Crockpot Mashed Potatoes are an easy, hands-off way to enjoy creamy, velvety mashed potatoes. Seasoned with garlic and parmesan, these slow cooker mashed potatoes are not only the easiest way to prepare mashed potatoes but also one of the tastiest!
No holiday meal is complete without mashed potatoes, especially Thanksgiving Dinner.
But my stovetop potato recipe can be a pain to make on the holidays. Everyone is rushing this way and that. The turkey needs to be carved, the homemade rolls need to be toasted, the stuffing needs pulled out of the oven, AND the potatoes need to be drained and mashed. It can feel a bit overwhelming.
But because this recipe is hands-off and can be kept warm for hours in the slow cooker, it's perfect for busy holidays or entertaining or to prep before heading off to a weeknight soccer game.
Reasons to Love Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Hands-off recipe. You do not have to boil your potatoes or watch closely to ensure they don't overcook. There is no draining either! That makes making mashed potatoes in your slow cooker an incredibly easy, hands-off approach.
- Can be prepared in advance. Once mashed, you can keep these potatoes on warm for up to 4 hours without drying out.
- Super Creamy. You don't need to worry about dried-out, lumpy, or gummy mashed potatoes with this recipe! With my tips, you can make the creamiest, fluffy, buttery crockpot mashed mashed potatoes with minimal effort!
- More flavorful. With just a few simple ingredients, potatoes are cooked up to tender perfection, while absorbing a rich buttery broth while cooking. Finished with garlic and Parmesan, these slow cooker mashed potatoes are so flavorful they may steal the show!
- Perfect for the holidays. Reserve precious stovetop space to prepare other sides like Cranberry Orange Sauce, Green Beans Almondine, or Stovetop Mac and Cheese.
Notes on Ingredients
- Potatoes: For the best results, use Yukon Gold potatoes. They not only have a creamy, buttery texture, but they do not release as much starch when cooked in the crockpot, making the final result absolute perfection.
- Broth: The potatoes absorb the flavor of the cooking liquid, so you want to use low-sodium store-bought or homemade vegetable broth, homemade chicken stock, or Instant Pot chicken stock, instead of water to cook the potatoes.
- Cream/Milk: Use half and half, cream, or milk of any fat percentage for a creamy finish to these slow cooker mashed potatoes.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan cheese adds a nutty, salty finish to these crock-pot mashed potatoes, but feel free to omit them for a more classic flavor.
- Garlic: I like to add fresh garlic cloves to the slow cooker to slowly cook and add flavor, but if you are not a fan of garlic, simply omit the garlic cloves. You can also use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder in place of the garlic cloves.
- Salt: Salt is a MUST for potatoes to be flavorful. The amount needed will depend on how salty the stock you use is and whether or not you add Parmesan cheese. Start with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and add more to taste after mashing potatoes.
Recipe Modifications
- Flavoring: You can keep the flavor of these crock pot mashed potatoes basic by omitting the leaving out parmesan and garlic. Or you can take these mashed potatoes over the top and make Loaded Mashed Potatoes by omitting the parmesan and garlic and stirring in shredded cheddar cheese, cooked crumbled bacon, and chives after cooking and mashing the potatoes with cream.
- Dairy-Free Option: If you would like to enjoy this recipe but are dairy-free, use additional broth in place of the cream, use non-dairy butter, and omit the parmesan. To replace the sour cream, you can use non-dairy sour cream, non-dairy plain yogurt, or simply use additional broth to loosen up the consistency a bit.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Crockpot
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. This will ensure your potatoes cook evenly and that your slow cooker mashed potatoes will be smooth and creamy.
- Slow Cook Potatoes. Add potatoes, broth, salt, garlic, and butter to the base of your slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours, or until potatoes are fork tender and mash easily.
- Mash Potatoes. After slow cooking, use a handheld potato masher, not a mixer, which can make the potatoes gummy, to mash the potatoes into the cooking liquid until smooth.
- Add Warm Cream. Warm the cream slightly in the microwave, before adding it to the slow cooker. This helps keep the potatoes from seizing up, which can happen if you add cold cream. Stir in the sour cream and parmesan if using.
- Keep Warm. Unless you are planning to serve the potatoes immediately, set the slow cooker to the warm setting, for up to 4 hours.
Storing Leftover Mashed Potatoes
Refrigerate: Leftover cooled mashed potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the potatoes in a heat-safe bowl with a bit of broth or milk, covered with a damp paper towel, in 60-second intervals until warmed through.
Freeze: Once fully cooled, transfer the potatoes to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost the potatoes in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat over low heat in a slow cooker or in an oven-safe dish at 300 degrees F until warmed through.
Creative Leftover Recipes: You can also use leftover mashed potatoes to make recipes like Potato Cakes, Pierogi Lasagna, or Thanksgiving Egg Rolls. Absolutely delicious!
Serving Suggestions
Crockpot mashed potatoes are the obvious choice for holiday meals alongside Pineapple Glazed Ham, a New York Strip Roast, or Roasted Turkey, as they make pulling off a big meal easy. But don't just reserve these potatoes for the holidays, they deserve to be enjoyed with weeknight or Sunday dinners.
- Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
- Homemade Rotisserie Chicken
- Ribeye Steak
- Chopped Steaks with Mushroom Gravy
- Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
- Easy Homemade Beef Stroganoff
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Make your meals easier with this recipe for slow-cooker mashed potatoes. And be sure to leave a review if you give this recipe a try! I love to hear your comments!
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken stock
- ½-1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½-1 cup warm milk or half and half or cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese optional
Instructions
- Place peeled, cubed potatoes and 3 peeled garlic cloves in the slow cooker. Add in 1 cup of broth, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons butter and stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours, or until potatoes are fork tender and mash easily. Do not drain off the cooking liquid.
- Once the potatoes are tender, mash the potatoes with a hand-held potato masher until they are broken down.
- Add in ½ cup of the warm milk and parmesan and stir to combine. Stir in the ½ cup of sour cream. If needed, add up to an additional ½ cup milk until the mashed potatoes reach the right consistency. Give a taste and add in additional salt if needed.
- Serve immediately or keep on warm for up to 4 hours until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe for Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2022 and 2024 with new photos and a new video.
Vivian H
SO easy to make! And all 3 kids loved them, thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Love hearing this, Vivian!
LR
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes was so convenient. Thanks Kristen for this easy and wonderful recipe. We'll surely have this again. YUM!
Kristen Chidsey
I agree! These mashed potatoes are so convenient and creamy 🙂
Dana
What size crockpot do I use for the mashed potatoes recipe?
Kristen Chidsey
This is for a standard 6-quart slow cooker.
Kim
I am always looking for ways to save time and space for holiday dinners. This mashed potato recipe will be perfect! It has all my favorite ingredients!
Kristen Chidsey
These are a huge time-saver Kim!
Michelle
These are perfect! Made them this weekend and paired with some fried chicken. Everybody loved them. Will add these to my list for Thanksgiving side dishes!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed Michelle! Perfect side dish for fried chicken.
Vickie
Could these be made non-dairy? Is there something besides milk that could be added to keep them smooth and creamy tasting?
I'm thinking possibly some Hellmans' Mayo whisked into some water or more chicken broth as a substitute for the cream? Possibly adding some melted non-dairy butter to the mixture too.
I make a 'white sauce' using non-dairy margarine, flour and chicken broth. I whisk in about 1/2-1 TBS Hellman's mayonnaise to keep it creamy and give the white sauce some depth of flavor and texture.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Vickie! My mom and sister is dairy free. We actually are making our potatoes with vegetable stock and melted non-dairy butter--and they are absolutely delicious! You can certainly use your white sauce, but I think that may give a bit of a taste of mayo in your potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Lynne Champion
Sounds wonderful.
How many servings does this recipe make?
Kristen Chidsey
This is for about 10 servings. I plan on 1/2 pound of potatoes per person for mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Jillian
These were so good and SO easy to make!
Kristen Chidsey
YAY!!! I am so happy to hear that Jillian!
Taryn
These are so great when entertaining! Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
They sure make my life easier, happy to hear they do yours as well 🙂
Kim Nelson
Using 2 cups of chicken stock do you drain after potatoes are cooked just like you do when you cook them on the stovetop? Just didnt see it in your recipe and wanted to be sure I had it down before I tried it! Thanks!
Kim
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Kim, NO you leave the chicken stock in with the potatoes and mash up, adding cream if needed. I will be sure that is clear.
olivia @ livforcake
Is there anything better than creamy, delicious, mashed potatoes?? I think not. I would be completely happy diving into a bowl full of these right now! Love how easy they are to make too.
Kristen Chidsey
Nothing is better than a creamy bowl of potatoes is right!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic
I am SO doing this for the holidays. I also toss at garlic clove in with the potatoes as they cook because it adds so much flavor. My extended family are fiends for mashed potatoes. I know that they'll love the parmesan in this recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I bet they will Kirsten!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan
How BRILLIANT are these mashed potatoes in a slow cooker!!! And with fresh garlic and parmesan to boot! Nothing but love for these!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks my friend. I like being called brillliant 😉
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes
What a useful innovation. I have quite an ambitious menu this year, so this technique would be such a help!
Kristen Chidsey
Katie, these certainly will let you focus on the other more complicated dishes!
Marye
Oh my goodness, these look so creamy and delicious!
Kristen Chidsey
That they are Marye!!
Taylor Kiser
These potatoes look so delicious! So easy to make in the slow cooker which helps free up space on the stove. Gotta love that too!
Kristen Chidsey
Exactly Taylor!!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction
These potatoes look perfect! Love the parmesan garlic flavors!
Kristen Chidsey
Parmesan and garlic just make everything taste better!