Instant Pot mashed potato is a delicious comfort food, which makes a great side dish to almost any meal. Mashed potatoes are quick and easy to cook in the Instant Pot, and you can get creative by adding new ingredients like cheese, sour cream, or bacon to make this recipe your own.
This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my affiliate policy here.
How to make mashed potato in an Instant Pot
If you’re a regular reader of this blog you will know about my obsession with my air fryer. However, there is one food that you can’t really make in an air fryer – mashed potato!
Luckily I also have an Instant Pot (my second favorite kitchen appliance), which is awesome for making mashed potatoes.
Sure you can make them on the stove-top, but using an Instant Pot, or other electric pressure cooker, requires less direct supervision while they are cooking, and also frees up the stove top if you are making them as part of a holiday feast and already have all burners allocated.
Scroll down for the printable card for this Instant Pot mashed potato recipe, or read on for all the details!
What goes in Instant Pot mashed potato
Potatoes: Choose a floury, all purpose type potato. Russet, maris piper, or sebago are all ideal.
Water: you need enough to cover the potatoes, around 3 cups.
Salt to cook the potatoes: This helps to season them while they are cooking, and speeds up the cooking process.
Butter and milk (or heavy cream): You need a little of something creamy to off-set the starch of the potatoes and stop them being dry.
Salt to season the potatoes: Season the mashed potatoes to taste once the potatoes and other ingredients are mashed together.
Other flavors you can add to mashed potato
- Garlic: add one of two cloves of minced garlic, or ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Cream cheese or sour cream to add a more tangy flavor. Goes really well with a sprinkling of chives or sliced green onions.
- Make cheesy mash by adding ½ cup of shredded cheddar. Try adding some bacon bits and ground black pepper for and extra tasty version!
How to make the BEST Instant Pot mashed potato!
It’s a very simple recipe but there are are a few specific steps and tips:
- Cut potato into equal-sized pieces.
- Place the potatoes in the Instant Pot bowl and cover with water. If you have a metal steamer basket, set the potatoes in this inside the Instant Pot bowl to make draining them easier once they are cooked.
- Pressure cook on HIGH in salted water. Salting the water means the potatoes will be seasoned all the way through. The potatoes should be very, very soft when they have finished cooking.
- Drain the potatoes, and return to the Instant Pot stainless steel bowl and mash with butter and milk or cream.
- Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until creamy and fluffy. You can use a stick blender or a hand mixer, but be careful not to over-do the mashing as it can make the mashed potatoes heavy and gluey.
- Instant Pot mashed potato will keep warm for a while in the Instant Pot. Put the lid back on, but leave it switched off.
How to serve mashed potato
So my favorite way to serve this mashed potato is as a side to just about anything, and completely slathered in this amazing gravy (made from stock).
Serve it alongside your favorite air fryer steak, slow cooker pulled pork, or roast chicken.
Storage and reheating
If you have any leftover mashed potato (no matter how unlikely this may be), store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator and use within three days. You can also freeze it for up to two months.
Reheating in the microwave for around 2-3 minutes on high until piping hot. Stir it and microwave for an extra minute or two if needed.
Instant Pot Mashed Potato Recipe Card
Instant Pot Mashed Potato
How to make mashed potato in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 2lb potatoes [Note 1]
- 3-4 cups water (to cook the potatoes)
- ½ teaspoon salt (to cook the potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons butter [Note 2]
- ¼ cup milk [Note 2]
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut into equal-sized pieces approximately 2 inches across.
- Place potatoes in the Instant Pot bowl and cover with water {Note 3].
- Pressure cook potatoes on HIGH for 8 minutes. Then use quick release to open the Instant Pot.
- Drain the cooking water out of the Instant Pot bowl [Note 4].
- Place the potatoes back into the Instant Pot, add the butter and milk, then use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until light and fluffy. Add salt to taste and mix well.
Notes
- Choose a floury or all-purpose type of potato. Try russet, maris piper, or sebago.
- Or substitute heavy cream.
- Place potatoes in a steamer basket if you have one to make draining them easier later
- Use a colander, or if you used a steamer basket, lift the basket out before discarding the remaining cooking water.
You may also like:
- Instant Pot steamed dumplings
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken and mushroom risotto
- Air fryer roast potatoes
Looking for more recipes?
Check out the recipe index where you can browse recipes by meal type and category!
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a cent more – thanks in advance for your support!
About Eliza
Welcome to Love Food Not Cooking!
I’m Eliza, busy mom, home cook, and blogger. My goal is to help everyone cook good food. Whether you are short on time, skills or motivation, there is something here for you! We have dozens of quick and easy recipes for dinner, lunch, side dishes, and more. Our recipes use everyday ingredients, for quick delicious meals your family will love! Read more…
