Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are creamy, fluffy and so easy to make! These Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes come together in less than 30 minutes and make a perfect side dish for any family meal!
Serve up Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Rotisserie Chicken, Pork Loin Roast, or Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
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!
How to Make Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
The process for making instant pot mashed potatoes is simple, but I do have a few tips that will help you achieve the most creamy, luscious pressure cooker mashed potatoes.
Step One: Peel and Cut Potatoes
You can select yukon gold or russet potatoes for creamy mashed potatoes. And my first tip is 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. It is also important to note to start cooking the potatoes with cold water. If you add in warm water to your Instant Pot, it will change the amount of time it takes to come to pressure, which will change the cook time.
Step Two: Pressure Cook Potatoes
Once the potatoes have been cubed, place in the inner pot of the instant pot and place in cold water–you only need 1 cup of water for the 3 or 6 quart and 1.5 cups of water for the 8 quart Instant Pot. Add in 1 teaspoon kosher salt, which will help to season the potatoes.
Cook potatoes for 10 minutes on high pressure. Once cook time has elapsed, let 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. To avoid this issue wait at least 5 minutes, if not a full 10 minutes.
Step Three: Drain the Potatoes
My next tip to the creamiest mashed potatoes, is to not only drain off the potatoes well in a strainer, but to also return the potatoes to the inner pot and place over the saute function for 1-2 minutes. This extra step gets rid of all the excess water and helps the mashed potatoes be creamy, not watered down.
Step Four: Mash the Potatoes
My biggest tip for creamy mashed potatoes, is to use a hand held potato masher, not a hand held mixer. Mixers overwork potatoes and make them gummy and starchy. Avoid this by mashing the cooked potatoes until smooth with a hand held potato masher. I often use a ricer as well, but to keep this all in one pot, a hand held mixer is the way to go for ease and less dishes!
Step Five: Season the Potatoes
Once the potatoes have been mashed it is now time to add in the milk/cream and butter. It is best to use warm milk and butter so the potatoes will not seize up and get tough. Simply microwave your butter and milk/cream together until warmed through–about 1 minute.
I also like to add in a generous scoop of sour cream. It adds so much flavor the Mashed Potatoes and keeps these potatoes light and fluffy.
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
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes use russet or Yukon gold
- cold water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 cup milk/cream warm
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place cubed potatoes in 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 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.
Notes
- For the best 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 chicken or vegetable stock and instead of butter use a nondairy butter.
- For best results, use a potato masher, NOT a mixer or immersion blender. This will keep your potatoes light and fluffy.
Kristen Chidsey
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how would you keep the potatoes warm? very excited to use your recipe!
Hi Vicky! I am so glad you are trying out this recipe. You can leave the potatoes in the instant pot under keep warm, stirring and adding liquid to them as needed. My favorite way to keep warm though, is to place your mashed potatoes in an oven safe serving dish and pour in 1 cup water in pressure cooker. Place potatoes on trivet in pressure cooker and then close lid and keep on warm. That allows the potatoes to stay in a moist environment and not dry out as they are held warm. Enjoy!
This is bookmarked and ready to use on Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for sharing!
Enjoy every bite!
Oh I am going to do this for Thanksgiving! Thanks for a great idea and recipe.
You bet!