Instant Pot mashed potatoes are the BEST mashed potatoes! This hands-off recipe gives you perfectly creamy, fluffy mashed potatoes every time. (Plus, we’ve included dairy-free, vegan & whole30 options!)
I like mashed potatoes just about every way I can get them (from the stovetop to the slow cooker!), but I 100% love this easy Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe the best. Why? There’s just so much to love!
- They’re FLUFFY & CREAMY. It’s easy to get the texture just right!
- They’re EASY TO MAKE, and mostly hands-off, which is great for Thanksgiving dinner and holiday meals when you’re already busy in the kitchen!
- They CAN BE DAIRY-FREE or vegan, as needed with some simple swaps.
- They’re DELICIOUS. These mashed potatoes always get rave reviews!
These creamy Instant Pot mashed potatoes are PERFECT side dish for Thanksgiving turkey and glazed ham, or easy weeknight dinners like Meatloaf, Swedish Meatballs & chicken. There’s no boiling water to watch, no testing the potatoes every few minutes to see if they’re done.
You just dice the potatoes, put them in the Instant Pot with a few extra ingredients, then cook them. In just a few minutes of pressure cooking, they’re perfectly tender and ready to mash. You can even keep them warm in the Instant Pot, which frees up oven and stovetop space. SUCH A WIN!
Best of all, they start with simple ingredients…
Start With Simple Ingredients
- Diced Potatoes. You can make these Instant Pot mashed potatoes with Russet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or red potatoes. We’ve tried them all! (see the FAQ for more about this!).
- Water or Broth. To help the potatoes steam and cook in the pressure cooker, I add 1 cup water or broth to the Instant Pot with the diced potatoes. You won’t need to drain them after either! You just mash them right in the pot. (So easy, right?!)
- SALT & SEASONINGS. I usually add the salt while cooking the potatoes, but you can absolutely do it after. Then, there are all sorts of ways you can add flavor, from black pepper, to fresh herbs, to garlic, and more. (See below for more flavor variations!)
- YOUR FAVORITE FAT. Here’s where these get super flexible. You can use butter, vegan butter, ghee (clarified butter), or olive oil for these Instant Pot mashed potatoes, depending on your dietary needs and preferences. You’ll start with about 4 Tablespoons but depending on the potatoes you use, you may go up to 5-6 Tablespoons total at the end.
- SOMETHING CREAMY. Next up is your milk. If you tolerate dairy, you can use regular milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream. If you need a dairy-free option, we’ve made these Instant Pot mashed potatoes dairy-free by using unsweetened cashew milk or almond milk. Prefer not to use any milk at all? You can also use more broth or water (though, admittedly the potatoes won’t be as creamy!)
3 Tools You’ll Need For This Recipe
- AN INSTANT POT OR PRESSURE COOKER. We’ve been really happy with our Instant Pot since getting it a couple years ago. I love that it’s more hands-free, and works well for everything from steel-cut oats to soup to chili and so much more. Here, it makes mashed potatoes a mostly hands-off affair, since you don’t have to watch the pot closely so it doesn’t boil over.
- A VEGGIE OR POTATO PEELER. For the smoothest mashed potatoes, I recommend peeling your potatoes before cooking them. If you like your mashed potatoes with a little texture (like I do!) you’ll still want to peel about 1/2 the potatoes. This peeler works SO WELL and has incredible reviews. Highly recommend.
- A POTATO MASHER OR HAND MIXER. A potato masher (like this or this) will help you make quick work of mashing all those potatoes once they’re cooked. You *can* get by with a fork if that’s all you’ve got to work with, but a masher will make the process much faster. Even faster than that is using a hand mixer like this. See the recipe card notes if you plan to use a hand mixer, as some kinds of potatoes can get gluey if they’re over beaten.
How To Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Combine. Add diced potatoes into the Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup of water or broth, and sprinkle with salt.
- Prep. Secure the Instant Pot lid and be sure the steam vent is set to the “SEALING” position (not “venting”).
- Cook. Press MANUAL/PRESSURE COOKE and set the timer for 9 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. Allow Instant Pot to come to pressure and cook for 9 minutes (in my test batches, it took 12-15 minutes to come to pressure)
- Quick Release Steam. After 9 minutes of cooking, press CANCEL, and carefully switch the vent to “VENTING” to quick release steam from the Instant Pot. (It takes 1-2 minutes for the steam to release fully)
- Mash. Carefully open the lid. Add 1/2 cup milk, and 4 Tablespoons butter/ghee/oil to the potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes to your desired smoothness, adding more milk and/or butter, as desired till you reach your desired texture. (You can also use a hand mixer on the lowest speed to mash your potatoes, but try not to over-beat, as this can cause red and yellow potatoes to get gluey.)
- Taste & Adjust. Taste and add more salt as desired. Garnish with an extra pat of butter or drizzle of olive oil, a little bit of black pepper, fresh herbs, etc.
Don’t Forget The Gravy!
With their fluffy, creamy texture and buttery flavor, these Instant Pot mashed potatoes are good enough to eat plain, but don’t miss our Gluten-Free Gravy or this Mushroom Gravy for Thanksgiving!
Flavor Boosts & Variations To Try
This Instant Pot mashed potato recipe is perfect for classic, straightforward, basic mashed potatoes. If you want to play with the flavor, try one of these yummy flavor additions. (I don’t recommend combining more than 1-2 at a time)
- USE FLAVORED OLIVE OIL. As part of the added fat, use 1/2-1 Tbsp. flavored olive oil such as roasted garlic, rosemary, basil, etc. to the mashed potatoes. Queen Creek Olive Mill is my favorite!
- ADD GARLIC. Try adding 1 clove minced fresh garlic (or 1-2 cloves roasted garlic) to the cooked potatoes when you’re mashing. Or, you can add 1/8-1/4 tsp. garlic powder.
- ADD SOUR CREAM, YOGURT, CREAM CHEESE OR CHEESE. Add a little tang to your potatoes with a dollop or two of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
- SPRINKLE WITH FRESH HERBS. To make these pretty, I love to sprinkle them with some fresh herbs. Rosemary, fresh parsley, or fresh chives are all pretty and taste great.
- LEAVE THE SKINS ON. For a more hearty texture, try leaving the skins on 1/2 to all of the potatoes, if you’re using red or yellow (Yukon Gold) potatoes. (I don’t recommend this with Russet potatoes)
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
HOW LONG DO INSTANT POT MASHED POTATOES TAKE START-TO-FINISH? Once you’ve prepped the ingredients, you’re looking at about 30 minutes start-to-finish. I made several test batches and recorded the times. In my experience, it takes about 12-15 minutes to come to pressure + 9 minutes to cook + 5 minutes to release the steam + mash.
WHAT KIND OF POTATOES DO YOU USE FOR INSTANT POT MASHED POTATOES? You wouldn’t believe how many types of potatoes we ate when we did the testing for this recipe! (HA!) I can safely say that Russet, red, and Yukon Gold potatoes all work for this recipe. Russets give you the the lightest, fluffiest texture, where red potatoes and yukon golds will give you a heartier mash. I think each has merit!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN INSTANT POT MASHED POTATOES. To make these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes vegan, all you need to do is swap in olive oil or vegan butter for the butter/ghee. Our favorite dairy-free milk to use with mashed potatoes is unsweetened cashew milk, but you can use what you like!
CAN YOU MAKE INSTANT POT MASHED POTATOES IN ADVANCE? For the freshest results, I recommend trying to time them as close to your meal as possible. Including the time it takes to come to temperature, these will take about 25-30 minutes, start to finish. Since sometimes you need a bit of wiggle room, you can keep them covered on the WARM setting in the Instant Pot if you like for up to about an hour, though you’ll want to stir them and perhaps add a bit of extra butter or milk every once in a while so they don’t dry out.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes washed, peeled, and diced into 1″ cubes*
- 1 cup water or broth can use chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2-1 cup milk (or unsweetened cashew or almond milk for dairy-free!)
- 4-6 Tablespoons butter ghee, vegan butter, or olive oil.
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less, to taste
- black pepper and fresh herbs to taste.
Instructions
- Combine. Add diced potatoes into the Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup of water or broth, and sprinkle with salt.
- Prep. Secure the Instant Pot lid and be sure the steam vent is set to “SEALING” (not “venting”).
- Cook. Press MANUAL/PRESSURE COOKE and set the timer for 9 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. Allow Instant Pot to come to pressure and cook for 9 minutes (in my test batches, it took 12-15 minutes to come to pressure)
- Quick Release Steam. After 9 minutes of cooking, press CANCEL, and carefully switch the vent to “VENTING” to quick release steam from the Instant Pot. (It takes 1-2 minutes for the steam to release fully)
- Mash. Carefully open the lid. Add 1/2 cup milk, and 4 Tablespoons butter/ghee/oil to the potatoes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes to your desired smoothness, adding more milk and/or butter, as desired. (You can also use a hand mixer on the lowest speed to mash your potatoes, but try not to over-beat, as this can cause red and yellow potatoes to get gluey.)
- Taste & Adjust. Taste and add more salt as desired. Garnish with an extra pat of butter or drizzle of olive oil, a little bit of black pepper, fresh herbs, etc.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy right away with gravy or an extra pat of butter. Store leftover mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. Reheat with an extra drizzle of milk or pat of butter, as needed.
- TOTAL TIME: These take about 15 minutes to come to pressure + 9 minutes to cook + 5 minutes to release the steam + mash. Once you’ve prepped the ingredients, you’re looking at about 30 minutes start-to-finish.
Notes
- *IF YOU LIKE YOUR MASHED POTATOES WITH SKINS ON, you can leave skins on 1/2 to all the potatoes. Note: I only recommend skins-on for red or Yukon gold potatoes. Russet potato skins don’t blend well.
- POTATOES TO USE: Peeled Russet potatoes will be very smooth, light, and fluffy. If you like more hearty “homestyle” texture, I recommend red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes.
- FLAVOR VARIATIONS: Feel free to add 1 clove minced fresh or roasted garlic to the cooked potatoes. Or, try a pinch of rosemary or thyme. Or, add 1/2-1 Tbsp. of flavored olive oil (such as roasted garlic, rosemary, basil, etc. as part of the fat you add to the potatoes)
- MAKE-AHEAD TIPS: For the freshest results, I recommend trying to time them as close to your meal as possible. Since sometimes you need a bit of wiggle room, you can keep them covered on the WARM setting in the Instant Pot if you like for up to about an hour, though you’ll want to stir them and perhaps add a bit of extra butter or milk every once in a while so they don’t dry out.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/instant-pot-mashed-potatoes/Originally shared November 2019. Fully updated with new photos, video & additional notes November 2024.
I LOVE these mashed potatoes!!! They’re so easy! They go well with gravy, and there are several gravy recipes here on this blog!
Aren’t they the best!?
These are so good yet so easy to make!!
I want to make these but was wondering if you could make it in a crock pot instead of instant Pot.
Hi Amanda, you can check out my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes for tips!
I’m making these this morning, and plan to reheat later this evening for dinner, any recommendations for this?!
Thanks!!
Kelsey – I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday! For the future, I reheat my mashed potatoes on the stove on low or medium-low heat with an extra splash of milk to help them regain their creamy texture. 🙂
I am making this for a large group of people. I usually have my own recipe, but wanted to try in the instantpot so I went searching. The only problem is…I am trying to scale it 3x and the buttons aren’t working. 🙁 so sad!
Chavon – I’m sorry about the 3x button! It’s something we’re actively working to get fixed. I hope you were able to triple it on your own–happy holidays!
I’ve made this recipe twice now. It’s a great way to make mashed potatoes and not have to worry about it. Gotta love the Instant Pot. Thanks for another great recipe Emily!
I’m SO GLAD you loved them! They’re just my absolute favorite. THANK YOU for taking the time to leave a review, Lynn. It’s so appreciated and helpful!
I kept the skins on 1/2 of my potatoes (red). Made a dairy-free version using 1 cup chicken stock to cook + 2 minced cloves of garlic. After opening the lid, I added 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1 tbsp garlic olive oil, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Could easily be made vegan by using vegetable stock. Amazing!
This sounds DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing Monique!