No drain Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes is the best Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish! Hands down this is a holiday favorite that’s cheap to make as a Ninja Foodi recipe or any brand of pressure cooker quick.
Jump To
- Ingredient Notes
- What is the best potato for mashed potatoes?
- Should you remove skins to make mashed potatoes.
- Variations and Subsitutions
- How long does it take?
- What else can you add?
- Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- How to save leftovers
- How to reheat
- What to make with leftover garlic mashed potatoes
We all love the traditional dishes served during the holidays, but it is nice to tweak it just a bit! These Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes do just that. Packed with flavor they’re a great easy Instant Pot recipe added to our list of more than 100+.
We made “plain” pressure cooker mashed potatoes years ago and used this same method, except with LOT more garlic and goodness. I don’t only make these when family comes over though. It is so easy to throw together, and cheap as heck that they’re served a few times a month too.
There is no colander needed to drain the water out before you prep these, you heard me right. That is super handy and makes it a lot safer too. No scalding liquid that can potentially burn you. Instead you just cook them with broth to soften and then add all the other ingredients at the end when you mash it all together.
Ingredient Notes
We do love making this with freshly roasted Air fryer garlic for obvious reasons, it is just the best flavor ever. I’ll admit that I do have a jar of minced in my fridge in case I run out but that is my standby. Diced onions are optional but add more taste and a bit of texture as well to every bite.
Washed and sliced Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes with the skin on or taken off like these. The only real difference is the texture and nutritional value is better when left on. Red take a bit longer because they are firmer.
You need some liquid to steam the taters to tender enough to mash well. Chicken broth is better than water for this because it obviously adds more flavor.
As for the add ins we use; Sour cream is our favorite add in but you could use Greek yogurt. Heavy cream will make them creamier than milk. Garlic salt is optional but adds a lot of flavor. I add salt and pepper to taste at the very end. You can always season more when they are done and ready to serve, you can’t unsalt it once it’s in there.
What is the best potato for mashed potatoes?
Yukon Gold are said to be the smoothest and best to use. They have more starch than others which lends to the best overall texture but second to those would be Russets. Keep in mind that the thicker you slice your pieces the chunkier they will be. If you want them really smooth cut them into chunks like you see here.
Should you remove skins to make mashed potatoes.
That is really personal preference. If you want to remove skins it will make them very smooth, for more texture leave them on. I typically will peel about half off so I get a mixture. There is a lot of nutrients in them and I like a bit of added texture so that is what I do.
Variations and Subsitutions
When it comes to the add ins at the very end you can add more or less than listed below. If you want them really thick you might only add a bit of the cream. Some like it real smooth and choose some cream cheese as well. For a healthier choice you could use broth instead to thin them out.
Start to finish this takes under 30 minutes which means you can pressure cook Instant Pot frozen roast first, and then when that is resting you can throw in potatoes to cook.
How long does it take?
It doesn’t make a difference what brand you use to boil potatoes in pressure cooker, they all take the same cook time of about 7 minutes. That will vary slightly depending on how large the pieces are but that is the only variable that will change things. You will use the lid that is attached with the pressure cook button in a Foodi.
Want to leave petite baby taters whole and serve them just like that? We show you how to make those pressure cooker baked potatoes this way which will take about twice as long to get tender but still probably the fastest method of all.
What else can you add?
You can add even more add ins like our cheesy bacon ranch potatoes too. Feel free to add a bit of sour cream for a creamier version. There are SO many ways to make these whether they are left whole, diced, or mashed as you see here. Adding in different herbs, butter, ranch seasoning, bacon bits and other add ins will make it taste different every time.
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lb potatoes, Yukon or russet, cubed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, diced
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, optional if you want them not as thick
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1 pinch salt, to taste
Instructions
- Wash and slice potatoes or cube them about 1.5" x 1.5" in size. You can leave skins on or off, off will make them smoother.
- Finely dice garlic and onion. Set pressure cooker to saute and add oil. Then add these into the pot to soften.
- Turn pot off, add potatoes and broth into the pot.
- Close lid and steam valve. Set to high pressure for 7 minutes followed by a 2 minute natural release, then quick release.
- Open lid and mash potatoes. Add sour cream, garlic salt and heavy cream if you want to add that too. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to save leftovers
What do you do with these if you have any leftovers. Wait until they are room temperature to do anything first off. Then spoon what is left into airtight containers. Add as much as you’d want to reheat in one sitting the next day. The least amount of air left in the container or bag the better to keep them moist.
How to reheat
Take your container out of the fridge. Do not use that same dish to reheat. Instead, transfer to a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds and then stir. Add a bit of milk to thin it out as they will likely thicken up in the cold fridge. Continue to do this until they are as hot as you’d like them to be. For added yum sprinkle shredded cheese on top for the last warming.
What to make with leftover garlic mashed potatoes
If this is for the holiday season you could combine these two favorites to make green bean mashed potato casserole the next day. The kids love it when I make them into air fryer mashed potato balls
