Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
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Whip up a creamy, dreamy batch of Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes in minutes. This recipe is perfectly fluffy, buttery, and infused with your favorite seasonings. The ultimate comfort food made quick and easy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast Preparation: With the magic of pressure cooking, you can have velvety-smooth mashed potatoes ready in a fraction of the time it takes using traditional methods. You can also make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes when you’re in a time crunch.
- Peeled or Unpeeled: When using Yukon potatoes, you can peel your potatoes, or leave the peels. We leave them on in our Instant Pot Potato Soup.
- Customize the Flavor: Similar to our Baked Potato Bar, you can choose your own flavor adventure. We have some flavor ideas below.
- Saves Kitchen Space: Using the Instant Pot for mashed potatoes means fewer pots and pans to clean up afterward. It’s a one-pot wonder that saves you time and kitchen real estate, making it ideal for busy weeknights or holiday meals.
Ingredient Notes
- Yukon Gold potatoes – This type yields the smoothest results. While I do peel them you can get away without peeling them if you don’t have the time.
- Heavy cream – Whole milk works.
- Salted butter – Unsalted is fine. Just taste and add more salt if needed at the end.
- Kosher salt – Kosher salt is preferred for mashed potatoes because of its coarse texture, which ensures even seasoning and enhances the potato’s natural flavor without the risk of oversalting.
How to Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Here is a quick overview of how to make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot.
- Peel the potatoes.
- Cook in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes on high pressure.
- Combine butter and heavy cream in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat until the butter is melted.
- Combine potatoes, butter/cream mixture, and salt and mash the potatoes until the consistency is smooth.
Different Ways to Season Mashed Potatoes
Want to mix things up? Here are a few ideas on how to season your mashed potatoes.
- Garlic Herb Butter: Top it off with a little flavored butter.
- Herbs: Chopped fresh herbs like chives, parsley, rosemary, or thyme can add a burst of freshness and complexity to your potatoes. I love doing this with our Crispy Smashed Potatoes too.
- Cheese: For a cheesy twist, try adding our Homemade Cheese Sauce, grated Parmesan, cheddar, or Gruyère.
- Sour Cream and Chive: Mix in sour cream and freshly chopped chives for a classic and tangy flavor combination.
- Caramelized Onions: Sautéed or caramelized onions can add a sweet, savory depth to your mashed potatoes.
- Bacon Bits: For an indulgent touch, bake some bacon and sprinkle crispy bacon bits over the top.
FAQs
Yes. Add Yukon potatoes to the slow cooker and cook on the low setting for about 4-5 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. The cooking time may vary depending on your slow cooker, so check for tenderness with a fork. Follow recipe instructions after step 3.
Nope. While I prefer a smooth, skinless texture, you can leave the skins on to make it even easier. One caveat: if you’re using russet potatoes you for sure need to peel to skin off.
To mash potatoes, you can use a potato masher for a rustic texture, a potato ricer for a fine and fluffy consistency, or an electric hand mixer or stand mixer for ultra-smooth and creamy results. Forks, food processors, and immersion blenders can also be used, depending on your preferred texture and the tools available in your kitchen.
Yes. The Instant Pot has a “warm” setting that you can keep the potatoes on. However, I’d be sure to give them a stir every 30-45 minutes to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom. You can also add a splash of milk to replace any moisture that is lost as it sits.
Yes, you can freeze mashed potatoes. However, the texture will change slightly through the freezing and thawing process. They might become slightly grainy or watery when thawed.
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Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Whip up a creamy, dreamy batch of Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes in minutes. This recipe is perfectly fluffy, buttery, and infused with your favorite seasonings. The ultimate comfort food made quick and easy.
Ingredients
- 3–4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 medium-small potatoes)
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- 10 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (more or less depending on preference)
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Instructions
- Peel the potatoes. Place 1 cup of water (or chicken stock) in the Instant Pot.
- Place the trivet into the Instant Pot and place the potatoes on top.
- Cook in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes on high pressure. Let them naturally release for 10 more minutes. (If not using the Instant Pot, quarter the potatoes and boil for about 20-25 minutes until they are softened all the way through.)
- While potatoes are cooking, combine butter and heavy cream in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat until the butter is melted.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, butter/cream mixture, and salt.
- Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until the consistency is smooth. (This took me about 4-5 minutes).
Notes/Tips
- If you’re working with larger yukon potatoes, you may want to cut them into quarters, or cook them for closer to 15 minutes.
- Mash them right after they’re done cooking to prevent lumps.
- When making them in advance, the Instant Pot has a “warm” setting that you can keep the potatoes on. However, I’d be sure to give them a stir every 30-45 minutes to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom. You can also add in a splash of milk to replace any moisture that is lost as it sits.
Delicious every time!
Thank you Kathy! And thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Did you leave the potatoes whole in the instant pot?