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Your New Favorite Mashed Potatoes
This slow cooker recipe for homemade mashed potatoes is a lifesaver when you are trying to get a big meal on the table. You can even peel your potatoes the night before as long as you store them covered in cool water!
We make them this way for most major holidays because you can set it, forget it and keep it out of the way in your kitchen. You can even keep them on the “warm” setting in the crockpot for at least an hour, until it’s time to serve.
Crockpot Mashed Red Potatoes
Our favorite potatoes to use for mashed potatoes are red potatoes. They have a smooth and hearty texture are are a little higher in sugar content than some of the starchier varieties. A good rule of thumb when you use red potatoes is to plan on about 1.5 potatoes per person.
Yukon gold potatoes are another great option. They are super creamy and buttery, and are really delicious if you leave some of the peel on. Keep in mind that they do take slightly longer to cook.
If a super starchy potato is your jam, then try going with a russet or Idaho potato. Or do a combination of the two! You can figure about half a pound per person for these varieties.
How to Make Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Place the potatoes and salt in the crockpot and cover with hot water. Add half of the salt. Cover and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours.
- Once your potatoes are cooked through, pour the potatoes and water through a strainer in the sink to drain the cooking water. Make sure to use towels because it will be hot!
- Return the potatoes to the crockpot and add the sour cream, half of the milk, butter, onion powder, garlic powder, and the other half of the salt. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. Do not over mash or the potatoes will develop a gluey texture.
- Taste the potatoes, and add the remaining milk and more salt if desired.
- Serve with gravy, or load them up with ranch dressing, bacon and green onions. Enjoy!
Mashed potato ingredients
- Potatoes - we like to use red potatoes for this recipe, but Yukon gold and Idaho work well too.
- Salt
- Sour Cream - lite or full fat will work.
- Milk - any type of milk will work. You can also use heavy whipping cream in mashed potatoes, and mashed potatoes with evaporated milk are delicious, too. You could even substitute chicken broth if you wanted. So many options!
- Butter - you’ll want this to be cold or room temperature. Melted butter can separate, making it hard to mix in evenly.
- Onion Powder and Garlic Powder - we love these flavors, but you can feel free to use your favorite mashed potato seasoning. Dried herbs would taste great, or even just simple salt and pepper.
How long to boil potatoes for mashed potatoes
If you would rather make these mashed potatoes on the stovetop, you can boil them in a large pot of salted water instead. The time it takes when boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes depends on a few different factors:
- What kind of potatoes (some are waxier, some are starchier)
- What size you cut them (the smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook)
- How many you are boiling at once (more will take more time)
- The ratio of potatoes to water in your pot
If you are boiling peeled red potatoes, cut into 1” pieces, they will take roughly 15-25 minutes to cook.
How to know when potatoes are done boiling
One of the best tricks to know when your potatoes are done is to poke them with a fork. If the potato doesn’t stick to the fork when you lift it, they’re done!
Freezing mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes freeze really well, as long as the fat content is high enough. So make sure to add plenty of butter and sour cream! How to freeze mashed potatoes? Just cool them to room temperature and transfer to freezer bags. Press them so that they lay flat and freeze for up to 3 months. That’s all there is to it!
Reheating mashed potatoes
You have a couple of options to reheat mashed potatoes.
To reheat on the stovetop: transfer to a small saucepan and reheat over low-medium, stirring occasionally and adding extra butter or a touch of milk if needed.
To reheat in the microwave: transfer to a microwave-safe dish and reheat based on your microwave’s settings (either half-power, defrost… whatever works best). Make sure to stop and stir occasionally and add butter as needed.
To reheat in the oven: Reheating mashed potatoes in the oven is simple if you already have it set at 350 degrees for something else. Just preheat the oven and put the frozen potatoes in a covered baking dish. Heat for about 30 minutes, or until warm, and then mix in any additional butter or milk that you would like.
Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 10 medium Red Potatoes peeled and cut into 1" cubes
- 2 tsp Salt divided in half
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- ½ Cup Milk
- ¼ Cup Butter
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Place the potatoes and salt in the crockpot and cover with hot water. Add half of the salt. Cover and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours.
- Once your potatoes are cooked through, pour the potatoes and water through a strainer in the sink to drain the cooking water. Make sure to use towels because it will be hot!
- Return the potatoes to the crockpot and add the sour cream, half of the milk, butter, onion powder, garlic powder, and the other half of the salt. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. Do not over mash or the potatoes will develop a gluey texture.
- Taste the potatoes, and add the remaining milk and more salt if desired.
- Serve with gravy, or load them up with ranch dressing, bacon and green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
We love Potato Recipes! Here are a few recipes using potatoes:
- 3 Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Baked Potato Skins Recipe
- Smashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes
- Cheesy Hash Browns with Bacon and Ham
- Fingerling Potatoes with Parmesan and Rosemary
- Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup
- The Most Amazing Classic Scalloped Potatoes
- Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Hams and Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
- Cheesy Potato Casserole or Funeral Potatoes
- Creamy Potato and Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
- Herb Roasted Potatoes
- Steakhouse Style Baked Potatoes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
These Crockpot Mashed Potatoes are 100% made in the crockpot. They are light and fluffy, full of flavor and make for the ultimate hands-free side dish for holidays, or any night of the week.
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