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The best Instant Pot mashed potatoes are creamy, buttery, and perfectly cooked every time. No draining or chopping needed for these IP mashed potatoes!
Why you'll love IP mashed potatoes
- Minimal prep - No dicing or chopping. You can even leave the skin on!
- More stove space - The Instant Pot frees up your stove top.
- Safety - Say goodbye to lifting big pots of boiling water and say hello to these no drain mashed potatoes.
- Size doesn't matter - Use any size Instant Pot for this recipe.
Instant Pot mashed potatoes are 100% worth the hype! It saves you precious time and energy when you pressure-cook mashed potatoes and mash them right in the same pot. There's no dicing, chopping, or watching water boil. It doesn't get any easier than this – and you get fluffy, perfect mashed potatoes every time!
When you cook potatoes in the pressure cooker, there's also more room on your stove to cook other things. This is incredibly convenient when preparing potatoes as a side for chicken, pork, or fish, but also when making Thanksgiving recipes in a hectic holiday kitchen.
Lastly, you will love the safety of never lifting big pots of hot water for potatoes again. These mashed potatoes also use so little liquid you can mash them without draining it off. Another vote for no lifting - we'll take it!
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes (peeled or skin on) - Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes are very popular for this recipe because they’re starchy and mashed into a light, fluffy texture. However, any potato variety will work for this recipe.
- Water - Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or stock can be used.
- Heavy whipping cream - Adds a delicious, creamy, rich texture to mashed potatoes. Another dairy liquid can be used in equal amounts.
- Butter - Adds a rich, deep, buttery flavor to mashed potatoes. Olive oil is always a great substitution.
- Salt and pepper - Adjust to your liking. Start with less and add as needed.
How to make Instant Pot mashed potatoes
When prepping potatoes for this recipe, scrub them first. Then decide if you want leave the skin on or peel the potatoes. There is NO NEED to chop these potatoes. Save yourself the trouble and leave them whole – the Instant Pot will take care of the rest!
Then, stack the potatoes inside the pressure cooker. A trivet is optional. It keeps the potatoes above the water and steams them instead of boiling, which can result in fluffier potatoes.
Next, add 1 to 2 cups water, close the lid, and pressure cook the potatoes on HIGH for 10 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural pressure release. Open the lid and test the potatoes for a fork-tender texture. Add more pressure cooker time in 1 or 2-minute intervals, if needed.
If using a trivet, carefully remove it from under the potatoes. Since there is very little liquid being used, this is a no-drain recipe.
Step 6. Add BUTTER, CREAM, SALT, and PEPPER to the potatoes in the Instant Pot. Use a potato masher to mash the whole potatoes to the desired texture. Adjust consistency by adding more cream as needed. You can use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to whip potatoes if it's more convenient.
Lastly, when the cook cycle is complete, you can keep the potatoes warm in the Instant Pot by leaving the cooker in keep warm mode on the display panel. It's so convenient to serve mashed potatoes straight from the pressure cooker.
Or, transfer mashed potatoes to a serving bowl. Garnish with butter and fresh parsley, and devour!
What if you don't want the skin on?
No prob! Once the potatoes are pressure cooked, the skin practically falls off. Transfer the potatoes out of the pot, carefully remove the skin, and place the potatoes back in the cooker. This way, you avoid the task of peeling raw potatoes.
Recipe tips
- You can make Instant Pot mashed potatoes with the skin on or off.
- A trivet isn't required, but it keeps the potatoes above the water, so they steam instead of boil, resulting in fluffier mashed potatoes.
- This is a no-drain recipe, but you can drain the cooking liquid if desired.
- Stir the potatoes as needed to prevent hot spots while using the keep-warm setting.
- Pressure cook the mashed potatoes for up to 5 days to make ahead. Allow cooked potatoes to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat and serve!
Recipe variations
- Make Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes by folding pureed roasted garlic into the potatoes after mashing them.
- Add richness by stirring in sour cream, Greek yogurt, creme fraiche, or your favorite cheese.
- We love our potatoes with a dollop of arugula pesto or basil pesto for a pop of color and BIG flavor.
- Add bacon, or heck, turn these potatoes into loaded potato salad – because bacon!
- Use any dairy liquid for this recipe, including non-dairy.
Serving ideas
- When you make pressure cooker mashed potatoes, you're hands-free to make entrees like strip steak, chicken thighs, air fryer chicken breast, baked chicken legs, turkey, or broiled salmon.
- Don't forget the gravy! No drippings? No problem! Make my super easy gravy without drippings for these mashed potatoes.
- Pair with classic bread stuffing for your holiday dinner.
- Use your mashed potato leftovers for this delicious Shepherds pie with chicken or under a scoop of delectable beef stroganoff.
More Instant Pot sides
The Instant Pot cooks other side dishes with the same convenience, including Instant Pot sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, Instant Pot quinoa, and perfectly tender Instant Pot brown rice.
📖 Recipe
Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
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Video
When scaling the recipe 2x or 3x, the gray ingredient note stays the same. Adjust quantities accordingly.
Ingredients
This recipe yields 8 (1-cup) servings
- 3 pounds Russet Potatoes (or other variety), about 6 medium potatoes
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Heavy Cream, or other dairy liquid
- 1 stick Butter, salted or unsalted
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ cup Fresh Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Note: If you prefer peeled potatoes, you can peel them either before pressure cooking or after, as the skins easily come off.
- Stack POTATOES inside the cooker. Note: a trivet is optional.If you prefer peeled potatoes, you can peel them either before pressure cooking or after, as the skins easily come off.
- Add WATER to the Instant Pot.Note: If using 8 or 10 quart Instant Pot, increase liquid to 2 cups total.
- Lock lid and turn pressure valve to “Sealing”.Select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK on HIGH pressure.Pressure cook 10 minutes for whole potatoes or 4 minutes for cubed potatoes.
- When cook cycle completes, allow the cooker to sit undisturbed for a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR).Carefully turn the pressure release knob and release any remaining steam.
- Open the lid and test to make sure potatoes are are fork-tender. If necessary, pressure cook another 2 minutes, or more, as needed.
- Once fully cooked, leave the cooking liquid in the pot and carefully remove the trivet with tongs or oven mitts if it's hot to the touch.
- Add BUTTER, CREAM, SALT, and PEPPER to the potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes just until they reach your desired consistency. Don't overwork them.Note: Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this process, if desired.
- Serve warm with a side of 10-minute gravy without drippings. Garnish with PARSLEY (optional).
- To store, allow mashed potatoes to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- You can make Instant Pot mashed potatoes with the skin on or off.
- A trivet isn't required, but it keeps the potatoes above the water, so they steam instead of boil, resulting in fluffier mashed potatoes.
- This is a no-drain recipe, but you can drain the cooking liquid if desired.
- Stir the potatoes as needed to prevent hot spots while using the keep-warm setting.
- Pressure cook the mashed potatoes for up to 5 days to make ahead. Allow cooked potatoes to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat and serve!
- To reheat, add a splash of cooking liquid and heat on a medium setting using a stove or microwave, stirring as needed.
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot or any size pressure cooker
- trivet for Instant Pot optional
- vegetable peeler optional for peeling
- potato masher or electric mixer for whipped potatoes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Any potatoes will work in the Instant Pot! Russet or Yukon Gold are popular because they’re starchy and are easily mashed into a light, fluffy texture. Red potatoes are great, too!
The 6-quart Instant Pot fits approximately 5 pounds or ten medium potatoes and up to seven pounds of cubed potatoes.
Kathy says
Hello, I’m wondering if you might be able to give me some idea of how long it will take for the pot to come up to pressure for this particular recipe.
Traci says
Hi there! The timing varies, depending on the Instant Pot size, the potato size, the amount, and whether they are diced or whole. My recipe that uses 3 pounds of whole potatoes takes about 10 minutes to pressurize. Hope that helps. Thanks and enjoy!
Laura says
What is the reason for leaving the liquid in the pot? Could I just drain that and put the potatoes back into the pot and add the rest of the ingredients and mix it in the IP?
Traci says
Hi Laura, you're totally welcome to drain them, but it's such a small amount of liquid, I find it easier to leave it in there rather than deal with handling the hot potatoes. That's why I do it, but also some people use broth, which adds flavor. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks so much! Enjoy!
Jason C says
yumm!!
Traci says
Yayyyy! 🙂
Jamie says
Totally worth it. I made the chicken shepherd’s pie in my pressure cooker pan. Then did the potatoes. Only one pan to wash!
Traci says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Jeff says
After making these Instant Pot mashed potatoes, I'll never make them any other way - unless my IP dies, in which case I'll go buy another one because it's worth it just for Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. Thanks for another winner KG!
Traci says
Yayy! I'm so glad you love them as much as I do and thanks!. Such a game-changer! I love the NO boiling water part and of course how they taste 🙂 Cheers!
Heather says
I made these with red potatoes for Thanksgiving and they were great! I added more salt and half and half but since I kept them warm for 2 hours in my IP they needed they extra liquid. This recipe is a keeper. Soooo easy!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awww I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Thanks so much for the feedback. I truly appreciate it!
Lynda says
I made these today for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Loved how they cooked so evenly in the Instant pot! I did add some sour cream to mine. They turned out great even before I added the sour cream. Thanks for the recipe and great instructions. I'll probably make them in the Instant pot from now on since they are so easy and turn out so great!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Soooo glad you gave these a go!. I, too, love how evenly the Instant Pot cooks potatoes. Just like you, I'm hooked too...no more stove cooked potatoes (unless the Instant Pot is in use) LOL. Thanks for taking the time to review!
Marilyn says
Instead of heavy cream, can I just use whole milk?
The Kitchen Girl says
Yes, you can definitely use milk in place of heavy cream for these mashed potatoes. Let me know if you have any more questions. Enjoy!
Britt says
I'm serving 10 people for Thanksgiving. I have the large instant pot & 10 lbs of potatoes which I will peel. How much water do I use & how long do I cook in in the instant pot?
The Kitchen Girl says
Hiya, if you're referring to the 10 quart pot, I would dice the potatoes if all 10 lbs won't fit whole in the pot. I would add 2 cups of water and pressure cook 10 minutes (for whole potatoes) or 5 minutes (for diced potatoes). If, for some reason, they're not tender enough, I would add an extra minute or two of pressure cook time. Let me know if you have other questions. Cheers!
JB says
Hands down best way to make mashed potatoes! I'll never cook them on the stove again. Instant Pot mashed potatoes are exactly what our Thanksgiving dinner needs every year! Thanks for another winner KG!
Traci says
Yay JB! So glad you're enjoying them! Thanks for sharing your experience. Cheers!
Kevin says
I use a ricer for fine potatoes
The Kitchen Girl says
Ahhh yes, a ricer is a great tool for finely mashed potatoes. I'll be honest, I love mine without using one LOL.
Tracy says
So if I'm wanting to cook double batch, do I increase cooking time? Also if I use smaller potatoes, like red potatoes do I decrease cooking time?
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Tracy, you can't double this mashed potato recipe in a 6 quart Instant Pot because it's not big enough. However, you can scale the recipe up to use 7lbs potatoes (instead of 5 lbs) if you diced the potatoes. What size is your Instant Pot?
Joan says
This recipe sounds great and I will be trying it later today to make shepherd's pie. Just one thing, I was once told it's best to remove the liner pot to do the mashing. Something about the plate at the bottom of the Instant Pot being sensitive to the pressure of mashing.
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Joan, I've never been able to locate any such warning in the IP user guide or on their website. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
Geri says
Do you remove the trivet before you mash ?
The Kitchen Girl says
Yep, definitely want to do that. It says to remove the trivet in the recipe instructions 🙂
Jenn says
I hate potatoes so I RARELY cook them for my husband. So if I wanted to make enough for just him ( or tell him how to ) how would I cook just 2 or 3 potatoes? I heard they are amazing - I’ll just take everyone’s word for it .
Thanks,
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Jenn, yep, just use 2 or 3 with same recipe instructions. Of course you'll want to scale down the other ingredients as well 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
CJ Gorn says
The potatoes came out perfect. 7 pounds of russet and two baby leftover yukons. Broth 1.5 cups. (8qt pot) potatoes on the trivet. Removed the potatoes and drained the broth. (reserved) Cream was 1 cup, butter 3/4 stick and added broth until I liked the consistency. With a dash of garlic salt and a couple grinds of black pepper it was very tasty.
Then...as there is just the two of us, there was plenty still in the pot on warm. My wife suggested dicing up some leftover ham (applewood smoked) about a cup. Then about a cup of mixed blend shredded cheese. It just kept getting better. Between the two of us (multiple taste tests) we ate almost half the pot.
As an idea for the remainder - excellent consistency to make pan fried potato patties. Brown one side till firm, flip and use a spoon to make a depression on the now top surface, crack a room temperature egg into the depression and cover the pan. The egg will cook as the bottom of the patty browns. Tomorrow morning's project. Cj
The Kitchen Girl says
Well you sure know how to make some yummy things! I'm so happy to have been part of the inspiration 🙂 Thanks so much for the detailed feedback and I'm glad you both enjoyed! Cheers!
Leigh says
These are THE BEST mashed potatoes! I made them today for our Thanksgiving feast & they went over very well.
So easy to make with only a few ingredients. I love that the potatoes are whole and cook perfectly. Saves me time since by leaving them whole.
Thank you so much for sharing this! It’s going to be my go-to for mashed potatoes.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay, Leigh! So glad to hear that everyone loved them 🙂 Thanks for the feedback and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours 🙂
Samantha says
I have the mini 3qt instant pot and looking for new recipes. By any chance would your instructions still work for me or do I cut it in half ( between the lbs of potatoes and water ratio and time). Thank you still haven't really used it yet.
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Samantha, one way to figure it out before actually making the recipe is to fill the pot with the 3 lbs of whole potatoes stated in the recipe. If they're not above the "max fill" line, you should be all good to proceed with the instructions as they are. If it overfills the pot, you can cut the recipe in half. You'll use same cooking time no matter what. Hope that helps! 🙂
Matt @ Plating Pixels says
Finally got an instant pot and been loving it! Can’t wait to try mashed potatoes in it.
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome, Matt! You're gonna LOVE it!
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says
This looks like a great way to prep ahead for a big family gathering!
Traci Antonovich says
Exaaactly! Or just the two of us LOL b/c we lovvvve potatoes! 😉
Taylor Kiser says
The easiest mashed potatoes ever thanks to the instant pot! So delicious!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Taylor! Could not agree more! 🙂
Heidy L. McCallum says
These mashed potatoes look so creamy and delish. I can wait to try them in my IP.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Heidy! They are crazy easy and super delish 🙂
Vicky says
Oh my goodness! All the convenience of instant potatoes without all the additives?!?! Yes please!!
Traci Antonovich says
Ahhh, thank you! Instant Pot mashed potatoes practically are instant 🙂
Kelly Anthony says
I didn't realize how easy making mashed potatoes in the instant pot was and the quantity it can make. Perfect for serving a large crowd.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks! Total crowd-pleaser too 🙂