Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Updated Nov 11, 2025
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In this recipe, we ditch the boiling pot and get straight to creamy, indulgent mashed potatoes made entirely in your slow cooker. You’ll combine peeled Yukon Golds with broth, garlic, and salt, let the crockpot take over, then mash and stir in butter, warm milk, and heavy cream. No draining, no standing over a stove. These rich, comforting potatoes hold warm for hours (ideal when you’ve got sides taking up oven space and burners).
Mashed potatoes have a non-negotiable place at the holiday table in my house. Non. Negotiable. This slow cooker mashed potato recipe was born for big meals and big (or little) crowds.
No draining big pots of potatoes, it all happens right in the crockpot. Peel your Yukon golds, toss them in the slow cooker with a little broth, garlic, and salt, walk away for a few hours, then mash them up with butter, milk, and a bit of heavy cream. You’ll be thrilled with your rich, creamy potatoes, AND they will stay warm and lush for hours in the crockpot while you get the rest of the meal on the table.
The potatoes go right into the slow cooker without being cooked — no boiled mashed potatoes!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hands-Off Cooking: Set it and forget it.
- Perfectly Creamy Every Time: Slow cooking locks in flavor and moisture.
- Rich and Flavorful: Cooking the potatoes in broth adds flavor.
- Crowd-Friendly and Keep-Warm Ready: The slow cooker keeps the potatoes warm for hours without drying out.
What's In This Post?
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes: Mashed potatoes made in the crock pot are SO easy and stay warm for hours. No boiling needed!
Ingredients
This recipe, with 4 pounds of potatoes, will serve 8 people amply as a side dish, even more if you have a lot of sides on the menu. But you can’t ever have too many mashed potatoes, really.
- Potatoes – I use Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe! Peeling and cubing potatoes is an excellent task to assign to someone else, by the way. So is the mashing.
- Broth – Use vegetable or chicken broth for an extra boost in flavor, or opt for water, which works just as well.
- Minced garlic – Mincing the garlic will allow its delicate flavor to come through.
- Butter – Helps make the potatoes easier to mash.
- Milk – Whole milk makes these potatoes extra creamy.
- Cream – I use heavy cream, which makes this dish even more rich and decadent.
How to Make Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Cook the potatoes: Combine the potatoes, broth, garlic, and salt in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
- Mash the potatoes: Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes right in the slow cooker, or use a food mill or a ricer and return them to the slow cooker. Add the butter, milk, and cream, and stir to thoroughly combine.
- Keep warm: Re-cover the crockpot, change it to the warm setting, and keep your potatoes warm for up to a few hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Serve: Transfer to a large bowl to serve (add a pat or two more of butter, which looks luscious!), or serve right out of the crockpot.
What Size Slow Cooker?
Make sure to use a slow cooker large enough to hold all of the potatoes with some room to spare. You will be adding the milk and cream right into the slow cooker, so use one with at least a 4-quart capacity.
Variations
If you want to give your potatoes some extra “oomph,” try stirring in any of the following!
- 1/2 cup soft goat cheese or shredded hard cheese, such as cheddar or fontina
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, thyme, tarragon, or chives
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon drained prepared horseradish
- 1/2 cup or more of sour cream or softened cream cheese for more body and thickness, and a tangy note
Leftovers and Storage
Leftover mashed potatoes can be stored for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave, the slow cooker, or in a pot over low heat, stirring often. I don’t recommend freezing, as they tend to separate and lose their creamy texture when defrosted.
FAQs
The best part of making mashed potatoes in a crockpot is that you don’t have to boil them first, and you also don’t have to drain them.
Also, after the potatoes are cooked and tender, you can leave them on warm in the slow cooker. The cooked potatoes can stay in the crockpot for a couple of hours if you need some extra time before you mash them. And, once you do mash them, they can sit at low for a couple of hours or on warm for even longer — up to 4 hours — before serving.
Potatoes do not need to be submerged in water while cooking in the crockpot. However, because they are not covered in liquid and because there is a bit of broth added, the color might not be as starkly white as mashed potatoes made in boiling water on the stovetop. However, they will still be a beautiful, creamy color and taste amazing. And I have never seen anyone turn down mashed potatoes because they are a slightly off-white color. Who would do such a thing? Also, the addition of the cream and milk will compensate for the slightly beige tone of the slow-cooked potatoes.
The general rule of thumb is 1/2 pound of potatoes per person. For example:
– 1 pound of potatoes serves 2 people
– 2 pounds of potatoes serves 4 people
– 3 pounds of potatoes serves 6 people
And you can always reheat them or make mashed potato pancakes with the leftovers! Or think about making a Shepherd’s Pie, Moussaka, or Fall Apart Pork Roast.
You should cook potatoes for mashing on the high heat setting because they are so dense. Low heat would take a really long time, and because there is very little liquid in the crockpot during the cooking process, it would be difficult for them to become tender on low heat.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
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Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth or water
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 1 cup warm heavy cream
Instructions
- Combine the potatoes, broth, garlic, and salt in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender (a knife should slide right into a potato cube with no resistance).
- Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes right in the slow cooker. You can also use an electric mixer, but be careful not to overbeat them, or they will start to become gluey and dense. If you want smoother potatoes, you can run the potatoes through a food mill or a ricer and return them to the slow cooker. Add the butter, milk, and cream, and stir to thoroughly combine.
- If you like, you can re-cover the crockpot, set it to low, and hold them for up to an hour, stirring occasionally. Or leave them in the slow cooker on the warm setting for up to a few hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and recombine everything.
- Transfer to a large bowl to serve, or serve right out of the crockpot.
Notes
- 1/2 cup soft goat cheese or shredded hard cheese, such as cheddar or fontina
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, thyme, tarragon, or chives
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon drained prepared horseradish
