This Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe is so easy to make! Pillowy mounds of fluffy potatoes with garlic-infused butter and sour cream make a delicious side dish. Garlic mashed potatoes are perfect for holiday meals!
This mashed potato recipe is one I've used for years. I decided it was time to adapt it to make it an Instant Pot recipe, as it's much quicker and more convenient.
Sometimes I substitute cream cheese for sour cream, and I've also made it on occasion with plant-based milk. My family agrees that this is the best mashed potato recipe!
❤️ Why this recipe works
- Cooking garlic mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot instead of boiling them frees up your stovetop. When you're making a holiday meal, every burner counts!
- This hands-off recipe allows you to prep other parts of your meal while the Instant pot babysits your potatoes.
- Garlic mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot cook evenly. No chunks that are too soft or too hard. Just right!
- A study asked Americans what side dish they were looking forward to the most for Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes ranked #1!
🛒 Ingredients
potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes make fabulous mashed potatoes. You can also use red potatoes or Russets or a combination of both. Leave the skins of Yukon Gold or red potatoes on for a rustic dish. Russet potatoes, however, have thick, rough skin which needs to be removed.
butter: salted butter. Don't skimp here. This is not a diet, low-fat side dish!
sour cream: Adds a rich, creamy flavour with a slight tanginess.
garlic: I like to infuse butter with garlic cloves, then remove the cloves leaving behind a subtle garlic flavour without any little bits of garlic.
herbs: Fresh thyme is my favourite herb to use with garlic mashed potatoes. You can use your favourite: oregano, chives, sage, parsley, and so on.
🔪 Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into fairly uniform sized-pieces, about 1.5 inches thick.
- Place the cut potatoes in the bowl of an Instant Pot and cover completely with cool water. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, seal, select the Steam function, then use the Manual button to set it for 12 minutes. The Instant Pot will take several minutes to build up steam before it starts counting down the time.
- When the time is up, use a Quick Release to release all the steam.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter with peeled garlic cloves and fresh herbs on the stovetop. Allow it to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves and the herbs and set aside.
- Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the melted garlic-infused herb butter and continue to mash until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream. You can also use a hand mixer, or you can transfer the potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer. Be careful not to beat them for too long, as they may release too much starch and become gummy.
- You can use the Keep Warm button on your Instant Pot to keep the mashed potatoes warm, but make sure to stir them occasionally. They may stick or even burn on the bottom, so watch carefully.
- Serve them directly from the Instant Pot, or transfer the potatoes to a serving dish. Garnish with extra pats of butter and fresh herbs like thyme or chives.
Equipment
🔁 Possible variations
The possibilities for dressing up your mashed potatoes are almost endless! If you're not a purist and you like your mashed potatoes simply rich, creamy and buttery, simply follow this recipe. Or you can try any of the following add-ins or substitutions.
Cream cheese: substitute cream cheese for the sour cream in this recipe.
Greek Yogurt: replace the sour cream with thick Greek yogurt.
Bacon: add finely crumbled crisp bacon bits.
Cheese: a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese or cheddar is always welcome! Or add both bacon and cheese as I did in this recipe for Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower with Bacon and Cheese.
Herbs: snipped fresh chives, finely chopped green onions, fresh thyme leaves, crumbled sage, or freshly chopped parsley.
A study asked Americans what side dish they were looking forward to the most for Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes ranked #1!
https://k945.com/the-best-8-thanksgiving-side-dishes/
❓Frequently asked questions about instant pot mashed potatoes
For small amounts, a potato ricer works well. For larger amounts, use a potato masher, or an electric mixer. Blenders or immersion blenders do not work well for mashing potatoes. They cause the potatoes to release too much starch. You'll end up with gummy potatoes instead of fluffy ones!
I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes or a combination of Yukon gold and Russets (aka Idaho potatoes). Yukon Gold potatoes have dense flesh, so they don't absorb too much water during cooking.
👍🏼 Tip: Ways to use leftover garlic mashed potatoes
Try any of these 35 Best Ways to Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes. Make them into potato pancakes or potato croquettes, or use them as a topping for Shepherd's Pie.
🥶 How to store
To prevent bacteria from forming, don't let the potatoes sit out at room temperature for more than two hours. Store your leftover mashed potatoes in a covered container in the fridge. They will last for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months.
If you make this garlic mashed potatoes recipe in an Instant Pot, please leave a comment and a rating to let me know how they turned out! Thanks in advance.
🗒 More side dish recipes
Planning a holiday dinner? You'll find oodles of gluten-free side dish recipes in my side dish category.
When you make these garlic mashed potatoes in an instant pot, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pounds potatoes Yukon gold, Russets, red potatoes or a combination
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, or other herbs, like rosemary or oregano
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and cut into fairly uniform sized-pieces, about 1.5 inches thick.
- Place cut potatoes in the bowl of an Instant Pot and cover completely with cool water. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, seal, select the Steam function, then use the Manual button to set it for 12 minutes. The Instant Pot will take several minutes to build up steam before it starts counting down the time.
- When the time is up, use a Quick Release to release all the steam.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter with peeled garlic cloves and fresh herbs on the stovetop. Allow it to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves and the herbs and set aside.
- Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the melted garlic-infused herb butter and continue to mash until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream. You can also use a hand mixer, or you can transfer the potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer. Be careful not to beat them for too long, as they may release too much starch and become gummy.
- You can use the Keep Warm button on your Instant Pot to keep the mashed potatoes warm, but make sure to stir them occasionally. They may stick or even burn on the bottom.
- Serve directly from the Instant Pot, or transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with extra pats of butter and fresh herbs like thyme or chives.
Britt
A reliable recipe, turns out perfectly every time I've made it.
Elaine
Happy to hear that! I've used this one for years. Glad you like it too!
Deanna
These turned out perfectly, just the way my family likes them! Saving this to use for ALL my holiday dinners!
Lorilei
Love this way of making them in the Instant Pot. I made them last night to have with chicken and I plan to use this recipe for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks!
Elaine
Agreed, so easy in the I Pot!