Crockpot mashed potatoes are the easiest way I know to get creamy, buttery mashed potatoes on the table without boiling a single pot of water. Russet potatoes cook in whole milk, with a little garlic if you like, and then get mashed with warm butter and cream right in the slow cooker. It’s about 10 minutes of prep with nothing to drain, and the WARM setting holds them for up to 4 hours. That makes these slow cooker mashed potatoes a real help on Thanksgiving and other holidays, when the stovetop is already full.
With such a big family, all of my adult kids like to sign up and bring their favorite part of the meal. A few years ago at Thanksgiving, my daughter-in-law came with mashed potatoes made in the crock pot, and we couldn’t get over how good they were. She already had them made at home and just put them on WARM when she got here. The best part was, since they’re already made, she didn’t need to use the stove for anything, which freed up an extra space for other items that we were cooking.
Main Ingredients Needed For Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Russet Potatoes: Russets are my main potato for this recipe. They mash easily and have a fluffy texture. Pick large, firm potatoes. Yukon Golds work too, and I enjoy them when I want a little more creamy texture.
- Garlic: This one is optional, but it mellows as it cooks with the potatoes and gives them a gentle garlic flavor. Use fresh cloves and mince them yourself, or leave the garlic out if your crowd likes their mashed potatoes plain.
- Whole Milk: The potatoes cook right in the milk, and that’s the whole reason there’s no boiling and no draining. I use whole milk so they soak up as much richness as possible while they cook.
- Heavy Cream: The cream gets warmed with the butter and poured in while you mash, which is what makes these so creamy. If you want a lighter, more potato-forward taste, half-and-half can replace the heavy cream with the same amount and timing.
- Butter: I like salted butter for a little extra flavor, but unsalted works too.
How To Make Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Here’s how I make this crock pot mashed potatoes recipe, with photos so you can see what each stage should look like.
Tip: I have made these on LOW, but I’ve found they get a little more starchy cooking that long. I stick with HIGH.
Tip: This recipe makes about 10 servings. When I’m doubling it, I find it’s better to use two crock pots to get even cooking for the potatoes.
Mix-Ins and Swaps for Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Once the potatoes are mashed, sometimes I stir in a few extras, and our favorite is sour cream and chives. Here are the ones I use:
- About a cup of sour cream
- A block of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- A sprinkle of chives
- A half cup of Parmesan or a half cup of cheddar
- Fresh herbs
- A few tablespoons of chopped roasted garlic
- Dairy-free: We have a few kids with dairy issues, so we make a separate crock pot with almond milk or another plant-based milk in place of both the milk and the heavy cream, in the same amounts, plus a plant-based butter. Keep it as its own batch, and don’t use the half-and-half swap with it. It gives them an option to feel like they’re getting the same side dish as everyone else.
Make Ahead Tips for Creamy Crockpot Potatoes
You can peel and chop the potatoes the day before. The key is to keep them completely submerged in water so they don’t turn brown. Keep them in the refrigerator, then drain off the water when you’re ready to cook them the next day.
If you’re bringing these to someone else’s house, do what my daughter-in-law did. Make them at home, carry the whole crock over, and put it on WARM when you get there. The stove stays free for everything else.
Once they’re done, these creamy crockpot potatoes hold, covered, on the WARM setting for up to 4 hours. If they sit out a long time and start to dry out, stir in a splash of warm milk. Use warm, not cold. When you use cold milk, the potatoes tend to get stiff and starchy.
Kitchen Essentials I Use In This Recipe
Here are a few of my favorite crockpot tools, including the 6-quart slow cooker I make these mashed potatoes in.
My Favorite Slow Cooker Tools
Questions When Making Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
No, you don’t need to boil them first. The raw, cubed potatoes go straight into the slow cooker with the milk, salt, and pepper and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until they fall apart when you pierce them with a fork. That’s why there’s no pot of water to boil and nothing to drain.
Whole milk is what I use, because the potatoes cook in it and soak up that richness the whole time. Warm butter and heavy cream go in at the end while you mash. For a lighter taste, half-and-half can replace the cream, and for a dairy-free batch, a plant-based milk replaces both the milk and the cream in the same amounts.
Start them about 4 to 5 hours before you plan to eat. Once they’re mashed, switch the slow cooker to WARM and keep them covered, and they’ll hold for up to 4 hours. That gives you plenty of wiggle room if dinner runs late or you’re carrying them to someone else’s house.
Overmixing is the big one, because beating them too long makes them gluey. I start with a masher and only switch to a hand mixer if I want them extra smooth. The other mistake is stirring in cold milk, which makes them stiff and starchy, so always warm your dairy first.
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- Cooking spray, for greasing the slow cooker
- 5 pounds russet potatoes
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 tablespoons butter, 1 stick
Instructions
Prepare the Slow Cooker and Potatoes
- Lightly grease the sides of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray.Cooking spray
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into even 1-inch cubes.5 pounds russet potatoes
- Add potatoes to the slow cooker.
Add Garlic and Seasoning
- Peel and mince the cloves of garlic.3 to 4 cloves garlic
- Add them to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Add Dairy and Cook
- Pour in milk and stir gently.2 ½ cups whole milk
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or until the potatoes are very soft and fall apart when a fork is inserted.
Melt Butter and Warm Dairy
- When the potatoes are done, turn the slow cooker to WARM.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add heavy cream and heat until warm but not boiling.8 tablespoons butter, 1 cup heavy cream
Mash the Potatoes
- First, discard any browned bits of potatoes from the slow cooker sides.
- Slowly pour the warm butter and cream mixture into the potatoes, stirring gently as you go. At first, the mixture may seem too loose, but don't worry, the potatoes will quickly absorb the liquid and become creamy.
- Use a potato masher or an electric hand mixer directly in the slow cooker to blend everything together. Take care not to overmix, overbeating releases too much starch, which can make the potatoes gluey. Mash just until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy with no large lumps.
Taste, Season and Serve
- Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- To hold for serving, keep covered on the WARM setting on your crock pot for up to 4 hours.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Potatoes: Russets mash easily and have a fluffy texture. Yukon Golds work too and give a little more creamy texture.
- Cook on HIGH: I have made these on LOW, but they get a little more starchy cooking that long, so I stick with HIGH.
- Doubling: When doubling this recipe, use two crock pots instead of one to get even cooking for the potatoes.
- Lighter Option: Half-and-half can replace the heavy cream for a lighter, more potato-forward taste. Use the same amount and timing.
- Dairy-Free: Make a separate batch using almond milk or another plant-based milk in place of both the whole milk and the heavy cream, in the same amounts, plus a plant-based butter. Don’t combine this with the half-and-half swap.
- Mix-Ins: After mashing, stir in about 1 cup sour cream, a block of cream cheese softened to room temperature, chives, 1/2 cup Parmesan or 1/2 cup cheddar, fresh herbs, or a few tablespoons of chopped roasted garlic.
- Make Ahead: Peel and chop the potatoes the day before. Keep them completely submerged in water in the refrigerator so they don’t turn brown, then drain off the water when you’re ready to cook.
- Holding: Keep covered on WARM for up to 4 hours. If they start to dry out, stir in a splash of warm milk. Cold milk makes them stiff and starchy.
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking or taking them off the WARM setting. Keeps 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat: For the creamiest results, warm them slowly on the stovetop with a splash of milk or cream, stirring gently. The microwave works too, just heat in short intervals and stir often.
- Freezing Not Recommended: Potatoes with dairy can become grainy when thawed.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Showing Hospitality With Creamy Mashed Potatoes
A Comfort Food Night is a sweet way to gather around someone in your life who is walking through a hard season, so think about who that might be for you and invite them over for a simple supper built around a big crock of these mashed potatoes. Pair them with an easy main like a slow cooker Yankee pot roast or my meatloaf using stuffing mix, add a green vegetable and a basket of rolls, and keep the potatoes on WARM so dinner can wait on your guests instead of the other way around. Since the slow cooker is holding everything, you get to sit down across the table and really listen, and a full plate of warm, buttery potatoes can make it a little easier for someone to share what’s weighing on them. Paul calls God the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, and I love that a shared supper can be one small way that comfort gets passed along. Light a candle or two, leave the TV off, and let the evening go as long as they need it to.
I hope these crockpot mashed potatoes take a little pressure off your next holiday meal. If you have any questions about making them, ask me in the comments below. I’m here to help!
These look very good. I am going to try them.
Mary, I like that it save room on my stove top – be sure to get firm potatoes like Yukon Golds. They make the mashed potatoes creamier.