Make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker for Thanksgiving or just as an easy side dish! They’re ready in about 30 minutes, from start to finish, and they’re perfect every time. Add garlic if you like.
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After mashed potatoes have been prepared in every imaginable way, nowadays it’s all about the electric pressure cooker. The potatoes come out perfectly every time, and it’s so, so quick!
Video: How to make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
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Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
What kind of potatoes to use
Russets are great for mashed potatoes because they’re starchy, but you can also use Yukon Gold potatoes—the potatoes will look a little yellower after cooking and have a smoother, denser texture.
How to prepare potatoes for cooking in the Instant Pot
To cook the potatoes evenly I peel and cut them into 1 inch slices. Sliced this way, I’ve found they always take exactly four minutes to pressure cook and they always steam perfectly. (Note that the pot takes about 15 minutes to heat up before the actual cooking begins, but the total cook time from start to finish is still less than 20 minutes.)
I put a few garlic cloves in my mashed potatoes – they will soften up and you can press them right in. Four cloves of garlic may sound like a lot, but potatoes are such a blank slate that gives the whole dish a nice touch of garlic flavor. However, you can skip it if you wish.
You can definitely adjust the amounts of milk, butter, and salt to make these mashed potatoes as creamy as you like. The proportions I use here make the potatoes taste buttery, but they’re not overly rich – my favorite. After pureeing, feel free to fold in your favorite cheese, sour cream or fresh herbs.
Preparation and reheating instructions for mashed potatoes
- You can make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and leave the pot on the Warm setting while you cook the other dishes.
- You can also prepare mashed potatoes in advance. You can even prepare and freeze mashed potatoes. Just don’t skimp on the butter or cream, because the fat will help the potatoes warm up well.
- We like to reheat mashed potatoes by popping them in the microwave (covered) for a few minutes, then giving them a good stir before serving.
- You can also place them in a slow cooker on low for a few hours, or cover them in the oven or reheat them on the stovetop. Just stir occasionally and add more butter and spices for serving if needed.
Leftover mashed potatoes will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 3 to 4 days.
What to serve with mashed potatoes
Serve your mashed potatoes with a celebratory turkey or roast, or a weeknight dinner of Salisbury steak or meatloaf. I bet you’ll be making them more often with this easy method!
- New to Instant Pot cooking? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.
Mashed potatoes recipes for days!
- Perfect mashed potatoes
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Slow cooker mashed potatoes
- Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Mashed potatoes and parsnips with chives and parsley
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
ingredients
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1 Cup water
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3 to 3 1/2 pounds (4 big) red potatoespeeled and cut into 1 cm thick slices
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4 cloves garlicpeeled (optional)
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3/4 Cup whole milk
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3 tablespoon unsalted butter
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1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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Chopped fresh chives or ParselyPer garnish (Optional)
method
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Pressure cook potatoes and garlic:
Place a steamer basket on the bottom of your electric pressure cooker and add 1 cup of water. Add the sliced potatoes and peeled garlic cloves (if using) to the top of the steamer basket.
Secure the lid of your pressure cooker and make sure the pressure relief valve is set to its “sealing” position. Choose the Steam or Manual setting and set the cooking time to 4 minutes at high pressure. (The pot takes about 15 minutes to build up pressure and then the actual cooking begins).
At the end of the cooking program, perform a quick vent by moving the pressure relief valve to the vent position.
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Drain the water from the pot, then add the potatoes and garlic back in:
Use heat-resistant gloves to remove the steamer basket from the pot. Lift out the inner pot and pour out the water, then put the potatoes back into the inner pot of the pressure cooker (do not put it back into the pressure cooker body).
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Mash the potatoes, then season to taste:
Add milk, butter, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher to incorporate the ingredients into the potatoes and mash until the potatoes are mashed to your liking. Add more milk or butter if you like. Taste the potatoes for seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper if needed.
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Surcharge:
Place the potatoes in a serving bowl and sprinkle over the chopped chives. Serve hot.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 158 | calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 27g | carbohydrates |
| 4g | protein |
