Creamy, rich, and delicious, it is so easy to make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot. Ready in less than 30 minutes, this Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe is flavourful and a household staple.
Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are my jam. Every time we have a holiday dinner, when asked what my request is, it’s never a fancy ribeye or whatever but always “mashed potatoes.”
H’s brother even starts off the conversation at this point with, “yes, there will be mashed potatoes, anything else you’d like?” I love my potatoes haha.
Anyways, I personally feel that my love for potatoes means I’m a pretty good judge of how good mashed potatoes are.
So when I say this is the best Instant Pot mashed potatoes, they’re the best mashed potatoes ;) So what makes it the best? It’s creamy, fluffy, and so easy to make, you could do it with your eyes closed.
For this mashed potato recipe, I kept it simple. Just some water, potatoes, garlic, salt, milk, and butter. If you want to step this up a notch, roast the garlic separately, then add it near the end.
What Potatoes to Use in Mashed Potatoes
- Russet Potatoes are my go-to.
- Yukon Yellow Potatoes are an alternative if you don’t want to peel potatoes.
- Red Potatoes are will make waxy mashed potatoes so skip them!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- russet potatoes — peeled and diced.
- garlic — to be honest, the more, the merrier. I love garlic.
- water or broth — broth adds more flavour to the Instant Pot mashed potatoes, but you can use water in a pinch.
- salt
- milk — I recommend using whole milk. Other dairy product like sour cream or yogurt is a great addition as well.
- butter — I recommend using unsalted butter as we are already adding salt to the mashed potatoes. Scale back on the sale if you use salted butter.
How to Make the Easiest Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Place the peeled and cut potatoes, garlic, water, and salt in an Instant Pot. Put on the lid, set it to seal, and pressure cook on HIGH for 11 minutes.
- Quick release when done and add in the milk and butter and mash using a potato masher. Mash until the potatoes are at your preferred consistency. Add in additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Top off with more butter and chives.
Tips and Notes
- Start with smaller amounts of milk and butter, then add more until you hit your desired consistency as you mash.
- Want to add to the flavor? Use herb butter!
- Check out how I infuse rosemary and garlic in my rosemary mashed potatoes recipe and try it with this Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe!
- To make the mashed potatoes creamier, you can add up to 1 cup of plain greek yogurt or cream cheese along with the milk and butter. Sour cream also adds a delicious tangy flavor.
- For extra light and fluffy pressure cooker mashed potatoes, transfer the potatoes to an electric hand mixer to beat some air into the potatoes.
- If it was up to me, I would be serving Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes for every holiday dinner. Roast 3 to 4 heads of garlic and mash it into the potatoes! It’s a little strong and isn’t for everyone, but I love it. Here’s how I roast garlic in the air fryer and how I roast garlic in the oven.
Make Ahead Tips
The best way to reheat leftover mashed potatoes from the fridge without drying them out is by baking them in the oven with additional broth and butter stirred in. Bake it at a low heat (350F) until heated through.
To freeze leftover mashed potatoes, scoop one cup portions of the mashed potatoes onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, then freeze them until the mashed potatoes are completely frozen. Transfer the individual servings to a large freezer safe bag or container, and store in the freezer until ready to eat. This method is great if you only want to reheat 1-2 portions at a time. Freeze the entire batch of mashed potatoes in a freezer-safe bag if you don’t want to freeze/reheat them in portions.
To reheat the frozen mashed potatoes, thawed or straight from the freezer, place it in a covered casserole dish at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely heated through. Add additional butter and broth if needed to keep it creamy.
Serving Ideas
Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with Instant Pot mashed potatoes!
- Dutch Oven Chicken
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Turkey Thighs
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Instant Pot Turkey and Gravy
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup water or broth
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 6 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Place the peeled and cut potatoes, garlic, water and salt in an Instant Pot. Put on the lid, set it to seal, and pressure cook for 11 minutes.
- Quick release when done and add in the milk and butter and mash using a potato masher. Mash until the potatoes are at your preferred consistency. Add in additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Top off with more butter and chives.
Nutrition Per Serving
More Holiday Dinner Recipes
- Lemon Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
- Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Easy Air Fryer Broccoli
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots
- Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts
- Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
- Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
Rosemarie Ellis says
can this recipe be doubled ?
Carmy says
Yes, if it fits in your IP!
Mindy says
This was perfect for Sunday dinner!
Carmy says
So glad you enjoyed!