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. 😅
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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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
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.
This was REALLY good. Added some chopped parsley for some color and extra flavor. However I had to let it cook for 6 hours on high using a regular manual Crockpot before it was tender enough to mash.
Thank you so much for including the directions for the Instant Pot. I love that contraption. Thank you so much for that life changing link!
Your pictures are awesome and just what I need.
Cheers,
Ursula
It’s not super budget friendly but Trader Joes makes a delicious frozen mashed potato bag. It’s coins you can remove to get the portion you desire and add in bacon water cream cheese etc. microwave for two min and done. I get it as a special treat a bag is about 6$. Ouch.
Thanks for the tutorial, they are always very helpful.
Made this tonight and we all loved it! Best part is it fed 5 people including seconds and I still have some left to put in the fridge. I had to use vegetable broth but it was delicious. When feeding a big family it’s always good to have side dishes that don’t come from a package or a a box because those get expensive. Thanks again Beth!
I only peel my potatoes when I make them for other people; we love the skins on them.
Por favor, me podrán enviar los mensajes en español? Gracias-
Great idea! For Christmas, my mom and I were responsible for making 10 pounds of mashed potatoes which required a LOT of time and effort and we ended up having to do them in two batches since not all of the potatoes would fit in the pot. I love the idea of cooking them in the slow cooker and will have to try it next time I make mashed potatoes!
I like how there’s no need to drain the mashed potatoes. Adding cream cheese sounds super creamy and delicious.
Ohhhh yummmm! I love mashed potatoes. Your addition of cream cheese looks like a great idea for extra creaminess and flavour :)
I once actually mashed potatoes with a dinner fork and they turnedout very smooth and creamy. I was surprised. I also love to use buttermilk and sour cream with a bit of butter to finish off off in my mash for that special flavor.
PS – You’ve also got me lusting after an Instant Pot! I just haven’t justified the purchase yet.
Daricelynn, the instant pot was a game changer for me. I’m a busy mom of 3 boys (soon to be 4) and I cannot tell you how much I adore my instant pot. It’s the best purchase I made all last year,
Laura
Must try this one!
Why do people leave starred reviews if they’ve never actually made it? It makes no sense and misleads people that would actually like to see the reviews for a recipe. That being said, I’m excited to try this! I also love mashed potatoes but am always reluctant to make it for all the reasons you mentioned.
I recently read an article about adding a raw egg yolk to mashed potatoes. I know some people are skeeved at the idea of raw eggs, but I like to live on the edge. :P (The heat from the potatoes is supposed to cook the egg to a safe temp). It seriously made THE best (and prettiest) mashed potatoes that I have ever eaten in my life – won’t ever make them any other way.
That sounds SO good! I love egg yolk. It reminds me of a mix between butter and cheese. Creamy and delicious!
I find this post super interesting for multiple reasons. Every time i have had slow cooker mashed potatoes they are dried out and, well, kinda blah. The second reason is that i never seem to have the hard time making regular mash that you seem to lol. I once, finally, remembered to buy a potatoe masher and I have never seen it again. Never even got it out of the bag, it just vanished – bag and all. As a note, when i make mashed potatoes, i use a big pot and don’t peel. I simply cube up the potatoes and boil on low/med while I do whatever i want (a load of laundry, the rest of the meal, watch reruns of the commish, etc) about a half hour or so. Then, using a plastic slotted spoon I drain as much liquid as possible then mash with the spoon, in the pot, add garlic, butter, seasoning, cheese, bacon, milk/cream, whatever my heart desires and viola! Of course I would much rather clean a pot than my slowcooker if i don’t have to, so this works for me. As for the potatoes in these pictures – they look nom, nom, nom!
potato**** ugh what an unfortunate error!
Just vanished, bag and all! Hilarious!