Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes – perfect results every time, super easy and for next to no effort! Simply add the ingredients to crockpot, cook and mash when the potatoes are tender.
You will also love my Mashed Potato Waffles
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Homemade mashed potatoes are not just the perfect side dish, they are also useful for creating yummy toppings for recipes such as Cottage Pie, Fish Pie and Shepherd’s Pie.
Slow cooker mashed potatoes are THE easiest mashed potatoes EVER. Perfect for when you have a lot going on – simply dump everything in your slow cooker and you have perfect mash (a few hours later).
Which are the best potatoes for mashing?
Making mash is easy peasy… After all it’s just potatoes, butter and (maybe) milk, what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as anyone who has created a gummy gluey mash would tell you. I have been there myself and it is not pretty.
The most important element in mash is, naturally, the potatoes. Well, duh!, I hear you say. But choosing the right type of potatoes is half the battle in getting perfect fluffy mash.
I always use high starch potatoes such as Rooster, King Edward or Maris Piper – Russets or Yukon Golds for those in North America. Waxy potatoes (new potatoes) are not suitable as they tend to create the dreaded potato paste when mashed.
How to make Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
STEP 1 So you have picked the right potatoes, now what? Peel and cut them into even sized cubes and add to your slow cooker together with some diced garlic cloves. Needless to say if you are not a fan of garlic, you can simply leave it out! Same goes for the potato skins – you can leave them on or peel the potatoes.
STEP 2 Add salt, hot vegetable stock and a bay leaf (but don’t forget to discard it before mashing) cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH setting or on the LOW setting for 8 hours (hence, overnight mashed potatoes!).
STEP 3 After four hours the potatoes should be fork tender. Add cream cheese (I like adding Garlic And Herbs Boursin!) and butter and mash them, adding hot milk as needed, until you have your preferred consistency. You can use sour cream instead of the cream cheese if you like!
STEP 4 Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed then serve with a little extra butter on top and a scattering of parsley or chives.
What tools do I need for mashed potatoes?
You can make mash with a fork… but it is much easier to use a potato masher. My favourite one is this Oxo masher which is available on Amazon.
For truly smooth mashed potatoes you will need a potato ricer (affiliate link). This can be a bit fiddly to use however, especially if you have a mountain of potatoes to mash. If you have trouble with arthritis then this is not the tool for you!
Some people like to use an immersion blender to make mash… I tend to avoid this because it is easy to go a step too far and end up with gluey mash. A hand mixer CAN work but usually creates quite a dense mash.
Slimming World Mash
Creating the perfect creamy Syn Free mash is actually really easy, especially if you cook them in a slow cooker.
Simply replace the cream cheese with fromage frais, extra light Philadelphia cream cheese or quark to achieve the yummiest mash… seriously this is even better than the classic recipe.
If you can spare a few Syns consider adding reduced fat sour cream (5 syns per 100ml) – this is the tastiest option IMHO 😉
Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Did you know you can make perfect vegan mashed potatoes with only two ingredients? All you need is potatoes and some of their starchy cooking water. Needless to say these are the healthiest mashed potatoes, and syn free too of course.
If you want your vegan mash to have a bit more VA VA VOOM then add some olive oil or vegan spread as well. I don’t love plant based milks in mashed potatoes, I find they usually add a strange taste. Some friends swear that soy milk works well but I remain unconvinced!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH MASHED POTATOES
Classic Beef Bourguignon
Slow Cooker Turkey Crown with Best Ever Gravy
Instant Pot Brisket
HAVE YOU MADE MY SLOW COOKER MASHED POTATOES RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 large potatoes such as Maris Piper or Yukon Gold
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 120 ml (½ cup) hot vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp garlic and herb cream cheese see notes for variations
- 120 ml (½ cup) hot milk or as needed
- salt and pepper to season
- 1 tbsp parsley or chives to garnish
Instructions
- Peel and cut the potatoes into even sized smallish cubes and add to your slow cooker together with some diced garlic cloves. Needless to say if you are not a fan of garlic, you can simply leave it out! Same goes for the potato skins – you can leave them on or peel the potatoes.
- Add salt, hot vegetable stock and a bay leaf (but don't forget to discard it before mashing) cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH setting or on the LOW setting for 8 hours (hence, overnight mashed potatoes!).
- After four hours the potatoes should be fork tender. Add cream cheese (I like adding Garlic And Herbs Boursin!) and butter and mash them, adding hot milk as needed, until you have your preferred consistency. You can use sour cream instead of the cream cheese if you like!
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed then serve with a little extra butter on top and a scattering of parsley or chives.
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