much as their versatility.
But if you’ve ever juggled multiple dishes on the stovetop or had your mashed potatoes go cold before everything else was ready, you’ll appreciate the simplicity and timing flexibility that a slow cooker provides when putting together a meal…particularly on busy holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas! In other words, this easy, amazing recipe for Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes is going to become your holiday cooking superhero!
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this scrumptious Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe:
- Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes. Peeled and cut into uniform, 1-inch chunks. Gold/yellow potatoes are my favorite to use in mashed potatoes for their creamy and buttery texture, but red potatoes or russet potatoes will work in this recipe as well. Just keep in mind that russets are more likely to change color during the multiple hours of cooking time, which may be reason enough to avoid them for this recipe.
- Garlic. Whole garlic cloves cook and then get mashed right along with the potatoes, but giving them a smash beforehand helps them break down more readily during the mashing step. I love the flavor of garlic in mashed potatoes, but feel free to omit it if you prefer your Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes to be pure and unadulterated.
- Water. Enough to completely cover the potatoes. Many Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes recipes direct you to slow cook the potatoes in a small amount of broth (instead of covering them with water). However, in my recipe testing, I found that when potatoes weren't completely submerged in liquid in the slow cooker, the exposed-to-air portions turned an unappetizing color during cooking. Furthermore, those potato edges that were touching the sides of the crock pot (without a buffer of liquid) stuck, hardened, and turned gummy, resulting in lumpy mashed potatoes. Therefore, I recommend slow cooking potatoes completely submerged in water...although you could add a big scoop of Organic Chicken Better Than Bouillon to your water if you prefer a brothy undertone of flavor in your mashed potatoes. 😉
- Salt. Adding salt to the cooking water allows your potato chunks to become seasoned from the inside out. And then, of course, you’ll need to add more salt, to taste, while mashing your potatoes.
- Whole milk. To give the mashed potatoes rich flavor and a creamy consistency. You may swap for reduced-fat milk or an unsweetened plant based milk (such as almond milk), if you wish. Or to make your mashed potatoes even more decadent, you can substitute half-and-half for the whole milk.
- Butter. Cubed for easy melting. Either salted or unsalted butter will work.
- Sour cream. Optional but recommended. Some people like to substitute plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, but if you do so, be sure to use full-fat or 2% yogurt (not fat-free).
- Freshly ground black pepper. To taste.
How to Make Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
- Prep the potatoes. Place the cubed potatoes and smashed garlic cloves in a large (6- to 7-quart) slow cooker. Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of salt and pour in enough water to cover the potatoes. Give a quick stir to help dissolve the salt.
- Cook the potatoes. Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 3 to 4 hours, or until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes.
- Warm the milk + butter. Just before draining the potatoes, heat the milk and butter together on the stovetop (or in the microwave) until the butter melts and the mixture is warm.
- Mash and season. Return the potatoes to the slow cooker, pour in the warm milk/butter mixture, and add the sour cream. Mash with a potato masher until smooth, or leave them chunkier if that’s your preference. Gradually season with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper, tasting as you go.
- Keep warm. Set the slow cooker to WARM. This will keep the mashed potatoes at the perfect serving temperature for up to 3 hours. Stir occasionally and add a bit more milk if they start to thicken.
- Serve. Serve hot and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers + Reheating
Mashed potato leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
To reheat mashed potatoes, transfer to a pot set on the stove over medium-low heat and stir in a splash of milk. Stir regularly and add more milk (if needed) until hot and creamy.
Alternatively, transfer your Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes to a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in a splash of milk, cover, and microwave at 50% power for 1 minute; stir again. Continue heating at 50% power in 1-minute increments, stirring in between and adding milk as necessary, until hot.
The safe temperature for reheated mashed potatoes is 165°F.
Customizations
The beautiful thing about Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes — or any mashed potatoes, really — is that they are completely customizable to your personal taste!
Some optional additions that you might choose to incorporate:
- 4 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature).
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- 1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives, dill, thyme, basil, or whatever you like).
Also, if you’re going for heartier, more rustic mashed potatoes, simply leave the skins on the potatoes before slow cooking!
Tips, Tricks, & Special Equipment
- Adjusting the seasoning. It’s essential to taste your Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes as you mash them. The initial tablespoon of salt in the water helps to flavor the potatoes during cooking. However, you’ll need to add more salt while mashing. I typically start with 1 teaspoon salt and add small increments until my mashed potatoes taste just right. Remember, your mashed potatoes won’t pop until you add enough salt!
- Beware of over-mashing. Potatoes can turn gluey if overworked. Stick with a hand masher for the best results. If you use an electric hand mixer, go easy…but I do not recommend using an electric stand mixer.
- Consistency control. If you prefer extra creamy mashed potatoes, add extra milk while mashing.
Make-Ahead Tips
The beauty of these Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes is that you can finish the entire recipe up to three hours before dinnertime! Simply turn the slow cooker to WARM, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of milk if your potatoes begin turning too thick.
However, one step that you could complete the day before (to save a bit of time on your big cooking day) is to peel the potatoes in advance. Leave the peeled potatoes whole, place them in a bowl, cover completely with cold water, cover, and refrigerate for no longer than 24 hours. Then on the day of your dinner, drain the water, cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
I don’t really recommend making this Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe days ahead of time and then trying to reheat the mashed potatoes directly in the slow cooker on the day of your big meal. It simply takes too long and requires a lot of effort to get the mashed potatoes to reheat evenly! Plus, for food safety purposes, the mashed potatoes may not reach a safe temperature quickly enough.
So for a mashed potato recipe that you can completely prep and finish (aside from baking) up to three days ahead of time, you might want to check out these Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes instead. 🙂
Whether you’re planning a holiday feast or a cozy family dinner, Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes will simplify your meal prep and delight everyone at the table!
After all, no Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter plate would be complete without a creamy, fluffy, perfectly-seasoned dollop of mashed potatoes!
And even better if those mashed potatoes practically made themselves... 😉
More Holiday Side Dishes
- Cream Cheese Corn Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
- Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole
- Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
- Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes (Creamy, Dreamy, Effortless!)
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold OR yellow potatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon salt, heaping
- Water
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, plus additional as needed
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cubed
- ½ cup sour cream
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the cubed potatoes and cloves of garlic to a large (6- to 7-quart) slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and add enough water to completely cover the potatoes, stirring to help dissolve the salt.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or until the potatoes are very tender (but not crumbly) when stabbed with a fork. Drain.
- When the potatoes are finished cooking, heat together the milk and the butter (in a small pot on the stove or in a large glass measuring cup in the microwave) until warm and melted.
- Pour the warm milk/butter mixture into the slow cooker, add the sour cream, and mash with a potato masher until smooth and creamy (or you can leave the potatoes chunkier if that’s your preference). Mix in salt and pepper, to taste, making sure to add enough. If creamier mashed potatoes are desired, mash in additional splashes of milk.
- Set the slow cooker to WARM until ready to serve (for up to 3 hours), stirring occasionally and adding more milk if the mashed potatoes start to thicken too much.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- I prefer using Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes for mashed potatoes because of their creamy texture. Red potatoes or russet potatoes will also work, but keep in mind that russets are more likely to change color in this recipe.
- Leave your potatoes unpeeled for rustic mashed potatoes.
- The garlic cloves will soften during the cooking process and will blend right into the potatoes when mashing. Giving them a smash before cooking just helps break them down.
- It's important to make sure your mashed potatoes are well-seasoned. The potato chunks will be somewhat salty after slow cooking, but you'll need to add additional salt to taste as you're mashing. Add salt gradually and taste frequently...you can always add more salt but it's impossible to take it away! Typically, I stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and then add an additional ¼ teaspoon at a time until I think the mashed potatoes are adequately seasoned. I usually end up adding around 2 teaspoons total salt when making 4 pounds of mashed potatoes. And of course, don't skimp on the freshly ground black pepper!
- The potato cubes are less likely to change colors during a quicker cooking time in the slow cooker, which is why I recommend cooking on HIGH. If you wish to cook them on LOW, they’ll probably take 7 to 8 hours and they may discolor a bit.
- Potatoes can turn gluey from overmashing, so I recommend mashing by hand. If you opt to use an electric hand mixer, be careful not to overmix. I do not recommend using an electric stand mixer.
- This recipe is very customizable. The garlic and sour cream are optional but recommended. Plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%, not fat-free) may be substituted for the sour cream. You may halve the amount of butter, if you wish.
- Whole milk will yield the richest mashed potatoes, but you can use reduced-fat or skim milk or even an unsweetened plant-based milk (such as almond milk). Alternatively, using half-and-half instead of milk will make your mashed potatoes even richer.
- Optional additions: 4 ounces cubed cream cheese (at room temperature), ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar, 1 to 2 Tablespoons minced fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives, dill, thyme, basil, or whatever you like).
- Mashed potatoes will thicken as they sit, so stir in more milk as needed to loosen them back up. This applies to reheating leftovers as well.
