How long to cook slow cooker mashed potatoes is here. Perfect side dish served year round and during the holidays. Fluffy and buttery, it can also be kept warm for hours this way when you are serving a crowd.
Jump To
- How Long to Cook Mashed Potatoes in a Slow Cooker
- Ingredient Notes
- Equipment
- Variations we Love
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Do you boil potatoes before putting in slow cooker?
- What goes good with mashed potatoes?
- How to Make Instant Mashed Potatoes in Slow Cooker
- FAQ
- What to do with leftovers
- Other easy potato recipes you’ll love
I love making this because all you need are 3 ingredients and then you can load them up with bacon and cheese if you like!! Just one of our favorite Crockpot recipes for Thanksgiving, Christmas and throughout the year with dinner. (affiliate links present)
How Long to Cook Mashed Potatoes in a Slow Cooker
When you make them in your Crockpot you want to cover and cook for 4 hours or so, and can be kept warm for quite some time beyond that! You know how it is. Not everything is going to be done at the same time, and you know that. The best way to bridge the gap is to use something other than the oven.
Next to our Crockpot baked potatoes this is probably one of my go to recipes. It goes with everything! When I say these mashed russets are a snap to make, it couldn’t be more true. And the ingredients you add once they are soft is totally up to you. Some insist on sour cream to make it creamy while my husband needs lactose free items.
Ingredient Notes
Russet Potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes are best. You could use red potatoes but they will have a firmer texture and don’t turn out as smooth. If you want the desired consistency of velvety smooth choose one of these.
You want some salted Butter or dairy free variety is fine. With the latter it typically comes unsalted so I would add a pinch of it when cooked.
You should use Chicken stock or chicken broth for the liquid versus water which won’t offer up any flavor. Vegetable broth would be a great vegetarian option.
Once they are fork tender you will want to add some Milk or heavy cream when mashing so they aren’t as thick.
Add ins
Salt and pepper to taste, sour cream, bacon bits, diced chives, softened cream cheese will make it creamier but will add fat too, and shredded cheese is a must for us and lots of it!
Equipment
I would suggest getting a plastic potato masher vs. a metal one so you can mash, add yummy ingredients, and leave right in the pot to serve up. There’s NO sense in transferring to a pot on the stove top to keep warm, just hit that button on the Crock and it will stay great for 3-4 hours.
Variations we Love
Want to amp them up with other flavors? Our garlic mashed potatoes are always on the table at Christmas, and you can do the same thing with these. Just fold in some diced up roasted garlic cloves for this Crock pot mashed potatoes variety!
Can you make this with sweet potatoes?
You can do this with brown or Crockpot Sweet Potatoes for a tweak on an old time favorite. Add your milk, sour cream, bacon bits, cowboy butter, salt and pepper for a creamy side everyone will love. You can even make a dairy free version if you need that, still delicious.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
- 1 potato masher
Ingredients
- 5 pounds potatoes, russet, peeled and diced
- 32 oz chicken stock
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 8 oz sour cream, or softened cream cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup milk, more or less depending on consistency desired
Instructions
- Wash, peel (optional step) and dice your potatoes. Put them into your Crockpot with 1/2 c of butter cubes on top. Pour chicken stock over the top.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain off chicken stock (can save for later to thin them out). Leave potatoes in pot.
- Add remaining butter, sour cream, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and milk.
- Use a potato masher to combine all ingredients. If you want them thinner use more milk or some of drained stock. Add bacon bits and/or chives too if desired before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you boil potatoes before putting in slow cooker?
NO Way!! We’re trying to make things easier here so one step is key to everything I make around here y’all. The only time I would do this is if I was in a hurry and made Instant Pot boiled potatoes.
What goes good with mashed potatoes?
You can make an extra batch and make twice baked potatoes with the outer skins if you wanted to. Serve with some sauteed Kale and boursin cheese. Add shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Maple syrup is great inside sweet potatoes. Simple herbs like rosemary, garlic salt with thyme are great seasonings inside potatoes with butter. Every time we make a whole chicken, broccoli and this are our side dishes Load up some Crockpot bbq beef on top and serve!
How to Make Instant Mashed Potatoes in Slow Cooker
- Put water and butter (amounts indicated on pouch) in microwave for 4 minutes
- Add into crockpot and add cold milk necessary
- Empty packet of instant potatoes into your slow cooker
- Stir
- Cover for 1 minute
- Fluff up and serve
- you can leave inside and keep on warm for a while too
- this is different than pressure cooker mashed potatoes which can be done much faster.
You can easily prep these and have them ready an hour before the slow cooker turkey crown comes out. Switch to keep warm and fold once more before people start serving. To make things even more fun you could make it simple with just the basics. Have all the other toppings on the side like a bar!
FAQ
Russets really are the favorite as far as their price and firmness. You don’t want them in the softer family or the texture is kinda’ weird. You could do half red or Yukon though if you wanted to mix it up a bit.
Of course it depends on how large a load you’re making, but if you use a 5 lb. bag like you see here it will take approximately 4 hours to get tender. The cook time is actually kinda’ perfect because you can just peel and throw in the taters in the morning and they’ll be done mid day. If you’re having an early afternoon meal just finish preparing them and leave them right in the pot on the warm setting, stirring every hour.
YES!! You can make them on the stove, in a pressure cooker, or in your slow cooker and transfer them in order to keep them warm. Once they’re done, just transfer them into your pot and set to low. This will keep your batch warm for up to 4 hours, stirring once an hour. Then stir before serving and they will stay warm and creamy like you love them.
What to do with leftovers
These are not just great fresh though, use what you have left to make air fryer mashed potato balls the next day. You could combine these two favorites to make green bean mashed potato casserole too.
Other easy potato recipes you’ll love
Shepherd’s pie with ground beef is fabulous with taters. Instant Pot bacon ranch potatoes. This is the best way to make baked potatoes in the oven too
Printable version of this recipe is below so you can keep it handy. Of course you can come back to this post as often as you’d like and I encourage you to do so but some of you have created recipe books of your own. We hope this is a new favorite.
If you loved air fryer mashed potatoes but wanted them to be tender all the way around here is the answer.
