Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes by Grandma Behrendt
When you pressure cook your potatoes you don't need to cover them in water. You only need enough water to pressurize the pot. This way your potatoes will be nice and fluffy, perfect for mashing or whipping and soaking up your butter and cream.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and quartered
- 1 cup water
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 cup heavy cream bring to room temp
- 2 tsp sea salt or other seasoning you prefer like PC Magic
Instructions
- Peel and quarter your potatoes. If they are really large you can cut them into 6th or 8ths. Just make sure all of your chunks are relatively the same size so they cook evenly.
- Place potatoes in a basket or steamer rack inside your pot and pour 1 cup of water into your pot. This will be enough for your pot to come to pressure.
- Cook on HP for 6 minutes, then do a 10 min NPR. Then QR. If you cut your potatoes into smaller pieces, like 2 inch chunks, then 3 min cook time with 10 min NPR is perfect.
- Open the pot and let all that steam escape. You don't need all that excess moisture in your potatoes. If you are using a steamer basket, pull potatoes out of the pot and dump water from pot. If you did not use a basket, drain your potatoes in a colander.
- Now you can pour your hot potatoes back to your pot or into a large mixing bowl if you have one. Adding your butter and cream. Let your butter and cream warm up from the potatoes for about a minute.
- When your butter has softened and melted at bit, you can smash your potatoes with a masher or use a hand mixer to whip them. Do not overmix your potatoes. They will get gummy if you do. Add salt. You can add more or less to taste.
- Add more cream or milk if necessary as you mash or whip your potatoes until you have your desired consistency.
- Serve with melted butter or gravy.
Notes
And for anyone who hasn't tried using a steamer basket for potatoes, you must try it sometime. The potatoes are lighter and fluffier. Not waterlogged and soggy. Potatoes soak up a lot of water. Trust me. You would rather have your taters soak up the butter and milk! So good!!! These potatoes freeze well also. I freeze them in 1.5 lb round foil containers to reheat in the Instant Pot. You can also freeze in 1 Qt zip lock freezer bags and squish the air out and press them flat for freezing and quick thawing.
In a 6 Qt pot you can fit a maximum of 5 lbs of potatoes either on the trivet or in a steamer basket. In an 8 Qt pot, you can fit almost 10 lbs on the trivet.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes by Grandma Behrendt
When you pressure cook your potatoes you don't need to cover them in water. You only need enough water to pressurize the pot. This way your potatoes will be nice and fluffy, perfect for mashing or whipping and soaking up your butter and cream.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and quartered
- 1 cup water
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 cup heavy cream bring to room temp
- 2 tsp sea salt or other seasoning you prefer like PC Magic
Instructions
- Peel and quarter your potatoes. If they are really large you can cut them into 6th or 8ths. Just make sure all of your chunks are relatively the same size so they cook evenly.
- Place potatoes in a basket or steamer rack inside your pot and pour 1 cup of water into your pot. This will be enough for your pot to come to pressure.
- Cook on HP for 6 minutes, then do a 10 min NPR. Then QR. If you cut your potatoes into smaller pieces, like 2 inch chunks, then 3 min cook time with 10 min NPR is perfect.
- Open the pot and let all that steam escape. You don't need all that excess moisture in your potatoes. If you are using a steamer basket, pull potatoes out of the pot and dump water from pot. If you did not use a basket, drain your potatoes in a colander.
- Now you can pour your hot potatoes back to your pot or into a large mixing bowl if you have one. Adding your butter and cream. Let your butter and cream warm up from the potatoes for about a minute.
- When your butter has softened and melted at bit, you can smash your potatoes with a masher or use a hand mixer to whip them. Do not overmix your potatoes. They will get gummy if you do. Add salt. You can add more or less to taste.
- Add more cream or milk if necessary as you mash or whip your potatoes until you have your desired consistency.
- Serve with melted butter or gravy.
Notes
And for anyone who hasn't tried using a steamer basket for potatoes, you must try it sometime. The potatoes are lighter and fluffier. Not waterlogged and soggy. Potatoes soak up a lot of water. Trust me. You would rather have your taters soak up the butter and milk! So good!!! These potatoes freeze well also. I freeze them in 1.5 lb round foil containers to reheat in the Instant Pot. You can also freeze in 1 Qt zip lock freezer bags and squish the air out and press them flat for freezing and quick thawing.
In a 6 Qt pot you can fit a maximum of 5 lbs of potatoes either on the trivet or in a steamer basket. In an 8 Qt pot, you can fit almost 10 lbs on the trivet.
4 comments on “Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes”
Your recipes sounds great. I made mashed potatoes tonight and was a bit disappointed . I didn’t used a steamer basket and I do have one . Next time I will for sure . Thank you for posting .
It definitely makes a difference. Waterlogged potatoes are less fluffy and won’t hold as much butter and cream. I am sure you will love them.
Laura – I haven’t reheated anything in the Instant Pot. How do you reheat something like your foil pan of mashed potatoes?
I usually reheat foods Pot in Pot. The more dense your food, the longer it takes to reheat. Something like Mashed Potatoes the a container I use to freeze them in, I place 1 cup of water in the pot, a trivet with handles, and cook for 15-20 min and QR. The pans I use have a cardboard lid. I just leave it on. Test the center to make sure it’s at 165 degrees. But if you freeze foods that are thick, like lasagna, probably more like 30 min.
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