Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are much easier than stovetop — no draining required! You don’t have to wait for a special occasion, and the recipe includes adaptations for just about any dietary style.

Yes. Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. Have you tried this??

Having an Instant Pot makes a lot of things easier, but there are three things that are, for lack of a better term, LIFE-CHANGING in an Instant Pot. Classic mashed potatoes are one of them.

What are the other two?

Hard-cooked eggs. (I cook mine for 4 min with immediate steam release and an ice bath.)

Bone Broth. Bone broth might be the best benefit of having an Instant Pot, honestly. Nourishing bone broth in just 2-3 hours without waking up to the smell of soup during a 24 hours simmer on the stove or a slow cooker. It’s amazing.

Why Instant Pot mashed potatoes are WAAAY easier

1. No more waiting forever for a big pot of water to boil. Depending on what kind of stove you have, this could take up to 30-40 minutes.
2. No babysitting said pot on the stove so it doesn’t spill over. Or overcooking your potatoes.
3. NO DRAINING THE POTATOES. This might be the biggest reason for me.
4. No dirtying multiple pots/bowls/strainers.
5. You’ll thank me during Thanksgiving dinner prep when you have extra stovetop space! Plus the cooker will keep them warm until it’s time to eat. Win-win.

What kind of potatoes are best for mashed potatoes?

Growing up in Idaho, I’m obligated to tell you that russet potatoes are the best. But, honestly, it depends on what you want the result to be.

Russets are best for lighter, fluffier mashed potatoes — more like the potato puree type of mashed potatoes.

Reds are less starchy and creamier, and don’t tell my Dad this, but I actually prefer the texture of reds mashed up than russets. 

Yukon gold potatoes have a rich, buttery flavor and make creamy mashed potatoes like reds. They’re delicious as well, but have a slightly sweeter taste to them, which I’m not always in the mood for.

Answer? 

Any of them would work well in this mashed potatoes recipe.

Tips for making pressure cooker mashed potatoes more flavorful

Early in my marriage I learned a trick for making mashed potatoes more flavorful — throw a few garlic cloves into the pot of potatoes and water. This works if you make mashed potatoes on the stove, too.

Don’t take out the garlic cloves when you mash them up — mash it right into the potatoes. I mean, who doesn’t like garlic mashed potatoes?

Another tip to make these Instant Pot mashed potatoes even easier:

Use chicken broth for pressure cooking your potatoes. This adds more flavor AND you don’t have to strain it later!

Do you have to peel the potatoes first?

Nope. I never peel mine. (I have a couple of complainers in the family, so I might start alternating, but I hate peeling potatoes, so I probably won’t. Ha.)

Granted, if you want lighter, fluffier, silkier mashed potatoes you’re going to peel them. 

Do you need to drain the liquid out?

NO draining required! Just mashed it all up.

I know I sound like a broken record, but making Instant Pot mashed potatoes is so ridiculously easy. It’s almost scary how quickly and easily you can whip up a batch.

I mean, taking out the rack is probably the trickiest part and it takes all of 4 seconds. UPDATE: After chatting with a few of you, I realized that you probably don’t actually need the rack when you make mashed potatoes. I assumed the rack helped the steam circulate better in the Instant Pot, but it might not matter.

So, using the rack is optional, friends. 

Can you mash the potatoes right in the Instant Pot?

YES! I use a potato masher, but you can use a heavy bottom glass or an electric hand mixer — which is what my dad always used.

These mashed potatoes are more like the chunky steakhouse style potatoes which are my favorite kind. I like leaving some chunks of potatoes in there. An electric mixer would give you a smoother consistency for sure.

Be careful with the mixer, though, because if you overdo it you’ll end up with weird, glue-y mashed potatoes. The texture is hard to describe, but it’s not something you want. Trust me.

Instant Pot Mashed Potato Adaptations

Ok, during the mashing/adding milk, etc phase is when you can tweak this to fit your personal preference or dietary restrictions. Here are a few variations for you. I included measurements in the recipe below.

• Everyday: Your choice of milk and butter
• Special occasion/extra rich: Your choice of milk, an extra stick of butter, and a cup of sour cream or an 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese. And maybe stir in a bunch of grated Parmesan. Heck, it’s Thanksgiving.
• Vegan: Use vegetable broth, unsweetened almond milk/cartoned coconut milk, and your preferred vegan butter
• Whole30/Paleo: unsweetened almond milk/cartoned coconut milk and ghee or grass-fed butter
• Keto: Sorry, no potatoes for you. Make my Instant Pot Cauliflower Puree with Garlic & Rosemary instead!

More Instant Pot Side Dish Recipes

Here are a few more easy side dishes to make in your Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Cauliflower Puree with Rosemary & Garlic

Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange-Chili Butter

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

Instant Pot Lemon Herb Rice

Instant Pot Coconut Rice

Instant Pot Mexican Style Black Beans

If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Continue to Content

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (No Drain)

Yield: Serves 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Making mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot is so easy, it's almost scary. No draining required! Mashed potatoes are no longer a special occasion side dish -- make them any night of the week!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 5 pounds potatoes, any type
• 4 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup melted butter or ghee
• 1-2 cups of milk (see note)
• 2-3 teaspoons of salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the rack in the insert pot and add the chicken broth.
2. If the potatoes are more than 3 inches wide or long, cut them into 2-3 pieces. Place them on the rack and toss the garlic in on top.
3. Place the Instant Pot lid on the cooker, locking it shut, and move the steam valve to the "Sealing" position.
4. If your potatoes are large -- around 2-3 inches per piece, cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
5. If your potatoes are smaller -- less than 2 inches per piece, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
6. When the potatoes are almost finished, put the butter and 1 cup of milk into a small sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat just until the butter is melted. Remove from heat.
7. When the pressure cooking cycle is finished, carefully move the steam release valve to "Venting" to manually release the steam.
8. Open the lid when the float falve sinks. Remove the rack and pour in the warmed butter and milk. Mash with a potato masher, adding more milk, if necessary, to reach desired texture.
9. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and mix well. Taste, and add another 1/2-1 teaspoon if needed.
10. You can keep the mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot with the lid on to keep them warm until ready to serve. Check them immediately before serving if they have sat for a while to see if they need more milk or chicken broth (sometimes those potatoes soak up a lot of liquid and get clumpy after a whlie).

Notes

• Everyday: Your choice of milk and butter
• Special occasion/extra rich: Your choice of milk, butter, and a cup of sour cream or an 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese. And maybe stir in a bunch of grated Parmesan. Heck, it's Thanksgiving.
• Vegan/Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth, unsweetened almond milk/cartoned coconut milk, and your preferred vegan butter
• Whole30/Paleo: unsweetened almond milk/cartoned coconut milk and ghee or grass-fed butter
• Keto: Sorry, no potatoes for you. Make my Instant Pot Cauliflower Puree with Garlic & Rosemary instead!

Recommended Products

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