Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Name: Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3 lbs Russet (Idaho) potatoes; 1 oz garlic cloves; 2.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth; salt; fresh cracked black pepper; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1/4 cup leftover broth from cooking potatoes; 1/4 cup whole milk ((more or less if needed))

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These are the best tasting Instant Pot mashed potatoes with the best texture. Soft and fluffy Garlic Mashed Potatoes cooked easily in an instant pot. This comforting side dish is ready in about 30 minutes.

For a comforting potato side dish, try my classic mashed potatoes recipe.

scooping out some mashed potatoes from a white bowl.

Table of Contents

Mashed Potatoes in Instant Pot

Making a side of homemade mashed potatoes just got so much easier. Just let the pressure cooker do all of the work for you! Also, when you make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot instead of on your stove-top, it reduces your time in the kitchen by about 10 to 15 minutes. While that time is certainly valuable, the real reason I love this method as much as I do isn’t for the ease and quickness… It’s for the consistency.

When the potatoes are pressure cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot, the consistency is oh so soft and smooth. Mashing them doesn’t require sore arms afterwards because they’re incredibly tender. Also, when you prepare this recipe in the Instant Pot, the garlicky flavor really gets sealed in so much better than it would on your stove-top. If you’re a garlic lover like me, you’ll love how pronounced that flavor is in this simple recipe.

When it comes to comfort foods, I always prefer potatoes over pasta, and this potato side dish sits at the tip top of my list of favorites. I love serving it with hearty entrees like Prime Rib with Au Jus, especially during the colder winter months when I need something filling, flavorful, and wholly satisfying on my plate.

Ingredient Notes

labeled ingredients to make Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes on the cutting board.

This budget-friendly recipe utilizes kitchen staples that you likely already have on hand.

Russet Potatoes – (aka Idaho potatoes) I prefer them peeled, but you can leave the peels on the quartered potatoes if you don’t mind the texture. Potato peels actually contain plenty of nutrients if that’s the route you’d like to take. Just make sure to wash and scrub them well in leaving the skin on.

Garlic – For the BEST flavor and aroma, be sure to use fresh garlic cloves, not pre-minced.

Chicken or Vegetable Broth – While you can use store-bought broth, I recommend using either Homemade Chicken Stock or Homemade Vegetable Stock for the best flavor.

Seasonings – A simple sprinkle of coarse or flaky salt with some freshly cracked black pepper is all you need to help create the best flavor to compliment the garlic. If you want more garlic flavor, add a teaspoon of garlic powder.

Butter – it’s best to use unsalted butter, to control the amount of sodium in your dish.

Whole Milk – You can use more or less than what’s called for to achieve the desired consistency.

What are the Best Potatoes to Use? I prefer using Idaho (Russet) potatoes for any mashed potatoes.

How To Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Prepare the potatoes: Peel and quarter the potatoes. You can also choose to leave the skins on if you prefer, just note that your final product will have an added texture to it.

If you choose to leave the skin on, be sure to rinse and scrub the potatoes well and make sure there’s no residue on them.

collage of potatoes before cooking and adding broth to them in instant pot.

Add the ingredients to the pressure cooker: Place the prepared potatoes, pressed garlic, salt, and pepper in the Instant Pot (1). Pour in enough broth to cover the potatoes (2).

Pressure cook the potatoes: Close the lid and make sure it’s latched. Turn the valve to “seal” and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure cook mode for 15 minutes.

Carefully do a quick release. Make sure to press cancel first, then open the lid after all of the pressure has been released (3). Drain off the water, but be sure to save some for the mashed potatoes.

collage of two images of cooked potatoes in instant pot and adding milk.

Add the final ingredients and mash: add the butter, about 1/4 cup of cooking broth, and about 1/4 cup of milk (4) to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes well and taste to see if you need more salt or black pepper. Add more milk if necessary until the desired consistency is achieved. Mash potatoes using a potato masher until smooth and fluffy (5).

mashing potatoes in an instant pot inside bowl.

Tips for the Best Results

Do NOT replace the broth with water! Both chicken and vegetable broth lend so much flavor to the potatoes.
Plan on serving these mashed potatoes with a beef entrée or gravy? Feel free to use Beef Stock instead of vegetable or chicken.
Be very careful when you’re draining the water and mashing the potatoes as they will be quite hot.
Want to save a little time? You can use quick release on the pressure cooker instead of natural release. Natural release normally takes an additional 10-15 minutes. As always, be careful because the steam is hot.

Storing Instructions

You can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stored properly, your mashed potatoes should stay fresh for up to 3-5 days. Note that some milks affect the shelf life and could be closer to 3 days.

To reheat mashed potatoes, you can reheat all of them at the same time in the oven or individual portions in the microwave. To reheat them all in the oven, spread the cold mashed potatoes in a baking dish in an even layer and drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of whole milk over the top.

Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil loosely and reheat at 350, about 15 minutes, just until hot in the center. Mix well and you can even add a couple of slices of butter on top to melt.

closeup of mashed potatoes in a bowl topped with melted butter.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make mashed potatoes recipe ahead of time?

Mashed potatoes is a great side dish to make ahead of time, especially if you’re prepping for holiday dinners. After you make the potatoes according to the recipe, spread them in a baking dish and let them cool to room temperature. Cover the dish air-tight and refrigerate.
The next day, take the baking dish out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before reheating and discard whatever you used to cover the dish. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons on whole milk over the top of the potatoes and you can even add a couple of slices of butter on top as well. Loosely cover the dish with a sheet of aluminum foil and reheat at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness. Make sure the potatoes are hot at the very center before serving.

What are the best potatoes to use for Instant Pot mashed potatoes?

Russet potatoes are always the best choice for mashed potatoes because they are soft and fluffy and fall apart easy.
Gold potatoes would be our second choice because they are medium starch. They are soft but still stay together a little more. There is a slight sweetness to gold potatoes which will add that flavor to your side dish.
The ones that I DO NOT recommend are red potatoes. Red potatoes are on the waxy side and won’t give you as soft and fluffy results and Russet potatoes.

Do I have to peel the potatoes?

No, you don’t have to peel them but you DO have to wash them well! If you want to keep your side dish rustic, you can keep the potato skin on and simply cut the potatoes and add them to the pot. Make sure to wash and scrub the potatoes first though since they are usually covered in dirt.
Leaving potato skin on also preserves the nutrients that are in the potato skin.

top view of mashed potatoes in a white bowl with a spoon.

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