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Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

By: Cassie Johnston / Updated: June 9, 2025 / Posted: November 17, 2023

Overhead view of a black and white bowl full of fluffy mashed potatoes with a butter pat melting on top.

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featured review

Five yellow stars in a row

“I cannot stress how GOOD these are. Slow cooking the potatoes for hours in a butter garlic broth allows the flavors to infiltrate the potatoes. Best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had! Thank you for the recipe!” 

– DEB –

I’ve cooked dozens of Thanksgiving dinners, and I’m going to let you in on a little secret: the Crock-Pot can rock your holiday.

Will you be able to fit your 20-pound turkey into your slow cooker? No, but the slow cooker can take the always-important mashed potatoes off your to-do list while you work on everything else! And even better: the slow cooker makes for the best, dreamiest, most flavorful mashed potatoes you’ll ever have! I’ll show you how.

In this post:

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cassie Johnston (a light skinned brunette woman with glasses and a red streak in her hair) smiles toward the camera with a wall of photo frames behind her

Dreamy, creamy, and mostly hands-off—once you go slow cooker mashed potatoes, you never go back!

A few years ago I had a hunch you could make mashed potatoes in the Crockpot, so prior to Thanksgiving that year, I got to testing. After dozens of batches of potatoes, I landed on this recipe that my family says is the best mashed potato recipe they’ve ever had!

Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Perfect timing every time. Never again stress if your mashed potatoes will be hot and ready when the Thanksgiving turkey timer goes off. The slow cooker takes the guess-work out of timing.
  • Packed full of flavor. Because the potatoes slow cook in broth and butter, every molecule of these potatoes is infused with flavor.
  • Holiday table approved. I’ve personally made this exact slow cooker mashed potato recipe for my family for Thanksgiving dinner every year for almost a decade now. There are rarely any leftovers!

Step-by-Step how to Make Crockpot mashed potatoes

1

Peel and cut your potatoes.

This is a really good step to get kitchen helpers involved with. Almost everyone can peel a potato! Cut the potatoes into even size small pieces to ensure they cook properly.

Protip: Cutting the potatoes

Cut your potatoes into small chunks, which will cook more evenly. It will make your mashed potatoes smoother!

2

Load the Crockpot with yumminess.

Add your potatoes to the slow cooker. Then add in the butter (yes, you really want that much butter!), broth, salt, and garlic. Stir well to make sure all the potatoes are submerged under the broth. If the potatoes aren’t submerged, add some more broth. How much you add will depend on the shape and size of your Crockpot.

3

Let the slow cooker work for you.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, stirring regularly. Potatoes are ready when they are very tender—they should fall apart when you try to split one with a fork. Drain off the broth, and reserve for another use (it’s great for thickening and adding richness to soup).

Protip: Don’t forget to drain the broth!

Don’t forget to drain the broth off before you mash! You want mashed potatoes here, not potato soup.

4

It’s arm day! Get to mashing.

Add in additional butter (yes, more!), sour cream, milk, and additional salt to taste. Mash, mash, mash! Yes your arms will be sore when you are done, but the results will be sooooo worth it.

Protip: Mash by hand

Promise me you will mash your potatoes by hand! That’s how you get fluffy mashed potatoes instead of gluey ones.

5

Taste and adjust.

Check for seasoning and adjust. Mashed potatoes take WAY more salt than you think they should, so if they still taste bland, add more salt.

6

Keep warm before serving.

The magic of the slow cooker is that it’ll keep your potatoes nice and cozy until you’re ready to serve. Pop the lid back on, switch your Crockpot to warm, and go on making the rest of your Thanksgiving dinner!

When it’s time to serve, scoop them into your serving dish (another good job for a kitchen helper) top with another pat of butter (yes, MORE) and some minced chives.

CROCKPOT MASHED POTATOES protips

  • Cut your potato chunks small. Smaller potato chunks cook more evenly in the slow cooker, resulting in lump-free mashed potatoes.
  • Don’t forget to drain the cooking broth! If you mash before draining, your potatoes will end up soupy.
  • It’s hard to over salt mashed potatoes, but it’s easy to under season them! Keep adding salt until they taste flavorful and delicious.
  • Mash the potatoes by hand (either using a potato masher or a ricer) to prevent the mashed potatoes from going gummy or gluey.

WATCH Me MAKE SLOW COOKER MASHED POTATOES

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Tight view of bowl of fluffy slow cooker mashed potatoes on white countertop. Mashed potatoes are topped with fresh chives and a melting butter pat.

Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

By using your slow cooker to make these easy mashed potatoes, you get creamy, flavorful potatoes for any major holiday with barely any effort at all.
4.45 from 217 votes
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Course: Side Dishes
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 381kcal
Author: Cassie Johnston

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes or a mixture, peeled and cut into even 1″ pieces
  • 4-6 cups chicken broth see notes
  • 1 cup unsalted butter divided
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼-1 cup whole milk
  • Fresh chopped chives for garnish

Instructions

  • Combine the potatoes, 4 cups of broth, 1 stick (½ cup) of the butter, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt in the basin of a slow cooker. Add additional broth if needed to cover the potatoes. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until the potatoes are very tender. Stir occasionally throughout the cooking time to make sure the potatoes cook evenly.
  • Drain off and reserve the majority of the cooking broth (it doesn’t have to be completely dry, but you want to get most of it).
  • Mash the potatoes using a hand-held potato masher until no lumps remain. Then, mash in additional salt to taste, as well as the remaining butter, sour cream, and whole milk, starting with ¼ cup and adding more until the potatoes reach your desired consistency. You can also add in more of the cooking broth to thin it out.
  • Sprinkle on chopped chives, cover the potatoes, put the slow cooker to warm, and then serve.

Video

Notes

  • Make sure your potatoes are completely covered by the broth. Depending on the size and shape of your slow cooker, you might need to use more broth. For example, I have two 6 quart slow cookers—in one (that is oval-shaped), I only need to use 4 cups of broth. The other is a square, and I need to use a full 6 cups to get the potatoes covered.
  • Don’t toss the broth! The drained-off chicken broth is great to use in soups, stews, and gravies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 1031mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 685IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2mg
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Protip: The Instant Pot version

If your slow cooker is unavailable, you can still keep your mashed potatoes hands-off! How? With our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, of course!

Tight view of bowl of fluffy slow cooker mashed potatoes on white countertop. Mashed potatoes are topped with fresh chives and a melting butter pat.

featured review

Five yellow stars in a row


“Best mashed potatoes ever! So easy & so yummy. Add bacon & chives and you’re set! Love this recipe” 

– CAROLINA –

Frequently Asked Questions about Crockpot mashed Potatoes

The type of potato you choose for your mashed potatoes DOES matter! The best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had were made using German Butterball potatoes. They’re almost impossible to find in stores, but we grew them in our garden a few years back, and oh my gosh, they were amazing! Check for them at your farmers’ market.

If you can’t track down German Butterball, I recommend going with either Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, or a combination of the two. I much prefer the creamy texture of the Yukon Gold potatoes, but it does mean your mashed potatoes are yellow. If you prefer the white, fluffy, cloud-like mashed potatoes, go with all Russet potatoes or a combination of Russet and Yukon Gold.

If you want super creamy mashed potatoes, you need to peel them, but if you’re okay with more rustic “smashed” potatoes, you can leave the peel on. Russet potatoes do tend to have a tougher peel than potatoes like Yukon Gold, so I’d recommend peeling Russets. 

A smaller size, 3-quart slow cooker will just fit this recipe as written below—which serves around 10 people. A larger size, 6- or 7-quart slow cooker will fit double this recipe—which can easily serve 20 people. If you’re having trouble getting the recipe to fit in your Crock-Pot, just cut the potatoes into slightly smaller pieces. They’ll be able to nestle into the crock better, and they’ll cook faster!

The rule of thumb for mashed potatoes is 1/2 pound of potatoes per person. This recipe below calls for five pounds of potatoes, which will feed 10 people as a side dish (without any leftovers) for Thanksgiving dinner. A word of warning: these mashed potatoes are so delicious that you might want to bump up your estimates a bit more! Any time I make these, people come back for seconds and thirds.

I tested these mashed potatoes multiple times “fully loaded” with butter and whole milk, but I also did a test with vegetable broth, vegan margarine, cashew cream, and cashew sour cream with good results. It’s not exactly the same, but it’ll definitely do the trick!

Gummy or gluey mashed potatoes come from the potatoes being overworked—which turns the starch in the potatoes into the gluey texture. This happens most frequently when people use electric mixers, food processors, or blenders to do their mashing (stick with the hand masher, friends!). Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to come back from gummy mashed potatoes. Your best plan of action is to turn the gluey mashed potatoes into something else—potato soup is a great option.

The one caveat with making crockpot mashed potatoes is that it can be easy for the potatoes to cook unevenly—which results in lumps when you mash. To prevent this, make sure to:

  • Use enough broth. Because of the different sizes and shapes of Crock-Pots, you’ll need to add more or less broth to make sure the potatoes are covered in broth. This is the number one reason why you’d have lumpy mashed potatoes—not enough broth. Make sure everything is covered!
  • Cut the potatoes evenly in small chunks. You’re looking for 1” chunks here—smaller than you would for regular stove-top potatoes. You also want your potatoes to be evenly cut so they cook in the same amount of time.
  • Make sure that the potatoes are fully cooked through before mashing. Once you start mashing, it’s hard to go back, so make sure your potatoes are completely cooked through before mashing.

There are a number of ways to fix watery or runny mashed potatoes. If they are just slightly runny, you can heat the potatoes uncovered over medium-low heat on the stove, stirring frequently, to cook off some of the liquid. If they are very soupy, I have the best luck with adding a thickening agent. You can add a tablespoon or two of instant mashed potato flakes, arrowroot powder, or cornstarch to the hot mashed potatoes to help them thicken up.

This is the easiest mashed potato problem of them all to fix! Just mix in a small amount of extra milk until they are the consistency you like.

You can most definitely boost the flavor of the slow cooker mashed potatoes with whatever strikes your fancy! I will say that because of the cooking method (the potatoes are cooked in broth and butter), these mashed potatoes are inherently more flavorful than your standard boring mashed potatoes. But if you still want to punch up the flavor, here are some ideas:

  • Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: The recipe already includes a couple cloves of garlic for base flavor, but adding in a whole head (or two) of roasted garlic will really take it over the top!
  • Zesty Ranch Mashed Potatoes: Swap out the whole milk for either Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing, Cashew Ranch Dressing, or Coconut Milk Ranch Dressing for a zesty batch of mashed potatoes.
  • Pesto Mashed Potatoes: Gently mix a couple tablespoons of basil or kale pesto into these crockpot mashed potatoes for a beautiful and flavorful green swirl.

There are three ways that I’ve tested for the actual mashing of mashed potatoes, and let’s run through them:

  • Using an electric hand mixer, food processor, or blender (NOT recommended): You might be tempted to bring out your small kitchen appliances to mash potatoes, but it is very easy to overmix potatoes—which is what turns them gummy or gluey. I don’t recommend it. This is a job for your muscles!
  • A potato ricer: If you want incredibly smooth and consistent mashed potatoes, a potato ricer is going to be your best bet. I used to own one, but I realized I only used it once a year (on Thanksgiving!) and it wasn’t worth the storage space in my small kitchen, so instead I always use…
  • A hand masher (my favorite way!): And not just any hand masher—the best potato mashing comes from hand mashers that have a mashing plate. It’s the same idea as the potato ricer, but takes up a lot less storage space. Because you are doing it by hand, it’s hard to guarantee 100% smooth mashed potatoes, but there are bigger problems in life than a few lumps, right?

The beauty of the slow cooker is that you don’t really have to make them ahead of time—the crockpot makes them while you work on other dishes. But if you’d like to make them ahead of time, you can:

  1. Cook the mashed potatoes all the way through, including mashing.
  2. Either transfer into a food storage container, or cover the removable crock of your slow cooker (if it has one) and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
  3. When it’s time to reheat, place the potatoes back in the slow cooker on low, adding in an additional 1/2 cup of milk, and warm for 1-2 hours, stirring frequently.

Looking for more fan favorite thanksgiving recipes?

  • How to Dry Brine a Turkey. Once you’ve tried this method, you’ll never skip the turkey brine again!
  • Fresh Green Bean Casserole. Skip the canned stuff and learn how to make a flavorful version of this Thanksgiving classic!
  • Fool-Proof Turkey Gravy. Intimidated by gravy? Don’t be—we’ll show you all our tricks for getting the smoothest, most flavorful gravy, every time.
  • Can you make an entire turkey day dinner on a cooking sheet? Sure can, with our Sheet Pan Thanksgiving!
  • Fan Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes. Get all our most loved turkey day sides in one spot. You’ll definitely want to consult this while you put together your Thanksgiving menu.
  • Our Best Thanksgiving Cocktails. We are declaring this the year of the holiday cocktail. Here is our list of the best drinks to serve.

Cassie is a holistic nutritionist, cookbook author, and all-around food lover. She grew up cooking dinner with her parents every evening, and her passion for home cooking has been strong ever since. Cassie is the author of two published cookbooks (Cooking with Greek Yogurt and Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!) and dozens of recipes published in major magazines and newspapers. Cassie has been sharing her award-winning recipes on Wholefully since 2010. She loves dark chocolate, homegrown tomatoes, motorsports, and anything that sparkles. She lives in Indiana with her family on a small homestead.

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4.45 from 217 votes (217 ratings without comment)

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30 Comments

    1. If cream cheese and pepper are in your best ever mashed potatoes then go for it! For us, it’s the combo of sour cream, whole milk, and salt that makes them perfect. But once you have the slow cooker technique down, you can adjust this recipe to your tastes and preferences. Let us know how they turn out for you!

      Reply

  2. I usually roast a whole head of garlic and add to my potatoes before mashing. Do you think I could do that with this recipe instead of adding the minced garlic at the beginning?

    Reply

  3. Mine tasted good, but were too soupy using one whole cup of broth. Next time I will use 1/2 cup of broth and then have room for yummy sour cream and maybe even cream cheese. Perhaps it’s a difference in which slow cooker you use, but you can always add more liquid but it’s impossible to take it away

    Reply

    1. Sorry to hear they were soupy! Did you use the full cup of whole milk? That could be the cause of the soupiness too!

      Reply

      1. You don’t mention whether or not to drain the broth and that could be the problem. I am cooking them now and there is a lot of broth on the bottom of the crock pot that i will probably dump. If not, they will be souply.

        Reply

  8. This recipe looked like a recipe I had used in the past but somehow misplaced it. I was hoping this was it but was greatly disappointed. I followed your recipe exactly but ended up with very bland mashed potatoes with small lumps. I have no idea why they turned out this way. I even used my electric hand mixer much longer than I probably should have but fortunately they didn’t get gummy. I had to really doctor these potatoes up with garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder – just about anything I could find in my spice rack to give them some flavor. I timed them so they would finish in the crock pot about an hour before we planned on eating so I don’t think they overcooked. As far as the mashing of the potatoes I would recommend a ricer. If I had used one of those I could at least say they weren’t lumpy. Sorry I dont have a more positive comment.

    Reply

  9. Can I cut up the potatoes the night before and add the rest of the ingredients in the morning? Or will they get weird?

    Reply

  10. My husband is the mashed potato chef extraordinaire at our house. This method looks like a fantastic idea. I am wondering if you could use plain water instead of broth? I know he won’t want to change up his recipe too much, especially for Thanksgiving. He’s very much into tradition. Thank you!

    Reply

  12. I’m definitely making these for Thursday. Quick question, but do you think they would be good if I make them on Wednesday, let them cool and then refrigerate in the crock pot, then use the crock pot to reheat them Thursday? We’re traveling and I don’t think we’ll be at my mom’s house in enough time to cook them for four hours on Thanksgiving day before we eat. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Yes, they should be good. Just bring some extra cream and butter to add back in right before serving—potatoes tend to dry out a bit once cooled and reheated. Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

      Reply

  14. Oh yum! I use as many small appliances as possible when hosting a large group. It saves so much time and space! Great idea to make mashed potatoes in a crock pot!

    Reply

  16. we always use gold potatoes, but I never thought to cook them in stock or in the slow cooker! these look pretty much perfect to me!

    Reply

  17. I’ve been loving my slow cooker recently and this is an interesting enough take on “plain” mashed potatoes that I’m going to have to try. May not wait until Thanksgiving:)

    Reply

  18. I’ve never been a mashed potato fan, but my most favourite way is mixing in herb and garlic cream cheese and then popping them in the oven for a bit.

    Reply

  19. I never thought about making mashed potatoes in the slow cooker before! This is genius!!! Also, butter and garlic make just about everything better. These mashed potatoes look SO delicious!

    Reply

  20. Awesome! I love mashed potatoes too and especially today as I’m back from some jaw surgery haha. I can’t have dairy though so I always make mine with olive oil (I like the taste of a strong olive oil) and an egg yolk, but I wonder how that would translate in a slow cooker. Any thoughts from the pro?
    On another note, will your lunch cookbook be out right on time for my return to work after maternity leave? 😀 We struggle for lunch ideas so much in this family!

    Reply

    1. Are you okay with using plant-based butter (like Earth Balance)? If so, I’d use that during the cooking, and then use a plant-based milk at the end (obviously, an unsweetened, unflavored one) and plant-based plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. I’ve never tried the egg yolk method!

      Reply