Pressure cooker mashed potatoes in your Instant Pot, Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi. The easiest way to create this classic buttery side dish for Thanksgiving or year round!

These are the most amazing 6 minute electric pressure cooker mashed potatoes ever! It’s one of our favorite side dish Instant Pot recipes. 😉 (originally published 3/17, affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi Mashed Potatoes
You can use any brand that you might have at home. I have 2 “IPs” and a Ninja Foodi as well which is nice. The latter gives me the ability to melt a layer of cheese on top after mashing. ;0
Both work the same to make these or our garlic mashed potatoes recipes for the holidays.
FIRST – You should sign up for my free newsletter so you get new posts emailed to you twice a week and never miss out on anything! Now 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.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook and a set of wooden utensils are great to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should still deglaze pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.

You know a holiday meal isn’t complete without homemade mashed potatoes! It’s probably the most well known side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, but great year round too.
- They’re really easy to make, inexpensive, and when loaded up they’re full of flavor!
- If you’re new to pressure cookers, or the well known Instant Pot I’d highly recommend one. if you’re a busy mom like myself you seriously can cook an entire dinner in about 15 minutes!
- 1 great thing about making them this way is during the holidays there is never enough room on the stovetop.
Ninja Foodi Mashed Potatoes Recipe
When you make them in your pressure cooker you can mash them and add all your other ingredients right in the pot! Put the lid on when they’re done and they’ll be kept warm until you’re ready to eat!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes – I prefer red or russet potatoes
- Yukon golds are too soft in my opinion
- Potato masher – no trivet or steamer basket necessary
- Chicken broth – or water but broth is better
- Sour cream – or cream cheese
- Milk and butter
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Add ins
- Sour cream
- Bacon bits
- Chives
- Then follow our directions to make pressure cooker gravy
Instant Pot Mashed Red Potatoes
You could use any variety you wanted. The biggest difference with red is they are firmer with less starch. That means the texture will not be quite as smooth but you could certainly make that change if desired.
I will say these are the easiest and most amazing 6 minute pressure cooker mashed potatoes. It’s an Instant Pot side dish we not only make during the holidays but throughout the year too.
- And of course if you’re making a meatloaf recipe these pressure cooking mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish done in 20 minutes flat!

Mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot
What are the best Instant Pot mashed potatoes?
Well, I’d have to say this recipe is because it has TONS of flavor and takes about 15-20 minutes total to make with bacon if you want!
- This also an easy Instant Pot mashed potatoes NO drain recipe which makes it SO much easier to prepare. I’d say safer too since you’re not dealing with scalding hot water and a wobbly strainer. 😉
Can you fry mashed potatoes?
- YES!
- Follow our easy potato cake recipe for a new side dish idea!
Here’s a video and printable directions to follow for pressure cooker Instant Pot or Crockpot Express mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes in Ninja Foodi
- Add 6 peeled and cut into large chunks potatoes + 1/2 c. chicken broth (or water) to the inner pot
- Cook the potatoes with the pressure lid on (the one that isn’t attached), close steam valve
- Turn Ninja Foodi pressure cooker on (bottom right button)
- Press pressure button, high for 6 minutes (will automatically turn to high temp.)
- Press start
- Do a quick release
- Add the butter, kosher salt and following ingredients below during mashing process
If this is for the holiday season you could combine these two favorites to make green bean mashed potato casserole too.
Want to make pressure cooker sausage and mashed potatoes?

You can make them together all at once for an easy one pot meal!!
- You just follow the directions below putting the diced potatoes at the bottom.
- Add your broth inside too.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper at this time.
- Lay uncooked sausages right on the top! These were beer brats.
- Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes with a 3 minute natural release.
- Remove sausages and prepare mashed potatoes right in the pot, then serve.
We have made Ninja Foodi french fries and Ninja Foodi steak and mashed potatoes cooked together too.

If you’re looking for more potato recipe ideas and/or Instant Pot side dishes you should try these:
- Cheesy Instant Pot scalloped potatoes are great, or make frozen pierogies in air fryer as a side.
- Tender and delish Instant Pot cheesy bacon ranch potatoes
- Pressure cooker baked potatoes
- Air fryer mashed potatoes are great too
- Mashed cauliflower can be made on your stovetop too
How long does it take to boil a potato?
It takes A LOT longer than in a pressure cooker I will say that. Depending on your stovetop it typically takes 20 minutes for water to come to boil and potatoes to be fork tender.
From there you have to mash them and add tasty ingredients. Don’t forget the time to peel and cube those suckers.
- I’d say the traditional boiling method would take 20 minutes to tender vs. 11 with time it takes to come to pressure.
What is the quickest way to boil potatoes?
In your multi cooker pot nowadays for sure!
This isn’t the only reason I cook potatoes in my pressure cooker. I use this method to make Instant Pot potato salad too.

Here are a few questions you might have before you get started on these:
How long do leftover mashed potatoes last?
We rarely have any but typically if kept in an air tight container or freezer bag they’ll be good in your refrigerator for 3-5 days. The longer you keep them the drier they will become.
Either make air fryer mashed potato balls with them or stir in some sour cream and/or cream cheese to add fat back in, and then reheat them in the microwave in 30 second intervals stirring in between.
Yes but when they’re fresh add plenty of fat like using whole milk and butter. Then once they are completely cool transfer to freezer bags.
Make sure to get all the air out of the bags, zip closed and store flat in your freezer.
Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes
This mashed potato recipe is really no different.
If you want to make this adjustment, follow the same directions below but cut pieces smaller. You want to do this because they’re a bit firmer and need extra time or smaller pieces to get as tender as you want to mash.
Want to see a few of my favorite things that I am totally obsessed with?? Take a peek and see how many you might already have…twinsies!
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Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 potatoes skin removed, or partially and cut into chunks
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/2 c chicken broth or water
- 1/2 c milk more if you want them smoother
- 1/4 c sour cream
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tbsp bacon bits optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Skin your potatoes and dice them into about 8 pcs per medium sized potato. I like red potatoes but you could use baking potatoes too.
- Add diced potatoes and chicken broth or water into your pressure cooker. If you want to add 5 uncooked brats/sausages to the top of your potatoes do so now. Set to manual, pressure, high, 6 minutes. Close lid and steam valve.
- When done allow to naturally release pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release and lift lid carefully.
- You can leave potatoes in your pot to mash as long as your masher isn't metal (don't want to scratch it), add butter into the pot and close lid so it can melt.
- Add all other ingredients and mash until smooth.
- Add in more milk to thin out.
Video


Hanna
Monday 13th of September 2021
First of all, I love your Star Wars Instant Pot! So cute! I've gotta get one of those! These mashed potatoes are incredible. They're my kids all-time favorite side dish!
The Typical Mom
Tuesday 14th of September 2021
Thank you!! OH so glad
Brandy
Monday 13th of September 2021
I'm so happy I found this page because these potatoes came out perfect! I make mashed potatoes often and this will now be my go to!
The Typical Mom
Tuesday 14th of September 2021
Oh good!!
Melissa
Friday 25th of December 2020
I used this recipe twice. The first time came out perfect the second time my foodi said to add water. I heard this issue was bc of the milk in the recipe. Has anyone else had this issue.
Justine
Friday 25th of December 2020
It doesn’t say to add milk until after the potatoes are cooked. You only cook potatoes and broth together. Add ins added later.
Patti
Thursday 26th of November 2020
Has anyone made these using 5 lbs of potatotes? If so, how long did you cook?
Mona
Thursday 4th of November 2021
@Patti,
Five pounds of potatoes won't fit, not even in the 8 quart Instant Pot. That's the one I have.
You might get 2 or 3 lbs to fit in it but never the whole 5 lbs.
Good luck with your recipe.
Mona
Michael Press
Wednesday 10th of June 2020
Talk about a dish that’s easy to prepare as well as delicious! The heck with boiling and all that steam and the colander! I think this is a great idea, I love cooking the potatoes in the chicken broth which already flavors them during pressure cooking, and now I wish I had a non-metal masher - although truth be told, the potatoes were so tender in the first place that I probably could’ve mashed them in the inner pot with a plastic spoon/fork! Thanks for publishing this!