Instant Pot Salt Potatoes [Syracuse, New York], created by Irish Salt Miners are made with new potatoes boiled in brine, yielding a creamy interior.
![Instant Pot Salt Potatoes [Syracuse, New York]](https://staging.thisoldgal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Pressure-Cooker-Syracuse-Salt-Potatoes-1.jpg "Instant Pot Salt Potatoes [Syracuse, New York] Image")
Created by local Irish Salt Mine Workers back in the 1800’s for a quick and cheap lunch.
Traditionally, Syracuse Salt Potatoes are made with new, potatoes. Syracuse is in Central New York.
The Irish Salt Workers would bring a bag of small potatoes to work and boil them in the Salt Springs. They did not peel them and they were often not premium potatoes.
With the use of an Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, you can have the same great taste!
Also, called, Canarian Wrinkly Potatoes, in the Canary Islands and served with a Red or Green Mojo.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
- New Potatoes – yellow, red, purple or a combination
- Salt – The Salt can be Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
- Water
- Ghee or Butter
As you can see, there are not many ingredients. The Potatoes should be new and white. And bite-sized, small enough to pop the whole Potato in your mouth.
Salt, Lots of Salt!
Unlike the Salt Miners, who boiled their potatoes in the Salt Springs, we’ll use a Pressure Cooker and enjoy the Potatoes in under 30 minutes.
Fine Salt is best to use, as it will quickly melt.
Instant Pot Salt Potatoes is easily altered for smaller portions. Follow the Salt/Water ratio found in the Recipe Card below, if you would like a larger portion.
If you have a Mini Instant Pot, just cut the recipe completely in half. Cook time is the same and it works equally as well!
Water + Salt = Salt Spring!
What Type of Salt is Used?
- Sea Salt is good.
- Some people use Kosher Salt. It works too, just takes longer to dissolve.
- Pink Himalayan Salt is very tasty too.
As a huge Potato lover, we eat this with our meals, quite often. The Salty residue protects the potatoes from becoming water-logged.
Lukewarm Water + Salt = Salt Spring! Hahaha, just kidding. But, it does make a nice Brine.
Smoked Salts are great to use too for a wonderful smoky flavor.
Smoked Salts to Try
- Applewood Smoked Salt
- Cherrywood Smoked Salt – one of my favorites!
Dissolve the Salt
How to Make Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
- Whisk up the salt with the water very, very well.
- The salt and water mix up very thick, like the Dead Sea. You won’t want to taste, as you will want to gag.
- Small potatoes are added and then cooked under pressure.
I wonder if you can float in it like the Dead Sea. I went to the High School in Israel. We floated in the Dead Sea. It was salty!
The end result of Instant Pot Salt Potatoes will not be overly salty, as the salt forms a crust.
More New York Recipes
- New York Coffee Shop Home Fries.
- Instant Pot Dirty Water Hot Dogs – like the kind you get from street vendors on the streets of New York City!
- Air Fryer New York Egg Rolls
I love New York and the food. Can you tell? I’m not from New York, but both parents were born there and we spent a lot of time in the state growing up. My grandmother even had a resort in Monticello, New York (upstate) and I spend many summers there with my parents and cousins. Would you believe I have a cousin named Jack? Imagine what people thought when my grandma used to call us over the loudspeaker when she wanted us to come in from playing.
Add in the Potatoes
Three pounds of Potatoes fit nicely in a standard 6 quart Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.
The Potatoes should be bite sized. If you cannot find the New/Small White Potatoes, grab some Fingerlings.
If you can’t find either, but really want to make Instant Pot Salt Potatoes, buy the smallest Potatoes you can find and adjust the cook time.
You can add more Potatoes if you like, just adjust the Salt and the Water.
This is NOT Traditional Syracuse Salt Potatoes
As I mentioned above, Traditional Syracuse Salt Potatoes use small white Potatoes.
The shape doesn’t matter. As long as they are all similar size.
Tri-color potatoes work very well too and after making a batch of the tri-colored, I can honestly say they are equally as delicious.
Drain the Water
Tips and Tricks to Instant Pot Salt Potatoes.
- Make sure to use warm water and whisk to thoroughly combine the salt.
- Use a Stainless Steel Colander to drain the salt water from the potatoes to let the salty crust form.
- Melt a little butter while the potatoes are draining, so the butter is nice and hot.
- Chives, Scallions, Rosemary, or other herbs you may like, an be used when you melt the Butter.
Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
These Instant Pot Salt Potatoes are so good on their own.
The Melted Ghee or Butter, make them even better!
Other Variations of Instant Pot Salt Potatoes.
- You can add Butter to the cooking pot and melt.
- Then toss in the Potatoes with some herbs and mix to coat.
Tri Colored Potatoes are so Pretty
And I am! For you naughty people, the Tri-Colored Potatoes are so pretty. They taste good too. There is a difference in taste between the colors.
Go rogue, try them. 🙂
If you have any leftovers, cut them in half and put them in your Air Fryer for delicious Air Fryer French Fries.
More Instant Pot Potato Recipes to Make:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker)
- Instant Pot Garlic Whipped Potatoes
- Instant Pot Caramelized Sweet Potatoes Yams
- Instant Pot Colcannon – another Irish inspired recipe. Make this, you won’t regret it!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- R̦sle Stainless Steel Flat WhiskРa MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- 6 oz Porcelain Ramekins
- Stainless Steel Colander
- Sea Salt
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Wash/Scrub Potatoes. Add Salt and Water to Pressure Cooker cooking pot and Whisk until the Salt has completely dissolved.
- Add Potatoes.
- Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure for 2 minutes. When Beep sounds, wait 15 minutes and then release pressure.
- Strain Potatoes in a colander and let dry for a few minutes. Serve with Melted Ghee or Butter.
Stove Top Method
- Mix together Salt and Water and bring to boil. Add Potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and serve.
Notes
Smoked Salts to Try
- Applewood Smoked Salt
- Cherrywood Smoked Salt - one of my favorites!
What to Eat with Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Syracuse Salt Potatoes!
Pressure Cooker Syracuse New York Salt Potatoes
I just read this morning that the salt potato is getting a historic marker here in Central New York!
This is the third instant pot salt potato recipe I have tried, as the others were disappointing. This recipe was absolutely fantastic! I am also from central N.Y. So salt potatoes are a summer must, and these were perfect.
Thanks, Kathy. So glad you enjoyed my recipe. This is the original IP recipe for this dish. I’m guessing your other attempts gave you mushy potatoes. Jill
This is my favorite recipe ever, for sure! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. We make it often. Keep them coming.
I wanted to like these and we sure did. They were the best potatoes ever for sure. Thank you for the recipe.
Holy crap! These are the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten! I’m 64 and I should have known about these decades ago.
Super easy recipe! I love that you can change the number of servings to suit.
Jill, you’re the bomb! I’ll be following you and feel confident that I will find many amazing recipes from you.
Gary
Hi Gary. Thank you so much for the lovely words. Jill
Thanks Jill. I’m going to make these tonight to have with our BBQ ribs and corn on the cob.
Is a Stainless Steel colander really a requirement? Because I have an old steel one, and a couple of high-temperature plastic/silicone ones. Interested in the recipe, but that seems… odd.
No, no, any type you like. I just prefer not to use plastic. Jill
I have a silicone one so I guess I’m good to go I was afraid to use it!
Great!
Yessssssss! I live in central New York and wondered how I could cook this in the instant pot without heating up my house! They came out perfect! I love to use leftovers and make home fries.
Awesome, glad to hear this, Alicia. Thank you. Jill
How long do they last? Fridge or room temp?
Made these as part of a full-scale roast turkey dinner…and they still stole the show. So simple, so purely good. You don’t even need the butter: perfectly savory, just the right amount of salt already on them, a beautiful presentation if you use tricolour baby potatoes, and yes, a creamy smooth interior.
Wonderful to hear. Thank you, Bard. Jill
Nice to have this recipe for when I’m not in Upstate NY, but please add an adjustment for people using the authentic Hinerwadels Salt Potato bags sold in and around Syracuse. They contain 3/4 lb of salt and 4 1/4 lbs of potatoes – some a bit larger than bite-sized. I used 7 cups of water, the salt they came with, and 3 minutes. We thought they were just right, but would love for your take on it. Thanks!!!
Oh, and this fit in my 6 Quart Lux!
Straight in the pot? no trivet?
Nope. They need to be submerged
Perfect! My Syracuse raised husband loved these!
Thank you, Joy. Jill
Love these!!! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Dee. Jill
These are so freaking good! Thank you for the method. My main way of eating potatoes now!
Thanks, Bill. Jill
I’ve been making your recipes for a good two years now! Thank you so much for sharing the benefits of your labors with us.
In the step by step process, you say to check the recipe card for the salt to water ratio. However, that information is missing from the recipe card. Can you please update with the ratio?
Claudia, it is all there on the card. Jill
PS I’m pretty sure it’s the IP Paleo site that stole your recipe, not vice versa. Thought you should know. I love your site!!
Thank you. I just filed a copyright notice with google. All the recipes on his site are stolen, photos and all. Jill
Trying this tonight and realized my potatoes aren’t bite size. They are a bit bigger. Should I increase the time?
Actually, they didn’t bring a bag of potatoes, but each of the workers would throw them in a put in the morning for lunch. Syracuse had ponds around Onondaga Lake that were naturally salty. They were asking the Erie Canal route. In later years the ponds were poisoned be Cross Hindes dumping chemical crash into the lake. The remaining ponds are now home to geese and ducks year round.