Creamy, buttery garlic and herb mashed potatoes made right in the slow cooker! These are the easiest, best tasting mashed potatoes you will ever make!
It’s baaaaaack! Slow cooker mashed potatoes are making a new appearance here on the CDLC blog. My original Slow Cooker Mashed Potato recipe is by far the most popular recipe on this entire blog. Apparently y’all are as obsessed with ridiculously easy and perfectly creamy mashed potatoes as I am. You and me, we’re two peas in a pod I tell ya.
Which is why I just know that you are going to l.o.v.e. this new slow cooker mashed potato recipe. Today we’re adding butter and garlic and bright herbs to a classic side dish so you know it’s gonna be good.
Now let’s break it down. All you do is add some chopped red potatoes to your greased slow cooker. That’s step one. And I’m just going to answer your question now because I know that it’s coming – NO you don’t not need to add any liquid to the pot. Just the potatoes. Pretty cool huh? Plus you can leave the skins on! Red skins in my mashed potatoes make me swoon.
After 2-3 hours of cooking on high (or 5-6 on low) you add the rest of the ingredients. ALL of them. Just dump them in, no need to be graceful about it, we’re about to make a mess anyway.
Now get your hand mixer out and whip those babies up until they’re pretty smooth but still have some chunks of potato throughout. I just pulse the mixer until I get the texture I want. These potatoes are not meant to be perfectly smooth – they are real potatoes, not instant potatoes. Let them keep a bit of texture!
If you want, you can also use a masher. It’s totally up to you. But be sure to check out my tips for perfect mashed potatoes – if you aren’t careful you can end up with “gluey” mashed potatoes. I’ve never had this happen to my potatoes but enough people have been disappointed in their own mashed potatoes that I’ve included some great tips for avoiding that crisis.
And that’s it! Seriously. Perfectly buttery herb mashed potatoes that you made in the crockpot so you didn’t even have to take up any stove or oven space. Thanksgiving is saved.
What people are saying about these Slow Cooker Buttery Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
“Tiffany, these were fantastic! I have always had trouble making mashed potatoes from scratch and had settled for the microwaveable Bob Evans mashed potatoes since my potatoes always came out horribly . I also hate to dirty up so many dishes having to boil potatoes. I made this for Thanksgiving this year and everyone raved about them. I doubled the recipe and omitted the basil due to personal preference. Girl, this was HEAVEN! Thank you so so much for making my life a little easier & tastier!” – Gladys
“I made the original mashed potato recipe at Thanksgiving and just made these potatoes for dinner. These were seriously the best potatoes I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not much of a cooker, so I seriously can’t believe how easy these were to make and how delicious they are!” – Kyleigh
“I made these last night, and they were freakin’ delicious! I would use half the amount of salt next time (they were a little too salty), but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing. I also didn’t have a gluey problem.” – Alex
“My mashed potatoes will never be the same! I can’t believe I am just now discovering this method of making mashed potatoes. Held up all the flavors and so much easier to make! It made our Thanksgiving meal that much better. Will make crock pot mashed potatoes from now on! Thanx!” – Amber
Slow Cooker Buttery Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes - washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces, (you don't need to peel them)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup sour cream - (or plain greek yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley - (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes)
- ½ teaspoon dried or fresh basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Add chopped potatoes to a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or 5-6 hours on low.
- When potatoes are cooked and fork-tender, add all remaining ingredients (let the butter melt for a couple of minutes). Use a hand mixer or a masher to mash the potatoes. (*see note) Serve warm.
Notes
**This recipe can easily be doubled for large groups – just increase the cooking time by 1-2 hours.
**Although I have never had this happen to my potatoes, I have heard some people complain of “gluey” potatoes after mashing. Click HERE for my tips on making perfect, never-gluey mashed potatoes!
Nutrition
Easy to make and tasty. It was a bit too salty, so next time I’m halving the salt.
I was reviewing your tips on how to avoid gluey potatoes, but I got a little confused. Which tool is the best to use to prevent gluey potatoes-hand held mixer or potato masher?
Either one do the trick and are good for mashing but the potato masher has a less of a risk in messing up the potatoes.
Hi Tiffany! I love this recipe and have cooked it many times. I increase all the seasonings a bit and half the salt. I also add cream cheese and it is just delicious.
This year, I am making 10lbs for a large group. I am using a 7qt crock pot(maybe another one too if they don’t all fit) and will be traveling 2 hrs with the finished potatoes so, I want to start them at 1 am, thinking it will take 8-9 hours on low. Does that sound about right? I know I can do them the night before and reheat them but I prefer them as fresh as possible.
Also, do you think it will be ok to cut up the potatoes before I go to bed and store them in water in the fridge, so I can just pat them dry and throw them in at 1am and go back to bed? Or should I not do that and cut them up when they are going in?
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe! 🙂 I would probably plan for 9-10 hours unless you split the 10lbs into 5lbs in each crockpot. Then you could cook them for about 7-8 hours on low or 5-6 on high. And you should be fine cutting up all the potatoes and completely submerging them into water and then putting them in the fridge (still submerged in water) until you’re ready to put them in the slow cooker.
Sounds fantastic! Will they turn out the same if potatoes are peeled? Also, how far ahead can this be done, and would you keep them in the crock pot to stay warm (ie how long can they stay mashed at warm in crock pot )? Thank you!
They should be fine if you peel them 🙂 I’ve never made them the day before but I’ve made them the morning-of and they are always perfect. You can make them ahead of time but they might be a little more dense when you reheat them, they’re definitely better fresh! I would say you could probably keep them warm for up to 4 hours. The longer they sit, however, the more gluey and stiff they become so I would keep an eye on them. Adding milk and/or butter may also help.