I’m sharing my method for making flavorful and creamy mashed potatoes in an instant pot with this delicious instant pot garlic mashed potatoes recipe. These creamy and garlicky mashed potatoes are mostly hands-off and require very little prep work.
These mashed potatoes are buttery, creamy, and garlicky! They make for a rich and velvety and comforting side dish, especially during this chilly time of year. The best part about them is that they are so simple to make in an instant pot!
We are taking this classic side dish up a notch by adding some garlic to it! And freshly cracked black pepper and chives too! Oh, and melted butter, obviously. You can easily adapt these to your preference, but if you’re like me, you’re going to want it all:
I call these “lazy mashed potatoes” because…
Because I’ve come up with a recipe that requires you to do the least amount of work possible. There is no need to peel or chop or boil or drain these potatoes.
Yes, you can peel the potatoes if you want to, but most of the time, I just give them a quick rinse, leave them unpeeled and toss them right into the instant pot.
I also leave the potatoes whole – there’s no need to chop them up. Whole potatoes require a longer cook time, but I’ll take a few minutes of chilling on the couch if it means avoiding actual work (e.g., chopping).
Once the potatoes are done, no need to drain the water – just mash it all up and add a few ingredients!
Should I peel the potatoes?
Totally up to you! Leave ’em on if you like them that way! As I mentioned above, I usually leave the peels because I will always choose the easier way to do things. I’ve been told by family/friends that they prefer it that way – I really don’t think peels are a big deal.
What type of potatoes should I use to make mashed potatoes?
I usually use either all russet potatoes or a combination of russet and Yukon gold potatoes. You can use any potato you want, but you may need to adjust the ingredients accordingly, as all potatoes absorb different amounts of liquid. I’ve tried the recipe listed below many times with all russets as well as using a combination of russet and Yukon. The latter turns out a bit sweeter, just so you know. I’m not sure which way I prefer them, but I’d say the combo if I HAD to choose.
What additions can I add to the mashed potatoes?
My recipe is pretty basic but feel free to have fun with it. Outside of potatoes, water, and salt, I add garlic, butter, milk, and a couple of optional ingredients like heavy cream and parmesan. You can also sprinkle in bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions, chives, sour cream, cream cheese, I mean, the list goes on.
I hope you love these mashed potatoes! They go really well with my Thanksgiving meatballs or my Thanksgiving meatloaf.
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes (no drain)
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes (no drain)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds medium russet potatoes or a combination of russet and yukon gold, peeled or unpeeled*
- 6-8 cloves garlic I like 8
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ cup butter 1 stick
- ½ - 1 cup milk adjust to consistency preference
Optional ingredients:
- ⅔ cup - 1 cup grated parmesan adjust to taste
- 2 - 4 tablespoons heavy cream to consistency preference
- *see notes for other additional ingredient ideas
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, garlic, water, and salt to the pot.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook for 16 minutes at high pressure.
- Quick-release pressure.
- Add the butter, mash, then slowly add milk and heavy cream if using while mashing the potatoes.
- Optional: add the parmesan or any other ingredients if desired.
- Top with freshly ground black pepper and chives. Add more butter if desired.
Notes
- *If you are using a large or XL potato, cut it in half before putting it into the pot.
- You may want to adjust the salt at the end; if you're not using parmesan cheese, you'll likely want to add more salt.
- A few ideas: you can mix in sour cream or cream cheese if you prefer a bit of tang. Or you can sprinkle in bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions for loaded mashed potatoes!
Kristin says
How long after I make this do I have to serve this?
Jennifer says
These potatoes are perfection! As hubby said, I could get in trouble with these. 🙂 So good! New to using an IP and so happy I found this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Jennifer, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how much you and your hubby liked the potatoes 🙂
Jo says
These were amazing. Great flavor and easily to make. My husband made these for Thanksgiving. He left the skin on the Yukon gold potatoes. We used dairy free butter and 1/2 cup plain almond milk. This is our new favorite recipe for mashed potatoes.
My Heart Beets says
Jo, that’s great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Kal says
Can these be made ahead and how many days can they be stored in the refrigerator?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Kal, sorry for the late reply – you should be able to keep them in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Jessica says
Im curious if the potatoes are meant to be put in whole or cut up?
My Heart Beets says
Whole 🙂
Mama Yac says
First, this was delicious! Wonderful recipe and a game changer for weeknight dinners! The 8 cloves of garlic are a MUST. Question – What pressure cooker do you use? Watts? I have the Emeril 4500 watt. Putting the potatoes in whole took a total of 28 minutes on high (original 16, 8 more, and final 5). I added a few splashes of chicken stock for the third round. In the future, I will half or quarter the potatoes and cook on high for the 16 minutes. I think that will make a big difference and cut down the cooking time. Again, fantastic receipt! Thank you.
My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad you liked this – thanks for letting me know how it turned out! I use an instant pot. And that’s good to know about the potatoes – do you know about how much those potatoes weighed? I may have to test this again using very large potatoes…
Mama Yac says
Good morning! I used yellow potatoes. It was 3 lbs. I actually weighed them. That equaled 6 potatoes. I am making the recipe again this weekend with Mississippi Pot Roast and spinach pie. I am going to quarter them, I think, hoping they are not too overdone and cook for 16 minutes as you suggest. I may just need to half them. I’m not sure yet. 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Thank you! This is helpful to know – I’m surprised though that it didn’t cook in time. I hope it goes well the next time!
Dot Jo says
recently purchased an instant pot after much deliberation if I really needed another kitchen appliance. Well, if this mashed potatoes recipe ends up being the only thing I ever continue to make in it, it will be worth it! After 30+ years of draining potatoes after boiling, this no drain recipe is fantastic! And I’m on board with adding the max suggested garlic cloves; in fact I may add a couple more extra next time 😉
My Heart Beets says
That makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad you liked these mashed potatoes 🙂
Niloo says
Do you have the video showing the recipe
My Heart Beets says
I don’t but am planning to add a lot more video in 2020, so stay tuned 🙂
Vijaya says
About to try the recipe. After potatoes are done, do you add cold milk or boiled milk, esp if we are going to have leftovers?
Vijaya
My Heart Beets says
Hi Vijaya, it’s fine to use cold milk – add it slowly and wait for it to incorporate before pouring more into the pot. If you’re asking how to re-heat the potatoes, if after re-heating them they seem dry, you can slowly add more milk/cream until they’re soft and creamy again 🙂
Liz says
Everyone liked the mashed potatoes. However, I was wondering if I could add 1 cup milk instead of 1 cup water before cooking? After cooking, I could only use a bit of the mix of milk and cream before the potatoes were getting too moist. Maybe it was because my grocery was out of russet potatoes and I had to go with all Yukon gold.
My Heart Beets says
Liz, happy to hear that! So I haven’t tried using milk at the start – my only concern would be that it might burn. Typically when I pressure cook milk, I first hit the sauté button and boil a bit of water, then add milk as it keeps the milk from burning (it’s my secret to making this Indian rice pudding in the IP). As for why your potatoes were moist – it’s definitely because you only used yukon golds – russets absorb more liquid. Hope that helps!
Brandi says
These mashed potatoes are so good and sooo easy! I didn’t peel the potatoes to make it as simple as I could and they were the easiest mashed potatoes I’ve ever made. Thank you for the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Brandi, I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Glad you liked the mashed potatoes so much!