It’s not even Halloween yet, but it’s never too early to start planning for Thanksgiving, so I’m going to throw you this little tip to save for later. There are so many moving parts that go into making sure a Thanksgiving meal is hot and ready all at the same time, and it’s even more challenging when you’re working with just one stove. Recipes like these Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes that can be prepared on the side will free up space on your stove top and, because it requires no babysitting, will leave your hands and eyes free to focus on other recipes. Thanksgiving Day boil-over averted. 😅
Why Make Mashed Potatoes in a Slow Cooker?
Using the slow cooker cuts out the “babysitting the boiling pot” step in the process of making mashed potatoes, which can really free you up to concentrate on the rest of your meal. It also eliminates boil overs, draining the potatoes, constantly checking them with a fork to see if they’re tender, using multiple pots and dishes, and gives you another free burner on your stove top. With slow cooker mashed potatoes, you just add everything to the pot and press a button and go. And if you can’t get to them right when the timer goes off, they’ll be okay!
How Do You Flavor Mashed Potatoes?
I flavored my mashed potatoes with garlic, pepper, butter, milk, and cream cheese, but you can use your tried and true favorite mashed potato add-ins with this recipe. The cooking process will stay the same: 3 lbs. potatoes and about 1.5 cups of broth. Then after they’re cooked, add in whatever you’d like! My All-Purpose Garlic Herb Seasoning is a favorite, but other fun seasoning blends include Everything But The Bagel Seasoning, or even ranch seasoning.
What Kind of Potatoes are Best for Mashed Potatoes?
Russet potatoes are my top choice for mashed potatoes because they have a light, fluffy flesh. You can use red potatoes, but they tend to create a more dense mashed potato.
Can I Make Them Vegetarian?
Absolutely! You can swap the chicken broth listed in the recipe below for vegetable broth. Just be aware that vegetable broth is usually a much darker color, so your finished mashed potatoes may look a little more brown.
What Size Slow Cooker Do I Need?
I’m using a 5 quart slow cooker, but it was only about half full, so you could probably get away with using a 3 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Servings 6 1 cup eachIngredients
- 3 lbs. russet potatoes ($1.80)
- 1.5 cups chicken broth ($0.20)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($0.40)
- 1/2 cup milk ($0.25)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.13)
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes, then dice them into one-inch cubes. Rinse the diced potatoes with cool water in a colander to remove the excess starch.
- Add the cubed potatoes, minced garlic, chicken broth, and some freshly cracked pepper to the slow cooker. Stir briefly to distribute the garlic and pepper.
- Place a lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for three hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender. You can test the tenderness by lifting the lid just long enough to pierce the potatoes with a fork.
- Take the lid off the slow cooker and add the cream cheese, milk, and butter. Stir to combine the ingredients and mash the potatoes. For an extra smooth mashed potato, use a hand mixer to briefly whip the potatoes until smooth.
- Taste the potatoes and add salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately, or switch the slow cooker to the "warm" setting until ready to serve.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Instant Pot Instructions:
- Follow steps 1-2 in the recipe above.
- Close the vent, choose the manual setting, and set the cook time to seven minutes.
- Once finished, use the quick pressure release method until the pressure normalizes.
- Follow steps 4-5 in the recipe above.
Try These Other Mashed Potato Recipes:
- Fluffy Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
- Dairy-Free Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
- Spinach and Feta Mashed Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls
- Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms with Herby Kale Mashed Potatoes
How to Make Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes – Step by Step Photos
Start by washing and peeling 3 lbs. of russet potatoes. Dice the peeled potatoes into one-inch cubes.
Rinse the cubed potatoes well in a colander. This removes the excess starch which can make your mashed potatoes gluey instead of fluffy.
Add the cubed potatoes to a slow cooker along with 2 cloves of garlic (minced), 1.5 cups of chicken broth, and some freshly cracked pepper. Stir briefly just to distribute the garlic and pepper.
Cover the slow cooker, then cook on high for three hours, or until the potatoes are tender. You can test their tenderness by removing the lid just brief enough to see if a fork can be easily inserted into the potatoes.
Add 4oz. cream cheese, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/2 cup milk to the hot potatoes. Stir with a spoon to combine the add-ins with the hot potatoes. The potatoes should be so tender that they begin to mash as you stir. You can continue to stir with a spoon for a chunkier mashed potato, or…
Use a hand mixer to briefly whip the potatoes until smooth.
Finally, taste the mashed potatoes and season with salt or pepper if needed. Depending on what kind of broth you use, you may want to add salt.
And that’s it! Soft, silky, flavorful slow cooker mashed potatoes without any “heavy lifting”. You can serve the potatoes right away or switch the slow cooker to the “warm” setting to keep them warm until you’re ready to serve dinner.
If you’re draining your potatoes after boiling, you’re adding far too much water. So said my high school home ec teacher. We were taught to add as little water as possible because you’ll mash that flavor back into the potatoes.
On a pedantic note, using a hand mixer results in whipped potatoes, not mashed.
As for potato mashers… search for “Best Manufacturers Waffle Head Potato Masher” on Amazon. Fully stainless steel, made in the USA, Prime ordering. It’s not a unitasker because it also mashes your Not Refried Beans and the bananas for your baked oatmeal (the recipe that first drew me to your blog). I actually use mine for “not potatoes” more than I do for potatoes :)
I like that this is all done in one pot. Your recipes are awesome!
We LOVE your recipes! My husband and I have been cooking nothing but budget bytes recipes all month. I’ve definitely seen a savings in our weekly grocery bill. I got an instant pot for Christmas. It has already cut down cooking times so much! My first thought was, how can I convert these budget bytes recipes for my Instant pot to save time AND money?! Thanks for an instant pot friendly recipe :)
I rarely make mashed potatoes because of all the steps involved. I just made the cheesy gnocci skillet from your last post. This simple way to make mashed potatoes has me wondering if I can make my own gnocci from home grown potatoes.
Yep! Gnocchi are pretty simple to make and if you make a big batch, you can actually freeze them so that you don’t have to do all the work each time. I don’t have a recipe for potato gnocchi (I made ricotta gnocchi, or gnudi, once though). If you google it I’m sure you’ll find a ton of good recipes for it. :)
Seriously? 7 min is all you need with an instapot?? I need to get one!
Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s really 7 minutes once it comes up to pressure, but that process only takes about 5-10 minutes. This thing is amazing!
First off, I adore your blog. I’ve been reading it for literally years and about 90% of our favorite recipes are your’s. Thank you for making our meals healthy!
Re: Mashed potatoes. My dad grew up on a potato farm in Northern Maine, so we’re VERY serious about mashed potatoes in our family. Rule one is that there’s no reason to peal them. Ever. There’s nutrition in the skin and they mash up just fine with the skin on. My Grammy talk me to just take some potatoes (fresh, russets are best), cut off bad spots, and boil them in salted water until soft. Mash with butter, salt, pepper, and a little milk (or half and half if you have it). Perfect mashed potatoes every time! I actually still have my Grammy’s potato masher and think of her every time I use it.
My son and his wife also do not peel the potatoes and i thought the finished product would not look appealing – i was wrong. They looked fine and tasted great!
I agree. I usually don’t peel them either because I kind of like the extra color and texture. This time I wanted that classic mashed potato look with a uniform color and texture, so I did peel them. Normally, though, I’m a peel girl! :)
Another really easy method, which avoids peeling, dicing and boiling the potatoes, is to simply bake them in the oven. Then all you have to do is cut them open and scoop out the insides into a bowl and mash them up with your milk, butter, salt and pepper. Just make sure you prick the potatoes with a fork before putting them in the oven, otherwise they can explode. A potato ricer makes it even easier, especially if the potatoes you are using are small enough to fit into it. All you do is bake the potatoes then put them into the ricer (skin on, no peeling needed). The skin will remain in the ricer, and the perfectly smashed potato insides will come out of it. You just need to give it a few stirs to blend it with the milk and butter and seasonings and it’s done. No lumps whatsoever.
I admit that I’m intrigued, but to me the worst part of mashed potatoes is the peeling & chopping, so I’m not convinced.
Also, my mom “mashes” her potatoes with a hand mixer. It’s way easier, but honestly I prefer the texture a potato masher gives. This is what I love about cooking…so many ways to do something right!
My hubby got me an instant pot for Christmas (you know, I ordered it on my credit card, wrapped it, put a tag on it, let him know his shopping was done…) and I am really enjoying it! Just made hummus this morning from dried chickpeas (could never get them to cook fully by boiling at this altitude) and am looking forward to making something with black-eyed peas for New Year’s!
Have you tried this with Yukon Gold potatoes? I love making mashed potatoes with them because you don’t need to peel them. I hate peeling potatoes!
Love this idea! Can’t wait to see more Instant Pot recipes from you!
My nod to laziness when cooking potatoes is leaving the peels on. Why waste all that nice fiber and nutrition?
This could be handy when cooking for a crowd, and I need the burner.
Looks delicious, but I can’t see where this is any easier than cooking the potatoes in a saucepan. What am I missing? It is the identical steps as the regular method, and takes hours longer, and I’d rather wash a saucepan than my slow cooker.
I don’t know, for me it just seems easier because I hate babysitting the boiling water and it always seems to boil over, which makes a big mess. It’s definitely a lot of perception, but for me it seemed a lot easier. :) (plus, when I use my Instant Pot it’s super fast)
I love your blog and have been following for years – most of your recipes and tips are awesome! But this one has me stumped. All you’re really skipping is the “keep an eye on the pot” and draining steps. Perhaps freeing up a saucepan and burner? I agree that having a potato masher (unitasker, as Alton Brown would call it) is pointless if you have a hand mixer. For me, taking 8x as long to cook the potatoes is a bigger inconvenience.
For me, this works – I love to maximize my use of the slow cooker, so that I can leave whatever is in there cooking while I’m out for 8 hours in class or at work.
Yep, freeing up the pot and burner, and I can go do other things and not even think about it when cooking. That’s huge for me. It always seems to boil over no matter how closely I watch it and that starchy water is such a mess. No colander to clean up afterwards, and the potatoes seemed SO much softer this way, which made the “mashing” process effortless.
Have you ever used an Instant Pot? Do you have recipes for it?
I just got one. I’ve made a few things in it so far. :)