Instant Pot mashed potatoes will quickly become your go-to method of making potatoes. You can just throw them in the Instant Pot and forget about them. No checking to see if they are boiling over.
Making mashed potatoes can sometimes be a bit of a hassle: first peeling potatoes, then chopping, boiling, draining, mashing and seasoning. Give your potatoes a quick chop, throw them into the pot with some water or chicken broth, high pressure cook for 10 minutes, drain and mash. It is THAT easy!
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our Instant Pot mashed potatoes, you need the following ingredients:
- Russet potatoes
- water (or chicken broth)
- butter
- sour cream
- milk (I used 1% – the fattier the milk, the creamier the mashed potatoes)
- kosher salt & pepper
- Italian seasoning
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Cut the potatoes into small pieces.
- Place them into the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water on top. Close the lid, move the knob on the valve to sealed, and cook on “MANUAL” for 10 minutes.
- When it is finished cooking, move the valve on the top of the lid to “VENTING” and do a quick release of all the pressure.
- Drain the water from the pot.
- Add sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to warm potatoes.
- Using a potato masher or a hand mixer (depending if you like them chunky or smooth), mash potatoes until they reach the consistency you desire.
- Add more salt and pepper, some fresh chives and other seasonings as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Russett Potatoes are generally considered the best choice as they are high in starch, resulting in a creamy, fluffy texture when mashed; however, you can also use Yukon Gold potatoes for a richer, slightly buttery flavor.
Most recipes recommend peeling them beforehand for a smoother, creamier texture; however, if you prefer a rustic style, leaving the skins on is an option, just be sure to scrub them well before cooking.
Yes, when making mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot, the liquid should completely cover the potatoes to cook them properly; you should add enough water or broth to ensure the potatoes are fully submerged.
As long as the potatoes are completely covered by liquid you don’t have to worry about an exact measurement of water.
Tips to Make Potatoes Creamy
- The secret on how to make potatoes creamy depends on how much starch there is in your potato, so stick to the starchy potatoes like Russet potatoes.
- The other trick to making mashed potatoes creamy is that you need to smash the potatoes while they are still hot. I like to beat mine with beaters.
- If you want the potatoes extra creamy you can add a little cream cheese or even some potato flakes.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Store leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can reheat these potatoes in the microwave, add a splash of milk after they are done reheating and stir to make them creamy.
Enjoy More Delicious Potato Side Dishes
Need the perfect compliment to your main dish? You’ll want to try these delicious side dishes. Browse our comprehensive collection of simple side dish recipes.
- Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes
- Au Gratin Cheesy Potato Bake
- Cheesy Ranch Potatoes
- Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
- Funeral Potatoes
- Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Roasted Potatoes
- Homemade Scalloped Potatoes
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Mom’s Cheese Potatoes
- Pesto Potatoes
- Roasted Parmesan Potatoes
- Skillet Red Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Bacon Cheese Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes
- Smashed Cheesy Potatoes
- Smashed Italian Red Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 Russet potatoes, scrubbed well
- 1 cup water
- 3 Tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into small pieces.
- Place them into the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water on top. Close the lid, make sure the knob is on sealing, and cook on "MANUAL" for 10 minutes.
- When it is finished cooking, move the valve on the top of the lid to "VENTING" and do a quick release of all the pressure.
- Drain the water from the pot.
- Add sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to warm potatoes.
- Using a potato masher or a hand mixer (depending if you like them chunky or smooth), mash potatoes until they reach the consistency you desire.
- Add more salt and pepper and other seasonings as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The secret to making potatoes creamy depends on how much starch there is in your potato, so stick to the starchy potatoes like the Russet potatoes.
- The other trick to making mashed potatoes creamy is that you need to smash the potatoes while they are still hot. I like to whip mine with an electric mixer, but a potato masher works great as well!
- If you need a gravy recipe, be sure to view our turkey gravy recipe here.
Nutrition
Video
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Have you ever tried cooking your potatoes in a vegetable steamer as opposed to in the water at the bottom of the instant pot pan? Curious if this would affect the cooking time? And may be a better flavor as it would have less water?
Can you cook more than 6 potatoes in the instant pot? Looking to use the IP for Thanksgiving mashed taters and need to make quite a bit. It’s a 6 quart IP I think
A 6 quart instant pot can handle about 5 pounds of potatoes.
since this is a foamy food, you have to switch the knob between quick release and seal real fast to avoid a messy kitchen right?
If I wanted to double this, would I add more water to the pot or will it always only need one cup?
Add more water to the pot. Potatoes tend to use more water.
how much liquid for 5#
I want to pre-order your book on helping with the insta-pot
Increase the water to about 1 1/2 cups. You’ll want about an inch of water in the bottom of the instant pot.
I got the burn notice when I did this recipe. I stopped it and added more water and then got the burn notice again. Hoping they still turn out okay. Fingers crossed
Love these potatoes!! Perfect! Please add weight of potatoes to recipe, i.e X lbs russet potatoes instead of six russet potatoes.
Great recipe.
These are the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had.
So much easier and fewer dishes used than others I looked into. I loved the simplicity. Only issue was a few potatoes burning on bottom of pan. I will use a trivet or steam basket next time. Tastes great!!
So easy and tastes so good! For sure a new family favorite!
I made this recipe tonight turned out perfect 😊
I would give this 10 stars if I could! No more struggling with heavy pots of boiling water on
the stovetop. Potatoes turned out perfectly. Thank you!
I need to cook 5 lbs of potatoes. How much water do I add? How many minutes to cook them?
You can add 1 cup of water for 5 lbs of potatoes and cook for about 12 minutes on HIGH with 5 minutes of a natural release before moving the valve to “venting”.
If you don’t want to use sour cream do you just double the milk or leave it be?
You can add milk until you get the result you prefer
I made this recipe for the first time a few years ago when I was running out of places to cook things for my Thanksgiving dinner. I stumbled upon this one, and it did not disappoint! It’s quick, easy, and flavorful with or without gravy. I followed the recipe exactly and had no issues. Everyone in my family loves them!