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Making mashed potatoes in a crockpot is so easy!
Crockpot mashed potatoes require no boiling – simply chop & season and let the slow cooker do the rest! Before serving mash them until smooth and enjoy.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
A hearty meal is just never complete without a big ol’ bowl of mashed potatoes.
- Crockpot mashed potatoes are so easy to make, they practically cook themselves!
- No boiling, straining, or draining – these leave the stove open for Thanksgiving gravy.
- They can be prepared well ahead of time and left on warm in the slow cooker.
- Easy to make, you can add cheese, garlic, or other favorites to change them to your liking.
Potatoes for Mashing
For this crock pot mashed potatoes recipe, I prefer red or Yukon gold potatoes. They have a smooth texture and buttery flavor. This recipe will also work with russet potatoes, be sure to peel them first as the skins are tough.
How to Make Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Peel and chop the potatoes and add them to the slow cooker with seasonings and broth.
- Cook until fork tender.
- Mash with a potato masher to reach desired consistency.
If they’re done a little early, mash them and turn the slow cooker to warm.
Tips for Perfect Potatoes
- Slow cookers can vary – ensure that the potatoes are very soft before you start mashing.
- Opening the slow cooker lets out a lot of heat and increases the cooking time. If checking the potatoes for doneness, try close the lid quickly.
- This recipe is designed for a 4 quart slow cooker – if using a different size, your results may vary.
- You can add extra warm milk or heavy cream if needed (depending on the type of potato, you may not need it).
- To change the flavor, stir in shredded cheddar cheese, roasted garlic, crumbled bacon, green onions, or chives before serving.
More Crock Pot Side Dishes
This crockpot mashed potatoes recipe is a favorite as it’s hands off and out of the way! Here are more slow cooker sides we love.
Did your family love these No-Boil Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
No Boil Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pounds potatoes red, yellow or white
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese optional
- warm milk or cream to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks.
- In the bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker, add the potatoes, broth, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours or until fork tender. Each hour or so, very quickly stir the potatoes.
- Once tender, use a hand masher or hand mixer to mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Stir in the butter, sour cream, parsley, and cream cheese if using. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add warmed milk or cream to reach the desired consistency if needed.
- Serve or keep on warm until serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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I am trying this and my potatoes are starting to stick and scorch a little. Can you use slow cooker bags for this?
A slow cooker bag should work for this recipe.
i really want to try these, my question is this, whenever i use a mixer to mix, because that is just easier for me, my potatoes come out gummy, how can i make sure that wont happen?
The best way to avoid gummy mashed potatoes is to use a hand masher. To make potatoes silky smooth, you can also use a potato ricer!
My mom in law told me to never add milk to the potatoes before mixing them because the potatoes and milk bond and that’s what’s causing the gummy or sticky issue. So just put your butter in, beat them, then add milk and stir. Hope that helps.
Recipe calls for 5#s potatoes, broth, and powder’s slow cooked in a 4 QT slow cooker. I have only a 6 QT, can I still use or do I have to add additional potatoes, etc.
A 6 QT slow cooker will be fine.
What chicken broth, are stock cubes the same. I’m I’m England. Thanks
You can use stock cubes dissolved in water in place of chicken broth.
I liked potatoes my oldest son thought they needed salt and more
Thank you for this recipe it came in real handy for Christmas this year! Usually I am in such a rush to make the mashed potatoes and this was so simple! And I even did 15 pounds of potatoes I cooked them over night and they were wonderful there wasn’t even any left! I will for sure use this recipe over and over again I am so glad that I found it on Pinterest!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I have only read the first 100-200 comments or so, and saw a lot of concerns about using russet potatoes for this recipe, and those who met with difficulties. I just whipped up a batch (and I am a mashed potato novice…I usually go with store bought cause my own turn out so awful) using russet potatoes and so long as you keep an eye on them, stir them every 30-60 minutes if cooking on high, they turn out perfect. All evenly cooked, no burning to the sides and bottom of the cooker (other than the stray potato here and there, and that will happen with any variety I am sure), and done just right for mashing. Mine were just lovely. I made a batch tonight, and will be making another batch tomorrow (feeding 12, so one wasn’t enough, but I won’t have time tomorrow to do both for our Christmas meal), and even I, potato destroyer, managed to whip up a perfect batch of mashies with this recipe. Thank you SO SO much for this lovely gift! My family and friends will be most grateful tomorrow I am sure!
I made these potatoes tonight and we love them! They are awesome!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Gennette!
I’m going to try this for Christmas. My question is, Can I use stock instead of broth?
Yes, that will work perfectly.
Cooked my mashies this way for Thanksgivng and they were AH MAZING! So many raves and requests for more of this during weekday dinners. I was concerned early on because the onion and garlic smelled so strong when I opened the lid to check on them but it mellowed out and was PERFECT at “game time”. Thank you for a new family favorite!
I’m so glad you loved them Kathy!
I make these every year, I put heavy whipping cream instead of sour cream. makes a better tasting mashed potatoes. always creamy and rich.
Could you sub sour cream instead of cream cheese to make it creamy?
You can, they’re very creamy.
For 10lbs of potatoes, do I double the broth or just the other ingredients?
I would double everything!
Love this deliciously easy recipe. Makes the holiday potatoes a breeze to cook and hardly any clean up.
I only have a 6 qt and I’m afraid the potatoes will dry out or burn. I’ve read if your crockpot is too big for what’s in it bad things will happen. Thoughts?
I have only made this as written. As long as there is enough liquid I *think* they should be ok. I would just say to keep an eye on them and give them a stir if needed.
Holly will 10 pounds of potatoes fit in a 6 qt slow cooker?
10 lbs of diced potatoes should fit just fine in a 6qt slow cooker.
I am having 24 for Thanksgiving and would love to try this with 10 lbs (maybe 11-12 lbs?) in an 8 quart crock pot. Do the potatoes need to be “diced” or just cut into chunks? If the potatoes are diced will they cook faster than larger chunks? Also, can i use a crock pot liner for easier clean up or will that hamper mashing efforts? To prevent burning, do you recommend adding more broth if it dries up during the cooking time?
Hi Molly, I haven’t tried doubling this recipe so I cannot say for sure but I do think it would work. Smaller pieces would cook quicker than larger chunks. You may like to allow for extra time (in case it takes longer) and if they’re ready early, you can simply mash them and turn the slow cooker to warm until you’re ready to serve. If you add too much liquid they can be watery (or too soft) so just keep an eye on it. If you do decide to add extra liquid later in the cooking process, I’d suggest heating it first so it doesn’t cool down the slow cooker too much.
Hi. I’m going to try these this week. I have a new 4 qt slow cooker. Should I stir the potatoes at all during the cooking? I will have the luxury of time. Do you think cooking longer on low or shorter on high gets better results?
After 6 1/2 hours in the crockpot my potatoes were a weird tan color and had a funny taste. What did I do wrong???
I can’t say for sure what happened. Did you cook them on low?
I have Russet Potatoes…(should have read the recipe before shopping) Will those work?
They should work just fine.
Going to make this in a 4 qt crock pot (one of the newer ones which I understand cook hotter than the crockpots of old). Does cooking on low for longer get a better result than high for shorter?
And do you stir them at all during cooking?
I have made this on high and on low with great results.
After I read all the comments about burning and sticking I decided not to do this for a Thanksgiving potluck. My friend talked me into doing it since she has done it many times and loves it. I am 3 hours into the project as I write this. My first peek at it was after an hour on high and they were sticking on the bottom so I gave it a stir and several of the pieces were crusty and brown. Gave it another stir, and same thing. Decided to turn the temp down to low at 2 hours. At 3 hours some pieces were starting to turn soft but others were raw, so I am skeptical that they are going to be done enouh to mash in the next hour. I surmise that everyone’s crock pot Cooks differently and I should have just done it in the conventional way boiling them in a pot. It was not one of those things that you could put it in the Crock-Pot and then think you could run to the store for a couple hours and everything would be okay like most crock pot meals. This was more work than I want to do!
I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you. I’ve made them for years this way in a 4QT slow cooker with great results every time.
You may not have added enough liquid to your crockpot! I made this recipe in mine and even cooked them over night on low I did stir once to make sure the potatoes on the top cooked like the ones on the bottom I did not have any problems with potatoes sticking!