Make this Baked Potato Casserole in the slow cooker, it has smashed russet potatoes with all the deluxe baked potato toppings mixed in!
We love baked potatoes in our house, so we often make variations of loaded baked potatoes in our crockpot. This week we did a baked potato casserole, perfect for dinner or a special occasion.
How to make Baked Potato Casserole in the slow cooker:
You will need:
- 5 pounds russet potatoes
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- Water to cover
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 16 ounces bacon, sliced and cooked
- 1 bunch green onion, sliced
Directions:
- Peel and cut the russet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add to the slow cooker.
- Add water to cover the potatoes and add 2 chicken bouillon cubes.
How long do I cook?
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.
- Do not open the lid during the cooking time. Drain the potatoes before mixing or adding ingredients.
Should I smash the potatoes or use a handheld mixer?
- I like to smash the potatoes with a potato masher though if you do not have a potato masher you can use a handheld mixer (the kind with 2 beaters) and mix right in the slow cooker.
- Add the butter, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Smash or blend until the desired texture is achieved. I like some chunks of potato in this, just like a baked potato.
- Mix in all of the sour cream, half of the cheese, half of the bacon and half of the green onion.
- Smooth out the casserole and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook on high for 20 minutes more. Sprinkle over the remaining bacon and green onion after the cheese has melted.
Can I use cream cheese instead of sour cream?
Yes, use one 8-ounce block of cream cheese in place of the sour cream in this recipe.
Can I use a different type of potato other than russet?
Any type of potato can be used in this recipe, choose one of these if you do not have russets:
- Red potatoes
- Yukon gold potatoes
How can I make this lower in calories?
- Cut the butter in half
- Fat-free or reduced-fat sour cream
- Low-fat cheese
- Turkey bacon
What to serve with Baked Potato Casserole:
- Prime Rib (cheesy potatoes are a MUST with prime rib)
- Slow Cooker Meatloaf
- Crockpot Pork Chops and Gravy
- Slow Cooker Horseradish Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken
Can I freeze leftover baked potato casserole?
- Yes, spoon the cooled potatoes into ziplock bags and squeeze out all the air.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before needed.
- Reheat in oven, microwave or stove-top.
What other baked potato themed recipes can I make in the slow cooker?
- Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Chicken
Slow Cooker Baked Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs. russet potatoes
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- water to cover
Add these ingredients after the cooking time is up and water is drained:
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 16 oz. sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese divided
- 16 oz. bacon cooked and crumbled, divided
- 1 bunch green onions sliced divided
Instructions:
- Peel the potatoes and dice them into one-inch cubes. Add to the slow cooker
- Add the chicken bouillon cubes and enough water to cover the potatoes.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 5 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- When the cooking time is up, drain the water off the potatoes, leaving the potatoes in the slow cooker.
- Pour over the melted butter, sprinkle over the salt, pepper and onion powder. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until the desired texture is achieved. If you do not have a potato masher you can use a handheld mixer (the kind with 2 beaters) and blend until desired texture is achieved. I like some chunks of potatoes in this as baked potatoes have.
- Add the sour cream, half of the cheese, half of the bacon, and half of the green onions. Stir.
- Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and replace the lid. Cook on high for 20 more minutes.
- Sprinkle over remaining bacon and green onion and serve!
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- Yukon gold
- Red potatoes
- Yes, spoon the cooled potatoes into ziplock bags and squeeze out all the air.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before needed.
- Reheat in oven, microwave or stove-top.
- Cut the butter in half
- Fat-free or reduced-fat sour cream
- Low-fat cheese
- Turkey bacon
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Wanda says
can this be baked in the oven instead of a crockpot? If so, at what temp and how long?
Sarah Olson says
I have not tested that, I apologize.
Janene says
These look perfect for Christmas. Can you make these ahead of time?
Sarah Olson says
I don’t see why not, though they are best cooked fresh.
Bobbie Brister says
Making tonight but adding some grilled chicken and making a main course and serving with salad yum!!
Sarah Olson says
sounds great!
Patty Shuert says
Yummy dish, however, you might want to add “drain potatoes” before mashing…. I know that’s probably kind of obvious, but having never made this before I followed the recipe to a T. I ended up having to add quite a bit of corn starch to my “mashed potato soup” in order to fix it. Everyone really like this dish though!
Sarah Olson says
Hi! The recipe card has the directions for draining. I made sure the blog post includes that as well.