These crock pot Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food side dish. They are super rich and creamy with hardly any effort required which makes them a must-try recipe!
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There are some meals that require mashed potatoes - Thanksgiving, meatloaf, and fried chicken just to name a few! This recipe is perfect for all those meals but it's also easy enough for busy weeknights too!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
Even though the cooking method for these slow cooker mashed potatoes is different, the ingredients are very traditional.
- Russet and Yukon Gold Potatoes - I like to use a mix of these two varieties but you can use either one if you prefer.
- Butter
- Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
- Cream Cheese - You can swap the cream cheese with a mixture of heavy cream and sour cream. For vegan mashed potatoes, you can use vegan cream cheese.
- Milk or your favorite milk substitute
- Salt and Pepper
See the recipe card for quantities.
Tip: Russet potatoes create a fluffy mashed potato while Yukon gold creates a super creamy mashed potato. Using a combination of the two potato varieties results in the perfect mashed potato that is both rich and creamy, but with enough body to hold plenty of gravy!
How to make crock pot mashed potatoes
Wash and peel your potatoes, then cut them into 2" cubes. Do your best to make sure that they are close to the same size. Rinse the potatoes in a colander under cold running water after they are cubed.
Tip: Rinsing the potatoes after they are sliced removes excess starch and helps to prevent your potatoes from becoming gluey or gummy.
Place the potatoes in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Pour the chicken broth over the potatoes and place the butter on top. Cook the potatoes on low for 6 hours or until the potatoes are fork tender.
When the cooking time is up and the potatoes are tender, add the cream cheese and milk.
Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until they are smooth. Add additional milk if desired until they reach your preferred consistency.
Variations
Here are some of my favorite ways to change up this recipe:
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes - Serve the potatoes topped with cooked and crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions.
- Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes - Add minced garlic in step 1 (I like A LOT of garlic so I use about 1-2 tablespoons, but you can add more or less) Add about 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese in step 3.
- Smashed Red Potatoes - Swap the russet and Yukon gold potatoes for whole red potatoes. Wash them well, but don't peel them. Follow the rest of the recipe as it is written
- Lighter Mashed Potatoes - These potatoes are rich and pretty far from low calorie or low fat. If you want to make them a little lighter you can reduce the butter and cream cheese by half, use skim milk, and reduced-fat cream cheese. You may need additional milk for this version.
Be sure to check out my BEST EVER Mashed Cauliflower and my 2-ingredient keto gravy recipes for a low-carb mashed potato swap!
Storage
Store the leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat them in the microwave, stovetop, oven, or even in the crock pot until they are thoroughly heated through.
FAQs
Yes! You can easily make mashed potatoes a few hours ahead of time and keep them warm using the 'keep warm' or 'warm' setting on your slow cooker.
Parboiling the potatoes is not necessary. Simply put peeled and sliced raw potatoes in the slow cooker and follow the recipe as it is written.
I prefer to make mashed potatoes in the crock pot and use the keep warm setting to keep the potatoes ready to serve for up to 3-4 hours. If you need to make them earlier than that, you can refrigerate them until an hour or two before you are ready to serve then return them to the slow cooker on low heat until they are heated through.
Top tips:
- Russet potatoes create a fluffy mashed potato while Yukon gold creates a super creamy mashed potato. Using a combination of the two potato varieties results in the perfect mashed potato that is both rich and creamy, but with enough body to hold plenty of gravy!
- Rinsing the potatoes after they are sliced removes excess starch and helps to prevent your potatoes from becoming gluey or gummy.
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Vegetable Peeler
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 6 quart Crockpot
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb Russet Potatoes
- 2 ½ lb Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 cups Chicken Broth
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Milk more or less to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into 2-inch cubes making them as uniform in size as possible. Rinse the potatoes again after they are sliced.2 ½ lb Russet Potatoes, 2 ½ lb Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Place the potatoes into the bottom of a 6-quart or larger crockpot.
- Pour the chicken broth into the crock pot, over the potatoes. Then, place the butter over the potatoes. Cook on high heat for 4 hours or until the potatoes are fork-tender.1 cup Butter, 1 cups Chicken Broth
- After the cooking time is complete add the cream cheese and milk and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Until they are smooth. Add additional milk if desired until they reach your preferred consistency.1 cup Milk, 8 oz Cream Cheese
- Season them to taste with salt and pepper (start with 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper) and serve immediately or keep them in your slow cooker on the keep-warm setting for up to 2 hours.Salt and Pepper
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
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Mjr says
Can I make this the day before, store in fridge and then take out the morning of and reheat in crockpot?