The Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe

These delicious Instant Pot mashed potatoes are the best, and not just because of how flavorful they are! These pressure cooker mashed potatoes come together in mere minutes, so you can make this recipe even on busy weeknights.

We’ve been eating a lot of potatoes ever since my son was diagnosed with celiac disease, so I’ve been wanting to try mashed potatoes in my pressure cooker for a while! This has quickly became both one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes and my favorite ways to cook mashed potatoes.

I’ll start by first explaining why exactly I love this recipe, and then I’ll show you how to make the best mashed potatoes right in the Instant Pot!

Why Make Mashed Potatoes In The Instant Pot?

If you already have a go-to method for making creamy mashed potatoes, you might be wondering what’s so great about making them in an electric pressure cooker. Not only is the cook time quite a bit quicker compared to making them on your stovetop, but it’s even faster if you leave the skin on the potatoes.

One more thing I love about making Instant Pot mashed potatoes is that it frees up one of my stove burners, which can make a huge difference when I’m trying to cook potatoes and several other dishes during the holidays. (There are plenty more holiday side dishes you can cook in the Instant Pot, too!)

And if your Instant Pot is already occupied with another great recipe, you can always make mashed potatoes in your crockpot — it never hurts to have options. But either way, try this recipe in your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker ASAP!

How To Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Recipe)

You’ll need:

• 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (or a mix of different varieties)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup chicken stock, veggie stock, or water
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 Tbsp butter
• Pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley, to garnish

Directions:

Wash the potatoes (and peel them, if desired — I personally don’t bother!), pat them dry, then cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch cubes. Place the potatoes in the inner pot of your Instant Pot, add the chopped garlic and salt, then pour the stock (or water) over the top of the potatoes.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot, then pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. When the timer goes off, carefully turn the Quick Release valve to depressurize the pot.

Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter (on your stove or in the microwave) until melted and combined. (This is optional, but I think it gives the finished potatoes a better flavor and texture than adding them cold!)

Drain the potatoes, but reserve some of the cooking liquid for later. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, then use a handheld masher (or fork) to roughly mash the potatoes.

Add the warm milk and butter to the potatoes, and continue mashing until the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. If the potatoes are a bit thicker than you’d like them, add a bit of the reserved cooking liquid at a time until the potatoes reach your desired consistency.

Keep the potatoes warm until ready to serve, then serve topped with fresh parsley, if desired.

7 Tips To Make Your Mashed Potatoes Even Better

1. Make the potatoes even more flavorful by using a few different varieties. Use Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, russets, or even sweet potatoes to get the best of all the tastes and textures! (Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes, anyone?)
2. Avoid cutting your potatoes too small to prevent them from getting soggy or waterlogged.
3. Drain the potatoes right away after cooking them — that way, the potatoes don’t have time to absorb more liquid and get soggy.
4. Try adding different root veggies to your potatoes, like turnips, rutabagas, etc.
5. For extra creamy Instant Pot mashed potatoes, substitute sour cream in place of the milk.
6. To prevent your mashed potatoes from getting gummy, use a handheld potato masher to mash the potatoes and stir them sparingly.
7. Who says you have to top mashed potatoes with gravy? Try them with sour cream, chopped chives, grated cheese, cream cheese, or anything else that sounds good!

Tasty Ideas For Leftover Mashed Potatoes

If you love mashed potatoes as much as we do, you may not end up with any leftovers (though you can always double the recipe, if you’d like to end up with extras!) Here are some tasty options to consider:

• Spread them on top of shepherd’s pie.
• Turn them into gnocchi.
• Freeze them in vacuum sealed bags for up to one month, then reheat the potatoes by putting the bag in hot water on the stove.
• Make meatloaf cupcakes with them.
• Add them to potato soup.
• Add chopped onions and bacon, form them into patties, and fry.
• Add sautéed chopped cabbage and onions to make a quick and easy colcannon.
• Top with sliced steak and veggies for easy mashed potato bowls.
• Stir in roasted garlic to make garlic mashed potatoes.

These mashed potato ideas work just as well with instant mashed potatoes, too. (Speaking of which, don’t miss my tip for making instant mashed potatoes that taste like the real thing!)

Have you tried making mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot?