Crock Pot Million Dollar Mashed Potatoes
These Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes come out so creamy! Russet potatoes, butter, cream cheese and chicken broth are all you need!
CREAMY HOMEMADE MASHED POTATOES
Are you ready? Do you have your menu all planned? Are you looking for some great (but easy!) side dishes to impress your guests that won’t have you cooking ALL DAY? Well, I have got the dish for you! These Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes will be a huge hit with your family and friends!
Why is there no option for 10 stars!? Oh my goodness, I’m not much of a mashed potatoes fan, but they are the perfect with some dishes. But these were amazing, my daughter is so sick of me raving about them! So much more flavor than any other mashed potatoes I’ve ever had!
– Mark
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I do not recommend it. I know its a popular option these days but if you aren’t super careful, the potatoes can get over-whipped and end up turning out gummy. These potatoes will be so tender and will be super easy to mash with a traditional potato masher. You can mash them yourself quicker than transferring it to a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer. Plus, why dirty up extra dishes if you don’t have to?
This adds another layer of flavor as opposed to just plain water. It really takes these mashed potatoes over the top!
You can use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
Yes. You can boil the potatoes in the chicken broth. Then continue with the rest of the recipe as written. The great thing about using a slow cooker is it doesn’t take up precious stovetop/oven space while doing all that holiday cooking and baking.
I don’t recommend a waxy potato like red potatoes. The texture just is not conducive to creating really good mashed potatoes.
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- russet potatoes – you can leave the skin on or peel them. Just make sure to scrub the potatoes good with water if you are leaving the skin on.
- salted butter – if you are at all sensitive to sodium, you can use unsalted.
- chicken broth – you can use a low or no sodium chicken broth if you prefer.
- cream cheese – you don’t taste a strong cream cheese flavor here. You could also use sour cream or if you are concerned about the taste, you can start with just half a block.
- milk – try to use a fattier milk if possible to ensure the best possible creaminess.
- salt and pepper – this will be to your tastes.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT MASHED POTATOES:
Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Place the cut potatoes into the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot.
Dot the potatoes with 1 stick of the cubed butter. Season with a little salt and pepper. Pour chicken broth on top of potatoes.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Potatoes are ready when fork tender. Carefully drain the excess broth into a bowl. Pro tip: use the excess broth to make some delicious gravy! See my quick recipe at the end of this post.
Place drained potatoes back into the crock pot. Add in remaining stick of cubed butter, cream cheese, milk and salt and pepper to taste. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth (or leave a little lumpy if that is your preference.) Cover and keep potatoes on the warm setting until ready to serve.
Then dig in!
Optional: Make them ‘Loaded Mashed Potatoes’ by topping with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled and cooked bacon and sliced green onions.
HOW TO MAKE A DELICIOUS CHICKEN GRAVY:
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1-1/2 cups of the broth to boiling. Reduce heat to medium.
In small bowl, stir remaining 1/2 cup broth, the flour, salt and pepper with whisk until smooth. Gradually stir mixture into hot broth. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Serve with your Million Dollar Mashed Potatoes! Or try my KFC Gravy recipe!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Crock Pot Million Dollar Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds russet potatoes
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into cubes
- 32 ounce carton chicken broth
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into cubes
- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
- ¼ cup milk (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- Peel and cut 5 pounds russet potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
- Place the cut potatoes into the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot.
- Dot the potatoes with 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into cubes.
- Pour 32 ounce carton chicken broth on top of potatoes.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Potatoes are ready when fork tender.
- Carefully drain the excess broth from the cooked potatoes. Place back into the crock pot.
- Add in remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into cubes, 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes and ¼ cup milk (see note below.)
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth (or leave a little lumpy if that is your preference.) Add in a little more milk if you'd like to thin them out some. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and keep potatoes on the warm setting until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Make them ‘Loaded Mashed Potatoes’ by topping with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled and cooked bacon and sliced green onions.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- You can mashed potatoes before adding cream cheese and milk or after you add them in. It works both ways (whatever you find easiest.)
- These can be made on the stovetop by boiling the potatoes in chicken broth. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Best mashed potato recipe! All the picky eaters liked them too. Really liked … VERY FLAVORFUL.
Can i make with beef broth
Hi Lisa, I wouldn’t recommend it since beef broth has such strong flavor. You can just use water instead. 🙂
These potatoes were AMAZING! Have you ever done them in an instant pot, and if so, how would you convert the recipe/times?
HI Sarah! Yay! So happy you liked them! I haven’t tried in the Instant Pot yet I should work on that!
Can I use red potatoes with this recipe and not peel them, just cube? I will also be doubling the recipe so is the cook time the same?
Hi! Can I start cooking these the night before and setting the crock pot to low for maybe 8 hours instead of high for 4-5?
Hi I know this was a while ago, but can you remember if you did do it on low for eight hours overnight? And how it went? Thanks
I was never a fan of mashed potatoes til I made this recipe and now OMG – I’ll find any excuse to make them!! Thank you!!!
I made these for my husband’s work. It was great letting them cook at night and having them ready by 5am! The potatoes were very tasty and easy to make and the gravy was very good as well. Thank you! I will be making these again.
Made these for Thanksgiving and it was so much easier than dealing with a pot of boiling water / potatoes on the stove–easy and so good!
Yay! Thank you so much!! So happy these were a hit!
Made this for my family today for Thanksgiving and holy crap what a hit! My 14 year old son could care less about Thanksgiving dinner… except the mashed potatoes so I was leery about trying something new. Man am I glad I did! Not only is this recipe super easy, it was by far the best mashed potatoes we’ve ever had. I won’t be making any other type from here on out. Not to mention, I now won’t mind making them during the rest of the year! Thank you!
Wow! I am honored! That is high praise indeed. Having a recipe on the Thanksgiving table is serious business so I don’t take these special recipes lightly. Thank you so very much!
I used golden potatoes cut very tiny- didn’t peel them. They soaked in water overnight/ drained and proceeded with the recipe. They were outstanding. 5 lbs fed 11 people with maybe two servings left over. Thanks for a great recipe!!!
That makes me so happy to hear Susan!! Thank you for coming back to review!
Can I make them a day ahead and heat them up tomorrow?
Yes – you sure can! 🙂
Hi! Can I sub the milk for heavy cream?
Yep!
I’m wanting to make this recipe but I want to double it. How long should I cook the potatoes if I’m cooking 10 pounds instead of 5?
how long should they go in the crock pot for 10lb instead of 5lb?
I’ve never used cream cheese in potatoes before. Will it have a strong taste of the cream cheese?
No
Hi! Do you use the whole container of the chicken broth?
I planned on making this on Christmas and taking to my friend’s house. Just found out my crock pot only holds 4 quarts. Can I make this on the stovetop and bring it in my crockpot? I don’t want to alter the recipe.
Hi Susan – you sure can!
Can I substitute the russet potatoes for red potatoes? Would that change anything?
Would subbing water instead of broth work for vegetarian guests? I’d prefer not to use vegetable broth for any conflicting flavors.
Hi Katie – I think that would work just fine!
Or you can use vegetable broth
Can I cube them put them in the chicken broth and just put them in the fridge overnight and then make them the next day
I am curious about this as well. I’d like to make these for an office luncheon tomorrow. It’d be great if I could peel and cube the potatoes tonight without compromising consistency or flavor tomorrow. Hoping to actually have them cook during the morning and finish them off right before lunch, so they’ll be fresh!
This is a tough question because I haven’t actually tried it and I always hesitate to answer when I haven’t tested it myself. All I can say is it *should* be okay. The main thing we want to avoid is the potatoes turning brown or soaking up all the broth over night. Potatoes love to soak up liquid so it’s possible when you go to pull them out of the fridge in the morning, you may need to add some additional water to them before adding to the crock. You don’t want to put a cold crock into a slow cooker either or it may crack.
I ended up not trying it either–better safe than sorry! I’d be interested to see a response from someone if anyone else decides to try it out!
Best potatoes I’ve ever tasted!!!!!
Will golden potatoes work?
I am curious – will vegetable broth and almond milk work for this?
Thanks!
Hi Dani – the vegetable broth will totally work. Almond milk is fine as long as it isn’t too thin. You may have to play with the measurements a bit so the potatoes don’t get too thin. 🙂
I made a single batch and they were wonderful! I’m having 25 for Thanksgiving dinner and will need to do about 2.5 times the recipe tho. Do you know if I do them a day ahead and warm them back up in the crockpot if they’ll still be good??
Hi Rebecca – yes you can totally do that. They’ll still be good. Just stir regularly as they warm up, if necessary, add a touch of milk if you need to smooth it out.
We make this every year! I think I started making it when you posted it a few years ago. There is a revolt now if I don’t make these for Thanksgiving LOL
This is exactly how I make my mashed potatoes! I thought I made this up all myself. I do cook them on the stove top and instead of milk I use a little of the strained off broth. This is so delicious. Thank you for the gravy recipe too.
Great minds think alike, right? Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
How many people does this feed?
I believe the recipe says 10
Does anyone know if these freeze well in batches to take out for dinners in a pinch?
Can these be cooked on low for 8 hours if I will be gone at work all day and need to dinner? My crockpot has a setting to turn to warm after a designated amount of time.
Hi Courtney! Yep – they sure can!
These were super-flavorful, and I’ll absolutely make them again, but I think I’ll cut back on the cream cheese by a wee bit — it seemed just a tad heavy. But only a tiny bit! They were still quite well received at Easter dinner, and were easy to prepare. Did a rustic skin-on coarse mash, and topped them with green onions — they looked and tasted decadent. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Can I use water instead of the broth? I forgot to pick it up at the store
Hi Suzanne – you sure can! I think the broth gives it a richer flavor but water works in a pinch. 🙂
Wow! These were divine! I made them tonight for dinner and they were excellent! I almost followed the recipe to a t but I had to use organic chicken broth base instead. Thank you soooo much! Will def do these every time I need to make mashed potatoes. Yumm!
Can you leave the skins on?
I just served these for Thanksgiving dinner and everybody loved them! Since I was making the entire meal on my own, the Crock Pot was a time saver. Nice to know I could have it going while attending to other things.
These were fantastic!!! I made them the night before, put in the fridge overnight, placed back in crockpot on low for about four hours before we ate. The only thing I added was some garlic cloves with the cut up potatoes. Saved the liquid for the gravy which was excellent. Be careful with adding to much flour, as it will thicken once you take off the the stovetop.
Can’t wait to try these this year! Thanks for all the comments & suggestions. You really gave me the guts to try this. I’ll keep you posted!
Hi! I’ made these last year and they were delicious and easy! This year I’m only doing about 2 or 3 lbs. of potatoes. Do the measurements change, as far as how much broth , etc. to use? Thanks
Can I use unsalted butter?
If you are sensitive to salt – definitely.
HI would really like to make these for my friends giving on Saturday. but i need to make 10 lbs worth of potatoes. I dont think 10 lbs would fit in my crock pot 🙁
Hi Amanda – I would definitely recommend doubling the recipe and using two crock pots. Unless you have a super mega 8 or 10 quart crock pot. 🙂
Is there a special reason to use a masher instead of an electric mixer?
I agree with Terri. I have made crockpot potatoes before and I also placed a dish towel between the pot and lid and it kept the potatoes from getting watery for hours. Excellent way to have hot mashed potatoes ready for a great meal. Enjoy! Merry Christmas!
When you have them ready and they’re just staying warm, put a kitchen towel between the lid and potatoes. This keeps them from getting watery from the moisture in the lid.
Terri, it’s over a year later so I don’t know if you’ll see this, but…. you’re trick is GENIUS! I’m an experienced cook and I never thought of this! I will be employing that towel trick on all kinds of slow cooker dishes. Thank you!
They do look so light and fluffy!
I need to double the recipe. Is it just double of everything? Thanks!
These turned out awesome!!! Made them for thanksgiving and it was so convenient to set the crock pot and move on to other dishes. I used regular LS chicken broth, and sour cream instead of cream cheese because I prefer the taste.
The gravy recipe was on point too.
Do yourself a favor and slow cook your mashed potatoes, they actually turn out way better than boiling.
Thanks for the easy, delicious, space and time saving recipe!!
HI — I have a guest that doesn’t eat cheese and I was going to use sour cream instead. How much did you add?
Perfect!
I’m giving these a shot today. I am roasting a head of garlic to add at the end and using red potatoes. Hoping to leave them a bit chunky.
Sooo i made these. Red potatoes. At end i added i bulb roasted garlic and some garlic and herb cheese spread. I have to agree, these are the BEST crockpot potatoes ever. I usually mash and then leave in crock to keep warm. But these were still so creamy. Keeping this recipe.
Hi Brandie,
I tried the recipe and made the first mashed potatoes and gravy of my life! I was a happy camper! I do need additional advice. The first one I made was done in a seven quart crock pot. It often overcooks dishes following instructions. Then bought 6 quart. Better. But the gravy was to thick both times. Can you give me a different ratio for the gravy. I have extra stock leftover after following your instructions. I can use this to make gravy thinner but aren’t sure how the extra liquid/flour ratio should be put together so as to not change your recipe in a negative way. Please advise.
Thanks,
Hugh.
Can anyone help out here? Brandie didn’t get a chance to reply. Thank you.
Hi Hugh! Sorry about that! You are correct in that you can add a bit more broth until it thins out to how you like it. It won’t affect the flavor. I hope that helps!
What I wouldn’t give for a giant bowl of these right now.
For the past several years, I have cooked my potatoes on the stove, (the night before ), then transferred them to a crock pot, mashed them , & put the crock pot in the fridge. On Thanksgiving Day, I turned the crock pot on low for about 2 hours before dinner (stirring as necessary) & they’ve turned out great! It’s SO much easier doing the peeling & such the night before!! Gonna do the same thing this year, but will skip the stove & use just the crock pot for the entire process.
Can I make these ahead of time and just warm them up on thanksgiving?
Don’t see why not. I have never tried it,so if you do, please come back and let us know! 🙂
this recipe sounds great. I have to transport the potatoes to the dinner. Questions #1 – how long could I keep the whole potatoes warm before mashing? Question #2- if I mash ahead of time as suggested, how long can they sit in the crockpot on warm without turning to mush?
I would absolutely LOVE to answer this question. There is just one problem: I haven’t done any of those suggestions so I can’t give you a real answer. I can only guess and I’m sure my guess is just as good as yours. I imagine you could keep the potatoes warm for an hour before mashing. By nature, mashed potatoes are “mush”. But, I would *guess* that they could stay warm for a few hours after mashing. Just make sure your crock pot is on the warm setting and not low. 🙂
My Dad has often kept mashed potatoes light and fluffy in a crockpot for a few hours. I might suggest soaking potatoes overnight prior to placing them in the crockpot. I’m actually trying this tomorrow. My potatoes are cubed and soaking now. A quick rinse in the morning and I will toss them in with the College Inn broth. This brand was what my Gram always used, so I am excited to try it in a different way.!
Can these be cooked with Yukon Gold potatoes? Thanks!
I just made them with Yukon gold potatoes. They came out very good.
Hi Matthew! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know! So happy you enjoyed this one!
Yep! Did the same potatoes. And instead of the chicken broth, we used vegetarian chicken stock. Soooo good. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
The recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter…should it be 1 stick, cubed, on the top before cooking and the other before mashing?
Hi Kathy, exactly. One stick of cubed butter goes in while it is cooking and the other stick of butter goes in after it’s finished cooking. 🙂
Your potatoes sound amazing, my only problem is that half of my family is vegan so I would have make two crock pots of potatoes.
Hi Judy! You could maybe try Vegetable Broth?
In case anyone else is concerned about this, there is no longer any need for 2 separate pots. Vegan cream cheese, butter, and broth are now readily available any several mainstream grocers and are now so close to the real thing in taste. I highly recommend Kitehill cream cheez and earth balance “butter”. I use these in my desserts and can’t tell the difference. Best wishes!