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Meet your low-stress, extra-creamy mashers. These cook right in the crockpot—no boiling—and stay warm until dinner. Three cheeses and a swirl of browned sage butter make them holiday-worthy with weeknight ease.
Say hello to your new favorite way to make everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Yes, the crockpot!! You guys, in all honesty, if there was ever a crockpot recipe to know how to make, it has got to be these mashed potatoes. If you think about it, it’s kind of brilliant. Let me put it this way, not only does it free up space on the stove, but it there’s NO BOILING the potatoes and so much less clean up, AND the crockpot will keep your mashers warm until ready to eat, meaning no reheating necessary. YESSS.
It’s like our Thanksgiving prayers of have been answered. Slightly dramatic, but kind of true, seeing that everyone has mashed potatoes on their Thanksgiving table…I mean, they are everyone’s favorite turkey day side, right?!
Every year on Turkey Day, Mom and I bake pies in the morning and then my family will typically go to cut down our Christmas tree, while I cook away in the kitchen. Some years I’ll hike up the hill with them, but in recent years I have had so many dishes that I MUST make (I mean there are so many great dishes I want to get on the table!) that I end up staying back in the kitchen. This is totally fine by me because I blast Christmas music and have a “no pressure” cooking day. I know for a lot of you Thanksgiving day is stressful, but for me, it’s one of my favorite days to cook because for once I am not cooking to test a recipe and then photograph it, so the pressure is off. I cook recipes I know my family is going to love and it’s great!
Watch the How-To Video Here:
Crockpot Three Cheese Mashed Potatoes from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
The one problem I run into every single year is stove top and oven space. I’m sure all of you who do a lot of cooking know exactly what I am talking about.
Well this crockpot three cheese mashed potatoes recipe solves A LOT of problems, and is now the only way I will make mashers. <–truth.
Not only does this method save space on the stove, but it also creates way less mess. You can start the potatoes in the morning and then literally not think about them again until just before dinner. And even then, all you have to do is mash them, add cheese, butter and DONE.
It’s really just a magical thing, which I’m clearly pretty excited about it, plus, did I mention the cheeses!?!
I know, I know, as if mashed potatoes weren’t already amazing, I had to go and add not one, but THREE cheeses. Clearly my Thanksgiving motto is go big or go home. ?
So, what cheeses did I choose?
Umm, cheddar, Parmesan, and Gruyere. I mean, obviously. Some of my favorite cheeses right there, they’re what take these mashed potatoes from ordinary to all kinds of incredible.
OK, and the browned butter helps too.
I was talking with my brother Malachi the other day and I asked him the question, cheese or no cheese in your mashed potatoes? His response was one that made me just so proud. He said, “I mean, is that even a legit question, always cheese”. So then I asked cheddar, Parmesan or Gruyere? Again, his response was so on point, “all three, cheese is great, the more cheese the better”.
Smart kid right? He is 100% a Gerard and I could not agree with his statements more, so all three cheeses it is!
When making mashed potatoes, I like to use whole milk. Actually, I use whole goat milk. I of course prefer goat milk seeing as we have gallons and gallons on hand at all times, now that we are milking all three mama goats, plus I really do love it!
In all seriousness though, these mashed potatoes are life changing in both the way that they are cooked, and in the way that they taste. I am SO excited to make them again for Thanksgiving and am crossing my fingers that these are going to be on all of your Thanksgiving menus too! Or maybe even sooner for an easy weeknight dinner side dish…hint, hint…great recipe to serve them with coming Wednesday! Until then, here are my current favorite blog recipes to serve these mashed potatoes with, pot roast, short ribs and Coq au Vin.
FAQ:
Can I leave the potato skins on?
Yes—skins add texture and nutrients. Yukon Gold skins are thinner and blend in more smoothly than russet.
How do I keep these creamy on Warm without drying out?
Stir every so often and fold in small splashes of warm milk or a pat of butter as needed to keep the texture lush.
Can I double this for a crowd?
If your slow cooker can handle the volume without exceeding about two-thirds full, yes. Plan for a bit more time until potatoes are uniformly fork-tender.
What if I don’t have Gruyère?
Use fontina or more cheddar for melt; flavor will be a touch less nutty. Parmesan adds saltiness, so taste before adding extra salt.
Crockpot Three Cheese Mashed Potatoes.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 515 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds russets or yukon gold potatoes peel (if you like) and cube
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper plus more to taste
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon sage
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, garlic, chicken broth, salt and pepper to the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When the potatoes are fork tender, add 1 1/2 cups milks and mash them using a potato masher or a hand held mixer until completely creamy, adding the remaining 1/2 cup milk if needed to thin. Stir in the cheese, cover and cook another 15 minutes or until melted and creamy.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet melt the butter over medium heat until just browned, whisking the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Stir in the sage and let cook 30 seconds. Pour the browned butter into the warm mashed potatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. SERVE!
Ahh, I for sure would be ok with that kind of Monday night dinner! Gimme please!
This post was originally published on November 7, 2016
How did you prevent yours from turning brown? Mine have been in for 2 hours & they are SO brown!
Hmmm is there anything you did differently in this recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I see in your meal plan that you make these on Tuesday. I’m also planning on making ahead. Can I make the entire recipe and then just reheat in crockpot on day of? Thank you!!
Hi there, yes that should work just fine! xTieghan
I’ve lost count how many times I’ve made these potatoes and they’re amazing every time! I love this recipe!
Hey Jessica,
Happy Monday! It’s so great that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
So good. But it was a little less thick than I wanted. I did half the recipe in the amount of potatoes, but I think I still used like 3/4 cup of broth. So it was kind of runny. Would the full amount of potatoes make it less runny?
Hey Nicole,
Yes, if you reduced the potatoes you would want to also reduce the broth. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I excited to try these, my question is do you drain before mashing ( the chicken broth) that they were cooking in ?
Thanks
Hey Tricia,
No need to drain, you can also watch step by step in the video above. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These were so dang good ! Made them for a family of 6 to serve with the Coq Au Vin Chicken Meatballs recipe from this site (which was also fantastic)! We had enough leftover mashed potatoes to use for a second meal. We used Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe. Definitely only start with the 1.5 cups of milk and add more if needed. Will definitely be making these again. The cheeses really did make them all the more unique! Didn’t have sage on hand so just made it without the sage ans it was still spectacular! Everyone raved! I hope you try it with the goat’s milk some day. Thank you!
Thank you so much Jigs! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
I made this with a crockpot and it’s AMAZING!
I then made it on a stove top because I NEEDED this but didn’t prepare it in a crockpot!
This totally works on a stove top, just follow recipe, but I added 1 extra cup of stock and I used puréed garlic. I didn’t drain the potatoes…they just cooked in the stock. SO AMAZING!!!!
Hi Hannah! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi! I’m hoping to make these soon, they look INCREDIBLE, but I have a quick question: is it okay to add the cheese and butter and then still let them sit in the crockpot finished for a little while?
Hi Jill! Yes! That will work perfectly!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Seems like a lot of people had issues with too much liquid etc. There are so many people who commented but never made them- so frustrating to have to read through all the “Looks great” comments. I wanted to try these but am hesitant because it doesn’t sound like a 100% success rate at all.
Hi Ann! I hope you do try these and enjoy them! Please let me know if you have any questions before you start! xTieghan
How would you make this in an instant pot? looks amazing.
Hi! I actually have an instant pot mashed potato recipe in my cookbook, HBH Super Simple. I’d recommend using that recipe as I haven’t tested this recipe for the instant pot. If you want to try this in the instant pot, I would cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, drain, then ad in all remaining ingredients and mash until creamy. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Planning on making this for Xmas dinner. Don’t have a crockpot but do have an Instapot. Can I use that instead and, if so, how long should the potatoes cook?
Donna, I actually have an instant pot mashed potato recipe in my cookbook, HBH Super Simple. I’d recommend using that recipe as I haven’t tested this recipe for the instant pot. If you want to try this in the instant pot, I would cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, drain, then ad in all remaining ingredients and mash until creamy. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This is the best idea for mashed potatoes. Especially when needing stovetop space. Made them tonight. Delicious. So creamy. I roasted a head of garlic ahead of time and then added it half way thru the potato cooking process. My only thing I would say – and this is just my preference – more sage!
Thank you Carolyn! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
Hey love! I sometimes make my potatoes in the instant pot on high pressure for 5 mins – would that be ok or does the slow cooking transform them into magicness? THANKS!
HI! Using the instant pot will be fine if you feel comfortable doing so. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Hello! I just found your site & am so excited. I’m curious as to how this recipe would work using an Instapot, not a slow cooker. Would I use the slow cooker setting for the initial cooking part?
HI Diana, I actually have an instant pot mashed potato recipe in my cookbook, HBH Super Simple. I’d recommend using that recipe as I haven’t tested this recipe for the instant pot. If you want to try this in the instant pot, I would cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, drain, then ad in all remaining ingredients and mash until creamy. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! Do you prefer to cook on high or low I’m the crockpot for this recipe? Thanks!
Hey Jenna! I prefer cooking on low, but honestly there is not really much of a difference. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan