Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes taste amazing and will save space on your stovetop during a busy holiday season. There's no draining required, for an easy one-pot side dish!
3 poundsRusset potatoes*, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1teaspoonfine sea salt, plus more to taste
¼teaspoonground black pepper
½ to ¾cupmilk of choice(or more, as needed)
Instructions
Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot, and add in the olive oil. When the pot has heated up, add in the 2 cloves of minced garlic and briefly stir them. Press the Off button right away, so the garlic won't burn.
As soon as the garlic smells fragrant, add the water to prevent it from burning. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot, to make sure no garlic is stuck there. (This will prevent a Burn error later.)
Add in the potatoes, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot. There's no need to stir. Secure the lid, and move the steam release valve to "Sealing."
Use the Manual or Pressure Cook button on your machine to cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. It will take roughly 8 to 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, so it will read "On" as it heats up, and then it will start the count-down as soon as the floating valve in the lid pops up.
When the cooking cycle is complete and the screen reads LO:00, immediately move the steam release valve to "Venting" to release the pressure in the pot. Make sure your hand isn't over the vent, to avoid getting burned by the hot steam. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to open the lid.
Use a fork to test the potatoes, to make sure they are tender, then use a potato masher to start mashing the potatoes. Add in the milk, starting with only ¼ cup at a time, until the potatoes are as creamy as you like. I usually end up using ¾ cup total for Russet potatoes. (See notes below if you use Yukon Gold, instead.) This is also the time to taste the potatoes and add more seasonings as you like. I typically use at least 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt total for 3 pounds of potatoes, and you can add any extras you like at this point, such as butter, sour cream, chives, or fresh thyme.
Once the potatoes are seasoned to your liking, you can serve them warm right away. You can also use the Instant Pot's Keep Warm setting, to keep them warm for up to 3 hours. The mashed potatoes will firm up as they sit in the pot, so be sure to check on them again just before serving. You may need to add an extra splash of milk or water, to help loosen them up again. See tips in this post for reheating any leftovers, or making them ahead of time.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is for roughly 1 of 6 servings, using almond milk. This information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.* If you prefer to use Yukon gold potatoes instead of Russet potatoes, they will not need as much liquid for mashing. But, the cooking time will be the same either way!