Crispy and crunchy on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside, these Crispy Slow Cooker Roast Potatoes are a great alternative way to cook your Sunday favourite!
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Roast potatoes in the slow cooker?? No, I promise you I haven’t gone crazy!
I know a slow cooker isn’t the first kitchen gadget that would come to mind when cooking crispy roast potatoes, but I promise you they are as good, if not better than the ones you will cook in the oven!
Not everyone has a large double oven with loads of shelves or if you are cooking a Christmas dinner with loads of extras like pigs in blankets and stuffing you may find yourself running out of shelves in the oven! Try these crispy slow cooker roast potatoes instead, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Made with only 5 ingredients, you will par-boil them in the same way you normally would, then let them roast away in the slow cooker, leaving you to concentrate on the rest of the dinner or entertaining your guests!
If you don’t have a slow cooker, why not try my garlic & rosemary mini hasselback potatoes instead? If you have an air fryer you can also try these crispy smashed potatoes.
On the days you fancy something a little lighter, this carrot & swede mash could be a healthy alternative.
These potatoes are free from the top 14 allergens so can be enjoyed by people with the most common food allergies.
Serve these crispy potatoes with your roast alongside my slow cooker lamb breast, slow cooker red cabbage, roasted carrots with green beans and gluten free cauliflower cheese for a warm and hearty dinner.
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🍅 Ingredients Needed
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
- Potatoes - I love Maris Piper potatoes for roasting as you get the crispy outside and the soft fluffy inside. King Edwards would be my second choice, however you can use any white potato you have at home.
- Onion Salt - This is used to give some flavour to the potatoes alongside the garlic granules.
- Garlic Granules - I have used granules for ease, however you can use fresh chopped garlic cloves too.
- Dried Rosemary - Rosemary pairs with roast potatoes beautifully and is a classic flavour combination alongside the garlic. Feel free to use fresh if you have some, just use double the amount and chop finely.
- Olive Oil - I love Felippo Berio olive oil. As olive oil has a high smoke point of around (190˚C - 207˚C / 374˚F - 405˚F) and the slow cookers highest heat is around 150˚C, it is a great and safe oil to use as you will still get all of the health benefits from the oil.
Scroll to the recipe card for quantities.
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
✏️ How To Make Slow Cooker Roast Potatoes
Start by pouring the olive oil in the slow cooker and turn onto the “high” setting. Leave this to heat up while you prepare and par boil the potatoes. You want the oil to be hot by the time you put the potatoes into the slow cooker. This should take about 20 minutes.
Peel the potatoes and chop into thirds/quarters depending on how big the potatoes are.
Par-boil the chopped potatoes in a saucepan for around 10 minutes. You don’t want to cook them until they are completely cooked, just enough to soften them slightly.
Drain the potatoes in a colander, then put the potatoes back in the saucepan, put the lid on and give the saucepan a little shake, this helps to fluff up the outside of the potatoes which gives you the crunchy and crispy crust.
Leave the potatoes to cool slightly, then place them into the slow cooker with the onion salt, garlic granules and dried rosemary and give it a good stir.
Place a clean, dry tea towel over the top of the slow cooker, then place the lid on top of the tea towel. Wrap the sides of the tea towel that are hanging out, up onto the lid.
Cook on high for around three hours, turning the potatoes every hour.
This will result in perfect, crispy, fluffy roast potatoes.
💡 Expert Tips!
- Putting the tea towel in between the potatoes and the lid collects all the steam produced and holds it in the tea towel. If you don’t do this, the steam that rises to the lid will fall back down onto the potatoes making them soft and soggy. Whilst I have done this a number of times without any problems, I wouldn’t recommend leaving the house whilst the potatoes are cooking.
- Go carefully when shaking the potatoes! Gentle is best as they can sometimes break down into smaller pieces if you are shaking too hard.
- It's best to only use enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the slow cooker, if you start piling them on top of each other, they will sweat instead of roast and you won’t get that crispy finish.
⚡ Variations
- Go Fresh! - I have used dried garlic and rosemary for ease, but feel fresh to use fresh if you prefer. Use 2 cloves of garlic minced with a garlic press and a sprig of fresh rosemary, picking the leaves and chopping them finely, discarding the stem.
- Mix up the spices! - For a spicer version, omit the rosemary and swap the onion and garlic for a teaspoon each of ground cumin and turmeric.
- Swap the herbs! - Swap the rosemary for some fresh or dried thyme and add in a squirt of lemon juice.
- Go posh! - Swap the olive oil for the same amount of goose fat.
🔪 Equipment
🍱 Storage
Roast potatoes are always best eaten fresh. It is perfectly safe to store the cooked potatoes in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container and then re-heat them in the oven at 200˚C/400˚F for 10-15 minutes until piping hot through.
To freeze, place flat on a baking tray for an hour until frozen through, then transfer to a freezer bag where they can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. You can cook them from frozen in the oven at 200˚C/400˚F for 20 minutes.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Roast potatoes traditionally belong with a roast dinner, which normally consists of your roasted meat (normally beef, lamb or chicken like this Greek style roast chicken) and loads of veg like pan fried Brussels sprouts with bacon, but there is nothing stopping you from serving these with anything!
Serve with some sausages, green beans and lashings of gravy, or with a nice steak instead of chips.
I have lots more ideas on what to serve with roast potatoes here.
💬 Recipe FAQ's
Par boiling them before putting in the slow cooker or oven helps form that crispy crust. If you roast them without par-boiling, the outside of the potato stays tough and hard as the fat won’t get into all of the crevices
Yes! You can par boil the potatoes, drain and leave them to air dry, then coat them in a little oil and store in the fridge until you are ready to put them in the slow cooker or oven.
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Crispy Slow Cooker Roast Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 maris piper potatoes Use enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Start by pouring the olive oil in the slow cooker and turn onto the “high” setting. Leave this to heat up while you prepare and par boil the potatoes. You want the oil to be hot by the time you put the potatoes into the slow cooker. This should take about 20 minutes.
- Peel the potatoes and chop into thirds/quarters depending on how big the potatoes are.
- Par-boil the chopped potatoes in a saucepan for around 10 minutes. You don’t want to cook them until they are completely cooked, just enough to soften them slightly.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander, then put the potatoes back in the saucepan, put the lid on and give the saucepan a little shake, this helps to fluff up the outside of the potatoes which gives you the crunchy and crispy crust.
- Leave the potatoes to cool slightly, then place them into the slow cooker with the onion salt, garlic granules and dried rosemary and give it a good stir.
- Place a clean, dry tea towel over the top of the slow cooker, then place the lid on top of the tea towel. Wrap the sides of the tea towel that are hanging out, up onto the lid.
- Cook on high for around three hours, turning the potatoes every hour.
Notes
- Putting the tea towel in between the potatoes and the lid collects all the steam produced and holds it in the tea towel. If you don’t do this, the steam that rises to the lid will fall back down onto the potatoes making them soft and soggy. Whilst I have done this a number of times without any problems, I wouldn’t recommend leaving the house whilst the potatoes are cooking.
- Go carefully when shaking the potatoes! Gentle is best as they can sometimes break down into smaller pieces if you are shaking too hard.
- It's best to only use enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the slow cooker, if you start piling them on top of each other, they will sweat instead of roast and you won’t get that crispy finish.
- These potatoes take 3 hours on high in my slow cooker. Please be aware that different makes of slow cookers may cook at different rates.
Maureen Bennett
One converted sceptic! Absolutely amazing.... who'd have thought a slow cooker would make such gorgeous roasties. Genius idea 👍
Lauren Woodger
So glad you liked the recipe - I always cook them like this now when Im short on space in the oven. 🙂
Tony smith
I haven't tried it yet but I will let you know when I have
Lauren Woodger
I hope you like them! 🙂