This Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe is our go-to side dish for holiday dinners and cozy comfort food meals. Using a pressure cooker makes mashed potatoes incredibly quick and easy, without sacrificing flavor or texture. My husband loves to whip up a batch during Thanksgiving or whenever we serve hearty dishes like Beef Bourguignon. The potatoes come out perfectly tender every time, ready to be mashed into a creamy, buttery side everyone loves.
The best part about this Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe is that you still get all that rich, buttery flavor even though the potatoes cook in just 10 minutes. It’s quick and easy and tastes like you spent way more time on it.
This Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe has a flavorful twist—garlic herb butter infused using a simple sachet method. The potatoes cook fast in the pressure cooker, making this creamy side dish both easy and delicious.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
To start this easy Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe, peel and quarter five pounds of potatoes. Place them in the Instant Pot insert and pour in enough chicken broth or water to cover the potatoes by about ½ inch. This helps them cook evenly and adds moisture. Secure the lid by twisting it into the locked position, then set the valve to the Sealing position. Select the Manual or Pressure Cook setting and set the timer for nine minutes. The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure before the cooking countdown begins.
Just a quick heads-up—your Instant Pot will take a few minutes to build up pressure before the actual cook time begins. Once it reaches pressure, the timer will start counting down. When the cooking is done, you’ll hear a beep. At that point, carefully switch the valve from Sealing to Venting using an oven mitt, long spatula, or wooden spoon—hot steam will release right away, so keep your hands and face clear. Once all the steam has been released, the float valve will drop, letting you know it’s safe to open the lid.
The potatoes will be soft and not too soft that they are pulverized.
Remove the inner pot with oven mitt on and drain.
While the potatoes cook in the Instant Pot, take a few minutes to make the garlic-infused butter on the stovetop. That way, it’s ready to go as soon as the potatoes are done.
Wrap herbs in cheesecloth and tie with baking twine to make the herb sachet. Melt the butter in a small pot. Add herb sachet and garlic cloves, and simmer for at least 10 minutes, then let it rest while the potatoes cook. If you don’t have any cheesecloth, just add the herbs loose in the pot and strain them out when you mix the butter into the potatoes in the next step.
Once they’re cooked, drain them well and mash the potatoes in the Instant Pot with a masher. Add the garlic-infused butter, and remaining salt. Mix… but don’t overmix. If you over-mash the potatoes they’ll become starchy. Add milk if desired for a creamier texture – some people prefer it this way; my family prefers without.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and quartered
Garlic Butter Infusion
- ¾ cup butter
- 6-8 cloves garlic
Herb Sachet
- 3 tbsp Herb de Provence Or any combination of staple herbs such as sage, thyme, tarragon, oregano, savory, and marjoram.
- 2 tsp salt or more to taste
- ½ tsp pepper or more to taste
- milk Optional: Add milk at end of mashing for a more creamy texture (the butter infusion is so rich and garlicky, you probably won’t need it)
Instructions
Instant Pot
- To start this easy Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe, peel and quarter five pounds of potatoes. Place them in the Instant Pot insert and pour in enough chicken broth or water to cover the potatoes by about ½ inch. This helps them cook evenly and adds moisture. Secure the lid by twisting it into the locked position, then set the valve to the Sealing position. Select the Manual or Pressure Cook setting and set the timer for nine minutes. The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure before the cooking countdown begins.
- When the cooking is done, you’ll hear a beep. At that point, carefully switch the valve from Sealing to Venting using an oven mitt, long spatula, or wooden spoon—hot steam will release right away, so keep your hands and face clear. Once all the steam has been released, the float valve will drop, letting you know it’s safe to open the lid.The potatoes will be soft and not too soft that they are pulverized.
Butter Infusion
- While the potatoes cook in the Instant Pot, take a few minutes to make the garlic-infused butter on the stovetop. That way, it’s ready to go as soon as the potatoes are done.
- Wrap herbs in cheesecloth and tie with baking twine to make the herb sachet. Melt the butter in a small pot. Add herb sachet and garlic cloves, and simmer for at least 10 minutes, then let it rest while the potatoes cook. If you don’t have any cheesecloth, just add the herbs loose in the pot and strain them out when you mix the butter into the potatoes in the next step.Once they’re cooked, drain them well and mash the potatoes in the Instant Pot with a masher. Add the garlic-infused butter, and remaining salt. Mix… but don’t overmix. If you over-mash the potatoes they’ll become starchy. Add milk if desired for a creamier texture – some people prefer it this way; my family prefers without.
Mash and Mix
- Once they’re cooked, drain them well and mash the potatoes in the Instant Pot with a masher. Add the garlic-infused butter, and remaining salt. Mix… but don’t overmix. If you over-mash the potatoes they’ll become starchy. Add milk if desired for a creamier texture – some people prefer it this way; my family prefers without.
- Once they’re cooked, drain them well and mash the potatoes in the Instant Pot with a masher. Add the garlic-infused butter and remaining salt. Mix… but don’t overmix. If you over-mash the potatoes, they’ll become starchy. Add milk if desired for a creamier texture – some people prefer it this way; my family prefers without.
Storage
- If your dinner is not ready leave the mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and cover and place the temp to "Keep Warm."
Nutrition
Helpful Tips
- Potato Masher vs Electric Mixer: Years ago, my husband made mashed potatoes using our electric mixer—and let’s just say, it was a total flop. The potatoes turned out gummy and gluey, and sadly, we had to toss the whole batch. We later learned that using a mixer can easily overwork the potatoes, turning them into a starchy paste instead of that light, fluffy texture we all love. Ever since then, we’ve stuck to using a good old-fashioned potato masher. I especially love the one I have now—it rocks back and forth for easy mashing and even scoops up the potatoes so you can serve them right away.
- Yukon Golds or Russets are Best: Yukon Golds are naturally creamy and buttery, while Russets are fluffier and absorb flavors well.
- Cut Your Potatoes into Even Chunks: We found quartering the potatoes works well, and cutting them into the same size pieces allows them to cook evenly under pressure.
- Make Them Ahead: Mashed potatoes reheat beautifully. Make them a few hours early and keep them warm in the pot, or reheat with a splash of cream or milk later.
- Don’t set the cook time too long—4 to 5 minutes at high pressure is all you need for quartered potatoes. Overcooked potatoes can absorb too much water and turn out watery or mushy, making them harder to mash and less flavorful. Stick to the recommended time and do a quick release to keep the texture just right.
- Gourmet Taste Alternative: A gourmet alternative to the infused butter: use drippings from herb-and-garlic rubbed chicken (bone-in, skin-on) slow-cooked in butter. This creates a rich, heavily-reduced, buttery broth that will
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These yummy mashed potatoes pair nicely with my Beef Bourguignon and Sauteed Carrots Recipe! We love making these mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and Christmas because they free up precious stovetop space in our busy holiday kitchen. Plus, you can keep them warm right in the Instant Pot with the lid on, so they’re perfect to make a little ahead of time—one less thing to worry about when everything else is going on!
Cheers,
Photo Credits: MyPhotography.com
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