Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Published 10/27/2023 • Updated 11/5/2024
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These ultra rich and creamy crockpot mashed potatoes feed a crowd! No boiling or valuable oven space required for this classic holiday side dish recipe.
Creamy, dreamy, savory mashed potatoes – is there really any better holiday side? I don’t think so! Made in the crockpot with only 7 simple ingredients, it’s never been easier to whip up such a quintessential side.
We love this crockpot mashed potatoes recipe for many reasons – the creaminess, taste, and texture can’t be beat. But we also love it because it’s easy! No boiling required, no precious oven or stovetop space needed, and it doesn’t require much hands-on time. Keep this classic mashed potatoes recipe in your back pocket this holiday season.
Featured Comment
“First time making crockpot mashed potatoes and they were amazing!!! A definite crowd pleaser and so easy to make! Thank you!!” – Monica
What is in crockpot mashed potatoes?
These slow cooker mashed potatoes come together with 7 basic ingredients you likely have on hand already. You need:
- Potatoes
- Broth
- Spices
- Cream Cheese (my mom taught me this one!)
- Butter
- Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
What kind of potatoes should I use for mashed potatoes?
Yukon gold potatoes are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes. While other potatoes work in a pinch, Yukon gold are far superior!
Variations of Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
This recipe is for classic, creamy mashed potatoes. Put your own spin on it with any of the following:
- Potatoes: Instead of Yukon gold potatoes, use Russet potatoes, red potatoes, or Idaho potatoes.
- Sour Cream: We love these mashed potatoes with plain 2% fat Greek yogurt, but sour cream is a delicious, tangy alternative.
- Toppings: Top mashed potatoes with more butter and chopped chives, shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese, and crumbled bacon for the ultimate side. You could even set up a mashed potato bar this holiday season!
- Vegan: For vegan mashed potatoes, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth, and use vegan versions of cream cheese, butter, and yogurt/sour cream.
FAQ
We hands-down recommend using Yukon gold potatoes because they have a softer skin and are so creamy when mashed. But, you can really use any kind of potato – choose whatever kind you like best. A few others that would be delicious as mashed potatoes are Russet potatoes, red potatoes, or Idaho potatoes.
You’ll notice in our recipe, we don’t peel the potatoes. We love leaving the skin on for added texture, but it’s totally up to you! If you’d like to use peeled potatoes, peel them before chopping.
You’ll need about 6 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes. For best results, try to keep the potato chunks similarly sized – this ensures the potatoes cook evenly. We recommend cutting them into about 1-inch chunks. Any bigger and they’ll take even longer to cook.
Storing Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Once the mashed potatoes are completely cool, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To Reheat: Feel free to reheat your crockpot mashed potatoes right in the slow cooker on high (or in the microwave). Add a little broth and mix everything together. Heat until warmed through.
We don’t recommend freezing mashed potatoes. The texture and consistency of the potatoes becomes grainy and not that tasty. Crockpot mashed potatoes are best enjoyed fresh (or reheated as refrigerated leftovers).
Serving Suggestions
We usually make these crockpot mashed potatoes for the holidays, but they’re delicious any time of year! Rich and creamy crockpot mashed potatoes pair well with any of these holiday-worthy recipes including:
Mains: Smoked turkey, roasted turkey tenderloins, baked pork roast, and Instant Pot pot roast.
Other Sides: Mac and cheese, sausage stuffing, green beans almondine, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and sweet potato casserole.
Appetizers and Snacks: Baked spinach artichoke dip, maple roasted pecans, rosemary thyme meatball appetizer, and bacon wrapped Brussels sprouts.
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, rinsed and chopped into 1-inch pieces*
- 2 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup 2% fat Greek yogurt, or sour cream
Optional Toppings
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh sage
- Salted butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh chives
Instructions
- Spray a slow cooker insert with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the chopped potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the slow cooker. Mix until well combined.
- Break the cream cheese into 4-5 pieces and place on top of the potatoes. Repeat with the 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- When the potatoes fall apart to the touch and are fork-tender, uncover the slow cooker and stir the ingredients together.
- Add the Greek yogurt (or sour cream) to the slow cooker and stir again until combined.
- Use a hand mixer, immersion blender, or potato masher to mash the potatoes until they have a thick and creamy consistency. Feel free to leave them chunkier if that's your jam, but make sure not to over mix!
- Serve immediately and garnish with your favorite toppings including fresh herbs, butter, salt, pepper, or chives.
Tips & Notes
- Storage: Store mashed potatoes in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Reheating Instructions: Feel free to reheat your crockpot mashed potatoes right in the slow cooker on high (or in the microwave). Add a little broth and mix everything together. Heat until warmed through.
- Potatoes: We kept the skin on the potatoes. If you prefer peeled potatoes, peel them before chopping. The bigger your potato chunks, the longer they will take to cook in the slow cooker.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
Can I mash them with a fork or something (don’t have a hand mixer ) and still have smooth results ?
I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving and it was one of the most liked dishes. I made it completely Vegan (for the vegan guests I was hosting) – I subbed vegetable broth, vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, and vegan sour cream. I make crockpot mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving every year but using a different recipe (milk as the liquid instead of broth) – following this recipe still came out very creamy and I would use this again!
Thanks so much for sharing that these vegan modifications worked for you, Robin! So helpful for other readers <3
First time making crockpot mashed potatoes and they were amazing!!! A definite crowd please and so easy to make! Thank you!!
So happy to it, Monica!
We made these potatoes for Thanksgiving and they are incredible. We used an immersion blender to get a very smooth and creamy consistency. They were a big hit with our guests and we’ll absolutely make them again!
So glad you guys loved these mashed taters!
Would using russet potatoes change anything? I feel like Yukon golds are so much more tender, so let me know if you think cooking time or anything would change!
You may need to cook them a bit longer, but they should work!
Brought these crockpot potatoes to an early thanksgiving celebration and was assigned potato duty for the rest of eternity. An easy crowd-pleaser for sure!
So easy to make yet so good. Will make again for the holiday’s!
Would these still turn out the same if you cooked on high for a shorter time?