This is the most amazing and easy Instant Pot potato salad recipe with russets you’ll ever make in just 5 minutes! Loaded with eggs and pickles it’s the perfect side dish to any meal. Make in any pressure cooker like Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi too.
Boiling potatoes in one pot, eggs in another, then in a bowl to mix it all together is fine but literally you can now make this totally loaded Instant Pot potato salad in no time! It’s probably our favorite side dish in our easy Instant Pot recipes roundup page. (affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi Potato Salad Recipe
Of course potato salad is made to taste. If you love a lot of mustard then load it up. If you don’t like celery then just leave those out. You can use your Ninja Foodi pot or Crockpot Express too. With this pot you will use the lid that is not attached and can use the basket that came with the machine to hold the eggs.
We will show you how to cook the potatoes AND the eggs all at the same time. Then you just cool, add the rest of the ingredients and enjoy.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
How long to cook whole potatoes in pressure cooker for potato salad
That depends on their size. I used baby potatoes like you find in a bag that are multi colored. I think that is easiest since those take the same cook time as the eggs so you can throw them in together. If you want to cut larger ones into pieces like our Diced Instant Pot Potatoes that would work too. Smaller will get softer so if you want larger chunks then cut it into larger bite size pieces.
The main thing I’ll teach you is how to cook two things together in your Instant Pot. It is quicker than you probably think! If you have never done this it is totally possible. Once you get the hang of this you’ll want to do all the things for dinner next. Ok so you can’t make the whole thing, you wouldn’t want hot mayonnaise, mustard and celery inside. Those will stay cool until the main items are tender and perfect.
Instant Pot Potato Salad Russet
There are basically two main items of this popular side dish, eggs and potatoes. Use the variety of taters that you love, each has their own qualities, tastes and textures to them. The size will make the biggest difference, not the type you use. From there you prep them after cooked, and add the cold ingredients for the sauce.
Ingredients
- Petite potatoes work best to just slice
- Eggs are easiest to peel if they are white vs. brown
- Onions diced are optional
- Celery is too
- Mayonnaise is the base of the creaminess, plain Greek yogurt is an alternative
- Mustard or some prefer a bit of apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
2-Tier Vegetable Steamer does a great job of keeping the potatoes and eggs out of the water. Since we are cooking 2 items it’s best to keep them separate as well so this double vegetable steamer is great.
You may have one of these single vegetable steamers to make 5-5-5 Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs. If so you really can stack the two ingredients if you don’t want to buy another.
What kind of potatoes should I use for potato salad?
I like using baby russets or red potatoes. You can find in a bag at your local grocery store. They work perfectly for this recipe. If you can’t find them or prefer baking potatoes just ensure that they’re bite sized so the eggs and potatoes are done perfectly at the same time.
A good gage for sizing is if you have a regular bag red potatoes I would cut them in fourths or just small enough to barely slide each piece into the bottom tier of your vegetable steamer with the top steamer attached as you see here.
How to Make Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Potato Salad
- Then open your top tier and place 5-6 eggs on top. White eggs are best when boiling eggs in an electric pressure cooker or on the stovetop. They peel easier.
- Close your lid and set to manual, high pressure, for 5 minutes cooking time and do a slow release (meaning just move steam valve slightly so it comes out slowly).
- Of course they will be very hot so make sure to twist the safety handle contained in your 2-tier vegetable steamer to secure it to the top tier and then lift the whole thing out.
- Allow your potatoes to cool and then cut them into bite size pieces.
- Put your cooked eggs in a bowl and immediately fill it with cold water and ice so they can cool.
- Once cooled peel them and dice them into chunks of your desired size to make classic potato salad.
- In a large mixing bowl fold all your other ingredients together for the perfect Instant Pot potato salad!
I used 1.5 lbs. of baby potatoes. Most of them slid right in. Larger ones I cut in half, russet you’d need to make into diced potatoes (bite size).
How to Make Instant Pot potato salad with no steamer basket
Yes you can either use a standard vegetable basket and lay the eggs on top of the potatoes, or put them this way on top of a trivet. We use this same device when boiling potatoes in Instant Pot. The main point is you need to keep them out of the water in order to steam both of them vs. boiling. The potatoes will become too soft and break apart that way.
Now you could use a regular trivet to set the taters on with the eggs rested on top. Issue may be that those could roll off and crack but not a huge deal since you are peeling them anyway.
Some prefer to use softened cream cheese instead to bind it together. In a bind I have used whipped cream cheese too if I’ve forgotten to leave it out to soften or reach room temperature.
Pint size freezer bags work great, or use plastic containers. Either way ensure they’re airtight so it stays creamy and doesn’t dry out. It should stay well in the refrigerator stored this way for 2-3 days but personally I think it is best the day after for leftovers.
While it is technically possible to freeze potato salad, it is generally not recommended due to the changes in texture and flavor that can occur after freezing and thawing. Mayonnaise-based dressings don’t freeze well because they tend to separate when thawed. This can lead to a watery or curdled texture in the salad.
Can potato salad be made 2 days in advance?
Yes, and this is a great option if you’re having a barbecue or during the holidays. I actually think it is better the day after I make it. Mix all ingredients together well, cover with plastic wrap or foil and allow to get nice and chilly in your fridge.
Other easy Instant Pot side dish recipes you’ll love
- If you’re looking for other Instant Pot side dishes when you’re done with this one you should try this Instant Pot cauliflower mash
- The best Instant Pot cheesy bacon ranch potatoes
- Pressure cooker baked potatoes
- Here are a few other yummy potato Instant Pot recipes for beginners
Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs red potatoes, small – baby size, if larger cut in half so they're bite size
- 5 eggs, white are better than brown to peel
- 1/2 c onion, diced
- 1/2 c celery, diced
- 3/4 c mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp mustard, or more depending on your taste
- 1/2 c bacon, precooked, diced, optional
- 1 pickle, whole, dill, diced, optional
Instructions
- Add 2 c. of water to the bottom of your Instant Pot.
- Place your 2 tier vegetable steamer inside with the legs down so it isn't resting on the bottom of the pot. (or use regular trivet with eggs on top of potatoes)
- Close the top tier and place your baby size red potatoes on that level. If they don’t fit in the space between the two levels just cut them in half so they all cook evenly.
- Open top tier and place eggs there (white is best, easier to peel)
- Close lid and steam valve and set to manual, pressure, high, for 5 minutes.
- Do a natural release for 5 minutes and then release the rest of the steam.
- Remove entire 2 tier vegetable steamer from pot and set aside.
- Put potatoes in a bowl to cool, and then cut into 4-6 pcs each when cool.
- Put eggs in a bowl and run cold water on them, remove shells and slice into small pieces.
- Add cooled diced potatoes and egg into a bowl and add all other ingredients. Stir well until combined.
- Can serve immediately, I prefer to put it in the fridge for at least an hour but either way is excellent.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was really good. I use a trivet on the bottom of the pot, pan with holes in it for the potatoes and put a rack on top with the eggs. Worked great.
Awesome
We love to eat potato salad! Making this in the instant pot is such a great idea! Love it!
Thanks for the recipe and tips! Can’t wait to make it!
OMG! By looking at the first photo on top of this article, I find myself wanting to create this side dish. My son loves to eat eggs. Oh my, I feel excited. Will copy the ingredients and try it. Not sure, though. If the mustard is available here. Perhaps, I’ll skip it for the meantime. Thank you 🙂
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