These Instant Pot mashed potatoes are rich, buttery, smooth, and creamy. Made with just 5 ingredients, they're such an easy, delicious side dish.
When I made these Instant Pot mashed potatoes for the first time, my goal was to earn Jack’s stamp of approval. He’s a devout mashed potato lover, so if these Instant pot mashed potatoes weren’t fluffy or flavorful enough, I knew I could count on him to let me know.
After a few tastes and a tweak or two, he began happily scooping himself a bowl. “They’re great!” he said. And I had to agree. I don’t usually consider myself much of a mashed potato person, but at that moment, Jack wasn’t the only one loading up a bowl. I was too! The Instant Pot mashed potatoes were smooth, creamy, and full of rich, buttery flavor. After I finished my bowl, I started stealing tastes straight from the pot!
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe:
- Potatoes, of course! I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes, or a similar variety of yellow potatoes, for this recipe. They give the mash a pretty golden color, a rich buttery flavor, and a delicious creamy texture.
- Water – You’ll use it to cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot. Then, in lieu of sour cream or cream cheese, you’ll mix some of that starchy, salty cooking water into the mashed potatoes to create their light, smooth texture.
- Garlic – It adds a subtle savory bite.
- Extra-virgin olive oil and butter – They make the potatoes flavorful, buttery, and rich. Find a vegan option in the recipe below!
- Chives – For a fresh, oniony garnish.
- And sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
This recipe is so easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, prep the potatoes. Scrub them, peel them, and cut them into large chunks. Aim to cut the potatoes to roughly the same size so that they cook evenly in the Instant Pot.
Pile the chopped potatoes into the Instant Pot…
…pour in water to cover, and stir in 2 teaspoons of salt.
Then, cook! Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam release handle or switch to the sealing position. Pressure cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes. Quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Important: Make sure to reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water before you drain the potatoes!
Drain the potatoes…
…return them to the pot, and mash! Add the garlic, olive oil, butter, and remaining salt and continue mashing to fully incorporate them with the potatoes.
Finally, add the cooking water. Fold in 1/4 cup at a time until the mash is smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve!
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Serving Suggestions
These Instant Pot mashed potatoes would be a great side dish for any fall or winter meal, but I think they’re especially perfect for Thanksgiving. Cooking them in the Instant Pot clears up some space on the stove for your sautéed Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, or whatever other Thanksgiving side dishes you might be making. And if you can’t get to the potatoes right away, they can hang out on the Instant Pot’s Keep Warm setting until you can. How handy is that?!
When you’re ready to serve, top them off with fresh chives, black pepper, and a big pat of butter (or vegan butter). They’d also be fantastic with a ladle of my mushroom gravy.
If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. They reheat surprisingly well in the microwave. Enjoy!
More Favorite Potato Recipes
If you love this recipe, try one of these yummy potato recipes next:
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Perfect Baked Potato
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Baked Potato Wedges
- Breakfast Potatoes
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups water
- 4 teaspoons sea salt, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, water, and 2 teaspoons of salt in the bowl of the Instant Pot.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and Pressure Cook on High for 12 minutes. Quick release the pressure, reserve ¾ cup of the potato cooking water, and drain.
- Return the potatoes to the pot and add the garlic, olive oil, butter, and the remaining 2 teaspoons sea salt. Use a potato masher to mash well. Add the reserved cooking water, ¼ cup at a time, and use a rubber spatula to fold and mash the potatoes until creamy. Stir in the remaining cooking water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Season with fresh black pepper and garnish with chives.
Made this recipe for our Thanksgiving mashed potatoes last week. It was so easy and delicious! This will be the go to from now on! Thank you, Jeanine!
Hi Shelly, I’m so glad the mashed potatoes were a hit!
I love mashed potatoes! I hate making mashed potatoes! I have struggled for more years than I care to admit with making decent mashed potatoes. I always boiled, mashed and added milk and butter and always wound up with subpar mashed potatoes. THESE TURNED OUT FANTASTIC! I am so proud of myself right now, it’s not even funny! I asked my Google home: Hey Google! How long do I cook potatoes in the instant pot for mashed potatoes? She gave me a verbal 10 minutes and also sent me the link to this site. Thanks!
p.s. I have the crockpot express but can never find many, if any, recipes using it as a search. So even though I have a CPE, I use “instant pot” as my search.
Hi Sandi, I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
I dont have an ista pot only a crock pot.
can i use that instead
Hi Lynn, we haven’t tested this in a crock pot so I’m not sure.
It’s really not the same. I’m not saying there isn’t an awesome crock pot recipe, but cooking under pressure is something else.
Without a pressure cooker, you’ll want to boil or bake the potatoes, then mash them. I recommend boiling them in salt water with the skin on, then dumping them in cold to remove the skin. Mash then stir in a pot adding butter and cream, salt. Add some corn or potato starch, or the reserved cup from the boiling water (it will contain potato starch).
Be careful to not over salt, a little goes a long way. Also, more butter helps.
This was great! Hosted my first Thanksgiving and went with this recipe since I was low on oven space. Only sub I made was maybe 1/4 tsp less salt. Made it ~2 hours before dinner and it stayed soft and lovely in the instant pot. I left it on warm and just rested the lid on top. Perfect.
Great recipe. Loved using potato water as base liquid and use of IP allowed a free burner on Thanksgiving.. left them in IP on warm until serving time! Will definitely do this again!
So easy and delicious! Thank you for this recipe. I know it will make Thanksgiving so much easier! I followed the recipe as described and then left the finished mashed potatoes on the “keep warm” setting — they were great! No crusty skin. Just creamy mashies without actual dairy 🙂 Love it! I also tried reheating a cooled portion in the microwave. Also delicious! You can not go wrong with this recipe. Served with Love and Lemons mushroom gravy (also delish), green beans, crumbled sauteed tempeh and cranberry sauce — inspired by Holiday Mashed Potato Bowl from The Full Helping. Thanks, ladies. Great collaboration!
Hi Kim, I’m so glad you loved the potatoes! I love how you served it all with tempeh, that all sounds so delicious!
Hi! I’m so excited to make these this Thanksgiving- I was just wondering if I cut it in half- would all the cooking times and ingredients work the same?
Hi Taylar, yep, half should be the same.