Plan ahead and avoid overwhelm by making Crock pot Mashed Potatoes! Whether you’re making the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, or as an everyday side dish, prepping them early and letting the crock pot keep them warm is a pro level cooking trick.
Thanksgiving requires a big bowl of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes, but who has time to be mashing potatoes at the same time that they are making the gravy, toasting the dinner rolls, and slicing up the turkey? Not me! I’ll make my mashed potatoes early in the day using my trusty slow cooker, and keep them warm while I work my magic on the more complicated dishes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It’s Simple. We’ll cook the potatoes in the slow cooker rather than boiling them on the stove. Then we’ll mash them up and leave them there until dinner time. Easy-peasy!
- Extra Creamy. Mash your slow cooker potatoes with heavy cream and butter and they’ll be creamy and amazing every time.
- Saves a Burner. Do you know the feeling, when you’re making a big meal, and you are using all four stove burners but you need to make the green beans? That won’t happen this year, because the potatoes will be in the crock pot. Find more great Crockpot recipes here.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes are my choice for the best mashed potatoes. Wash and peel the potatoes, and cut them into 1 inch cubes.
- Water or Chicken Stock: You need liquid in the slow cooker to cook the potatoes. Stick with water, or for extra flavor, use chicken stock.
- Salt and Pepper: Potatoes need seasoning! We’ll add this in the beginning rather than waiting until the end so that the potatoes can absorb the salt.
- Butter and Heavy Cream: To turn boiled potatoes into the creamiest ever mashed potatoes, add cream and butter and whip them up.
- Optional Seasonings: Add garlic powder and onion powder, to taste.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Crock Pot
- Fill the Slow Cooker: Place potato chunks and water or chicken stock into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6 hours. The potatoes are ready when they are fork tender. Be careful not to overcook them, they can burn if you keep them on too long.
- Mash: Mash the potatoes until smooth, using a hand masher or a potato ricer. Stir in butter and cream. Taste the mashed potatoes and adjust seasonings to your preference. If necessary, stir in a bit more milk.
What to Serve with Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving Dinner! I have tons of holiday recipes here to help you plan the best Thanksgiving Feast ever.
Start with my Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving Turkey. From there, start planning your side dishes. After the Mashed Potatoes, Sausage Stuffing and Green Bean Casserole are my favorites.
Don’t forget dessert. Pumpkin Layer Cake, Pecan Pie, and Oatmeal Pie are classic crowd pleasers. Kids will love these cute Turkey Cupcakes too!
FAQs
This recipe will fit in a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker. If you have an extra large slow cooker, like an 8 or 10 quart one, then by all means, double the crock pot mashed potato recipe. You can also cook two batches in two separate crock pots to feed a larger crowd.
While I’m sure there are many people who have success with this method, I don’t recommend using an electric mixer for mashed potatoes. The speed and heat of the mixer is too much, and can turn your potatoes gummy. Mashing by hand, or using a potato ricer will give a much nicer texture.
Yes, this recipe will work with white potatoes too.
More Delicious Sides To Try
All Sides ➜
Enjoy this new trick for getting the mashed potatoes off of your stove and out of your mind while you focus on the rest of the big meal!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- 4 or 5 qt slow cooker
Ingredients
- 4 pounds (1.8kg) Yukon Gold potatoes or Maris Piper in the UK, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¾ cup (180ml) water or chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup (60g) salted butter softened
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream at room temperature
Optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Place potato chunks, water or chicken stock in the slow cooker.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6 hours. The potatoes are ready when they’re fork tender, if you keep them for too long they can get burnt and have a waxy texture so keep an eye on them.
- Mash the potatoes until smooth, use a hand masher or a potato ricer. Stir in butter, cream. Taste the mashed potatoes, and adjust seasonings to your preference. If needed, stir in a little bit of milk.
- Keep warm in the slow cooker until you’re ready to serve.
Notes:
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Leave a Review!