These easy-to-make Crock Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes are perfect for the holidays or family dinners. They’re effortless to make; you only need potatoes, garlic powder, butter, water, and milk.
Crockpot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
These CrockPot Garlic Mashed Potatoes are a must-have for our holiday meals. This recipe is so dang good!
I love the combination of garlic and mashed potatoes. Honestly, I just love garlic, but that is a whole different story.
When we asked what everyone serves on Facebook for Thanksgiving, mashed potatoes were at the top. I loved seeing everyone's favorite Thanksgiving sides. It gave me some great ideas to try on our menu this year.
Do you serve the same thing every year for the holidays or try to add new dishes each year?
Last year, we ended up having fondue for Thanksgiving. It was just my husband and I since everyone was still home due to health restrictions. We decided to try something entirely different for the holiday.
I had already made and photographed many holiday side dishes leading up to Thanksgiving, so we figured it would be fun to try something new.
Fondue may become our new tradition if it is just us. We will still do a full Thanksgiving spread if we host loved ones if they want it.
I love that these Slow Cooker mashed potatoes with garlic don't occupy precious stovetop space. They are so easy to make and taste amazing.
It’s one of my favorite easy vegetarian slow cooker recipes.
Crock Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make epic CrockPot Garlic Mashed Potatoes! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.
- Baking Potatoes
- Water
- Unsalted Butter
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Black Pepper
- Milk
Garnishes: Sour Cream, Chives, Parmesan Cheese, Fresh Herbs
Potatoes - We use Russet Potatoes, but you can easily use Yukon gold potatoes. We leave the peels on the potatoes but you can easily remove the if they are not your favorite.
Equipment Needed
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- CrockPot: We suggest using a CrockPot with a digital timer that automatically switches the temperature to warm after a set time to ensure your dinner cooks without stressing about cooking time.
- Mix and Chop: We love using a hamburger mix and chop to break up the potatoes once they are tender. You can also use a potato masher.
- Serving Bowl: We like to use a nice-sized serving bowl so it is easy to dish up the garlic mashed potatoes.
How to Make CrockPot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.
- Clean and cut the potatoes into ½ inch chunks; place in Crock Pot.
- Add water, butter, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Cook on low
- Add milk to potatoes and mash with a potato masher or hand mixer to the desired consistency.
- Enjoy!
Preparation and Storage
Make-Ahead: This CrockPot Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe is make-ahead-friendly! The potatoes take four or seven hours to cook, depending on whether you cook them on low or high, freeing you up to work on other menu items or simply relax!
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy them within three days.
Freezing/How to Freeze: Transfer freezer-bound slow-cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes to an airtight, freezer-safe container and enjoy them within a month.
How to Reheat: Southern Living has a fantastic guide to the ins and outs of reheating mashed potatoes!
Recipe Variations
Substitutions:
We use russet potatoes, but you can easily use Yukon gold potatoes. We leave the peels on the potatoes, but you can easily remove them if they are not your favorite.
We use water for this crockpot mashed potatoes recipe but you can easily add in chicken broth or vegetable broth for even more flavor.
Vegetarian Option: This holiday side dish is 100 percent vegetarian!
Vegan Option: Replace the butter and milk with plant-based alternatives to make this recipe vegan.
Gluten-Free: None of this recipe’s ingredients typically contain gluten, making it safe for a gluten-free diet!
Alcohol-Free Option: We don’t use alcohol in our recipe, but we’ve seen garlic mashed potato recipes that add a splash of white wine for boozy flavor.
Smaller Serving Size: The written slow cooker garlic mashed potatoes recipe makes six servings. Scale it down to your desired yield.
Make It Spicy: We keep our recipe mild for this classic holiday side dish since not everyone we serve likes spicy food. Here’s a fun Indian twist if you’re looking for Spicy Garlicky Mashed Potatoes!
Larger Group/More Servings:
You can easily double or triple this recipe if serving a larger group. Just make sure that you can easily mash the potatoes.
If you double or triple this recipe, toss the potatoes in the garlic powder so the flavor spreads evenly.
Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 2 grams of sugar, with no single ingredient containing a significant amount.
Tips for the Best Crock Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- We hope you love these slow-cooker garlic mashed potatoes! I love that they make holidays a little easier.
- You can control the consistency of your potatoes by using a hamburger mix and chop or an immersion blender. Use a hamburger mix and chop for chunkier, rustic mashed potatoes and an immersion blender for smoother, chunk-free potatoes.
- Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.
What to Serve with CrockPot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Our CrockPot Garlic Mashed Potatoes come together entirely in your slow cooker, saving you precious oven space for other comfort foods or holiday goodies! Here are some menu planning suggestions for a festive feast.
Sides: Pineapple Stuffing, Carrot Soufflé, Creamed Corn Casserole, Crock Pot Mashed Cauliflower, Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes, Jiffy Cornbread with Sour Cream, Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Yams, Southern Style Green Beans, CrockPot Bourbon Baked Beans
Main Dishes: Crock Pot Turkey, Crock Pot Bourbon Maple Pork Loin, Crock Pot Guinness Corned Beef & Cabbage, Crock Pot Chicken & Stuffing, Crock Pot Orange Glazed Ham, Crock Pot Coke Glazed Ham, Bourbon Baked Ham
Desserts: Eggnog Cookies, 4 Ingredient Christmas Crack, Easy Holiday Reindeer Chow, Church Window Cookies, No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Dip, Easy Eggnog Cake with Eggnog Glaze, Ambrosia Salad, Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball, Cranberry Fluff Salad
Drinks: Eggnog White Russian, Spiced Cranberry Cocktail, Cranberry Moscow Mule, RumChata Pudding Shots, Pomegranate Breeze Martini, Mulled Cherry Cider Cocktail
When to Serve
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Potlucks
- Family and Friend Gatherings
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
Great CrockPot Holiday Recipes
Check out these great sides for ribs!
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Crock Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Potatoes cleaned and cut into ½ inch chunks
- ¼ cup Water
- 2 Tablespoon Butter cut into cubes
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 cup Milk
Instructions
- Clean and cut the potatoes into ½ inch chunks, place in crock pot
- Add in water, butter, salt, garlic powder and black pepper
- Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours
- Add milk to potatoes and mash with potato masher to desired consistency.
- Enjoy!
Kitchen Tools
- Slow cooker
- Potato Masher
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on October 19, 2015. Updated on April 11, 2020.
Anne
This is so perfect for the holidays when so many things need to cook at once. Using the crockpot for the potatoes sounds like a great way to multitask.
Tammilee
I love that the crockpot takes care of everything and you don't have to stand over the stove.