Make perfect creamy homemade mashed potatoes every single time with my easy-to-make recipe for Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes. This classic side dish is made within 30 minutes with fresh ingredients.
If you love homemade mashed potatoes or maybe have never made them? I’m excited to share with you my easy Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe. If you struggle with making mashed potatoes from scratch you are going to love all my step-by-step instructions.
I’m going to admit something that I never thought I would ever write about… since having children I have failed miserably at making mashed potatoes from scratch. Woooo, now that I got that off my chest– I can tell you how incredibly excited I am that I finally can make homemade mashed potatoes, from scratch. Successfully, EVERY SINGLE TIME!
All thanks to my Instant Pot.
You see, before kids I probably made mashed potatoes at least once a week and dang, I made AMAZING mashed potatoes. Then, I had children and I can’t for the life of me figure out what the heck happened… other then time. There is an art to making mashed potatoes and timing is everything. So when I started experimenting in my kitchen by making garlic mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot I knew I was on to something.
Why this Recipe Works
You will only need one pot to make these delicious garlic mashed potatoes which means very little clean up.
Time Saving – Instant Pots are known for their speed in cooking. When making garlic mashed potatoes, the Instant Pot can significantly reduce the cooking time compared to traditional stovetop methods. The pressure cooking function allows you to cook the potatoes quickly, making them soft and easy to mash in a fraction of the time it would take using a regular pot.
Enhanced Flavor – Using an Instant Pot to cook garlic mashed potatoes can enhance the flavor. When you cook the garlic along with the potatoes under pressure, it infuses the flavor into the potatoes more effectively, resulting in a richer, more pronounced garlic flavor. This can add depth and complexity to your mashed potatoes, making them more enjoyable for garlic lovers.
Consistency and Texture – The Instant Pot provides consistent and precise cooking, ensuring that the potatoes cook evenly and reach the ideal texture for mashing. The controlled pressure and steam inside the Instant Pot help achieve a smooth and creamy texture for your mashed potatoes, making it easier to create a perfectly uniform and velvety side dish.
Easy Clean Up – You will only need one pot to make these delicious garlic mashed potatoes, which means very little clean up. After the potatoes are cooked and mashed you can keep the Instant Pot on the “warm” setting to keep them warm until ready to serve. This not only simplifies the cooking process but also minimizes the number of dishes to wash, making your meal preparation more efficient and hassle-free. With fewer pots and utensils to clean, you can enjoy your meal and spend less time on post-cooking cleanup.
Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes – I find that russet work best for mashing. They tend to get less
- Heavy Cream – If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use half and half or milk. Make sure the heavy cream is at room temperature before mashing.
- Butter – In my book, you can never have enough butter for mashed potatoes!
- Garlic – I use about 8 cloves of garlic that I leave whole. They will cook down while the potatoes cook infusing the water. Then once it’s time to mash you mash the soft cloves of garlic right in the potatoes.
- Seasonings – The basic salt, pepper, and fresh parsley is what I like to use.
Directions
First, peel the potatoes, and cut into large 1-inch cubes (make sure all pieces are similar in size). Place in the Instant Pot and cover with about 4 cups of water. Add one teaspoon of salt to the water plus the garlic cloves.
Close the lid, making sure the valve is in “sealing” position. Select the “steam” setting and cook for 10 minutes.
As soon as the Instant Pot beeps and the potatoes are done; carefully do a quick pressure release. Drain the potatoes immediately into a strainer.
Return the potatoes back to the Instant Pot. Using a potato masher immediately mash the potatoes. Let the steam escape for a few minutes. Then mix in the butter and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste and add parsley flakes on top for garnish. Serve immediately.
Want gravy to go with your mashed potatoes? Check out my how to make turkey gravy recipe or my white gravy recipe.
FAQS
You want to use Russet Potatoes or even Yukon Golds. They are a higher starch potato and will yield the fluffiest, smoothest, and most flavor-packed mashed potato. You will want to stay away from waxy potatoes like a red or white potato. These require more mashing to become creamy, which could lead to the dreaded potato paste. Which is what I would almost always get every time I was trying to make mashed potatoes. I know it’s crazy to think a food blogger having issues making mashed potatoes, but y’all… the struggle has been real!
Yes, for this recipe you need to drain the cooked potatoes, and you need to drain them immediately. It’s very important you don’t let them sit. The more you let them sit the greater the chance you’re going to have potato paste.
After doing a lot of testing I found that 10 minutes on the “steam” setting is the magic combo. The potatoes come out fork tender and are perfect for mashing. Now, remember it will take at least 10 minutes to come to pressure before the timer begins on the Instant Pot—so it’s safe to say “20” minutes of cooking time (roughly total).
Yes, if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand you can use frozen chopped garlic, garlic in water, or even garlic powder in the water mixture. About 2 teaspoons of garlic powder will do to substitute out 8 cloves of garlic.
Tips & Tricks
I have a few more helpful tips I’ve learned along the way that I feel I must tell you to make you not only confident in making mashed potatoes but well equipped and ready to tackle a simple yet daunting cooking skill.
- DO NOT use a hand-mixer or stand-mixer when making mashed potatoes. This was the number one reason why my mashed potatoes were turning to paste. I over mixed them.
- Invest in a potato masher. I know what your thinking–another kitchen gadget?!?! Yes, if you want to make successful mashed potatoes every single time you need to invest in a potato masher.
- Do not over mix. After you have drained *and rinsed your potatoes you’ll place them back in the Instant Pot. Then, using the potato masher you will begin to mash the potatoes. I spend 30-60 seconds tops doing this and leave them a little lumpy. Then I let them rest for a few minutes. I return to add in cubed salted butter and heavy cream. My potatoes are creamy and I’m not beating them to death.
- Even Cuts – By cutting the potatoes in even size this will prevent some to turn to mush while others not cook through. I find that a thicker 1-inch size piece of potato works just fine.
- Room Temperature – For best results and to ensure you don’t end up with gummy potatoes have the butter and heavy cream at room temperature.
- Broth – You can use a box of chicken broth instead of water. Just make sure you reduce the amount of salt you add to the pot as most chicken broth has a lot of sodium already in it.
Now that I’ve shared all my tips and tricks I hope that you’re feeling even more confident and ready to make homemade mashed potatoes from scratch using your Instant Pot.
What to serve with mashed potatoes
Wondering what to serve with mashed potatoes? They pair well with so many dishes. A few of my favorites are turkey breast cutlets, air fryer steak, and air fried pork chops. If those don’t interest you here are a few of my favorites.
What to do with leftover Mashed Potatoes
Have leftovers? You can transform them into a pot of my Mashed Potato Soup! Think of that recipe as a quicker and just as tasty version of baked potato soup! Or make my mashed potato patties! You can also check out my round-up on Leftover Mashed Potato Recipes.
If you make my garlic mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 7 Russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 4 cups Water
- 8 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- salt and black pepper to taste
- dried parsley flakes for garnish
Instructions
- First, peel the potatoes, and cut into large 1-inch cubes (make sure all pieces are similar in size). Place in the Instant Pot and cover with about 4 cups of water. Add one teaspoon of salt to the water and the garlic cloves.
- Close the lid, making sure the valve is in "sealing" position. Select the "steam" setting and cook for 10 minutes.
- As soon as the Instant Pot beeps and the potatoes are done; carefully do a quick pressure release. Drain the potatoes immediately into a strainer.
- Return the potatoes back to the Instant Pot. Using a potato masher immediately mash the potatoes. Let the steam escape for a few minutes. Then mix in the butter and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste and add parsley flakes on top for garnish. Serve immediately.
Notes
- DO NOT use a hand-mixer or stand-mixer when making mashed potatoes. This was the number one reason why my mashed potatoes were turning to paste. I over mixed them.
- Invest in a potato masher. I know what your thinking–another kitchen gadget?!?! Yes, if you want to make successful mashed potatoes every single time you need to invest in a potato masher.
- Do not over mix. After you have drained *and rinsed your potatoes you’ll place them back in the Instant Pot. Then, using the potato masher you will begin to mash the potatoes. I spend 30-60 seconds tops doing this and leave them a little lumpy. Then I let them rest for a few minutes. I return to add in cubed salted butter and heavy cream. My potatoes are creamy and I’m not beating them to death.
- Even Cuts – By cutting the potatoes in even size this will prevent some to turn to mush while others not cook through. I find that a thicker 1-inch size piece of potato works just fine.
- Room Temperature – For best results and to ensure you don’t end up with gummy potatoes have the butter and heavy cream at room temperature.
- Broth – You can use a box of chicken broth instead of water. Just make sure you reduce the amount of salt you add to the pot as most chicken broth has a lot of sodium already in it.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!