Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

4.45 from 218 votes

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.

Prep Time5

Cook Time4

Total Time4 5

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Calories: 381kcal

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

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 more of the cooking broth to thin it out.
Sprinkle on chopped chives, cover the potatoes, set the slow cooker to Warm, and then serve.

Cut the potato pieces small for quicker, more even cooking. Unevenly cooked potatoes = lumpy mashed potatoes!
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.
Use a hand-held potato masher or a ricer to mash the potatoes. Using a food processor or electric mixer runs the risk of gummy potatoes!
Don't toss the broth! The drained-off chicken broth is great to use in soups, stews, and gravies.