Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are light, fluffy, and delicious! Pressure-cooking potatoes is the easiest and fastest way to make the best mashed potatoes every time. You will never make them on the stovetop again!
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Why This Method Works
If you love mashed potatoes as I do, this recipe will change your life! You will never make them on the stovetop again. Cooking potatoes in the Instant Pot is faster and you don't have to watch them. They are light and fluffy and the best thing is, I don't have to boil them on the stove for 30 minutes. It takes longer to peel the potatoes and cut into chunks than cook them in the Instant Pot! You have to try this recipe!
The Instant Pot keeps proving to me that it is quite an essential countertop appliance. I use it every day. I was already blown away by how quickly I can cook Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and now these Mashed Potatoes. Serve them with Chicken Thighs for a delicious dinner!
Instructions:
- Start by peeling and cutting the potatoes into large chunks. Place potatoes in Instant Pot. Add enough water to cover them by about 1".
- Close the lid and set the valve to sealing position. Press the "manual" or "pressure cook" button and set timer to 7 minutes.
- When the pressure cooker is done, carefully turn the valve to vent ( this is called quick pressure release).
- Drain the potatoes and return to the IP insert or place in a mixing bowl. Add half and half, salt and pepper and if desired, dill or chives and sour cream. Mash with a potato mashed to desired texture.
Two methods of cooking:
I tried two methods for making mashed potatoes in the pressure cooker: steaming and cooking in water. Here is my experience:
- steaming potatoes: I steamed them using the steam basket insert and while the potato chunks were perfectly cooked, they turned into a very thick and not fluffy at all mixture when mashed. They will be perfect for a potato salad (and that's what I did for my Dill Pickle Potato Salad) but not for mashed potatoes.
- cooking potatoes in water: The second method is to simply place cut-up potatoes in water, just enough to cover them, and cook that way. When the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick pressure release. Drain the potatoes and place them back in the IP. Add butter, milk, or half and half and seasoning. Mash and serve!
What potatoes to use?
The best potato for mashed potatoes is Russet or Idaho kind. They have more starch than other varieties. Golden or red potatoes are better for salads, so keep those for another time.
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Variations:
- I love adding sour cream for a little tang in flavor and of course, dill or chives. Just like that, in not much time, you can make the best mashed potatoes and have the side dish on the table.
- To jazz up these mashed potatoes, add caramelized onions as I did in my new Caramelized Onions Mashed Potatoes recipe!
- for a dairy-free/vegan option use almond milk and olive oil. The potatoes will be creamy and delicious!
- add roasted garlic for more flavor and turn these mashed potatoes into the best BBQ side dish!
Helpful Tips!
- The cooking time depends on how big are the potato chunks. I cut mine into 1" pieces and set the timer to 7 minutes. If you cut potatoes into quarters, adjust the time to 10 minutes OR cut them into ½" pieces and cook for 4 minutes. The bigger the chunks, the longer the cooking time.
- To make dairy-free or vegan mashed potatoes, use almond milk and olive oil instead of half and half and butter. They'll be just as creamy and delicious!
- To add more flavor, try adding caramelized onions or roasted garlic to your mashed potatoes.
Leftovers and reheating:
If by any chance, you happen to have leftovers of mashed potatoes, I highly recommend my Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes, my new Polish Potato Dumplings or my Mashed Potato Casserole. Both are delicious and my favorite recipes for using up leftovers.
To reheat mashed potatoes, simply set the IP to saute setting, add milk or heavy cream to potatoes and stir often until heated through.
More Instant Pot side dish recipes:
Check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance! Seeing BURN message on your IP? Read my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn why and how to save your dish.
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs russet potatoes , peeled, cut into 1" chunks
- 3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup half and half or milk
- ¼ cup sour cream , optional
- salt and pepper
- chopped dill , optional
- chopped chives , optional
Instructions
- Place potatoes in Instant Pot. Add enough water to cover them by about 1".
- Close the lid. Set the valve to "sealing".
- Press MANUAL button. Press the +/- button to set to 7 minutes. The IP will start cooking.
- When the pressure cooker beeps, carefully turn the valve to vent ( this is called quick pressure release).
- Drain the potatoes and return to the IP insert or place in a mixing bowl. Add half and half, salt and pepper and if desired, dill or chives and sour cream. Mash with a potato mashed to desired texture.
Video
Notes
- I used russet potatoes as I like the texture the best. You can use Yukon gold or red potatoes too but the texture will be slightly different, thicker and not as fluffy.
- The cooking time includes the time the IP needs to come to pressure. For me that was about 5 minutes.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Chris says
Quick and delicious recipe.
Charles J. McLoughlin says
If I wanted to cook 7 lbs of potatoes in my 8 qt InstaPot would I have to cook it longer than 7 minutes ?
Gayle says
Perfect! I used 1/2 cup potato water and 1/2 cup sour cream.
Anna says
Awesome! Thank you, Gayle!
Deepa Nadkarni says
Very easy and perfect for a newbie recipe.
Thank you.
Jocelyn says
These potatoes are so creamy and fluffy! I love how quick and easy they are to make for dinner!
Becky Hardin says
This!!!! Love making mashed potatoes in the instant pot.
Kristyn says
Yay..I love that I can have mashed potatoes in an instant!! We always have some kind of potato with most of our dishes!
Natasha says
The instant pot sure makes things easy!! Love the invention and love this recipe!!
Beth Pierce says
Reason number 301 I love my Instant Pot! These look perfect; I'm looking forward to giving them a try!
Mary says
I just got my Instant Pot and this was the first thing I made in it! LOVE it!! The potatoes are creamy and fluffy! So delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Fantastic! I am so happy to know it was a hit!
Julia says
This is amazing! I will never cook potatoes on the stove again! Instant Pot for the win!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Right? It's just the best! Thank you, Julia!
Jen says
I've been experimenting with IP mashed potato recipes for about 6 months now and this is by far the best I've found. The search is over!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Jen! YAY! I am so happy you love it! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for your feedback!