Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
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Whip up a creamy, dreamy batch of Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with very little effort. This low-ingredient, easy recipe is perfectly fluffy and decadent.
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. Then, follow the recipe instructions starting in 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 with very little effort. This low-ingredient, easy recipe is perfectly fluffy and decadent.
Ingredients
- 3–4 pounds small to medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 1/2 cups half and half (sub: milk)
- 10 tablespoons butter
- Kosher salt, to taste
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Instructions
- Prep: Place 1 cup of water and the trivet in the Instant Pot. Place the potatoes on top of the trivet. Spread them in a single layer if possible, but it’s ok if some of them are stacked.
- Pressure Cook: Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (don’t touch them) and then do a quick release of the rest of the pressure. (The potatoes are done if you can easily prick them with a fork.)
- Combine Butter/Half & Half: While potatoes are cooking, combine butter and half and half in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat until the butter is melted and mixture is warm. Stir to combine. (Alternately, you can warm this in the Instant Pot using the Saute function while the potatoes are draining.)
- Drain Potatoes: Carefully transfer the potatoes to a colander over the sink and drain off the water from the Instant Pot. (Use pot holders to remove the trivet with potatoes to the colander.) Return the potatoes only (no trivet) to the pot.
- Mash & Season Potatoes: Add about 3/4th of the butter mixture and start mashing with a potato masher. Add more liquid and keep mashing as needed to achieve the consistency you like. This takes 3-5 minutes. Important last step: Taste and start adding Kosher salt a pinch at a time, stirring and tasting, until you season to your preference.
Notes/Tips
- Cooking Tips:
- Plan to buy about a 1/2 pound raw potatoes per serving. Children might eat less than this, as a 1/2 pound yields a pretty generous portion.
- If you’re working with larger Yukon potatoes, you may want to cut them in half before cooking, or cook them a few extra minutes.
- My 6 quart Instant Pot, took 15 minutes to come to pressure before it began cooking.
- Mash the potatoes right after they’re done cooking to prevent lumps.
- How to Keep Warm When Making Ahead: 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 or chicken broth to replace any moisture that is lost as it sits.
- Salting Correctly: When it comes to salt, remember you can’t take it out! So add a little at a time at the end and taste as you go. If you do end up over salting your potatoes, add in more milk as needed.
- Stovetop Instructions: Quarter the potatoes and boil for about 20 minutes until they are softened all the way through. Then follow steps 3-5.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: 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. Then, follow the recipe instructions starting in step 3.
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?