These Instant Pot mashed potatoes (no drain) are creamy, buttery and fluffy. Using your Instant Pot is an easy way to cook mashed potatoes for family dinners and holidays.
You can make these easy Instant Pot mashed potatoes year round. They're the perfect comfort food with chicken, meatloaf, or even salmon.
When the holidays roll around, you can serve Instant Pot mashed potatoes with brioche stuffing and sauteed delicata squash.
The really great thing about this recipe is that it keeps a burner free on your stove. These potatoes cook completely in the Instant Pot and are mashed right in the pressure cooker, too.
Looking for more Instant Pot potato recipes? Try Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots or Instant Pot lemon garlic chicken breast with potatoes and carrots.
You should also try Instant Pot sweet potatoes!
Ingredients
Potatoes, butter, salt, water and either whole milk or half and half are the only ingredients you need to make this recipe.
The water is added to steam the potatoes. During the cooking process, most of the water either evaporates or is absorbed by the potatoes. The little bit of water that remains is starchy and flavorful and can be blended into the potatoes, no draining needed!
My favorite potato for this recipe is Golden potatoes. They naturally have a creamy texture and rich, buttery flavor. They are less likely to taste watery or have a gummy texture (because they have less starch). They can be mashed with or without the skin.
How To Make Mashed Potatoes In The Instant Pot
Step 1: Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Rinse the potatoes with water.
Step 2: Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot. Layer the potatoes on top. You don't need a steamer basket or trivet. Season with salt.
Step 3: Cook the potatoes for 8 minutes. You can quick release or naturally release the pressure.
Step 4: Mash using a hand-held mixer or potato masher. Add butter and whole milk (or half and half) until the potatoes are creamy and flavorful. Add more salt to taste.
Continue to mash and season the potatoes until they have a flavor and texture that you love.
For detailed instructions and ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.
FAQs
The best type of potato for mashed potatoes depends mostly on your personal preference. Golden potatoes are a popular choice because they have a creamy texture and rich, buttery flavor. They are less likely to taste watery or have a gummy texture (because they have less starch). They can be mashed with or without the skin.
Red potatoes have a texture that's slightly less dense than golden potatoes and a milder flavor. They are often mashed with the skin on.
Russet potatoes blend into fluffier, lighter mashed potatoes. Be careful not to blend Russets too much, however, or the extra starch will give the mashed potatoes gluey texture. Russets should be peeled because the skin can be thick and tough.
You can leave the skin on golden or red potatoes if you like. Russets should be peeled because the skin is so tough.
Plan for ½ a pound of raw potatoes per person. So if you're feeding 4 people, use 2 pounds of potatoes. If you're feeding 10 people, use 5 pounds of potatoes.
No. You will end up with gummy, gluey potatoes. Always use a hand held mixer, standing mixer, or hand-held potato masher.
You can use either a masher or a hand held electric mixer.
No, the potatoes can go directly into the Instant pot with the water.
For 2 pounds of potatoes, I start by adding 4 tablespoons butter and ¾ cup milk. You can add more of both if you like.
The Instant Pot has a "keep warm" setting but if mashed potatoes stay in the pot too long they will start to stick and burn to the bottom. If you're keeping the mashed potatoes warm, make sure to stir them frequently and add milk if they start to dry out.
If you'd like to cook mashed potatoes the day before a holiday and reheat them, Martha Stewart can walk you through several methods.
Yes, but make sure to store the cut potatoes submerged in water. When exposed to oxygen, cut potatoes will start to turn gray or brown. Keeping raw potatoes in water will prevent oxidation.
I often reheat leftover mashed potatoes in the microwave, usually adding a drizzle of milk or half & half to make them creamier. You can also reheat them over very low heat on the stove. Add milk to prevent the potatoes from burning.
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Variations & Add-ins
Two ingredients that add more flavor to mashed potatoes are roasted garlic and fresh herbs.
Roasted garlic: Before adding garlic to mashed potatoes, the garlic needs to be roasted. First, slice off the top ¼ portion of a head of garlic at the pointed end. Drizzle oil over the head of garlic. Wrap the garlic in foil and tightly seal. Roast for 40 minutes to an hour at 400F until the cloves of garlic are very soft. When the garlic has cooled, squeeze the cloves of garlic into the mashed potatoes. Mash and mix the roasted garlic into the potatoes.
Fresh herbs: Finely chopped fresh chives and parsley are especially good in mashed potatoes.
Leftover Storage Instructions
Cooked mashed potatoes will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to five days.
I often reheat leftover mashed potatoes in the microwave, usually adding a drizzle of milk or half & half to make them creamier.
More Instant Pot Side Dishes
📖 Recipe
Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potato Recipe (no drain)
Easy Instant Pot mashed potatoes, cooked completely in one pot. Use your Instant Pot to cook the potatoes with a little bit of water (no draining needed!) then blend in butter, milk and salt for creamy, fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes.
Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 10 to 20 minutes to reach pressure + 8 minute cook time + quick release
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 10 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 to 5 pounds golden, red or Russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks. Golden and red potatoes can be cooked with or without skin. Russets should be peeled.
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 4 to 6 tablespoons salted butter (to taste)
- ¾ to 1 ½ cups whole milk or half & half (to taste)
- Optional: fresh herbs, like parsley or chives
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot.
- Add the chunks of potato. Sprinkle salt over the top of the potatoes.
- Cook for 8 minutes on high pressure.
- You can release the pressure instantly with a quick release, or let the pressure release naturally. Either is fine. The potatoes should be very soft and easy to pierce with a fork.
- Add 4 tablespoons butter and ¾ cup milk.
- Use a hand-held mixer or potato masher to whip or mash the potatoes.
- As you mash, add more butter, milk and salt as needed to make the potatoes flavorful and creamy. Keep mashing and keep adding butter, salt and milk until the potatoes have a flavor and texture you like.
- You can add fresh herbs to the potatoes (like parsley or chives) for flavor and color.
Notes
My favorite potato for this recipe is Golden potatoes. They naturally have a creamy texture and rich, buttery flavor. They are less likely to taste watery or have a gummy texture (because they have less starch).
It's okay if the raw potato chunks are slightly bigger than 1-inch. Just try to keep all the pieces about the same size.
Plan for ½ a pound of raw potatoes per person. So if you're feeding 4 people, use 2 pounds of potatoes. If you're feeding 10 people, use 5 pounds of potatoes.
No matter the amount of potatoes (2 to 5 pounds), use 1 cup of water.
If the cooking time ends and the potatoes aren't soft enough to be very easily pierced with a fork, then just re-seal the lid and cook the potatoes for 1 to 2 more minutes.
The Instant Pot has a "keep warm" setting but if mashed potatoes stay in the pot too long they will start to stick and burn to the bottom. If you're keeping the mashed potatoes warm, make sure to stir them frequently and add milk if they start to dry out.
This recipe was tested in a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Keywords: Instant Pot mashed potatoes no drain, Instant Pot mashed potatoes, Instant pot garlic mashed potatoes
Jenny
This recipe is so easy, now you can make mashed potatoes any night of the week!
★★★★★