Crockpot Mashed Potatoes are buttery, smooth, and ultra-creamy, these indulgent potatoes are the perfect side dish for any meal and a must-have on the holiday table.
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
If you’ve hosted a holiday dinner, you know the struggle of limited oven space. But what’s the holidays without mashed potatoes? Enter Crockpot Mashed Potatoes!
Using a slow cooker makes it easy to get tender, creamy potatoes while freeing up oven space and allowing for a flexible cooking timeline. Even if you’re bringing a dish, these are the perfect side to keep warm and delicious all day.
Ingredients
- Potatoes: Peel and cut into even-sized cubes.
- Bay Leaves: Remove them before mashing.
- Chicken Broth: Adds a rich flavor; stock works too in crockpot mashed potatoes.
- Unsalted Butter: Cut into small pieces so it melts evenly.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Warm with butter before adding to keep potatoes hot.
- Sour Cream: Lite or regular both work; pick what you like.
- Salt & Pepper: Taste at the end and add more if needed.
How To Make Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Prep Potatoes: Peel and cube potatoes, then place them in a greased Crockpot.
- Add Ingredients: Put in the butter, salt, bay leaves, and chicken broth.
- Cook: Set to high until potatoes are soft.
- Drain and Mash: Drain the potatoes, take out the bay leaves, and rice the potatoes back in the slow cooker.
- Cream Mixture: Melt butter, then mix in heavy cream and sour cream.
- Combine: Pour over potatoes, stir until smooth, then season once more.
How Much To Make
- Most people suggest about a third to half a pound of potatoes per person.
- I always suggest making a little extra; if you end up with extra, use them in this shepherd’s pie.
Tips For Success
- Wash Potatoes Well: Scrub before and after peeling to remove dirt and extra starch for better texture and taste.
- Dry Potatoes Completely: After draining, let potatoes sit for 5-7 minutes to avoid watery mash.
- Season with Salt and Pepper: Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Use Unsalted Butter: Helps you adjust the salt, since salted butter varies by brand.
Storage
Let the mashed potatoes cool to room temperature. Move them to a container with a tight lid and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
More Holiday Side Dishes
- Baked Sweet Potatoes with a hack to have them ready in half the time!
- Cornbread Dressing sweet and savory!
- Thanksgiving Salad with the best dressing
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts with a crispy coating
- Cranberry Sauce only 5 ingredients
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes are buttery, smooth, and ultra-creamy—a must-have for holiday meals and perfect with so many dishes.
Equipment
- CrockPot 6-quart
- Potato ricer see note 1
Ingredients
- 5 pounds gold potatoes or a mix of gold and russet; peeled and cut into large (1-inch) cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small cubes
Add later
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear, then shake off excess water. Add potatoes to a greased 6-quart Crockpot.
- Add cubed butter, salt, and bay leaves over the potatoes. Pour chicken broth over everything (no need to stir). Cover and cook on high for 3.5–4.5 hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender. (My CrockPot takes 4 hours)
- Remove the lid carefully to release steam. Drain potatoes in a colander and discard bay leaves. Let the potatoes stand for 5–7 minutes to dry thoroughly.
- Dry out the CrockPot. Use a potato ricer to mash the hot potatoes directly back into the slow cooker.
- In a separate small pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in heavy cream and sour cream until smooth, then remove from heat. Pour the mixture over the mashed potatoes and gently stir until combined.
- Add salt and pepper to taste (I start with 3/4 teaspoon of each and adjust). Serve hot straight from the Crockpot or keep on the warm setting until ready to serve. Best enjoyed promptly.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Slow-cooked mashed potatoes can turn gluey or rubbery if overmixed. Overbeating releases starch, creating a pasty texture, so keep mixing to a minimum. For the best results, avoid using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or food processor. A potato masher or ricer works best and helps maintain the perfect texture. When it comes to mashing, less is more!
Make Ahead: For best results, serve fresh. To prep ahead, peel and cube the potatoes, store them in cold water in the fridge for up to 12 hours, then drain and proceed with the recipe.
Storage: Leftovers reheat okay but are best fresh.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 1037mg | Potassium: 1322mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1157IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This great! How long can you leave the mash potatoes in the slow cooker warming before serving? It would be great to have these smashed and keeping warm while preparing other things that need to be on the table warm.
Could you add garlic to this recipe? If so when would you add ? Thanks!
Sure! Add at the beginning with the potatoes
I loooooove the idea of making mashed potatoes in my slow cooker especially for thanksgiving when the our stoves are always busy hahahaha… I’ll try this recipe this weekend.
I hope you love it!! Thanks Olivia 🙂
This is just genius! Thanksgiving is crazy for making dishes, it’s so nice to be able to wash just one less 😉
You are amazing!! And this is such an awesome Thanksgiving recipe, what a timesaver!
Mashed potatoes in the crock pot sure is genius! This is seriously fabulous, Chelsea! Who doesn’t want to save time and make less dirty dishes on any given day, especially Thanksgiving?!
Haha!! You are so sweet, thank you so much Cheyanne! 🙂 And thanks for the video love! 🙂
Thank you Haley! 🙂
These mashed potatoes look perfect, Chelsea! I love making side dishes in the slow cooker especially if that means freeing up the oven for the big gobble gobble 🙂
You are so sweet, thank you Kelly!!
I just love the idea of making mashed potatoes in my crockpot! Room on the stove is always so precious come Thanksgiving! These look delicious!
SO true!! 🙂 Thank you so much Ashley!