Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
28 CommentsUpdated Nov 23, 2025
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A handful of sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and butter meet heavy cream, and spices for the most delicious Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes ever!
Featured Comment
Love this recipe and make it every year for Thanksgiving now!
– aShley
Most sweet potato recipes use the stovetop or oven, but this one is made entirely in the slow cooker—no boiling or long baking required. Perfect for holiday meals, these mashed sweet potatoes cook alongside your other crockpot dishes and can be finished with your favorite toppings.
Key Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: You’ll only need about 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced. It should be roughly 7 cups when measured.
- Butter: I prefer to use salted butter.
- Water: Although this recipe calls for water, you can also use apple juice.
- Maple Syrup: Using syrup adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Heavy Cream: Adding this towards the end will help make the sweet potatoes creamy.
- Seasonings: Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt are all you need to finish up these delicious sweet mashed potatoes.
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
- Prep the sweet potatoes and place them in the slow cooker with the starting ingredients.
- Slow cook until everything is soft and ready to blend.
- Add the finishing touches and mash to your desired texture.
Tips & Variations
Liquid Swap: You can try coconut milk or chicken broth instead of water or apple juice.
No Potato Masher? The next best (and easiest appliance) to use instead of a masher would be an electric hand mixer (or stand electric mixer). Either one will work fine.
Make-Ahead – Prepare a day ahead and reheat on the stove-top, adding a splash of cream if needed.
How to Serve Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Toppings: Add a pat of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or top with chopped pecans for crunch. For extra sweetness, try mini marshmallows or brown sugar. For a tangy contrast, mix in a bit of Greek yogurt or sour cream before serving.
- Mains: Serve these with Crockpot Turkey Breast, or Crockpot Spiral Ham.
- Other Sides: Other perfect holiday sides are Green Bean Casserole, and Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, and Candied Carrots.
Instant Pot Directions
For Instant Pot, add diced sweet potatoes, butter, and 1 cup water or apple juice. Seal and cook on high pressure for 8–10 minutes, then quick release. Drain if needed, stir in maple syrup, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mash until smooth.
Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
How to Video
Ingredients
- 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (this was about 7 cups, measured)
- 1/2 cup salted butter, 1 stick
- 1/4 cup water or apple juice
Add these items at the end
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Add the peeled and diced sweet potatoes to the slow cooker. Slice the butter and place on top. Pour over the water.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- When the cooking time is done, add the maple syrup, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth OR use a potato masher and mash by hand.
- Serve with additional butter if desired.
- Enjoy!
Sarah’s Notes
- Store any remaining sweet potatoes in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- You can keep these potatoes on warm for a few hours. You may need to add a splash of water to keep them moist; be sure to stir occasionally.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More Crockpot Holiday Sides
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole are cozy, seasonal favorites.
Slow Cooker Acorn Squash and Baked Sweet Potatoes make delicious, easy sides.
Crockpot Cranberry Sauce and Crockpot Green Beans and Potatoes are perfect for holiday meals.
I made this recipe last Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit! Making it again this year. the hardest thing for me was to not open that lid until the potatoes were done. So delicious and so easy to make.
If you want to cook on low, double the high time. So 4 hours on high is 8 hours on low.
I’m making this now and was having trouble dicing the sweet potatoes. So I wrapped one in a wet paper towel and nuked it for 2-3 minutes depending on size. MUCH easier to peel nooks and crannies and to dice. Don’t know if I’m the last person on the face of the Earth to figure this out, so I thought I’d share.
Happy cooking.
Laura
Would you adjust the cooking time if you halved the recipe?
You will probably only need to cook for 3.5 hours if this was cut in half.
how could I put a brown-sugar pecan topping on that?
I would just sprinkle on after mixing, would be great!
can you freeze? is so how long and best way
what can I use to substitute heavy cream?
Half and half or whole milk should work fine too.
I need this dish for a school thanksgiving dinner at 11am so I need it to be done at 10. Could I cook overnight on low instead of cooking in high for four hours? Or do I have to get up early and put it on by 6am?
I actually have a timer plugged into my strip outlet. I plug the slow cooker into it and set the time I want it to start & stop. It’s awesome for when I’m at work but need it to start later then 8:00 am
I’m new to being dairy free – do you think I could use coconut cream rather than heavy cream?
The recipe sounds great. However I am not a big fan of maple; any other suggestions? Or is not too maple-y? 🙂
I am out of maple syrup at the present time, and I am thinking about using honey instead.
A few years ago I tried coconut yogurt in my sweet potato casserole. It was so good, I use it every year now. I also use a little pineapple juice, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and sometimes marshmallows if my grandchildren will be with us.
I have loved my West Bend slow cooker for at least 40 years. I love your blog. Thank you for being so generous with your recipes.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Claire