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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

    Published: Sep 1, 2021 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Jump to Recipe - Pin Recipe
    A slowcooker with mashed potatoes for a crowd has butter melting on top with fresh chives sprinkled and a serving spoon.
    Top photo shows finished mashed potatoes in a Crockpot, bottom photo shows the butter being mashed into the potatoes with a potato masher.

    Save time this holiday season by making easy Crockpot mashed potatoes. The potatoes cook right in the slowcooker and are mashed together with butter and milk for the tastiest side dish for drizzling homemade gravy over!

    A silver Crockpot has finished mashed potatoes that are sprinkled with fresh chives and two pats of butter.

    My mom makes the best mashed potatoes ever. When we plan for Thanksgiving or Christmas, she always adds those to her list of things to bring for the holiday dinner.

    Even with her help, a big holiday meal is still a ton of work. Every year we're looking for ways to shave off time in the kitchen so we can spend it together as a family.

    I decided to try to recreate mom's mashed potatoes in a Crockpot so that we'd have one less thing to worry about keeping hot when it is time to serve our roasted herb butter turkey. It worked like a charm.

    Be sure to make a big batch of our easy homemade gravy to pair with these creamy potatoes!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Equipment
    • Make Ahead Tips
    • Essential Thanksgiving Side Dishes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    You don't need anything terribly complicated to make amazing mashed potatoes.

    The ingredients for Crockpot mashed potatoes are on a kitchen counter next to a slowcooker.
    • Russet potatoes: I think these make the best mashed potatoes but you could use Yukon gold if you don't mind a little extra tang to the final dish
    • Chicken broth
    • Butter
    • Milk
    • Salt & Pepper
    • Cream of Tartar: this is mom's secret ingredient, it helps make the FLUFFIEST potatoes!

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    This is the perfect make ahead side dish, the worst of the prep work is done hours in advance!

    First, peel and chop the potatoes. Add them to a 4 qt Crockpot with the chicken stock.

    Heat on HIGH heat for 3 - 4 hours. I don't recommend using LOW heat or the potatoes will turn unappealing colors.

    Chopped potatoes are in a Crockpot waiting to be cooked.

    Stir the potatoes once or twice as they cook.

    Once they are easily pricked with a fork, they are ready to be mashed.

    Additional ingredients for finishing the mashed potatoes sit on the counter.

    Before you begin to mash the potatoes, prep the final ingredient additions:

    Scald the milk: Place the milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat on HIGH for 2 - 3 minutes or until the milk has scalded. This means it is super hot to the touch but not boiling.

    Soften and cut the butter: If you attempt to toss in a cold stick of butter, it will take too long to melt properly into the potatoes. Instead, use room temperature butter that has been cut into smaller pieces.

    Softened butter has been sliced into pieces and waits in a small bowl next to a potato masher.

    Add the milk and butter to the slowcooker bowl and mash the potato chunks with a potato masher.

    The cooked potatoes are being mashed by a masher and cubes of butter are melting into the potatoes.

    Once the potatoes are close to being smooth, add the cream of tartar, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and finish the final mashing.

    The finished mashed potatoes are in the Crockpot with a serving spoon, a pat of butter, and fresh chopped chives.

    Equipment

    A 3 or 4 qt Crockpot is the perfect size for this recipe. If you use one that is too big, the potatoes could burn around the sides of the slowcooker pot.

    If you must use a larger slowcooker, consider doubling the recipe so that the appliance is filled to a better capacity.

    Make Ahead Tips

    The mashed potatoes will do very well on the KEEP WARM setting of your Crockpot for 1 - 2 hours as long as they are stirred occasionally.

    After that, it is better to store them in an airtight container in the fridge or they will dry out.

    To reheat the mashed potatoes: Microwave them to bring the entire dish up to heat and then store in a Crockpot on a KEEP WARM setting for serving.

    Essential Thanksgiving Side Dishes

    I love how handy the Crockpot is for serving multiple side dishes for a big holiday dinner. Here are some of our other favorite turkey side dishes.

    • A serving of crispy green bean casserole is in a blue dish with a fork.
      Crispy Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
    • A baking dish filled with homemade sausage stuffing sits next to a striped towel.
      Italian Sausage Stuffing
    • A baking dish filled with the finished sweet potato casserole with pecan topping.
      Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
    • A blue baking dish filled with mac and cheese with bread crumb topping. A serving spoon has removed a portion to show the creamy elbow noodles.
      Make Ahead Mac and Cheese

    If you’ve tried this crispy Crockpot green bean casserole or any other recipe on PeanutBlossom.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
    FOLLOW along on Instagram @peanut.blossom as well as on  Pinterest and Facebook.

    📖 Recipe

    A silver Crockpot has finished mashed potatoes that are sprinkled with fresh chives and two pats of butter.

    Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

    5 from 1 vote
    This is the creamiest, fluffiest mashed potatoes recipe you'll ever find. It's the perfect make ahead side dish for a busy holiday dinner. Use the Keep Warm setting and the potatoes will be ready when you are!
    TOTAL TIME 4 hours 20 minutes
    PREP TIME 20 minutes
    COOK TIME 4 hours
    YIELD 10 servings
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 5 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • 4 tablespoons butter softened and cut into pieces
    • ½ cup milk scalded
    • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Place the potatoes in the bowl of a Crockpot and pour in the chicken stock.
    • Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 - 4 hours. The potatoes should be easily pricked with a fork.
    • To scald the milk, add the milk to a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat on HIGH in the microwave for 2 - 3 minutes.
    • Start to mash the potatoes with a potato masher, add the softened butter that has been cut into small pieces and just ¼ cup of the scaled milk.
    • Continue to mash the potatoes until the butter and milk have been incorporated. Add the cream of tartar to the potatoes and just a drizzle of additional milk as needed to reach your desired consistency and finish the mashing.
    • Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. (Hint: Start with ½ teaspoon of salt and go from there.)

    Recipe Notes

    Russet potatoes are the best for mashing but Yukon gold can also be used if you enjoy a mild tangy flavor.
    Make Ahead Tips:
    The potatoes can be kept warm for 2 hours on the KEEP WARM setting of your Crockpot. Be sure to stir them occasionally so they don't stick and brown to the sides of the slowcooker.
    COURSECrockpot Recipes
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

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