Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1- or 2-inch cubes (see note)
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 cup milk, preferably not skim milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Combine the potatoes, water, and sal tin a 6-quart Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. Don't exceed the max fill line.
- Secure the lid and ensure the valve is set to seal (and not vent).
- Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 to 15 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
- If liquid bubbles from the valve, close the valve, wait a few minutes and try again.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the pressure cooker.
- Warm the milk, butter and garlic powder in a saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is mostly melted.
- Add the milk mixture and sour cream to the potatoes and use a potato masher to mash to your desired consistency.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately OR place the lid on the Instant Pot and select Keep Warm. The potatoes can stay on this setting for up to 5 hours.
- When ready to serve, give the potatoes a good stir and a drizzle of warm milk, if needed.
Notes
Potato Variety: My favorite variety of potatoes for mashed potatoes are Yukon gold/yellow potatoes. However, red potatoes or russet potatoes can also be used without any alterations to the recipe.
Amount of potatoes to use: This recipe calls for 4 pounds of potatoes. I buy potatoes in bulk (I do live in Idaho after all), so I always weigh out the 4 pounds (or 8 pounds if using my 8-quart Instant Pot) for this recipe, but you can use a 5-pound bag of potatoes in a 6-quart Instant Pot as long as the max fill line isn’t exceeded after water is added. Increase the milk/butter/sour cream/garlic powder to account for the extra pound.
Pressure cooker alternative: If you don't have an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, you can make the potatoes on the stovetop by boiling the potatoes in salted water, draining, and following the recipe for the liquid/seasonings. Serve them right away.