bhofack2/Getty Images
- It takes just 10 minutes to cook silky, fluffy mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot.
- Cubing the potatoes into equal 1.5 or 2-inch cubes ensures they cook evenly.
- Experiment with mix-ins and toppings to elevate the flavor of Instant Pot mashed potatoes.
- Visit Insider's Home & Kitchen Reference library for more stories.
The perfect mashed potatoes are silky, luscious, and fluffy and you can quickly and easily get that magical consistency by making them in the Instant Pot. Angela Lo, author of My Instant Pot Life likes to use this method because it's faster than the stovetop method and requires no monitoring.
"How many times have you over-boiled water or boiled a pot dry because you had to multitask and forgot all about it?" Lo asks, adding that water boiling over doesn't just create a mess. It's potentially dangerous, too.
For Lo, making mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot is the way to go for a number of reasons.
- It saves time. In a pot, potatoes usually take at least 15 minutes to boil. In the Instant Pot, they cook in 10 minutes.
- Requires minimal cleanup. Cooking mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot requires only one pot. And there's no need to worry about water boiling over, leaving a mess on your stovetop.
- Requires zero monitoring. On the stovetop, boiling potatoes require your attention to keep water from boiling over. With the Instant Pot, you can focus on other meal prep tasks, which is especially helpful when you're making Thanksgiving dinner or another holiday meal that requires a lot of multitasking.
- Creates perfect results every time. You don't have to worry about under or overcooked potatoes. The Instant Pot cooks potatoes to the perfect consistency for mashing.
How to serve your mashed potatoes
bhofack2/Getty Images
Adding additional ingredients to your mashed potatoes isn't necessary, but it's a great way to put a spin on this classic dish. Some of Lo's favorite mix-ins for mashed potatoes include roasted garlic, grated aged cheddar, and crispy bacon bits.
She also likes to garnish her mashed potatoes with garden-grown chives to level them up. "For the ultimate side dish, add them all," Lo says.
Her favorite dishes to serve alongside Instant Pot mashed potatoes include pork roast, beef pot roast, ribs, and barbecue sirloin steak. And, of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a fluffy mound of gravy-soaked mashed potatoes right next to the turkey and stuffing.
You can also top your mashed potatoes with gravy, cheese, sour cream, or extra butter to elevate the flavor profile even further.
Reheating and storing mashed potatoes
You can make a big pot of mashed potatoes ahead of time and store them in an airtight container, but expect them to have a slightly different flavor and be less fluffy when reheated.
If leftover mashed potatoes are too dry, try adding a splash of milk and a pat of butter to moisten them. "Mine never last long enough to go beyond one day," says Lo, but leftover or made-ahead mashed potatoes should last around two to three days in the fridge.
Insider's takeaway
Mashed potatoes are ultra-easy to make in the Instant Pot. They require no monitoring and take less than 15 minutes to prep, cook, mash, and serve. For best results, use yellow or Yukon gold potatoes and be careful not to overwork the potatoes while mashing. Gently mashing with a handheld tool will keep the mashed potatoes from turning gummy.