Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are surprisingly the creamiest, fluffiest mashed potatoes you’ll ever have. Simple enough for a weeknight side, but stunning and lovely for special occasions, too.
I love mashed potatoes in every form they are presented to me. They can be skin-on, chunky mashed potatoes. They can be plain, or “elevated” with roasted garlic, the addition of goat cheese, sour cream, caramelized onions, or even horseradish. But for a Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner spread? An old-school, smooth, gravy-loving, no fancy additions, is the one you will usually find on our holiday table.
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Best Potatoes For Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Ingredients & Notes
- Skin on or skin off for mashed potatoes?
- How To Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Tips For The Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Stovetop Method
- Storage And Reheating Tips
- Make Them Vegan
- Mains To Serve With Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Years ago for a Christmas dinner I felt adventurous and made these mashed potato. I loved them, but no one else did and they went uneaten. I learned my lesson – no more goat cheese on the shopping list. From then on, our holiday potato mash has always remained simple, easy, and delightfully nostalgic.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Making the mashed potatoes in the Instant pot is a dream. You won’t save much on time but you gain a lot of hands-off freedom. This is pretty valuable, particularly during a main event like Thanksgiving (or Christmas dinner) when you have enough pots and pans to keep an eye on.
Start to finish, they are done in about 30 minutes and you don’t have to worry about boiling water or checking on the right consistency. With very little effort you have ultra creamy, ultra smooth, and ultra fluffy mashed potatoes every time. Best of all, you can let them sit with the “keep warm” setting and serve them nice and warm hours later. How seriously awesome is that?
Best Potatoes For Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes (also labeled as Baking or Idaho) will give you the best results for mashed potatoes. You might also find different varieties with less-common names labeled as “mashing potatoes”. Those will likely be fine, too.
Difference between Yukon Gold and Russet:
Yukon Gold potatoes have a medium starch content and have a rich, buttery, creamy flavour. They are slightly denser so will absorb less water when cooked.
Russet potatoes have a higher-startch content than Yukon Gold’s, and are less dense which means they will be softer and cook faster. The extra starchiness means they will mash up light and fluffy and because they’re softer they soak up more butter and milk.
I used to be exclusively team Yukon Gold for my mashed potatoes, but now I have converted to Russet. I love the beautiful, light and fluffy results I get from the more delicate spud. That said, sometimes I can’t decide and go for a mix – works like a charm.
Ingredients & Notes
- Potatoes – For this recipe, I use 4 pounds of potatoes in a 6-quart Instant Pot. You could use 6 pounds (adding a 1/2 cup more water) no problem, but I haven’t tested it with more. See section above for which potatoes are best to make this mash.
- Butter – Yes, butter will always make mashed potatoes taste better. But. I do not believe you need 1 pound of butter to make them irresistibly good. I mean, soles of running shoes would taste good if cooked with 1 pound of butter. This recipe calls for 4 tablespoons and I find the result is divinely buttery enough. If you prefer them super buttery, go ahead and add a whole stick.
- Milk – I always use whole milk for my mash because I don’t always have cream on hand. If you like your mashed potatoes creamier, use a mix of milk and heavy cream.
- Salt and pepper – I like to season my potatoes generously but in the recipe I call for only 2 teaspoons (I use more). Start with that, and add more to taste. Not everyone likes pepper in the mash so feel free to omit it, if you wish.
- Chives – I rarely garnish my mashed potatoes but if I do, it’s just with a few tablespoons of chopped chives for colour.
Skin on or skin off for mashed potatoes?
You really only have a choice if you’re using Yukon Gold potatoes. The skin on Russet potatoes is too thick and should be peeled when used to make mashed potatoes.
We definitely prefer a less chunky mash so even when using Yukon Gold’s I like to peel them. Peeled potatoes will also cook more evenly, especially if boiling them. However, there is a lot of nutrition on the peel so if you don’t mind your mash a little more rustic and lumpy, go ahead and leave the peel on.
How To Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Smaller potatoes can be halved.
- Put 1 cup of warm water and a steamer rack in the pressure cooker. Place the potatoes on the rack.
- Cover, and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Release the pressure manually. Once pressure has finished venting, open the lid and drain the potatoes.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the butter and mash with a ricer, fork, potato masher, or food mill (I use a ricer). Add the warm milk, salt, and pepper if using, and whisk with a fork gently to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning adding more salt and pepper as needed.
To Keep The Mashed Potatoes Warm: Return the insert to the Instant Pot (give it a quick wash if it has a lot of stuck potato pieces). Spoon the mashed potatoes into the inner pot, cover, and select the “Keep Warm” setting (make sure you don’t seal the valve). The potatoes will keep warm and perfectly fluffy for 2 to 3 hours, stirring them once or twice. When ready to serve, stir in a bit of warm milk to fluff them up a bit more.
Tips For The Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
1. Steam don’t boil
Steaming the potatoes, instead of boiling them in water, avoids the dreaded waterlogged potatoes. You simply set the potatoes on a steam rack with just a bit of water and they soften beautifully absorbing very little moisture. Less moisture equals fluffier, more flavourful potatoes – in other words, potatoes that taste like potatoes.
2. Use The Right Tool To Mash
If you love fluffy, smooth potatoes, a potato ricer is the best tool you can use to achieve this. A potato ricer also makes the job a lot easier. Unless you have a huge amount of potatoes to mash, a fork and a bit of grunt work, will also give great results. If you don’t mind your mashed potatoes a little less smooth, a potato masher will work just fine.
I would avoid all electric tools which are too aggressive and cause the mash to become gluey. That said, my brother in law makes the most fabulous mashed potatoes using a hand-held mixer, and he even pours in cold milk straight from the fridge. So if that’s what you want to use, I say go for it.
3. Don’t mash them to death
To retain maximum fluffiness in your mash, don’t over-work them. Once mashed, you want to whisk in the butter and milk gently so the mash doesn’t start to get dense and pasty and lose its fluffiness.
4. Season generously
Potatoes beg for a lot of salt, and I like mine on the dangerous side of salty. Because the potatoes are getting steamed, all of the seasoning is happening once you start mashing them. Start conservatively, tasting as you go along, and adding small amounts until you reach the perfect savouriness. If you’re using salted butter, don’t season until the very end. This gives you a chance to taste how salty the butter made the mash, then salt accordingly.
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Perhaps the best thing about these Instant Pot mashed potatoes is that you can make them a few hours ahead of time. The “keep warm” setting keeps them warm with the perfect amount of moisture so they don’t dry out.
Once mashed, simply return to the Instant Pot, cover, and select the “Keep Warm” setting. They will keep warm and perfectly fluffy for 2 to 3 hours. When ready to serve, stir in a bit of warm milk to fluff them up a bit more.
If you wish to make them a day or two ahead, reheat in the Instant Pot following the same method with the “Keep Warm” setting until warmed through.
Stovetop Method
If you don’t own an Instant Pot or prefer to make them on the stovetop, here’s a quick how to:
- Peel and cut potatoes into uniform 2-inch chunks. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to just cover them. Stir in 2 teaspoons kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until very tender when pierced with a small knife or fork, about 18 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and place them back in the pot. Let them sit in the hot pot until they lose some extra moisture, about 3 minutes.
- Proceed with the recipe instructions.
Storage And Reheating Tips
Instant Pot Mashed potatoes leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They are almost as good when reheated, however it’s a little tricky to warm them properly without scorching them or drying them out. I find reheating the mashed potatoes in the oven will give you the best result.
To Reheat: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place potatoes in a shallow casserole dish and cover tightly with foil. Warm for 15 minutes, remove from oven, add a 1/4 cup of milk and a few dabs of butter. Use a fork to gently incorporate, cover again, and place back in the oven until completely warmed through, about 15 more minutes.
If you’re in a hurry, the good ol’ microwave will have to do.
Make Them Vegan
You can easily make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes vegan by substituting olive oil for the butter, and using your favourite non-dairy milk.
Mains To Serve With Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 4 pounds russet potatoes peeled and quartered
- 1 cup whole milk warmed, plus more if making ahead
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Set a wire steamer rack in a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot. Add the water. Place the potatoes on the rack. Cover and make sure the valve is set to Seal. Pressure cook for 9 minutes under High Pressure.
- While the potatoes are cooking, warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat once warm and set aside.
- When the cooking time is done, release the pressure manually. Once pressure has finished venting (this will take about 2 minutes), open the lid and drain the potatoes. It's okay if a little water stays behind. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and mash with a ricer, fork, potato masher, or food mill (I use a ricer). Stir in the warm milk, salt, and pepper if using, and whisk with a fork gently to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning adding more salt and pepper as needed.
- To Keep The Mashed Potatoes Warm: Return the insert to the Instant Pot (give it a quick wash if it has a lot of stuck potato pieces). Spoon the mashed potatoes into the inner pot, cover, and select the "Keep Warm" setting (make sure you don't seal the valve). The potatoes will keep warm and perfectly fluffy for 2 to 3 hours, stirring them once or twice. When ready to serve, stir in a bit of warm milk to fluff them up a bit more.
- Transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving bowl and top with remaining tablespoon of butter. Garnish with chopped chives, if desired.
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