Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are the easiest and fastest mashed potatoes you will ever make. Made with simple ingredients, this recipe for Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes results in light, creamy, buttery, and fluffy mashed potatoes.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are just as good as classic mashed potatoes but come together in less time, making them a perfect side dish for any family meal, like Rotisserie Chicken, Apple Pork Loin Roast, or Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut.

One recipe I was hesitant to try to recreate in the pressure cooker was mashed potatoes.
I love my recipe for Perfect Mashed Potatoes on the stove--and I am always a bit nervous to mess with perfection!
But with a few tips, making creamy, dreamy Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot is possible! And best of all--it is done all in one pot in less than 30 minutes from start to finish!
What you Need

I keep this recipe super simple by using only butter, milk, and salt in addition to the potatoes and sour cream. This results in perfect buttery classic mashed potatoes.
- Potatoes: I recommend using Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for creamy classic mashed potatoes. I personally prefer Yukon Gold potatoes for restaurant-style, buttery mashed potatoes.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is my secret to adding tang and creaminess to mashed potatoes. It is optional but highly encouraged.
To make dairy-free mashed potatoes, use vegetable broth in place of milk and non-dairy butter in place of butter. Omit the sour cream.
Tips for the Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Be sure to cut the potatoes into equal size cubes. This sounds silly, but trust me, if you want to ensure your potatoes cook evenly, be sure to cut them into equal sizes.
- Use cold water. Do not be tempted to add warm or even luke-warm water to the inner pot to speed up the time it takes to come to pressure. If you add warm water to your Instant Pot, it will change the amount of time it takes to come to pressure, which will ultimately change the cooking time.
- Drain the cooking liquid. When using russet potatoes to make mashed potatoes, you really want to drain off the cooking liquid before mashing. This will get rid of any starchy film and residue that russet potatoes are known to give off while cooking. Yukon Gold potatoes don't give off as much starch, but still more than if you were to use red potatoes.
- Saute the potatoes. After draining the potatoes from the cooking liquid, return the potatoes to the inner pot and leave them on saute for a minute or two. This extra step gets rid of all the excess water and helps the mashed potatoes be creamy, not watered down.
- Use a handheld potato masher, not a handheld mixer. Mixers overwork potatoes and make them gummy and starchy. Avoid this by mashing the cooked potatoes until smooth with a handheld potato masher. This will ensure super creamy mashed potatoes that never turn out gummy.
- Warm the butter and milk. To prevent your potatoes from seizing up, slightly warm the butter and the milk so that they are instantly absorbed by the potatoes.
Step-By-Step Directions
- Place your cubed potatoes into the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
- Add in water and salt.
- Cook potatoes for 10 minutes on high pressure.
- Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. You can do a quick release of pressure earlier than the recommended 10 minutes, but use caution, as the cooking liquid is very starchy and may spew out of the vent knob.

- Drain off the cooking liquid from the potatoes and return the potatoes to the inner pot.
- Turn the saute function on and let the potatoes "saute" for 1-2 minutes--just to evaporate any excess liquid. Then turn the saute function OFF.
- Use a potato masher to begin to mash the potatoes until smooth.

- Warm the milk and butter in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute to slightly warm up the milk to the temperature of the potatoes.
- Add the warmed milk to the potatoes and continue to mash until creamy.
- If desired, add in a generous scoop of sour cream. It adds so much flavor and keeps the mashed potatoes light and fluffy.

Storing Leftovers
Leftover mashed potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight before warming through and serving.
More Instant Pot Side Dishes
- Instant Pot Green Beans
- Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
Need more inspiration for planning meals that your family will love? Sign up for my FREE Meal Plans and each week you will get a meal plan with a shopping list.
I would love to hear how much you enjoyed this simple method for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. Please share a comment and review below.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes use russet or Yukon gold
- cold water
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ cup milk/cream warm
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place cubed potatoes in the inner pot of the instant pot. Pour in 1 cup of cold water for the 3 or 6 quart Instant Pot and 1.5 cups of water for the 8 quart Instant Pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Place lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to release naturally for at least 5 minutes (10 minutes is best) and then release the remaining pressure.
- Drain potatoes and return to inner pot of instant pot. Hit the saute function on the Instant Pot and let any excess liquid cook off the potatoes for 1-2 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot OFF.
- Use a potato masher to mash potatoes until smooth.
- Microwave or warm butter and milk until butter is melted. Add to the inner pot and stir until evenly distributed into the potatoes. Stir in the sour cream. Taste and add in additional salt if needed.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- For the creamiest mashed potatoes, use russet or Yukon gold potatoes.
- Use heavy cream, half and half, or milk of any kind for these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
- To Make Dairy-Free or Vegan Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes: Replace the milk with vegetable broth and instead of butter use non-dairy butter. Omit the sour cream
- For best results, use a potato masher, NOT a mixer or immersion blender. This will keep your potatoes light and fluffy.
- Leftover mashed potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2018 but was updated with new pictures and tips in 2020.
Kathy
I've made potatoes for potato salad in the instant pot but I've always put them in a steamer basket. Nice to know that's not a requirement. And thanks for the proportions of butter/salt/milk...I have messed up just winging it before! I've never tried adding sour cream either so that's interesting. That will be a special Thanksgiving treat.
Kristen Chidsey
Enjoy Kathy! And happy Thanksgiving!
Nick
If I leave out sour cream should I increase the milk and butter?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Nick! I would start with the amount of milk and butter the recipe calls for. Once combined, if needed feel free to add in a bit more.