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This easy Crockpot mashed potatoes recipe is creamy, dreamy, and buttery! They’re no-boil and no-drain, which means holiday entertaining and weeknight dinners are that much less stressful.
Try my Easy Stovetop Mashed Potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for other cooking methods.
Why you’ll love them
These slow cooker mashed potatoes are creamy, buttery, thick, restaurant-style mashed potatoes. I would not describe them as light and airy, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! They’re destined to be the star of your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast and are equally fabulous for potlucks or any old dinner, honestly.
It’s worth it to cook mashed potatoes in the Crockpot since it frees up valuable stovetop space when you’re cooking a big meal or need an easy side dish. They’re also super simple to make since they’re no-boil and no-drain mashed potatoes. Your slow cooker does most of the work, and you mash them right in it without any hassle!
What you’ll need
- Potatoes – the classic varieties for mashing are either Yukon Gold or Russets. They’re starchy, meaning you’ll get the correct texture and they won’t end up gummy.
- Chicken broth – it adds another savory dimension and is a great way to keep in the moisture, especially if you’re not serving them for a few hours. Use vegetable broth if you need these to be vegetarian.
- Salt – it’s important to be generous to bring out all the flavors
- Heavy cream – for that indulgent richness
- Butter – mashed potatoes is one place where butter is a must!
- Garlic – mincing garlic cloves with a garlic press makes it way easier since it’s fast and you avoid sticky fingers. You could leave it out if you’re not a garlic fan, though.
Can I use an electric mixer?
- I wouldn’t recommend it. Using a good old-fashioned handheld wire masher ensures you won’t overwork the potatoes. Nobody likes gluey mashed potatoes, so I make sure I can control the consistency and texture! Plus you don’t have to clean up more appliances.
How to make slow cooker mashed potatoes
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- To your Crockpot, add the broth and salt. Set the temperature to high. Meanwhile, clean and chop the potatoes, then place in the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook on high for 3 to 3.5 hours until soft. Our kitchen hasn’t tested, but 6 to 8 hours on low should work fine, stirring a few times for even cooking. When they’re about ready, add the cream, butter, and garlic to a small saucepan and heat until warmed through.
- Slowly pour it into the Crockpot while mashing the potatoes, taking care to not overwork them. There’s no need to drain any excess broth. Season with extra salt if needed. Set it to “keep warm” until ready to serve!
Substitutions and variations
- You can use red potatoes if that’s all you can find, but be extra careful to not to over-mash them since they’re a waxy potato and generally not the best for this.
- If you want to substitute the cream with half-and-half or milk, you can, but mashed potatoes are the place to go all-out, and real cream can’t be beat. The taste and texture just won’t be as rich with a lower fat alternative. I wouldn’t recommend skimping on the butter either.
- Feel free to peel the potatoes if you prefer. I often like leaving the skins on for a more rustic texture and variation. Just make sure to scrub them well if you go that route.
What to serve with Crockpot mashed potatoes
- You can garnish with fresh chopped scallions, chives, or parsley if desired along with an extra pat of butter. Freshly grated parmesan? Why not!
- For an easy complete meal, pair them with Smothered Chicken or Creamy Bacon Pork Chops and a veggie like Easy Roasted Green Beans.
- If it’s a holiday side dish, you’ll want to check out my Christmas and Thanksgiving recipe collection for favorites like Jiffy Corn Casserole and the Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
Leftovers and storage
- If you plan on eating these mashed potatoes the same day, I recommend keeping them in your slow cooker on the “keep warm” setting. Just give them a stir prior to serving, and you’ll be good to go.
- For the next day or even the day after that, you can either reheat them in the Crockpot or in a covered pot on the stove over fairly low heat. Once they’re warm, I re-mash them and add a bit more butter and cream to bring them back to their former glory.
- I don’t recommend freezing mashed potatoes.
I hope you’ll love these easy slow cooker mashed potatoes! Questions? Ask me in the comments below, or leave me a review if you made ’em. You can also find me on Instagram.
Make Ahead Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Add the broth and salt to your slow cooker. Turn the heat on high.
- Prep your potatoes. I don't peel them, but you can if you wish. I cut them into roughly 1" pieces. Add them to your Crockpot.
- Give the potatoes a stir. Cover and cook for 3-3.5 hours or until the potatoes are nice and tender.
- When the potatoes are close to being done, add the cream, butter, and garlic to a small saucepan. Warm it through over medium heat until the butter is melted and the garlic infuses the mixture.
- Mash the potatoes right in the Crockpot (don't drain the broth). Gradually pour in the cream mixture as you go along. Be careful not to overwork the potatoes so they don't end up gluey. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed. If you're making these ahead, use the "keep warm" setting and give them a stir prior to serving.
Notes
- Serves 8-10 depending on how much people eat.
- I recommend using either Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes.
- See the blog post for more tips/tricks/recipe notes.
- This is the 7-quart Crockpot I used to make these potatoes. It was fairly full, so I wouldn’t go smaller than a 6-quart.
- Want to make these in your Instant Pot? Here’s the recipe.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So if the recipe only calls for 1 cup of broth and no water, do the potatoes not need to be covered li liquid for this recipe to work? Just want to clarify before I make an utter mess 😂
Don’t worry – they don’t need to be covered. 😀
I was in a hurry trying to get these in the crockpot and accidentally added the heavy cream in with the chicken broth and added the potatoes. I assume this will ruin the outcome? Should I throw it away and start over?
Hi! Sorry – I just saw this message. I haven’t ever done that, so I can’t say for sure if they’d be ruined, but yeah, it is possible. Let me know if you see this and what you did.
Very Good!!
I made these tonight for dinner. I started them at 2:30 and they did take the 3 1/2 hours to cook.
I have to say they were pretty good!!
I was skeptical with the chicken broth, and even though it did change the taste of the common mashed potatoes
I would do it again. I recommend giving this a shot!! 😋 the only reason I didn’t give it a 5 star was because of the flavor for a traditional taste
I’m glad you liked the recipe, Tracy!
Made these for Thanksgiving. Probably never a good idea to try a new recipe when feeding a crowd but I did.
These were a game changer for me. Came out perfect. Thanks for sharing. Will never make them the old way again.
That’s wonderful to hear, Maureen!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review. 🙂
SO simple and easy. Such a helpful recipe when the oven and stove are full during the holidays. Definitely going to be a new holiday staple. Would love to try different flavor variations in the future!
That’s wonderful to hear, Kayla! Thanks so much for giving it a try. 🙂
Hi! If you’re making this the day before, should they go in the fridge? Thank you!
Yes. I would refrigerate as the cream could spoil. Happy Thanksgiving!!
I just made them and was now going to put in the fridge. How would you reheat them? I was thinking of bringing them to room temp and then put back in crock pot on warm??? Any other suggestions?
PS they are delicious!!!
Hi Lynn! See the “Storage and Leftovers” section of the blog post. Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy!! 🙂
So glad this recipe “popped up” on my Instagram! My husband, who always helps with Thanksgiving dinner, had hand surgery last week. Of course he still wanted to help – he always does the turkey and mashes potatoes. Now when a crock pot recipe for mashed potatoes appears from above AND no peeling is involved, HELLO!
Loved how easy this recipe was! Not a single store in our area had heavy cream – WHAT? So stuck with whole milk and did add the chopped garlic. Potatoes were DELICIOUS and just that little bit of garlic smelled amazing! This is how I will always make mashed potatoes for the holidays AND one less pot on the stove, as you mentioned, loved that too! Thank you so much! Now I’m on to check out other recipes of yours!
I’m so glad it worked out, Julie!! 🙂 Let me know if you make anything else! Hope your husband is on the mend. XO
I just made these – tripled the recipe and cooked in 2 large crockpots! We’re having our Christmas dinner tomorrow, 23 people, and I wanted a make-ahead mashed potato recipe, but without sour cream or cream cheese, which is what most of them call for. My adult daughter is here and I pretty much had to threaten her life to get her to stop eating these! 😉 They are creamy and flavorful and look so appetizing. Thanks, I’m sure they’ll be a huge hit tomorrow.
Oh wow… that is a lot of mashed potatoes haha! I am glad your daughter likes them so far. 🙂 Happy holidays!!
This recipe is a keeper! I’ve tried a few slow cooker mashed potato recipes because I’m always looking for easy side dishes that don’t use the oven. In the past I’ve had issues with the potatoes being too dry or having an odd texture/consistency. But yet I persisted to look for the “perfect” recipe because it’s not a holiday without mashed potatoes. My search is finally over… The potatoes came out very creamy and full of flavor, and I still can’t believe how easy they were to make! I know I’ll be making this recipe for years to come!
Oh wow this comment made my day! Thank you so much for letting me know. I’m so happy you found this recipe! 🙂
This was delicious! Creamy and flavorful and so so easy. I made this for just my partner and I so was a lot of food- next time I’ll probably quarter the recipe. Can’t wait to make it again!
I am very happy to hear you enjoyed it, Kaitlyn! Yup, it definitely makes a lot haha. My husband had leftovers for a while. Thanks so much for leaving me a review! 🙂