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No boiling or draining water needed with this Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe. Create silky smooth potatoes in minutes without all the hassle! A new way to make mashed potatoes that will quickly become the only way you make mashed potatoes!
I'll let you in on a little secret, pretend you don't like to peel potatoes, and if your family is a tater loving family like mine, they'll peel those potatoes for you! My family loves their mashed taters, and I actually can't stand peeling potatoes. I despise it, not sure why, just never enjoyed it. So we have a deal in our house, if they do the peeling, I'll do the cooking. Whenever there is mashed potatoes on the weekly menu, they all know one of them or two or three or even four, has to do the peeling, or the potatoes won't get peeled. Guess what? The potatoes almost always get peeled!
Getting your family to peel the potatoes makes these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes even easier to make. Silky, smooth and buttery mashed potatoes in as little as 30 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
Substitution Suggestions
- Potatoes: Russet is our go to normally, but Yukon Gold and Red potatoes work really too. Peeled or unpeeled, whichever way you prefer. I typically leave the skin on when I use red potatoes because it is a thin skin, the other potatoes are usually peeled.
- Water: water is my go to, but chicken broth is a good substitute and will enhance the flavor of the potatoes.
- Milk or Cream: Either milk or cream works with this recipe.
Mashed Potato Variations:
- Sour Cream and Chive: Add 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of dried chives or ¼ cup of fresh, then add just enough milk or cream for desired consistency.
- Cheesy Garlic Potatoes: Add 3 cloves of minced garlic before cooking potatoes. Add 8 oz softened cream cheese, ½ cup shredded cheddar, and enough milk or cream to reach desired consistency.
- Bacon Ranch: Stir in 2 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried dill, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 store bought envelope) and cooked crumbled bacon pieces. Make it cheesy and add some shredded cheddar cheese too.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes in a Pressure Cooker
- Peel the potatoes, rinse and place into a bowl of cold water.
- Cut the potatoes into 1 inch or so sized cubes.
- Place water in the pressure cooker.
- Gently place potatoes in the pot with the water.
- Sprinkle salt over top of potatoes.
- Place lid on instant pot, set the valve to sealing.
- Set the cooker on manual pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once the time is up, carefully turn the valve with a wooden spoon to do a quick pressure release.
- After the pin has dropped, remove the lid and mash the potatoes with a hand masher or hand beaters.
- Add the stick of butter and milk/cream then stir it up good.
- Finally season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Tips for Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Use a good peeler: Like I mentioned above, I hate peeling potatoes. It's so tedious and just drives my brain bonkers. The family will normally peel for me. However, on occasion I have had to peel potatoes and I have discovered just how picky I am about the peeler I use. You need a good peeler or it will take forever to peel potatoes. I like a good stainless steel peeler with a swivel blade. The swivel blade will help move smoothly across the odd shape of some of the potatoes along with the bumpy ones.
- Leave the peeled potatoes soaking in a large bowl of cold water while you cut them up. Soaking them helps prevent them from turning brown and rinses off some of the access starch that can also cause the potatoes to turn brown while cooking.
- Use a sharp knife when cutting the potatoes. Using a dull can result in the knife sliding and possibly cutting you. A like using a santuko knife when cutting potatoes.
- Be careful not to over mix or beat the potatoes or they will turn out gummy.
What if there is extra water in the pressure cooker?
There have been a few times where I have had a little too much water still in the cooker, I just carefully drain it using oven mitts. Just like you would drain potatoes from boiling water except without the steam facial. 9 out of 10 times there is very little water and I leave it.
FAQs About Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
This recipe calls for a 10 minute cook time with a quick release. Place water in the instant pot, followed by peeled and cut potatoes and salt. Place lid on instant pot, set to sealing, and set the instant pot to manual pressure for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes do a quick release. Once the pin has dropped, remove lid and make mashed potatoes!
Yes, you can keep them on the keep warm setting for 1-2 hours. Stir them often and before serving you may need to add an additional splash of milk or cream. They will stiffen up a bit while they sit on warm.
It is said that using cold milk will reduce the temperature of the hot potatoes. To avoid that use warm milk. I personally don't use warm milk in my mashed potatoes, the temperature difference that happens is not noticeable enough to take the extra time to warm up milk.
My Favorite Things to Serve with Mashed Potatoes!
- Grandma's Meatloaf
- Busy Day Steak
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Corn Flake Chicken
- Roast Chicken
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Oven Fried Chicken Legs
Need Some More Instant Pot Inspiration?
- Mac N Cheese
- Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Drip Beef Sandwiches
- Pulled Pork
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- White Rice
- Iced Coffee
- Hard "Boiled" Eggs
- Brown Rice
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and place in bowl of cold water as you go.
- Cube potatoes and place in Instant Pot.
- Add water and salt.
- Place lid on and set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once time is up, carefully do a quick pressure release. Remove lid after valve stem has dropped.
- Mash potatoes with hand masher or electric beater. Add in butter and milk.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve and enjoy!
Matt says
Turned out perfect.