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The most perfect, make-ahead Slow Cooker Cheesy Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes. Made simply and easily in the slow cooker with cream, fresh herbs, a little garlic, salted butter, and melty Gruyere cheese. Each bite is perfectly smooth, creamy, and so delicious. The secret? Cooking the potatoes together with the cream. This method makes for the creamiest and most flavorful mashed potatoes. You can make these in the slow cooker, instant pot, or on the stove. They’re perfect for making ahead of time for easy entertaining!
It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a double serving of mashed potatoes. For my family, the mashers are just as important, if not more important, than the turkey. But really it’s the meal altogether. You can’t do a turkey without a side of gravy and really good mashed potatoes, you know? It’s classic, and it’s what we all want the most on Thanksgiving Day.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we’re exactly two weeks out and planning is very much underway! I didn’t intend to share so many Thanksgiving focused recipes this week, but somehow it ended up that way. And you know, I think that’s OK! From what I’ve gathered from you guys, you’re really trying to hammer out your Thanksgiving Day to a T. And I’m happy to be providing some new recipes to do that!
And guys? These mashed potatoes, I think they’re debatably my favorite Thanksgiving focused recipe I’ll be sharing this month. It’s not that they’re some crazy new out-of-the-box flavor, but more the ease of cooking these, and their DELICIOUS outcome. These are hands down, the BEST mashed potatoes I’ve ever shared with you guys.
I know, everyone says everything is the “the best”, but these really are. Let me explain.
The secret is to cook the potatoes together with the cream, the garlic, and the herbs. This means no boiling the potatoes, no extra steps, and nothing fancy. It turns out that creating almost perfect mashed potatoes is actually really easy.
A few years back I had made mashed potatoes and cooked them together with the milk. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I was just trying to make mashed potatoes the easiest way possible. Adding the milk right to the slow cooker seemed like a great idea. The only thing was, when I shared the recipe with you guys, some of you mentioned your concern for the milk potentially curdling. In fear of the recipe not working for some, I retested it minus the milk. And it’s a great mashed potatoes recipe…but it’s not the best.
Fast forward to today. I’ve learned a lot more about cooking, and I know way too much about the potato. Two things you need to know? Potatoes actually release so much flavor when they boil in water. So when you drain out the water, you’re actually losing a lot of flavor. Second, when making mashed potatoes, water is the thing you want to avoid the most. Excess moisture will give you grainy mashed potatoes, and let’s be real, no one wants that.
And that all brings me to this mashed potato recipe. When I was thinking about what to share this month, for some reason I thought back to those potatoes I had cooked in milk. I remembered they turned out so well for me. They were creamy, flavorful, and so close to perfect. When I thought back to that, I decided to test out something new. Instead of just milk, what if I cooked the potatoes in cream? And…with the herbs and the garlic too?
And in the slow cooker for ease?!
It all sounded interesting, so I went for it, and yeah, I think you’ve guessed the outcome. I got near perfect mashed potatoes, and yes, I am so excited to share them with you guys. Just in time for Thanksgiving.
First things first, you can make these mashed potatoes in the slow cooker, the instant pot, or on the stove. I love the slow cooker best, since I can keep them warm for hours after I’ve made them.
Combine the potatoes with the cream. Add the herbs and a good amount of garlic. Add a parmesan rind if you have one for even more delicious flavor. Then slow cook until the potatoes are tender. You can go low and low for six hours, or cook on high for four hours. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, BUT be sure to save the cream. You’ll need it!
Now, a new discovery of mine? The potato ricer. it’s key to making ultra-smooth mashed potatoes. Do you have to have a potato ricer? No, a good ole masher works too. But if you want the smoothest mashed potatoes, get a ricer.
Rice the potatoes right back into the slow cooker, then add the cream back, along with butter and melty gruyere cheese. Now cook until the cheese is melted…and that’s it. You’ll have the most perfect, flavorful, and creamiest mashed potatoes.
Honest these are the BEST. Classic, but with amazing flavor and texture.
The added bonus is just how easy they are to make, not to mention the fact that using the slow cooker frees up precious stove-top and oven space. Win, win for Thanksgiving Day!
To sum it up, these mashed potatoes are really as close to perfect as it gets. Both in the way that they’re cooked and in the way they taste.
I am SO excited to make them again for Thanksgiving. I’m crossing my fingers that these are going to be on all of your Thanksgiving menus! Or maybe even sooner for an easy weeknight dinner side dish. These would be great with pot roast, short ribs, and Coq au Vin.
Also..they’s pretty darn good just by the spoonful! ?
Looking for other easy Thanksgiving potato recipes?? Here are my favorites:Â
Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
Crispy Rosemary Butter Roasted Potatoes
Cheesy Potato Casserole with Buttery Ritz Crackers
Lastly, if you make these Slow Cooker Cheesy Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hi! Can you make this in advance and just reheat it in the crockpot or is it better to do the day-of?
Hey Liz,
Sure, you can do that, you will need to add some milk or cream when reheating:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Giving this a try for my worksgiving! Are you missing the addition of the thyme in the steps? Assuming it goes in the same time (pun intended) as the sage.
Hey Adrienne,
The thyme is added in step 1:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe is delish! xT
Can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving. Not a fan of gruyere cheese, what cheese would you recommend substituting instead?
Thanks so much Mary!! Any cheeses you like will work here, fontina would be great to use in place of gruyere. I hope you love the recipe! xT
What about using coconut milk instead of regular milk and cream?
Hi Emily,
Sure, that will work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I make these with the braised short ribs and it pairs perfectly. My husband isn’t a big fan of mashed potatoes, but he will eat these!
Hey Colleen,
Happy Tuesday! So glad to hear your family enjoys this recipe, it’s a family fave over here:) xx
Hi there! I’m making these for tonight and I am such amateur! Am I supposed to peel the potatoes first? (Please don’t laugh!)
Hi Ashleigh,
Yes, the recipe calls for the potatoes to be peeled and quartered:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
I love this recipe and we have made it a few times. But u would like to let you know that it costs over $30 to make this in Canada. It’s delicious and it is worth it if you can swing it but dairy products here are insane $$ and made up $20 + of this.
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Sorry to hear about the cost, I really have no idea what the price of groceries is in Canada. This is a relatively inexpensive dish to make in the US. xTieghan
Made these in my pressure cooker! Added Boursin cheese and it was 10/10. Didn’t need as much cream as called for so I’ll use less next time. Delish!!
Hey Luna,
Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! ??xTieghan
I love your recipes but this one was such a bust! After cooking on low for 7.5 hours, the potatoes were nowhere near done. We had to scramble to cook them on the stovetop and finish them off another way. The flavor was there. But does anyone’s slow cooker actually cook these through on low?? I’m so surprised!
Hi Summer,
So very sorry to hear this!! How big were your potatoes and was your pot too small? My guess is that either the potatoes were too big or the pot was overcrowded making it impossible for the potatoes to cook correctly. Let me know! xTieghan
Made this in my Dutch Oven, loved it! Was a hit with everyone!
Hi Margaret,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
These mashed potatoes are fabulous! I love mashed potatoes so much that I’m a bit of a snob and I’m disappointed in probably 90% of the ones I try. I froze the leftovers and even they were delicious when reheated. Total win!
Oh, the only change I made to the recipe was to add an extra clove of garlic.
Hi Monica,
Happy Friday!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go:) xTieghan
Hi tieghan! This was another huge hit!! They were so delicious 🙂
Hey Gabriella,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT
Fantastic recipe, thank you
Hi Lorna,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
Hi there! Will this workout using only whole milk (instead of cream)?
Hi Chelsea,
Yes, that will work for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! Do you think I could 1.5x this recipe? Making it for a crowd and think I’ll need more! TY!
Hey Steph,
You bet! just adjust the serving size and the ingredients will adjust for you:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan