Rich and flavorful mashed potatoes made in Instant Pot! Easy and delicious side dish with the goodness of potatoes, garlic, and heavy cream!
Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes!
Since I tasted mashed potatoes at my workplace ten years back, it has become a staple in my vegetarian Thanksgiving spread. I love the fluffy and light mashed potatoes with the veggie gravy; it’s a fantastic combination for sure.
Now coming to the recipe, be it in Instant Pot or stove-top, it’s pretty easy to make. The recipe is very straightforward, but there are a few nitty-gritty things that you need to consider. Eight plus years of making it taught me quite a few things. :-)
Let’s talk about the ingredients and talk about those details as well.
Ingredients
Potatoes – I highly recommend the Yukon gold potatoes or the Russet potatoes. We need starchy potatoes for this recipe. I have tried these mashed potatoes with Yukon and Russet, and I love the flavor of both. For this recipe below, I went with Russet potatoes. While red potatoes work, I would keep them as a last option. The texture of the mashed potatoes differs when we use waxy potatoes.
VVK Tip: Make sure you peel and chop the potatoes when needed. If you are prepping them ahead, then soak them in water to prevent discoloration.
Water, salt, and ground pepper: You need water just enough to cover the potatoes for the Instant Pot version, but no harm in adding more. We will be draining all the water but reserve some to add later if needed. I add salt at two stages. I add some while cooking the potatoes and add some after mashing the potatoes. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
Garlic: I cannot imaging my mashed potatoes without garlic. I add 3 to 4 cloves, just enough to add the flavor. The below measure doesn’t make it too garlicky. I cook the garlic along with the potatoes and mash them well.
Onion powder: I love to season up my mashed potatoes, and with garlic added, onion powder works well. The onion powder enhances the flavor for sure. Do give it a try.
Heavy cream: I love to add heavy cream, but you can always use milk or half and half. It makes the mashed potatoes creamy and rich. Skip the heavy cream and use water(water used for cooking the potatoes) or plant-based milk for a vegan option.
Butter and chives: I love to add melted butter and finely chopped chives just before serving. But both are optional. I have tried dried Italian herb mix and finely chopped parsley instead of chives, but I must say, chives are my favorite.
Best way to mash the potatoes
I had no clue that we could mash the potatoes in so many different ways until I read this article. :-) I have always used my potato masher to mash them. As I always make a small batch of mashed potatoes, I have never mashed them in my stand mixer or hand mixer. But once tried mashing them with an immersion blender and ended up with a glue mix. :-) I won’t recommend using a blender/immersion blender for sure.
Use a potato masher or even a fork for fluffy mashed potatoes. If you are making in bulk, opt for a hand mixer or stand mixer.
Dietary specifications
It’s a gluten-free and nut-free dish. Skip the butter and heavy cream or swap it with plant-based milk and butter for a vegan option.
I have stored mashed potatoes for up to 2 days in the refrigerator but not more. You can also freeze them for up to a month.
Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make mashed potatoes in Instant Pot.
How to make mashed potatoes in Instant Pot
- Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes. Add the potato cubes, peeled garlic, ¼ tsp salt, and 1 cup water into the inner pot.
- Close the Instant Pot. Ensure the sealing ring is in place, and the vent should be in the sealing position. Pressure cook for 6 minutes at high-pressure mode and let the pressure release naturally.
- When the pressure is released, open the IP lid, reserve ¼ cup of potato starch water, and discard the remaining. Add the potatoes back into the Instant Pot.
- Using a potato/wire masher, mash the potatoes roughly like below.
- Now add the onion powder, cream, salt, and ground pepper. Using a spoon or spatula, mash again and combine the potato mix.
- If the potatoes are dry, then add the reserved water and mash again.
- Transfer it to a bowl, top it up with butter and garnish with chives and serve warm.
Stove-top / open-pot cooking instructions
- Bring 4 to 5 cups of water to a gentle boil in a saucepan. Add salt too. When the water simmer, add potatoes and garlic and cook until the potatoes are soft and tender.
- Drain the water and set aside ¼ cup of water. Transfer the potatoes back to the saucepan and mash them with a fork or potato masher.
- Add salt, ground pepper, onion powder, and cream. Mix well.
- Let the potatoes and the cream incorporate well and add additional potato starch water if required. Garnish it with chives and serve warm with butter.
Recipe notes
- Adjust the salt and ground pepper to taste.
- You can add up to 5 garlic cloves for this measure, and onion powder is optional, but I recommend not skipping it.
- Inside of chives, you can garnish it with chopped parsley or dried Italian herbs too.
Explore other vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Measurement Details – 1 cup =240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
To pressure cook
- 1 pound potatoes – russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves approx 8 grams
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup water
Other ingredients
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt + ¼ tsp
- ¼ cup cream
- ¾ tsp ground pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp butter divided
- 2 tbsp fresh chives chopped
Instructions
How to make mashed potatoes in Instant Pot
- Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes. Add the potato cubes, peeled garlic, ¼ tsp salt, and 1 cup water into the inner pot.
- Close the Instant Pot. Ensure the sealing ring is in place, and the vent should be in the sealing position. Pressure cook for 6 minutes at high-pressure mode and let the pressure release naturally.
- When the pressure is released, open the IP lid, reserve ¼ cup of potato starch water, and discard the remaining. Add the potatoes back into the Instant Pot.
- Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes roughly like below.
- Now add the onion powder, cream, salt, and ground pepper. Using a spoon or spatula, mash again and combine the potato mix.
- If the potatoes are dry, then add the reserved water and mash again. Transfer it to a bowl, top it up with butter and garnish with chives and serve warm.
Stove-top / open-pot cooking instructions
- Bring 4 to 5 cups of water to a gentle boil in a saucepan. Add salt too. When the water simmer, add potatoes and garlic and cook until the potatoes are soft and tender.
- Drain the water and set aside ¼ cup of water. Transfer the potatoes back to the saucepan and mash them with a fork or potato masher.
- Add salt, ground pepper, onion powder, and cream. Mix well.
- Let the potatoes and the cream incorporate well and add additional potato starch water if required. Garnish it with chives and serve warm with butter.
Notes
- Adjust the salt and ground pepper to taste.
- You can add up to 5 garlic cloves for this measure, and onion powder is optional, but I recommend not skipping it.
- Inside of chives, you can garnish it with chopped parsley or dried Italian herbs too.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: Earlier posted in 2015, updated now with Instant Pot instructions, recipe card with nutritional information.
You need a potato ricer for smooth really smooth mash.
Never added garlic for mashed potatothis s awesome
Looks yumm Sri – love anything with potato :D
Awesome comfort food
This is the time of year where I could just eat mashed potatoes all day!!
:-) Thanks