Making Instant Pot mashed potatoes is the one thing I will never go back to doing the old way. From the first moment I tried this method, I was completely hooked. No muss, no fuss, and perfectly cooked potatoes that could be kept warm until dinner? Sold.
In fact, this method has worked so well, my husband tells everyone he knows that they need to buy an Instant Pot (or your choice of pressure cooker) - for this recipe alone. Another bonus - if you have leftovers, you can make these awesome leftover mashed potato cakes.
Instant Pot mashed potatoes are quick, easy and hands-off. They're particularly great while making mashed potatoes for a crowd.
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Frequently asked Questions
It depends on the size of the potatoes, and whether you cut them or not, and the size of your Instant Pot, but in general, it takes between 8-12 minutes.
Yes, you can, but some potato varieties are better than others. Using Yukon Gold potatoes works well because their skin is already quite soft and thin.
Why You're Going to Love this Recipe
- It's easy - and it's hands-off. Remember the days of a pot of potatoes taking up a whole burner on the stove then having to watch them constantly so they don't boil over? Nope. Me either.
- You can use your favorite mashed potato recipe with them.
- Add whatever add-ins you want!
- If you have an Instant Pot or similar multicooker/pressure cooker, you can make these ahead of time and use the keep warm function until you're ready to eat (this is me, because I can never time mashed potatoes right with the rest of the meal.
Ingredients
This ingredient list is short and sweet - feel free to sub in whatever your favorite mashed potato mix-ins are!
- Yukon Gold potatoes: these are my number one choice when it comes to mashed potatoes. Creamy, slightly sweet, and with the perfect fluffy texture.
- Butter: we're going hard here on the full fat dairy. Again, if you're looking to be a little more health conscious, you can swap out the fats!
- Heavy cream: it's just so good.
- Cream cheese or mascarpone cheese: this just takes the flavor up a notch.
- Garlic powder: honestly, I don't use garlic powder in a lot of cooking. But when I do it's in mashed potatoes because it's amazing.
How to Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Making Instant Pot mashed potatoes is super easy, but let's go through it step-by-step.
Step 1: Peel and quarter your potatoes. Add them to the Instant Pot along with 4-5 cups of water. If you want to make no-drain Instant Pot potatoes, see those instructions below.
Step 2: Place the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the "Pressure Cook" function to high, and set the timer for 10 minutes.
Step 3: The Instant Pot will need to preheat for about 10 minutes, then it will actually start the timer. Just be patient with this part, it can take a minute.
Step 4: Once the timer has gone off, quick release the pressure. Carefully open the lid, and drain the potatoes.
Step 5: Mash or rice the potatoes. Add the dairy, salt, and garlic powder. Mix well.
Step 6: Leave the Instant Pot on "keep warm" function until you're ready to serve the potatoes.
Variations
There are so many ways to dress up Instant Pot Mashed potatoes (or any mashed potato for that matter). Try a few of these flavors to up your game:
- Cream cheese
- Roasted garlic
- Truffle
- Boursin Cheese
- Bacon
- Chicken broth
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese
- Leaving the skin on
No-Drain Instant Pot Potatoes
If you want to make this recipe even easier - here's how I make no-drain mashed potatoes.
The key to this recipe is using chicken broth instead of water. This way, it adds so much flavor, and doesn't water down the flavor of the potatoes!
Combine five pounds of potatoes (peeled and cut in quarters) in the Instant Pot with about 1.5 cups of chicken or vegetable broth. You need about 1" of broth in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Close the lid, and set the "pressure cook" function to high, and 12 minutes.
Quick release the Instant Pot.
Mash or rice the potatoes right in the pot, then continue with the recipe!
Tips and Tricks for The Best Mashed Potatoes
I actually have a whole article on how to get the best mashed potatoes of your life. I honestly think this is my life's work - I'm so obsessed with good mashed potatoes. But here are a few things I swear by.
- Swap the cooking water for chicken stock. Trust me.
- Buy a potato ricer. It's life changing.
- Use the highest fat dairy you can find.
- Add roasted garlic.
- And cheese.
- And lots of salt.
Serving Suggestions
Mashed potatoes go so well with almost anything, but here's a few of our favorite mains to eat them with!
Storage and Reheating
Mashed potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
To reheat, add them to a medium saucepan on the stove with a bit of extra cream or chicken broth to loosen them up. Stir continuously until warm.
Or, honestly, just throw them in the microwave - that works too.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot or pressure cooker, or other multicooker
Ingredients
- 6-7 medium mashed potatoes peeled and quartered
- 4-5 C water
- ⅓ C butter
- ⅓ C cream cheese or mascarpone cheese
- ⅔ C heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and quarter your potatoes, then add them to the Instant Pot with water. Close the lid, and set "pressure cook" to high. Set it to cook for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to preheat before the timer starts.
- Immediately quick release the pressure. Once the valve has dropped, open the lid carefully, and drain the potatoes.
- Mash or rice the potatoes. Add the butter, cheese, cream, garlic powder and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Keep in the Instant Pot on the "keep warm" setting (it should switch to that automatically after the pressure is released).
- Serve and enjoy!
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Hi, I'm Cara! I'm a food writer, journalist, and recipe developer. I'm obsessed good food, good wine, good cocktails and entertaining. I've picked up a few tips over the years, and love sharing them with others.
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