Slow cooker mashed potatoes

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Mash has to be one of the easiest side dishes to make right? I know! However, if you’re batch cooking, or meal prepping, you might not want to have to watch a boiling pot of water. When making slow cooker mashed potatoes you can just prep, put the potatoes in the pot and then let it slowly cook while you make other meals or even just get on with work.

Mashed potatoes are a real staple in our home. Both our daughters will happily eat them and they’re the great basis of a meal, with slow cooker cottage pie and air fryer sausage and mash always being meals I can guarantee my whole family will enjoy.

Over the last few years I’ve experimented with different ways to make mash, and I love to make pressure cooked mashed potatoes and air fryer mashed potatoes. Both are super simple, and both are fast. Slow cooker mashed potatoes take longer of course, but they also require very minimal prep making them ideal for the days when I’m batch cooking several dinners or filling up the freezer.

Mashed potatoes work great as part of a tasty roast dinner served alongside sage and onion stuffing, slow cooker whole chicken and Ninja Foodi roast potatoes. Leftovers can also be made into air fryer mashed potato balls and these go great with some air fryer frozen chicken nuggets for a simple meal for little ones.

While you’re here be sure to check out my slow cooker dinners, best potato recipes and slow cooker tips. I’ve been slow cooking for years but love to give myself a little refresh every December when I get the crock pot out and start cooking with it more again as the cold nights draw in.

Ingredients for slow cooker mash potatoes:

1kg white potatoes

Salt

300ml vegetable stock

50ml whole milk or cream (heavy cream or double cream work well)

30g butter or garlic butter

How to make slow cooker mashed potatoes:

Peel and chop your potatoes into bitesize pieces.

Wash well.

Place into the slow cooker pot.

Add 300ml of vegetable stock.

Add a pinch of salt (depending on the salt quantity of your stock).

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Check your potatoes are cooked by pricking one with a fork. You want them to be fork tender.

Once cooked add the milk, cream or cream cheese plus the butter to your hot potatoes.

Then use your potato masher of choice to mash. I personally love to use a *Masha which gives a smooth and creamy consistency without making it gummy.

Do you boil these potatoes before putting in the slow cooker?

No. All you need to do is peel, chop and wash. No need to boil or parboil your potatoes.

Want to enhance the flavour slightly?

Sour cream and cream cheese works very well for bringing some extra, and different, flavour to your mash. Salt and black pepper works well, as does fresh garlic.

I love to use fresh herbs, such as dill or rosemary, and this brings lots of flavour too. You can use frozen herbs if that’s all you have to hand. Just add a cube to your hot mashed potatoes when adding the milk and butter.

What are the best potatoes for making mash?

I love to use Maris Piper or King Edward for making mash. You can use Yukon Gold, if you can find them, or even Desiree work great for lovely smooth mash.

If your budget is a little tighter than just use the standard white potatoes you find in UK supermarkets, they’ll still mash well as long as they’re nice and soft.

Can you freeze this mash potato once cooked?

Yes. I often use this to top dinners and then I freeze the meal. I then cook from frozen for super simple dinners. I’ve cooked frozen mash potato in the oven too, in a Pyrex dish, and it works well.

You can also freeze this in a suitable freezable container. Another thing I love to do is freeze in a ziplock bag, but press it flat first, and then you can just break off pieces depending on whether you’re making a full dinner or a small meal for one.

What meals go well with mashed potatoes?

For me personally I love a tasty, hearty dinner. Slow cooker roast beef, Ninja Foodi pulled pork, slow cooker sausage cassoulet and air fryer sausage meatballs.

I love to cook air fryer vegetables, as they’re so fast and convenient, and some of my favourites to serve with creamy mash are air fryer corn on the cob, air fryer tenderstem broccoli, air fryer cauliflower cheese, air fryer green beans and air fryer onions.

I love to serve with a tasty beef gravy (made with beef juices), or an onion gravy works great too. Tomato ketchup is always a hit with my little ones.

Can you use the slow cooker to keep mash potato warm?

Yes, absolutely. Once you’ve cooked this up you could leave it to the keep warm setting for 1-2 hours with the lid on. I don’t recommend leaving it beyond this as the consistency just gets a bit too thick and is not as nice to eat.

This is great if you’re making a family style meal, where everyone is going to serve themselves.

How to make mashed sweet potatoes in the slow cooker? 

Follow the same method above but use sweet potatoes. I love mashed sweet potatoes, they’re full of flavour and look fun too. Make sure you chop your sweet potatoes quite small, to ensure they cook evenly and are ready for mashing at the end of the time.

Can you use a hand mixer to mix mash?

Yes, absolutely. Personally I love to use a *Masha, but if a mixer is what you have to hand it’ll work too. Use it for 2-3 seconds at a time and then stop to ensure you don’t overwork the potatoes.

This is a great way to save some of the effort that goes into using a potato masher – ideal if you’ve got reduced mobility too.

Why not check out some of my other delicious slow cooker recipes while you’re here?

• Slow cooker sausage casserole
• Beef casserole in the slow cooker
• Slow cooker chicken curry
• Chicken tikka masala in the slow cooker
• Slow cooker beef stroganoff (gluten free)
• Chicken saag curry in the slow cooker
• Slow cooker beef chilli

These are some of my favourite slow cooker cookbooks and accessories:

How to make slow cooker mashed potatoes:

Note: All calorie information is for demonstration purposes only and is based on the specific uncooked ingredients that I used when creating the recipe.

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