Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

4.99 from 70 votes

Recipe by Amy + Jacky | PressureCookRecipes.com

How to make Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. Secrets to creamy, fluffy, buttery rich mashed potatoes. Michelin-star inspired yet easy mashed potatoes Instant Pot recipe made with 4 pantry ingredients. Enjoy a taste of heaven!

Servings 10 people

Total Time 30

Ingredients

▢ 4 pounds (1816g) russet potatoes (or a mix of potatoes - see notes) , peeled & quartered
▢ 1 cup (250ml) cold water
▢ ¼ cup (57g) - 1 pound (454g) unsalted butter (see notes) , room temperature
▢ ½ cup (125ml) whole milk , hot
▢ Kosher salt to taste

Equipment

▢
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (6qt)

Instructions

Prepare Butter and Potatoes: Bring unsalted butter to room temperature by placing it on counter 2 hours before cooking.
After peeling and washing the potatoes, cut them into quarters.
Pressure Cook Potatoes: Place 1 cup (250ml) cold water and a steamer rack in Instant Pot. Put quartered potatoes on the steamer rack. Close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.
Pressure cook at High Pressure for 8 minutes, then Quick Release.
Heat Milk & Cut Butter: Once Instant Pot gets up to pressure, heat milk over medium-low heat on the stove. When the milk reaches a simmer, turn off the heat. Cut room temperature unsalted butter into cubes.
Mash Potatoes: Open the lid carefully. Let the Instant Pot stay in Keep Warm Mode.
Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Discard the water and remove the steamer rack from inner pot. Rinse and dry the inner pot really well with a towel. Place inner pot back in the Instant Pot.
Potato Masher Instructions: Transfer the potatoes back into the inner pot, then mash the potatoes.
Food Mill Instructions: Layer the food mill on the inner pot, then mash the potatoes into the inner pot.
Give the mashed potatoes a few quick stirs with a silicone spatula.
Melt Butter & Add Milk: Switch Instant Pot to Slow Cook Less Mode. Add half of the room temperature unsalted butter and melt it into the potatoes by stirring gently with a silicone spatula. Add in remaining unsalted butter, then repeat this step.
Change Instant Pot to Keep Warm Mode.
Pour hot milk on the mashed potatoes, then gently stir it in. Allow the potatoes to absorb the milk.
Season with kosher salt and taste to adjust until desired saltiness. For reference, we used approx. 4 pinches of coarse kosher salt.
Serve: Serve these Michelin-star inspired mashed potatoes immediately as a side dish. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Use the Right Potatoes: Check out our Test Kitchen experiment here.

Fluffy Creamy Mashed Potatoes: Use starchy potatoes like Russet potatoes
Silky Smooth & Richer Potato Flavors: Use Yukon Gold potatoes
Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Our Pick): Use a mix of Russet potatoes and Yukon Gold Potatoes. As a reference, we tested with 75% Russet and 25% Yukon Gold potatoes, and the mashed potatoes came out fluffy and creamy with deeper flavors.
Substitute with Red Potatoes: They’re less starchy, so it’s best to use Russets or Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe.

2. Unsalted Butter: We develop recipes with unsalted butter so we can better control the flavors and adjust the saltiness to our tastes. If you’re substituting with salted butter, the mashed potatoes may turn out too salty depending on your butter’s sodium level. Adjust accordingly.

Amount of Butter: We tested different “Butter to Mashed Potatoes” ratios to find the best mashed potatoes. For special occasions or serving a crowd, we strongly recommend using ¾ lb (341g) to 1 lb (454g) unsalted butter. It tastes amazing! But feel free to adjust the amount based on your personal preferences.

3. Whole Milk

Substitute with 2% Milk: It’ll come out slightly less creamy. It'll still be tasty!
Substitute with Heavy Cream: Make sure to adjust the amount according to how rich you want your mashed potatoes.

4. Use Steamer Rack: Placing the quartered potatoes on the steamer rack instead of directly in the inner pot will further failproof the pressure cooking process.

5. Food Mill vs. Potato Masher: They each produce a different texture of mashed potatoes. You can also use a potato ricer.

Food Mill (Our Pick): Silky smooth, lump-free, lighter, fluffier, and creamier than the potatoes mashed with Potato Masher.
Potato Masher: Creamy chunkier mashed potatoes with more texture.

6. Quick Release: When pressure cooking ends, immediately turn the Venting Knob to Venting Position to release all the pressure.

7. Can I make these mashed potatoes ahead of time: Yes! You can put it in "Keep Warm" mode for roughly an hour. If the butter starts to separate from the mashed potatoes after an hour, gently stir it back together with a silicone spatula. If you're making it even further ahead, you can reheat it, then add in a bit more butter and milk to make it smooth again.

8. Double Recipe: Use the same cooking time and amount of liquid.

Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!

Author: Amy + Jacky

Calories: 191kcal

Nutrition