Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes (No Boil)
Easy Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe, plus tips for how to make the best creamy mashed potatoes. These slow cooker mashed potatoes are the perfect make ahead Thanksgiving side dish!
Mashed potatoes are a staple side dish that always have a place on our Thanksgiving table. They are a crowd favorite at holiday meals and a family favorite for weeknight dinners.
Over the years I’ve tried many different ways of preparing mashed potatoes. For a holiday meal, I love making these mashed potatoes in the crock pot because they are so easy and you can make them ahead of time.
These crock pot mashed potatoes are creamy and perfect. This make ahead crock pot mashed potatoes recipe will save you time at the last minute when you’re trying to get all of the parts of your holiday dinner on the table!
Why you’ll love crock pot mashed potatoes
- All of the work of cooking and mashing your potatoes can be done right in the crock pot. You don’t need to boil the potatoes on the stove or dirty a mixing bowl.
- You can mash the potatoes ahead of time and keep them warm in the slow cooker. It couldn’t be easier or more convenient!
- These crock pot mashed potatoes are creamy, buttery and perfect!
I want your mashed potatoes to turn out perfect, every time. Here are some tips for making the best mashed potatoes.
What kind of potatoes are best for mashed potatoes?
Russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes are the best types of potatoes for mashed potatoes. You can use Russets or Yukons, or a combination of the two, to make your mashed potatoes. These potatoes are starchy, not waxy, and they produce the best fluffy mashed potatoes.
How many potatoes should I cook per person?
Plan to cook about 1/2 pound of potatoes per person. This recipe calls for 5 pounds of potatoes, so it will serve about 10 adults. You can double this recipe and it will fit in a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker. A double recipe will not fit in my 5-quart slow cooker, but 1 1/2 times the recipe (about 8 pounds of potatoes) would.
How do you make creamy, smooth and fluffy mashed potatoes?
There’s nothing worse than having your mashed potatoes turn out gluey. Besides using the right kind of potato, getting the best mashed potato texture is determined by how you mash them.
For the absolute best smooth and fluffy mashed potatoes, you need to use a potato ricer. I don’t use a ricer because I’d rather just mash my potatoes in the pot. It’s much easier that way, and I don’t have to store another kitchen tool.
You can make mashed potatoes with great texture without a potato ricer. The key is to not overwork your potatoes. Use a potato masher and mash them by hand.
If you want your potatoes to be really smooth, after mashing you can beat them with an electric mixer for no more than a minute. Do not beat your potatoes for a long time with a mixer. Overworked potatoes will turn out gluey.
If your potatoes turn out lumpy, they may be undercooked. Be sure to cook your potatoes until they are very soft and tender.
How to make mashed potatoes in a crock pot
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into 1-inch cubes.
- Place the potatoes and 1 cup of chicken broth in your crock pot.
- Cook on high for 3 1/2-4 hours, until the potatoes are very soft.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth.
- Add butter, salt and pepper and continue mashing to incorporate.
- Stir in warmed whole milk, 1/4 cup at a time, until the potatoes are creamy.
- Serve immediately or keep warm in the slow cooker for up to 2 hours.
Can you make mashed potatoes ahead? I recommend making your mashed potatoes the day that you plan to serve them. Leftover mashed potatoes have a tendency to harden and dry out. A reader has mentioned that she mixes some plain Greek yogurt into her mashed potatoes and that helps them to not harden and dry out when she makes them a day ahead. I haven’t tried this but if you do let me know how it works.
Mash your slow cooker mashed potatoes no more than two hours before you plan to serve them. Stir in a little more warm milk right before serving if they become dry.
For the best mashed potatoes, you need to use real butter for flavor. While I try to share mostly healthy recipes, this is one time where you don’t want to go light on the butter. I use one stick of butter for 5 pounds of potatoes. Some recipes call for two full sticks of butter. I recommend starting with one stick, tasting your mashed potatoes, and adding more if needed.
The best way to make your perfect mashed potatoes is by taste. This goes for the butter, salt and pepper. Add your seasonings, taste the potatoes and adjust as necessary. Be sure to use whole milk for rich, creamy potatoes.
When you cook potatoes in the slow cooker, a few of the potatoes near the edge of the slow cooker may brown and crisp where they touch the side of the slow cooker. You can remove these browned edges or leave them in. In my slow cooker on high heat, just a few potatoes near the side browned. If your slow cooker cooks really hot, I recommend checking on your potatoes before the cook time ends and stirring once halfway through.
Tips for slow cooker mashed potatoes
- Heat the milk before adding it to the potatoes to keep the potatoes hot. You can heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove. Some potatoes are naturally more moist than others, so add milk 1/4 cup at a time until the potatoes are perfect.
- Do not overwork your potatoes or they may turn out gluey. Mash them with a potato masher and then stir in the warm milk with a wooden spoon until creamy.
- You can add 1/4-1/2 cup of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt or cream cheese to this recipe for a tangy flavor. Or, try using buttermilk in place of the milk.
- For garlic mashed potatoes, mix in roasted garlic to taste after mashing.
- I recommend cooking your crock pot mashed potatoes on the high setting. You can cook them on low for 7-8 hours, but the potatoes (especially Russet potatoes) have a tendency to turn gray when cooked for that long.
- I use this 5 quart slow cooker and cannot recommend it enough! If you need something bigger, this 7 quart model comes with great reviews.
I’ll be making these easy crockpot mashed potatoes for our Thanksgiving dinner this year, along with my favorite broccoli casserole, green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole. I also love to serve mashed potatoes with our favorite crispy baked chicken thighs. Mashed potatoes are also my go-to side dish when I cook pork chops in my Instant Pot.
Looking for a faster method? Try my classic mashed potatoes recipe or Instant Pot mashed potatoes. Also, try my Crock Pot baked potatoes for an easy side dish.
If you try this recipe, leave a comment and star rating below to let me know!
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes (No Boil)
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed, plus more as needed to make potatoes creamy
- chopped fresh chives, for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Place the potato chunks in the slow cooker.
- Pour in the broth.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours, until potatoes are very soft and tender. (You can cook on low for 7-8 hours, but the potatoes may gray a little.)
- Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the butter, salt and pepper and continue mashing to incorporate.
- Using a wooden spoon or other large spoon, stir in the warm milk, ¼ cup at a time, until potatoes reach desired consistency. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve immediately or keep warm in the crock pot (set it to keep warm) for up to 2 hours.
I love mashed potatoes made in the crockpot! It’s seriously SUCH a time-saver not having to boil them! I love how creamy these look, Kristine! 🙂
Hi Kristine — planning to make these for Thanksgiving, but wanted to confirm the timing. Your recipe says to look these for 3 1/2 to 4 hours on low, but that they can cook on low for 7-8 hours. Is it correct that the lower cooking time is the low setting? Or should they be cooked on high for the lower cooking time? Thanks!
Thank you for catching that! It should say to cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. I’ve fixed it!
Thank you!!! Can’t wait to try them.
This method worked really well! My potatoes turned out great and I don’t think I will be boiling them ever again. Also, i added rosemary to mine, and used garlic salt in place of regular salt. Super yumm!
I’m so glad you like these! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
If doubling the recipe, would U want to double the time to cook them also?
You won’t need to double the cook time, but you may need to add some time. I’d guess that a double recipe would take about one extra hour on high.
Ever since I found this recipe, this is the only way I make mashed potatoes now! So delicious and low maintenance ?
Just wondering about the add in’s. When would I add cream cheese, and would I need to leave anything out?
You would add the cream cheese after cooking the potatoes, when you mix in the butter, etc. You don’t need to leave anything out if you’re adding cream cheese.
This was perfect! I halved the recipe using only 4 baking potatoes, and used my small crockpot. I had the tiniest bit of browning (yumm) and no greying at all. I cooked on low for 7 hours. Amazing! Thanks for this recipe!
Made this in a test run before thanksgiving. I’m not a potato person, but my husband is back and said they were great! He tried reheating them another day and said they don’t reheat as leftovers well. HE just microwaved them. Any tips?
I’m glad these turned out well for you! The best way to reheat mashed potatoes is to put them in a double boiler (set them in a pot or bowl over another pot of boiling water). You can also boil water, take it off the stove, and put another dish with the mashed potatoes in the hot water. Stir until they are hot, adding a little more milk or butter as needed to make them creamy. Just be sure that you don’t get the mashed potatoes wet. 🙂
Try adding some cream cheese before mashing. Makes creamy rich potatoes. I also use a hand mixer to mash.
Hello! I would love to add Cream Cheese to these, but am curious on how much to add and how much butter you still add? I am hosting my very first Thanksgiving and hope to use this recipe!
I would start with 1/4 cup of cream cheese and then add more if needed, to taste. I would recommend keeping the amount of butter the same.
I really want to try making this recipe for thanksgiving, but I’ve never thought of using chicken broth. Does this enhance the flavor even more? What if I wanted to just use water?
The broth does make the mashed potatoes even more flavorful, but you can use water and they will still be really good.
Thank you for this recipe and so many other wonderfully helpful ones too! Do you think it would work to leave peel on potatoes? Often I like to do that for extra nutrition.
I think that would work fine. 🙂
If doubling the recipe do you also double the chicken broth?
Yes, double all of the ingredients for a double recipe.
Do you drain the potatoes before mashing them?
No, for this recipe you don’t drain them.
The bag of potatoes I purchased is only 4 pounds. Everything is being downsized these days! Do I need to change the amounts of the other ingredients?? Thanks so much….
I would reduce the broth just a bit, but otherwise you can keep the rest of the ingredients the same.
Hi there! I am working on making these now, but am half-ing the recipe. How do you anticipate that affecting the cook time? Thanks!
They may cook a little faster if the slow cooker is not very full.
Can I not peel the potatoes ?
If you prefer to leave the skins on that’s fine. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’m making them today. I have a question – one cup of broth doesn’t cover the potatoes. Is that ok? I’m watching them and waiting for them to discolor.
Yes, it’s ok if the broth does not cover the potatoes.
Making these potatoes for Thanksgiving can’t wait to taste them.
I want to make these or atleast prepare the day before Thanksgiving. Would I prepare as usual, store in fridge then reheat in crockpot on Thanksgiving day? Or would I prepare and cook day before and then mash and add ingredients on Thanksgiving day and serve in crockpot on low or warm??
Hi Melissa,
I recommend making these the day you plan to serve them, otherwise they will likely dry out. Since it’s a crock pot recipe, you can start them cooking earlier in the day and then mash the potatoes up to 2 hours before you plan to serve them, then use the keep warm setting on your slow cooker to keep them warm until serving.
Hi…I’m trying this recipe for thanksgiving this year and I have a smaller slow cooker 3.5 quart. Do you suggest changing the recipe to fit?
Hi Danielle,
In the photos, the mashed potatoes are shown in my 5 quart slow cooker. It is decently full so I would scale the recipe down a little for a 3.5 quart. Enjoy!
Will red skin potatoes work with this?
Yes, and you don’t need to peel them.
What size crockpot does this recipe call for?
A 5 quart slow cooker is shown in the photos.
I peeled and cut and put in water overnight, drained and used broth the next day. They came out alittle watery. Do you think I should cut down the broth a bit since they were stored in water? Did for potluck last week and want to try again for thanksgiving.
You could try reducing the broth to see if that helps. I’m wondering if the potatoes may have absorbed some water as they were stored. Also, when storing potatoes in water be sure to do so in the refrigerator and not for more than 24 hours.
Quick question…leave the broth in while mashing? Don’t drain the broth? Thanks!!!
That’s correct. You do not need to drain. Enjoy!