Creamy slow cooker garlic mashed potatoes are PERFECT for making ahead to feed a crowd. They’re cooked, mashed, and kept warm right in your slow cooker (no need to juggle a giant pot of boiling water in the middle of a hectic kitchen!) freeing up precious stovetop space and allowing you to prep them way in advance of the meal!
I literally can’t believe it’s already mid November and Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away!
If you’re anything like me, you haven’t bought a single item for Thanksgiving, and are still trying to sort out what you want to make for the big day. So, to hopefully make all of our lives easier, starting today I’m sharing an entire week of Thanksgiving recipes.
I’ll be posting brand new Thanksgiving recipes Monday-Saturday, with a final recipe round-up on Sunday. (Full of alllll the recipes you’ll need to make this year’s Thanksgiving extra special)!!
Yes, you’re reading this correctly: I’m sharing SIX brand new recipes this week. There will be seasonal veggie-centered sides, a decadent holiday breakfast, and a small batch pumpkin dessert.
As always, every recipe will be made with wholesome ingredients and simple techniques. Many of them can even be made in advance, to keep your Thanksgiving day stress-free!
Let’s kick off Thanksgiving Week with the one and only: MASHED POTATOES.
the method
I know, I know. You already know how to make mashed potatoes. But wait!
We aren’t reinventing the wheel in terms of flavor here (potatoes! butter! garlic! milk!). We ARE, however, employing a new technique to make things much simpler on Thanksgiving.
Ready? To make these slow cooker mashed potatoes you’ll:
- peel 5 lbs of potatoes (and lots of fresh garlic!)
- put them whole into your slow cooker with a little water
- cook on high for 5-6 hours (or low for 8, if you want to do this overnight or while you’re out running errands a few days before!!)
- add butter, milk, and spices
- MASH
- eat! (or leave in the slow cooker on ‘warm’ for a few hours, if needed!)
That’s it; you’re done! No boiling water, no steaming potato facial while you drain the potatoes, no added heat or sweat to an already hot and sweaty holiday kitchen.
mashed potatoes: real talk
For daily mashed potato needs, I honestly wouldn’t want to wait six hours for them to cook. Mashed potatoes are easy enough to just make a small pot on the stove for the two of us.
But, for days when you want mashed potatoes to feed a crowd AND you’re cooking a dozen other items simultaneously (ahem, thanksgiving), these slow cooker mashed potatoes are a LIFE SAVER.
Like, we’re not even cutting our potatoes. Easy, efficient cooking is the name of the game when it comes to a busy day like Thanksgiving. Pop those ‘taters right into the slow cooker whole. Then, don’t think about them for even a second for the next 5-6 hours.
I literally made a batch of them yesterday just to be sure I wasn’t imagining how well they turn out this way. We now have 5 pounds of mashed potatoes in the fridge to eat between the two of us. I can confirm that lazy mashed potatoes are the best mashed potatoes.
make them in advance
The nature of this recipe lets you peel your potatoes early on Thanksgiving, then not have to worry about them for 5-6 hours. Essentially, we’re already making them in advance.
You can either start these 6 hours before you’re planning to serve Thanksgiving dinner, or do them first thing in the morning and just let them sit on ‘warm’ for a few hours until the meal is ready. I like to add an extra splash of milk in this scenario, to make sure they don’t dry out at all!
If you want to get an earlier start on your mashed potatoes, I’d recommend cooking the potatoes until tender but NOT mashing them. Cool, store in the fridge for 2-3 days, then put the potatoes, butter, and milk into your slow cooker a few hours before you’re ready to eat. Let everything warm up together, then mash and serve.
Whether you’re serving a crowd this Thanksgiving, or downsizing to just your immediate household or covid bubble, there’s really no such thing as too many mashed potatoes. Particularly if they’re creamy slow cooker garlic mashed potatoes. Maybe with some mushroom gravy on top?
Stay tuned this week for five more brand new Thanksgiving recipes, as well as the Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup on Sunday, November 22!
As always, if you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram so I can see all your Thanksgiving recipes in action!
Creamy Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds yellow potatoes
- 1 bulb garlic 6-8 large cloves
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup salted butter 1 stick/8 Tablespoons
- 1 cup milk almond, cow's, etc all work
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt plus more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup sour cream, greek yogurt, or cream cheese optional, to make extra creamy
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and garlic, and place in the bowl of your slow cooker.
- Add water, put the lid on, and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours, or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, and use a potato masher to mash until smooth. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Serve immediately, or leave in the slow cooker on 'warm' until ready to serve. If leaving on warm for a few hours, add an extra splash of milk and mix again before serving, to make sure the mashed potatoes haven't dried out.