Slow cooker mashed potatoes don’t require boiling, and take just 10 minutes of prep. They’re light, buttery, soft, and creamy.
Serve these easy garlic slow cooker mashed potatoes as a make ahead side dish with beef bourguignon, lemon chicken piccata, or with Irish stew for the perfect meal!
Why We Love Them
Mashed potatoes are always a great side dish, and go with almost everything. They require you to work quickly right at the busiest time of dinner prep though, mashing, mixing in additions, working with hot potatoes.
The CrockPot or slow cooker takes all of the work out of them. You can mash them once they’re softened and keep warm, saving so much time while finish up the meal.
We love making make ahead slow cooker mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. It saves coveted stovetop space on the day, and they’re already in a serving bowl!
How To Make Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Prep: prepare the potatoes by cutting them into 1″ chunks, as evenly as possible. Add them to a slow cooker with chicken broth.
- Cook: Slow cooker on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Mash: Add the sour cream, butter, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Mash until no lumps remain.
- Serve: Serve garnished with chives and butter.
Tips and Substitutions
- We love leaving the skin on the potatoes, they add some great texture and flavor. You’re welcome to peel them first if you prefer.
- If the potatoes are mashed too much, they will become gluey. A hand masher is the best way to ensure they don’t get overmashed.
- We find russet potatoes work best for mashed potatoes. Yukon gold is another great option.
- If doubling the recipe for a larger crowd, you may need to adjust the cooking time on the slow cooker.
- Leftover mashed potatoes are great reheated, but have a bunch of other uses. They’re great in pierogi, and delicious turned into mashed potato cakes!
Amazing Mashed Potato Additions
Here are some of our favorite additions to slow cooker mashed potatoes:
- Herb and garlic cream cheese (trust me on this one)
- Chives or green onions
- Crumbled bacon
- Caramelized onions
- Cheddar cheese
- Roasted garlic
Storing and Reheating Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes last 3-5 days in the fridge. Once they’re cooled, transfer them to a plastic bag or container.
Most potato dishes don’t freeze well, but mashed potatoes are the exception. Mashed potatoes freeze super nicely, as long as you have added the butter and cream.
Once cooled, place the mashed potatoes into a ziplock bag. Flatten the bag out, then freeze for up to 8 months.
To defrost, place the bag in the fridge, or cut a piece of the mashed potatoes off using a sharp knife.
To reheat slow cooker mashed potatoes:
- Microwave: Add 1 tablespoon of cream or milk per cup. Reheat in 30 second intervals, stirring between each for even heating.
- Oven: place mashed potatoes in a baking dish. Add 1 tablespoon of milk or cream per cup, and reheat for 10 minutes at 350°F, covered.
- Stovetop: Place mashed potatoes with cream or milk into a pot, and heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Slow cooker: Reheat on high for 1 hour with 1 tablespoon of cream or milk per cup of mashed potatoes.
More Potato Favorites
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Irish Colcannon (Cabbage and Potatoes)
- Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds russet potatoes about 4 cups, 6 potatoes
- ¾ cup chicken broth low sodium
- ⅓ cup butter
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream approximately
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper each
Instructions
- Wash potatoes, and peel if desired. Cut into 1" chunks of even thickness.
- Place potatoes and chicken broth in a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours, or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add butter, sour cream, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Mash potatoes until no lumps remain. Add more cream as needed until desired consistency is reached.
Notes
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