These rich and creamy Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. Making them in the Instant Pot means you’re only 20 minutes away from a piping hot bowl of buttery mashed potatoes; perfect for a busy weeknight or holiday side dish.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Making mashed potatoes in your Instant pot is a total game changer. Once you see how easy it is, you’ll never want to make them any other way. Long gone are the days of waterlogged or lumpy mashed potatoes from boiling them too long or not long enough.
The high pressure cooks the potatoes evenly and quickly until they reach tender and fluffy perfection. Plus, anytime you cook in your Instant Pot it really helps to lock in the rich flavors of whatever you’re cooking, which is definitely the case with these mashed potatoes.
Whether you’re making them for the family or needing a side dish to take to a potluck, you can never go wrong with potato recipes. They’re perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter meals too. A great way to keep making these large holiday meals with less hassle.
These Funeral Potatoes and this yummy Sweet Potato Casserole are always highly requested recipes, just like these mashed potatoes.
💓 Why We Love This Recipe
- Mashed potatoes are a delicious side dish that’s simple enough for the family dinner table yet for fancy enough for special occasions.
- Comforting side dish that goes with just about any main course. From grilled steaks to roast chicken, they are perfect with anything.
- Versatile recipe that allows you seasoning it or add other ingredients to suit your own preference.
What’s Needed for Easy Instant Pot Garlic Potatoes
- Potatoes peeled and cut into large cubes (around 3 lbs.)
- Salt
- Real butter (unsalted)
- Minced garlic
- Milk
- Cream cheese
- Crushed black pepper
- Chopped parsley, optional
- Water
Recommended Tools
- Instant Pot (or other electric pressure cooker like the Ninja Foodi)
- Large bowl
- Potato masher (or hand mixer)
- Serving bowl
How to Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Step One: Prepare the Potatoes
- Wash, peel, and dice potatoes. Place peeled and cut potatoes in the inner pot of an Instant Pot.
Step Two: Cook Potatoes
- Add 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Close the lid and pressure valve to the sealing position. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 10 minutes.
- Once the pressure-cooking cycle is over, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. Then do a quick release to release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and select the CANCEL button.
Step Three: Drain and Mash Potatoes
- Drain the cooked potatoes and transfer them into a large bowl
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or a mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
Step Four: Season and Serve
- Heat a small pan over medium heat and melt butter with milk until warm, add minced garlic and pour it over mashed potatoes and stir until creamy and fluffy.
- Add cream cheese, salt, and black pepper powder. Mix until smooth.
- Serve warm with chopped parsley, if using, and a pat of butter on top.
How To Store Leftover Mashed Potatoes?
You can store leftover potatoes in an airtight container for 1-2 days in the refrigerator or for around 15 days in the freezer.
To reheat, thaw the mashed potatoes overnight in the fridge; put a saucepan on low heat, add the thawed potatoes, and heat them stirring occasionally. Add, cream cheese, butter, or milk as required to get that perfect creamy texture back.
What are the Best Potatoes for This Recipe?
The kind of potato you use can make all the difference in your mashed potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes are usually my go-to potato. They have a rich a buttery flavor and they cook up nice and fluffy.
Waxy potatoes, like fingerlings or red potatoes are okay in mashed potatoes but they have a tendency to get a little gummy when they are cooked just a tad too long. These type potatoes are really great for roasting.
Russet potatoes have a super thick skin that usually needs to be scrubbed clean and peeled. While they are okay with mashed potatoes, most people prefer them as baked potatoes.
Mashed Potato Recipe Variations and Add-ins
- Onions – If you’re like me, I love onions with everything! You can add some diced green onions, fresh chives or sauteed yellow or white onions to the hot potatoes right before serving.
- Milk – We used whole milk, but if you want to make them super rich and decadent you can use heavy cream. For a bit of tanginess, you can also use some Greek yogurt or sour cream in place of the milk.
- Cheese: Cheese makes everything better. A little parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese mixed in the cooked mashed potatoes is always a hit!
- Fresh herbs – If you have a summer herb garden, add some to your Instant Pot potatoes. Or buy fresh thyme or rosemary from the grocery store.
- Fresh garlic – This recipe calls for minced garlic. If you prefer the sweetness of roasted garlic cloves, feel free to use them instead.
- Water – A trick that really gives mashed potatoes tons of flavor is substitute the water with either chicken broth or chicken stock.
To Peel or Not to Peel?
That is the question! If you’re using Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, you can just clean them up good and leave the skin if you prefer rustic style mashed potatoes. But if you want really smooth and creamy potatoes, you will want to peel them. It’s truly a personal preference.
Want More Instant Pot Recipes?
- Instant Pot Popcorn
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Popcorn
- Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Peach Cobbler
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Pressure Cookier Like and Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized potatoes peeled and cut into large cubes around 3 lbs
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter + more for serving
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Place peeled and cut potatoes at the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Close the lid and pressure valve. Select the PRESSURE COOK button on HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 10 minutes.
- Once the pressure-cooking cycle is over, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes.
- Open the lid and select the CANCEL button.
- Drain the potatoes and transfer them into a large bowl
- Mash the potatoes with a masher until smooth.
- Heat a small pan over medium heat and melt butter with milk until warm, add minced garlic and pour it over mashed potatoes and stir until creamy and fluffy.
- Add cream cheese, salt, and black pepper powder. Mix until smooth.
- Serve warm with chopped parsley and a pat of butter on top.
Notes
• Try to get evenly sized potatoes for proper cooking. You can cut small potatoes in halves but if you’re working with very large potatoes then cut them into quarters.
• Mash the potatoes as soon as they’re done cooking. They’ll develop skin if you let them sit for too long and it will be harder to get a smooth texture.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Chris David says
Really delicious recipe. I love it yummy!!! It’s really awesome. Will surely try this. You can also try
Mary Slanker says
This recipe was delicious. I tried this, and my mom just loved it. Thanks for sharing.