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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.
So good! I made these tonight with my beef short rib and they were a hit! Thank you! ?
Thank you Savannah! xTieghan
These potatoes were the unexpected star of Thanksgiving. We NEVER make mashed potatoes any other time of year, but this one will definitely be made again and again. So rich and yummy!
Love that!! Thank you so much for trying these, Meghan! xTieghan
My slow cooker never cooks potatoes u til they are soft, even on high for hours. So I think I need a new one. Which one do you use? Thank you!
My crockpot can never get potatoes tender, so I think I may need a new one. Which crockpot do you have? Thank you!
Hey Melissa,
Here is the link for my crockpot: https://rstyle.me/+OJZQKctgoTIyGdp0jhRkDw
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I put this in a crockpot on high for 5 hours, and the potatoes were no where near being done.
Thank you so much Karen! xTieghan
So good! Next time I’ll add more garlic bc why not! Also my instapot went a little crazy when I released the pressure, not sure why that happened! Either way the potatoes came out so tasty!
Thank you so much Sarah! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Tieghan – I adore you and your blog and your creativity.. I’ve made lots of your recipes and they are wonderfully delicious. This one was a miss. I followed the direction exactly, but it didn’t work. The taste was off and the potatoes were gummy and heavy even though I used a ricer.No worries though- I am still a huge fan and will continue to be inspired by your cookbooks and blog!
Hi Kris! I am really sorry about that! I hope you love every other recipe you try of mine! Thank you! xTieghan
Delicious!!!
Thank you MK! xTieghan
Cooking the potatoes in milk and cream was new for me. Gave it a try and My Oh My, they were amazing. They will be a new staple in my Thanksgiving feast from now on. No need to look any further for the perfect creamy, tasty, mashed potato dish. Thank you!! (I used the instant pot method on my potatoes.)
I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you, Pam! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
“Add thyme” is missing from step 1 of the instructions for all three coming methods. Because of this, I didn’t add the thyme before cooking the potatoes in the Instant Pot
I am sorry about that, Josh! I hope you still enjoyed these! xTieghan
So easy and SO delicious!! I made these potatoes on Thanksgiving, and I can’t tell you how nice it was to just be able to throw everything in the crock pot not have anther pan or pot to watch & worry about. This recipe is totally fool proof and I can’t wait for another chance to make it! Some of the best potatoes I’ve ever had!
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Aneliese! xTieghan
Added some leftover cream cheese too. So delicious.
Thank you Steve! xTieghan
These turned out great! I did add more cream than recommended to get the consistency we wanted (so save a little extra if you want super creamy potatoes!) and I used a lot of salt (but I always use a lot of salt in potatoes lol). Also paired it with the white wine make ahead gravy. Excellent combo! It was a hit for thanksgiving and I am so glad we went with this recipe today!
Thank you so much Brooke! I am really happy this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made these Thanksgiving morning ahead of dinner and they turned out perfect! I used about 2 cups of whole milk with about 2 lbs of Yukon/russets and cooked in the slow cooker 1 hour on high then another 3 on low.
Thank you so much Jill! xTieghan
GREAT thanksgiving recipe! Took absolutely no time and was very easy to set and forget it out of the kitchen traffic. For our small Thanksgiving this year, I halved the recipe, put a ton more garlic (to my fam’s taste), and added a pinch truffle salt in addition to the regular salt. I wish I’d made the full recipe though — already sad we won’t have as much leftover as I’m already wishing for.
I am so happy you loved this one Angela!! Thank you so much! xTieghan