Can I Reheat Mashed Potatoes In Slow Cooker

How To Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm: The 4 Best Methods

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So you're making Thanksgiving dinner for 20 people and you're wondering whether you can make the mashed potatoes ahead of time and keep them warm. The answer is yes!

Here are four foolproof methods to keep your mashed potatoes warm (or reheat the ones you made yesterday). The method you use is up to you; use the one that works best for you and your schedule.

(Image credit: Faith Durand)

The Slow Cooker Won't Let You Down

Mashed potatoes do get stiff and gluey once they sit for too long. And while we'll eat them cold and hard straight from the refrigerator, obviously you want them to be fluffy and creamy on your Thanksgiving table. But making them at the last minute isn't always an option, and they cool down fast.

We like to make mashed potatoes first thing on Thanksgiving, and keep them warm throughout the day. (If you'd like to make them the day before, check out the first alternate method below.)

For our first, and favorite, method for keeping mashed potatoes warm and delicious, the secret, as you may have guessed, is the slow cooker.

Mashed Potato Essentials

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

No Slow Cooker? Here Are 3 More Methods

1. If you want to make potatoes a day ahead and reheat them.

We've made mashed potatoes the day before Thanksgiving and re-warmed them with great success.

Add a healthy extra dose of cream and butter, so that the potatoes are almost soupy. You want them to just about drip off the end of a spoon. Put them in a deep casserole or soufflé dish — even a Dutch oven will do — and store in the fridge overnight. Warm them up in the oven the next day, uncovered, with a little butter on top. The extra moisture will evaporate and you'll have creamy potatoes. If you're really nervous about the outcome, do a test run to see how much extra liquid you need to add to get the consistency you want.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

2. If you just need to keep them warm for an hour.

Another tip that we've used before is to set your bowl of potatoes over a pot of simmering water, just like a double boiler. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap or (our choice) a dish towel. Give it a stir every 15 minutes or so to keep the mixture well-heated.

3. If you just need to keep them warm for 20 minutes.

If you only need to keep the potatoes warm for about 20 minutes, we've simply covered the bowl with a dishtowel and let it sit. We usually make our mashed potatoes in our standing mixer, so we just throw a towel over the top of the mixing bowl and the potatoes stay plenty warm for up to 30 minutes.

Wondering whether you can make the mashed potatoes ahead of time and keep them warm? Learn our 4 best methods and when to use each.

alcohol-free
egg-free
kidney-friendly
fish-free
peanut-free
vegetarian
shellfish-free
pork-free
pescatarian
sugar-conscious
gluten-free
tree-nut-free
soy-free
wheat-free
low-sodium
red-meat-free
low-carb

Per serving, based on

servings. (% daily value)

Calories 168
Fat 15.9 g (24.5%)
Saturated 10.1 g (50.3%)
Carbs 6.3 g (2.1%)
Fiber 0.8 g (3.1%)
Sugars 0.3 g
Protein 0.9 g (1.8%)
Sodium 4.8 mg (0.2%)

Ingredients

Mashed potatoes
Butter
Cream

Equipment

Slow cooker
Spatula or spoon

Instructions

You'll need extra butter and cream, along with your finished mashed potatoes.
Butter the slow cooker and add extra cream. Butter the insert of the slow cooker. Drizzle a small amount of cream in the bottom.
Keep warm on LOW for up to 4 hours. Transfer the mashed potatoes to the slow cooker, and set to LOW. Keep warm for up to 4 hours, stirring once an hour.
Stir before serving. The mashed potatoes will stay warm and creamy. Keep stirring in any cream that separates out; you may find that the potatoes get a little thinner as they sit.

Recipe Notes

This method isn't recommended for rewarming potatoes that are cold from the refrigerator. Technically, it's not safe food practice to reheat food in a slow cooker, because it won't get into the safe temperature zone quickly enough.

Faith Durand

Editor-in-Chief

Faith is the Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn. She leads Kitchn's fabulous editorial team to dream up everything you see here every day. She has helped shape Kitchn since its very earliest days and has written over 10,000 posts herself. Faith is also the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook , as well as Bakeless Sweets . She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and two small, ice cream-obsessed daughters.

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