Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker)

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, are smooth, fluffy and creamy perfection  in the pressure cooker. They are a time saver for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner!

Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

No more gummy or water logged mashed potatoes. To make the best potatoes of your life, learn what to avoid and that type of potato matters!

No more standing over a stove with a fork, waiting until your boiled Potatoes are just right. The days of boiling water, adding potatoes and then poking with a fork to check for doneness are over! Steaming Potatoes in an Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker using the pressure cook function, yields a nice and dry Potato. The perfect base to make fluffy and creamy Mashed Potatoes or Smashed Potatoes or Whipped Potatoes!

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.

• Potatoes – Idaho Russets and Yukon Gold are delicious.
• Sea Salt
• Milk
• Butter

Does Type of Potato Matter?

• Yes. Russet potatoes are best cooked using the steam method. When boiled in water, they tend to fall a part and become gummy and not pleasant to mash.
• Yukon Gold potatoes are more versatile and can be boiled or steamed, so if you want to cook potatoes in the pot and then mash directly in the pot, Yukon is your better bet. But, remember to removed the potatoes and clean out the pot to remove the starch scum that will stick to the sides.

In my opinion, whatever type of potato you want to use for mashing, tastes better after being steamed and not boiled.

However in my Instant Pot Syracuse Salt Potato recipe (which very viral), new potatoes are cooked in water and they work, as this type of potato does better cooked in water.

Peel and Quarter the Potatoes

Potatoes are one of my favorite foods to eat, in all forms. Any way they are cooked, I’m there! I love to also cook them in the same pot as the main course, like in my Instant Pot Jalapeno Honey Chicken w/Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

If you would to make Pressure Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes, just add a couple cloves of peeled Garlic in with the Quartered Potatoes. If you have a picky kid or adult (as do I) and want to hide a vegetable, add in some raw Cauliflower and then mash it with the Steamed Potatoes.

Does Soaking Potatoes First Matter?

• Yes, soaking the potatoes in a big bowl of fresh water before cooking will remove some of the surface starch. That starch can cause the potatoes to be a bit gummy. 
• This statement goes for cooking potatoes in any matter, boiled, mashed, fried. Always soak.

I like to use a strainer basket as it is easy to lower in the potatoes and then lift them right out.

Add Basket of Quartered Potatoes to Cooking Pot

Steaming the potatoes above the water on a trivet works just as well and you can pile on as much as you like. About 8 pounds will fit nicely.

For a colorful and delicious take on mashed potatoes, try my Healthy Pressure Cooker Potato Carrot Mash recipe. The carrots add such a nice color, but best of all, vegetables! I like them better than just using potatoes. Even my picky eater, loves the added carrpts! For special occasions and company, my Pressure Cooker Creamy Mashed Potatoes is loaded with cheese and so friggin’ delicious.

Steamed Potatoes

The Potatoes are nice and firm, yet nicely cooked. They are not falling apart or mushy. If this photo does not convince you that using a pressure cooker to steam potatoes is the way to go, I don’t know what will. The taste will be pure potato, not watered down potatoes!

Sure, you can steam potatoes on the stove, but you would have to hang out with them, until they are done. While they are steaming in the pressure cooker you can go take a shower, wash the kid, set the dinner table, etc.

Mash the Fluffy Potatoes

To mash or whip, that is the question!

The Truth About Mashing Potatoes

• For denser mashed potatoes, use a use a potato masher or fork to mash the PLAIN potatoes, while hot. An electric hand held mixer is great for making whipped potatoes. Use a medium speed.
• It is not recommended to use a food processor or immersion blender, as the starch will break down and mix with the potatoes and cause gummy potatoes.
• For those wanting to mash the potatoes right in the Instant Pot cooking pot, make sure to first wash out the cooking pot. There is starch from the potatoes which will stick to the sides of the cooking pot. You don’t want that starch mixing with the potatoes, as this too will cause a gummy mess.

Pro Tip: While I do prefer steaming the potatoes above a little water, some people do like to dump the potatoes right into the water or broth and cook, so that they can mash them right in the pot. Besides the issue of water logged potatoes (which isn’t horrible if you only use a little water), there is the issue of gummy potatoes from mixing in the cooking pot directly after pressure cooking. The issue is the starch that clings to the side of the pot. As mentioned above, it is best to remove the potatoes, wash the pot and then place back into the pot, if you feel you must use your Instant Pot for mashing, as opposed to a mixing bowl.

Milk, Half & Half, Cream, all Work Well

Not everyone agrees with me, but in my opinion, order of adding in ingredients matters. If you have used garlic cloves, mash them up with the potatoes, but the butter, milk and salt should be added in a specific order. Remember not to go overboard on the salt, as diners can add more as needed The more you mix the Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, the more smooth and Whipped they become.

Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.

1. Start with firm potatoes and remove any dark spots.
2. Place potatoes in a bowl of water as soon as they are cut or peeled to remove starch. This also prevents the potatoes from turning black. Otherwise, they will have an enzymatic reaction from the oxygen and turn black.
3. Avoid using a food processor or immersion mixer to mash or whip.
4. If you take out the milk and butter before cooking, it will be easier to incorporate while mashing potatoes.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Whipped Chives Butter

Serve along side my Pressure Cooker Classic Pot Roast Dinner, Pressure Cooker Best Ever Meatloaf or any of my other delicious main courses.

Other Instant Pot Potato Recipes to Love:

• Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup + Video
• Instant Pot Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes & Kale + Video
• Pressure Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole (Instant Pot)
• Instant Pot Potato Salad

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
• J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
• Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
• My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
• Salbree Steamer Basket
• 3.5 Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
• Potato Masher

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Here is the handy printable recipe:

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 325kcal

Author: Jill Selkowitz

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds Russet Potatoes peeled and quartered
• ▢ 1.5 cups Water
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Sea Salt or to taste
• ▢ 1 cup Heavy Cream or milk
• ▢ 1/4 cup Butter

Add Ins

• ▢ 2 cloves Fresh Garlic peeled
• ▢ Cauliflower (to sneak in veggies)
• ▢ Fresh or Dried Chives for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Recommended Products

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Potato Peeler

Salbree Steamer Basket / Colander

Liquid Measuring Cup Set

Potato Masher

Cuisinart Hand Mixer

Instructions

• Peel and quarter potatoes and place into a bowl of cool water.
• Allow potatoes to soak in water for about 30 minutes. This will remove some of the surface starch and will make a better mashed potato.
• Drain water and place potatoes into a steamer basket.
• Add water to cooking pot.
• Place steamer basket into cooking pot. If you do not have a steamer basket, then use a trivet in the pot and pile potatoes on top.
• Lock on lid and close pressure valve.  Cook on high pressure (most machines default to high pressure) for 7 minutes. 
• When beep sounds, wait 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
• Remove Potatoes from cooking pot and place into large mixing bowl.
• Using a potato masher, fork or electric hand mixer, mash or whip the potatoes.
• Drizzle in milk or cream mashing/whipping as you go until you've reached your desired consistency.
• Add in salt and mix through. If using pepper, add it in now.
• Mix in butter until well combined and taste.
• Adjust seasonings as needed. Remember, diners can add more salt to their own servings as some people do not like a lot of salt, so make sure not to over season.
• Top with chives for nice color and a bit of an onion flavor.

Notes

Russet potatoes are best cooked using the steam method. When boiled in water, they tend to fall a part and become gummy and not pleasant to mash.

Yukon Gold potatoes are more versatile and can be boiled or steamed, so if you want to cook potatoes in the pot and then mash directly in the pot, Yukon is your better bet. But, remember to removed the potatoes and clean out the pot to remove the starch scum that will stick to the sides.

For denser mashed potatoes, use a use a potato masher or fork to mash the PLAIN potatoes, while hot. An electric hand held mixer is great for making whipped potatoes. Use a medium speed.

It is not recommended to use a food processor or immersion blender, as the starch will break down and mix with the potatoes and cause gummy potatoes.

For those wanting to mash the steamed potatoes right in the Instant Pot cooking pot, make sure to first wash out the cooking pot. There is starch from the potatoes which will stick to the sides of the cooking pot. You don't want that starch mixing with the potatoes, as this too will cause a gummy mess.

While I do prefer steaming the potatoes above a little water, some people do like to dump the potatoes right into the water or broth and cook, so that they can mash them right in the pot. Besides the issue of water logged potatoes (which isn't horrible if you only use a little water), there is the issue of gummy potatoes from mixing in the cooking pot directly after pressure cooking. The issue is the starch that clings to the side of the pot. As mentioned above, it is best to remove the potatoes, wash the pot and then place back into the pot, if you feel you must use your Instant Pot for mashing, as opposed to a mixing bowl.

Amount of milk, butter, salt and pepper are personal preferences. Always start with less, as you can add more as you go. Once plated, people can add more butter and sale, so don't go overboard. 🙂

The mashed potatoes should be a bit firmer than you like as adding the butter will loosen them up a bit, so go slow with the milk.

For richer mashed potatoes, mix in 1/2 cup sour cream.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 325 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 14g88%

Cholesterol 74mg25%

Sodium 868mg38%

Potassium 660mg19%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 0g0%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 820IU16%

Vitamin C 9.2mg11%

Calcium 51mg5%

Iron 1.3mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes