Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes make it easy to master this favorite side dish. Using a couple of our favorite nerdy kitchen tools, you'll turn out the Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes ever!
Did you just get an Instant Pot for Christmas? Or, just wondering if it's worth it to plop down the cash for one of these bad boys? Well, with this recipe for Instant Pot mashed potatoes, you'll get every last mile out of one of our favorite kitchen toys.
These mashed potatoes are what we like to call elevated. A couple of extra secret steps take this side from bland to extraordinary. The result is the best, creamy, herby, fluffy mashed potatoes you'll want to bring to your next dinner party for all your friends!
Why I love Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are super easy. Just cut of your potatoes, place them on a trivet (affiliate), and let the magic of pressure cooking cook them to perfection, without boiling out the starch!
- The rich, creamy sauce delivers the perfect bite of mashed potato goodness. The rosemary and garlic doesn't come in clumps, it's perfectly distributed throughout the dish. Every bite is delightful!
- This pairs perfectly with so many proteins. I love it best with Sous Vide dishes like Pork Tenderloin or Steak, but you can match this with just about anything.
- So easy to scale this dish and make it for a crowd. It's as easy as just upping the quantities. The added effort is minimal.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Tips and Tricks
- If there's one tip I can give you about mashed potatoes, it's this - season the cream, not the potatoes. You're focus on the potatoes should be consistency. All the flavor will come from the herbs you'll infuse into your cream.
- If you don't have one yet, I definitely recommend investing in a potato ricer (affiliate). This contraption gives you the fluffiest final product by turning your potatoes into fine strands after they've been cooked.
- I don't have a great bowl to place inside my Instant Pot at home, but there's an easy workaround. Place your Instant Pot trivet (affiliate). On top of that, cover it with a large layer of aluminum foil. This will keep the potatoes out of the water on the bottom, which is really the goal here.
- We're going with the classic garlic rosemary sauce in this recipe, but you can really change it up with any of your favorite spice combos. Thyme works great, or basil or parsley, too.
Let's Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes: Prep
Begin by peeling your potatoes. Then, cup each potato into ½ inch pieces. I do this by halving the potato lengthwise, then laying it down flat on the cutting board. I cut the potato into ½ inch half moons, then cut those crosswise into ½ in pieces. This gets me a pretty uniform cut, which is important. If you're pieces are too varied in size, some will overcook while some with undercook, which won't give you the mashed potatoes you're looking for.
Pour one cup of water into instant pot. Place trivet (affiliate) on top and cover with aluminium foil. I cut a couple slivers in the foil to allow any condensation to drop down, keeping my potatoes dry. Then, place your potatoes on top of the aluminium foil. This will keep them from boiling away in the water, which will turn them to icky much (gross!).
Close the lid and set the valve to "sealing". Set the Instant Pot (affiliate) to Manual->High pressure and set timer for 12 minutes.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes: Garlic Rosemary Cream Sauce
Now, this is where we make our flavor happen. Pour half-and-half in a medium sauce pot, and bring up to medium-high heat. While cream is heating, add two sprigs of rosemary to pot. Next, lightly crush garlic cloves and add to pot. Then, add kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a little smoked paprika.
Bring sauce to a boil and allow to reduce by about ⅓, then reduce heat to medium-low. This should bring your sauce to a light simmer. Continue cooking until sauce is reduced from half, then turn off heat and let rest.
Meanwhile, chop scallions into small, ¼ in pieces. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in along with diced scallions. Saute for about 4-5 minutes, until scallions have softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes: Rice and Mash
When the instant pot is finished, turn the vent and release the steam (careful, it comes out hot!). When the steam has released and the pressure knob goes down, remove the lid. Check the potatoes, they should be fork tender. Spoon the potatoes into your potato ricer (affiliate) and press through into a large mixing bowl (affiliate). The result will give you some nice, light, fluffy strands of potatoes.
When your potatoes are riced, grab a mesh strainer (affiliate) and hold it over the bowl. Pour your cream through the strainer, catching the rosemary and garlic cloves on the way through. If your garlic is tender enough, push it with a spatula (or back of a spoon), to get every last bit into the potatoes. Next, add the sauteed scallions to the bowl.
Using a flat spatula, mix the potatoes, cream and scallions well. Whip them really good, making sure to get all the potatoes from the bottom of the bowl. A quick, strong whip will help to get some air into the potatoes as well, increasing the fluffiness. Next, add knobs of butter and mix until fully melted and spread in. The resulting consistency should just be creamy enough then it gently slides off the spatula when you pick it up.
Garnish with freshly chopped chives and serve immediately!
The Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes make it easy to master this favorite side dish. Using a couple of our favorite nerdy kitchen tools, you'll turn out the Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes ever!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs russet potatoes
- 4 scallions (diced)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic (lightly crushed)
- 2 cups half and half
- 3 tbsp cold butter
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- smoked paprika
- 1 oz fresh chives (chopped)
- extra virgin olive oil (for garnish)
Instructions
- Dice potatoes into ½ inch pieces, keeping them as evenly sized as possible. Pour 1 cup water in bottom of Instant Pot. Place trivet (affiliate) overtop. On top of trivet (affiliate), place a layer of aluminum foil. Place diced potatoes on top of foil, keeping them separate from the water. Close lid and set valve to sealing. Set Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure and set timer for 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour half and half into a medium sauce pot over heat over medium high heat. While cream is heating, add rosemary sprigs, lightly crushed garlic cloves, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and smoked paprika to pot and stir together. Continue heating until cream comes to a boil. Cook until cream reduces by about a third, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until cream has reduced by half the original amount. Turn off heat and let rest.
- Saute diced scallions with 1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, until scallions have softened. Remove from heat and set aside. When timer on instant pot goes off, turn the valve to venting to perform a quick release. be careful, that hot steam will come out quick! Once the pressure valve has gone down, open the lid carefully.
- Using a potato ricer, rice the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Pour the reduce half-and-half mixture through a mesh strainer and into the bowl. Use a flat spatula or back of a spoon to push through any of the soft garlic into the bowl. Using a flat spatula, beat half-and-half into potatoes vigorously, until well mixed.
- Add scallions to bowl and continue to mix well. Then, add remaining cold butter and continue whipping with the spatula until melted. The final consistency should be enough that the potatoes gently slide off the spatula when you lift it from the bowl. Scrape potatoes into a serving bowl. Garnish on top with freshly chopped chives and a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. Serve hot!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Easy Mashed Potatoes, Holiday Recipes, Best Mashed Potatoes