These instant pot mashed potatoes are so good and so easy they’re dangerous. Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and now that I have a hands off way of making them, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be eating so many potatoes that I’m going to turn into one.

I love how you just set everything in one pot and you’re done. Just pop your potatoes in, cook on high pressure for 7 minutes, mash, season, and eat. So simple and so good. My pro tip here is using a sieve (or a ricer) to push your potatoes through instead of mashing. You end up with super smooth and creamy mashed potatoes.

How to make the best instant pot mashed potatoes

1. Prep the potatoes: Scrub and peel (or leave the skins on if you’re into that) the potatoes and cut into quarters.
2. Place in the Instant Pot with garlic and a bit of chicken stock. Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes, then quick release.
3. Mash by pushing the potatoes and garlic through a fine mesh sieve or ricer. If you like a lumpier mash, use a masher.
4. Stir in room temp butter, then the milk. Taste and season with salt (and pepper if desired) and serve warm!

Instant pot mashed potato ingredients

• Potatoes: Like I mentioned above, I always use either Yukon golds or Russet potatoes. Either are a solid choice and if you like you can even mix them for the best of both worlds.
• Garlic: Who doesn’t love garlic mashed potatoes? Give it gives these potatoes a warm garlicky flavor. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of cloves used.
• Butter: Butter is essential so use a good one – we love grass-fed butter.
  
• Milk or cream: I almost always use whole milk for my mash, but if you want an extra indulgent potato, use half and half or heavy cream.
• Salt: Don’t forget to season!
• Toppings: I keep it pure with just a butter pool, but chopped chives or sliced scallions look pretty and add some color and herbaceous. Cracked black pepper is always good. You can always customize as you wish and stir in cheese, top with bacon bits, and jalapeños, or everything bagel seasoning.

4 secrets to the best mashed potatoes:

1. Water is the enemy

Waterlogged potatoes mean gluey mashed potatoes. To avoid this, we’re going to steam the potatoes in the Instant Pot with just the minimal amount of liquid, which will make them fluffy, cooked through, and full of potato-y flavor.

2. Season!

Season at every step. I like to steam/cook the potatoes in chicken stock so it adds an extra layer of flavor. If you don’t want to use chicken stock, you can use vegetable stock or just make sure to salt the water you cook the potatoes in. You want to season when you’re cooking the potatoes and afterwards when you add in the butter and milk so you have layers of seasoning.

3. How you mash matters.

I love the way mashed potatoes taste when you push the potatoes through a fine mesh sieve. It gives you the smoothest, most luscious mashed potatoes you’ve ever eaten. But, if you like a slightly chunkier mash, use a potato masher. There are even different kinds of mashers: smooth mashers or chunky mashers depending on how you like your potatoes.

4. Don’t over mix.

Once your potatoes are mashed, you want to just stir in the liquids (butter and milk or cream) without over mixing, which can lead to gummy potatoes.

How much water for Instant Pot mashed potatoes?

The minimum amount of liquid Instant Pot needs for pressure cooking is 1 cup. You can use either 1 cup of chicken stock or salted water. This is a lot less liquid compared to almost all the other Instant Pot mashed potato recipes hanging out on the internet. It’s superior for two reasons.

1. Cooking potatoes in a large amount of water makes them water-logged and soggy, which results in less potato flavor.
2. Less water means less time for the pot to come up to pressure.

These two reasons means that this recipe is faster and has more potato-y tasting mashed potatoes.

How many potatoes do you need per person?

For a side serving of mashed potatoes, the general rule is: 1 medium to medium-large potato per person. Potatoes come in various sizes, but a good rule of thumb is that you’ll need a medium to medium-large potato that fits in the palm of your hand for each person. Aim for a 1/2 lb individual servings of mashed potato.

Vegan Instant Pot mashed potatoes

If you’re vegan, or have guests who are, it’s super easy to make flavorful, smooth, rich mashed potatoes. Follow the recipe as below, but make these ingredient substitutions.

Instead of chicken stock, cook the potatoes in 1 cups mushroom dashi stock or your favorite vegetable stock.

Instead of butter, use vegan butter or white miso.

Instead of milk, use your favorite milk alternative, mushroom dashi, or white miso paste mixed with water.

What are the best kind of potatoes for instant pot mashed potatoes?

There are only two kinds of potatoes that are perfect for mashed potatoes: Yukon golds (my absolute favorite) and Russets.

• Yukon golds are perfect for mashing because they’re starchy, beautifully yellow, and have a rich buttery potato taste. They’re also a more dense potato with a thin skin, and when you use them, you get a more luxurious mash.
• Russets (or Idaho) potatoes are those big potatoes with the dusty skin that most people use for baked potatoes. These are also excellent for mashed: fluffy, dry, and starchy, when cooked right. Russets are the more mild potato of the two potatoes I recommend and if you’re a fan of lighter potatoes, they make a mash with a more delicate texture.

If you want the best of both worlds, use a mix!

Skin on or skin off?

Because I’m in the smooth mash camp, I don’t think potato skin belongs in mashed potatoes. But some people love that texture contrast. And for those people, I say, feel free to leave the skins on!

What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?

You can still make these mashed potatoes, all you need to do is steam: place the cut up potatoes on a plate or in a steamer basket. Boil 1-3 inches of water in a large pot and place the potatoes in the pot. Cover and steam on medium until very tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Check this post out for more.

Best mains to serve with mashed potatoes

• The Best Cajun Butter Steak
• The Juiciest Baked Chicken Thighs
• One Pan Creamy Dijon Mustard Mushroom Chicken