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Creamy, dreamy, and hands-off — that’s how I like my mashed potatoes. These Creamy Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes practically make themselves, such an easy recipe, and honestly, once you try them, you’ll never go back to boiling again.
This isn’t just another basic potatoes recipe; it’s a total game-changer, especially when juggling a holiday feast. The main reason? It frees up critical stovetop space and keeps your oven available for turkey, ham, or anything else you need to roast. This perfect side dish recipe is best served with my Beef Brisket or a scoop of my Easy Ratatouille delicious match. And if you want to round out the table with something fun and festive, try pairing it with my Boozy Cranberry Cobbler, the warm, tart sweetness complements the rich creaminess beautifully. Trust me, this one’s a keeper.
The Secret to Perfect Fork-Tender Creaminess
I’ve personally tested countless methods live my stove top creamy mashed potatoes, and the slow cooker reigns supreme for two reasons: flavor and texture. The potatoes slowly simmer in the broth and garlic, absorbing all that gorgeous flavor and moisture until they are perfectly fork tender. This consistent, gentle heat is the secret to achieving the ultimate, velvety creaminess without overworking the starch. You don’t even need heavy cream as the flavors intensify in the slow cooker.
Once cooked, I mash them right in the slow cooker or Crock pot with sour cream, butter, and a splash of hot liquid. While 2% or skim milk works perfectly, for an unbelievably rich result—which I highly recommend—you can use whole milk. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan and a generous twist of black pepper, and you’re done.
The ingredients list
- Potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet): While the recipe calls for 5 pounds, the type matters. I personally love Yukon Gold because they have a naturally buttery flavor and creamy texture that holds up beautifully in the slow cooker. Russets potatoes are also a fantastic choice if you want that classic, high-starch fluffiness. Whichever you choose, cut them into uniform 1 1/2-inch chunks so they cook evenly.
- Chicken Broth (The Secret Weapon): This is what sets slow cooker mash apart from the boiled version. You are cooking the potatoes in 1 cup of chicken broth, and unlike boiling water, you do not drain this liquid. The potatoes absorb that savory goodness right into the starch, creating a depth of flavor that water just can’t compete with.
- Sour Cream: You can use light sour cream, but full fat yields the best results.
- Hot Milk: the key word here is HOT. Never add cold milk to hot mashed potatoes—it cools them down too fast and can make the texture gluey. Heating the milk ensures the potatoes stay fluffy and absorb the dairy instantly.
Cooking potatoes in the slow cooker is easy
- Prepare your potatoes by peeling and cutting them into uniform 1 ½-inch chunks. Place them directly into the bowl of a 6qt slow cooker along with the chicken broth, crushed garlic cloves, and diced butter. Season the mixture with a pinch of salt and give it a quick toss to coat everything evenly. Unlike a traditional stovetop potato recipe, you will notice the liquid doesn’t cover the potatoes—this is intentional! The potatoes will steam in the broth and butter, absorbing all that incredible flavor rather than losing it to a pot of boiling water.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and set it to cook. You can choose the High setting for 4 hours or the Low setting for 7 to 8 hours, depending on your schedule.
- Once the cooking time is up and the potatoes are soft, do not drain the liquid! That broth at the bottom is liquid gold, packed with starch and garlicky goodness. Use a potato masher or an hand mixer to mash the potatoes right inside the slow cooker pot. To achieve the ultimate creaminess, stir in the sour cream and hot whole milk (heating the milk prevents the mash from seizing up). Continue mashing or beating until the liquid is fully absorbed and the mixture is fluffy and smooth.
- Fold in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which adds a savory, nutty depth that pairs perfectly with the slow-cooked garlic. Taste test your creation and adjust the seasoning with more salt if needed and a generous pinch of black pepper. If you aren’t serving immediately, switch the slow cooker to the “Keep Warm” setting. This keeps the dish at the perfect temperature for hours.
Expert tips for leftovers and serving
This recipe is designed to be forgiving. I often make a large batch because the leftovers are fantastic! The slow cooker keeps them warm and moist for hours. If you’re reheating them the next day, simply add a splash of milk and gently reheat in the microwave or on the medium-low setting on the stovetop—they’ll be as good as new.
Leftovers: Pop them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge. They will stay fresh for up to 4 days.
Room Temp: Be careful not to leave them out for more than 2 hours—if they’ve been sitting out longer than that, you should discard them.
For a light and refreshing contrast to these creamy potatoes, serve them with my Prosciutto Avocado Salad for a balanced, bright pairing.
Looking for more side dish recipes? Try these!
Crispy Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Garlic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
Crispy Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes
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Creamy Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds potatoes peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth stock
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/3 cup butter diced, reduced fat if counting points or calories
- 1 pinch salt adjust to your tastes
- 2/3 cup sour cream light if counting points or calories
- 1/3-1/2 cup hot milk skim or 2% if counting points or calories
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated, optional – substitute with cheddar if your prefer
- 1 pinch pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, broth, garlic and butter into a 6qt slow cooker. Season with salt; mix together and cover with lid. Cook on HIGH setting for 4 hours or LOW setting for 7-8 hours, until very tender.
- Mash potatoes with a potato masher or electric beater. Stir the sour cream and milk through until well combined and creamy (add more milk if desired). Stir through the parmesan cheese.
- Keep on low or warm setting until ready to serve.
Notes
- Best Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are my top pick for that buttery, creamy texture, but Russets work great too.
- Skin On or Off? Totally up to you! Leave the peels on if you want a more rustic, chunky mash.
- Consistency Fix: If the potatoes dry out a little while sitting on the ‘warm’ setting, just stir in a splash of extra hot milk to bring them back to life.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. (Just don’t leave them out on the counter for more than 2 hours!)
- High or Low setting which is best? Honestly this is completely up to the time you have, low and slow will not affect the taste as high and fast.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this for Thanksgiving. I will always make mashed potatoes in the crockpot going forward. That is brilliant!
I will need to adjust the seasonings a bit though. I did not enjoy the garlic taste, because it tasted raw. Cooking the garlic in the butter until the flavor is mellowed out would be much better. Also, I found the vegetable stock to be too much, so I will go back to milk. This part I my fault, because I use Better Than Boullion, which I made too strong.
But we all have to nudge recipes to fit our own personal taste! All in all this is is a good, solid recipe that I will use every time. I have been looking for a recipe for mashed potatoes for thirty years, and this is the absolute best method I have found. Thank you!
This how I now do mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and other family gatherings. It makes my day so much easier! I have the burners on my stove available for other things; no draining a hot pot ; no potential boil over and the potatoes are perfectly cooked.
Do you drain the broth before mashing the potato’s?
Hi TM, No, don’t drain it! The potatoes absorb the broth for extra flavour. Just mash them right in the slow cooker. Enjoy! Xx
How many servings does this recipe make??
Hi Mary, this will make 8 servings. If that’s too much feel free to half the recipe! Enjoy Xx
I never thought I would make potatoes in a crock pot but I was not in the mood for a lot of dishes so I figured I would try them. I normally cook my potatoes and rice in a stock with garlic anyways so what the heck. I am going to be making them this way from now on! So so so good! I cut the recipe in half since there are only 2 of us and they were so creamy!
The best mashed potatoes ever!!!!!!!!!! (It deserves ten stars, but since I can only give five stars, I gave it ten exclamation marks) 🙂
Seriously though, these were phenomenal, and so helpful to have them prepared and cooking ahead of time while I prepared chicken, vegetables and even dessert. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to the stovetop method.
I followed the recipe exactly, on high for four hours, and no burning, no uneven texture or uncooked bits – just pure creamy deliciousness packed with flavour. I would eat this out of a bowl by itself, but I served it to my family with bacon bits, green onions and sour cream.
It would be amazing alongside prime rib or brisket and au jus, and very easy to transport to a potluck or holiday meal. Thank you so much for sharing this excellent recipe!!
So good!
These were delicious. I did half quantities as it was only for a family meal. I also substituted coconut cream for the sour cream and cashew nut milk for the milk. Really good thank you.
I made these potatoes today using russet potatoes. They were so delicious that there was no need for gravy. I had some heavy cream, so, I used it instead of the milk. Thank you for the recipe!