Quick and Easy Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes with cream cheese and sour cream is a recipe that will show you how long to pressure cook mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot. Serve this side dish for a holiday crowd using five pounds of russet or red potatoes or dinner for two using two pounds of potatoes. Drain the pot for fluffy potatoes, no-drain for creamy potatoes.

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Calories: 250 Fat: 7G Net Carbs: 40G Protein: 6G
Summer is winding down and for the first time ever I am looking forward to fall. Summer is my favorite time of year. I love warm temperatures, BBQs, and hanging out by the pool.
This summer has been incredibly busy for me. I have taken 3 (well deserved) vacations and I have also had a lot of projects on my plate. I am looking forward to ushering in fall and sliding into the home plate for 2018. I can't believe we only have a few months left of this year.
The end of the year means the holiday season is on the rise. The holiday season brings in the best food of the year. These Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes come along with it. These potatoes are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and also make a great side-dish year round.
I love to eat my mashed potatoes with gravy, but good potatoes also don't need it. I need to come up with a delicious gravy recipe that can be prepared in the Instant Pot. Hmmmm....stay tuned for that one!
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe Tips
- How long do you pressure cook mashed potatoes? If you are cooking 2 pounds of potatoes, cook on High > Manual Pressure Cooking for 10 minutes. 5 pounds of potatoes will need 12 minutes.
- Which potatoes do you use for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes? Russet potatoes work great to create light, fluffy, and succulent potatoes. I, however, also love mashed red potatoes. A lot of people don't like the consistency of mashed red potatoes. If you are cooking for a crowd, I definitely recommend russet or even Yukon gold. Test it out to see which you like the best.
- How much water is necessary? Enough to cover the potatoes completely. This will help the pot come to pressure. For 2 pounds of potatoes, I needed 2 cups of water.
- Do you have to peel the potatoes before cooking them in the Instant Pot? This depends. If you want traditional mashed potatoes, then yes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 4 large chunks. Skin-on mashed potatoes are a thing! They still taste good. Do what works for you.
- Do you need to use a steam basket or trivet for mashed potatoes? No, I use my trivet or steam basket when making Instant Pot Baked Potatoes or Instant Pot Potato Salad. The steam basket is necessary for the potato salad because I also boil the eggs with the potatoes. The trivet is necessary for baked potatoes to prevent the potato skin from burning inside the pot. You will not need one for this recipe.
- Do you have to drain the water from the Instant Pot after pressure cooking? It depends, I recommend yes drain the water. Draining the water completely will help create fluffy potatoes for this recipe. This recipe calls for cream cheese, ¼ cup heavy cream, and ¼ cup of sour cream.
- If you pair these ingredients with the water that is already in the Instant Pot, the potatoes will turn out soupy. If you like creamy potatoes as opposed to fluffy, I still recommend you drain the water first, add the ingredients noted, and then assess if you need more liquid. You can always add water/liquid back to the potatoes. Once you add in your ingredients, it is a lot more difficult to drain the water. You will essentially be draining the ingredients you added right along with it.
- Russet potatoes are naturally bland. SEASON your potatoes with salt and pepper, in addition to the spices listed. Start light and taste repeatedly until you have reached your desired taste.
More Instant Pot Recipes:
Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Sweet Potato Soup
Instant Pot Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Instant Pot Low-Carb Pumpkin Spice Bread
Instant Pot Lasagna
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs Using the Instant Pot
Instant Pot Chicken and Spanish Rice (Arroz Con Pollo)
Instant Pot Cheesecake
Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti Squash
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Instant Pot Steak Tacos
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowl with Quinoa
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Pair these potatoes with your favorite meatloaf or with these Instant Pot Garlic Tuscan Chicken Thighs!
Quick and Easy Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and sliced into large chunks
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced You can also use 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in a jar
- water, enough to completely cover the potatoes I used 2 cups
- 2 oz cream cheese I used reduced-fat
- ¼ cup sour cream I used reduced-fat
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter Use more if you prefer
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon rosemary fresh or jarred
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and slice the potatoes. To make it easy, I sliced each potato twice, to make 4 big chunks.
- Place the potatoes in the Instant Pot with the garlic and water.
- Cook on Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps that it is complete, quick release the steam.
- Open the lid and drain the excess water from the pot. See note in Recipe Notes.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the remaining ingredients. Continue to mash and combine the ingredients. The potatoes will become fluffy. If the potatoes are too thick add a little water or milk until they reach your desired texture.
- Cool before serving.
Notes
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe Tips
- How long do you pressure cook mashed potatoes? If you are cooking 2 pounds of potatoes, cook on High > Manual Pressure Cooking for 10 minutes. 5 pounds of potatoes will need 12 minutes.
- Which potatoes do you use for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes? Russet potatoes work great to create light, fluffy, and succulent potatoes. I, however, also love mashed red potatoes. A lot of people don't like the consistency of mashed red potatoes. If you are cooking for a crowd, I definitely recommend russet or even Yukon gold. Test it out to see which you like the best.
- How much water is necessary? Enough to cover the potatoes completely. For 2 pounds of potatoes, I needed 2 cups of water.
- Do you have to peel the potatoes before cooking them in the Instant Pot? This depends. If you want traditional mashed potatoes, then yes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 4 large chunks. Skin-on mashed potatoes are a thing! They still taste good. Do what works for you.
- Do you have to drain the water from the Instant Pot after pressure cooking? It depends, I recommend yes drain the water. Draining the water completely will help create fluffy potatoes for this recipe. This recipe calls for cream cheese, ¼ cup heavy cream, and ¼ cup of sour cream. If you pair these ingredients with the water that is already in the Instant Pot, the potatoes will turn out soupy. If you like creamy potatoes as opposed to fluffy, I still recommend you drain the water first, add the ingredients noted, and then assess if you need more liquid. You can always add water/liquid back to the potatoes. Once you add in your ingredients, it is a lot more difficult to drain the water. You will essentially be draining the ingredients you added right along with it.
- Russet potatoes are naturally bland. SEASON your potatoes with salt and pepper, in addition to the spices listed. Start light and taste repeatedly until you have reached your desired taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Wilhelmina Wessel says
Always a great side dish option!
Helen says
I have a feeling these are going to become a new favourite around here!
Thank you for this awesome quick and easy recipe!
Anaya says
Thank you for the recipe can not wait to try it.
staysnatched says
I hope you enjoy it!
Jennifer says
Yummy! I just finished cooking/eating these mashed potatoes. They were so good & fluffy. Thank you for this recipe. I probably won’t be making mashed potatoes on the stovetop again...?
staysnatched says
haha! You and me both!
Wayne Henry says
Great dish. I made it tonight, and it came out very well. I used it as a side dish along with pork neck bones and fried kale with bacon. I know it is a lot of pork, but it tasted delicious. However, I do have a question. I watched the video and noticed that after you took the cover off of the instant pot, you poured a liquid into the pot and stirred. The liquid was not labeled in the video, and I did not see it in the ingredients. I was going to put heavy cream in the dish but decided against doing so because it was not in the ingredients list.
Please advise.
staysnatched says
Hi there. The ingredients listed in the recipe card are what you should use.
Ana says
Looking at making this recipe for Thanksgiving and when I read the post it says, "This recipe calls for cream cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and 1/4 cup of sour cream."
In the recipe ingredients list, it doesn't mention heavy cream. Should this be added or omitted?
staysnatched says
The 1/4 cup is added. Thanks for checking!
Lulu says
Omg, I made you instant pot mashed potatoes, never making them any other way, so easy and creamy! Thank you, you have the most amazing recipes!
staysnatched says
Yes! I love an easy potatoes recipe.
Jillianjiggs55_tiu says
I loved everything about these mashed potatoes. I loved how easy and quick they were (just like the title). They were so creamy and not running. I made sure to follow Brandi’s tips. I will definitely be making these again and not just on Thanksgiving.
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm so glad they were a success.
Kelly says
After making these, I can’t believe I’ve been struggling to make mashed potatoes on the stove all these years! The potatoes were ridiculously easy to mash, tasted great, and didn’t take up space on the stove. Best part is I could make them a couple hours before dinner, cover the instant pot, and they were warm and perfect when we were ready to eat.
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I will never go back to stovetop either.
Katye Brzozowski says
To start, for thanksgiving we ALWAYS go with Steam and Mash potatoes for simplicity sake. This year, they were no where to be found and I thought of StaySnatched first. Thank goodness this recipe was here. It was a literal idiot proof recipe. Even the reheated leftovers taste as amazing as they did Thursday. Thank you!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.
Linda says
Amazing, flavorful and creamy
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Erin says
I had a recipe for Instant Pot mashed potatoes. I tried it twice with no success. Last night, I was running behind cooking dinner and thought to check your website. I'm so glad I did! I was able to have the potatoes finished much quicker than cooking on the stovetop. Thank you for a solid method for cooking potatoes in the Instant Pot. Now I realize the original recipe I used didn't have enough water.
staysnatched says
Yes! The water is key to the recipe.
Kate Kwedar says
Made these for Friendsgiving and they were a hit! I have made enough of Brandi’s recipes to know that I don’t have to try them out before making them for a group! As long as you follow her well thought directions, you’re good! Thank you, Brandi!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Jill says
I knew from the moment my friends group decided to do a Friendsgiving that I wanted to make/bring these mashed potatoes. I wanted the REAL deal of potatoes. These are the best!
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm glad they were a hit.
Sarah S says
I love that I can cook the rest of dinner while the instant pot does it's work. These potatoes were flavorful and delicious. Will definitely make again.
staysnatched says
Glad to hear you will make them again.
Alisan says
These turned out so fluffy and full of flavor! Very easy to make as well.
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Monica Randhawa says
It's super hot out, so rather than heat up my house even more, I was looking for an easier way to make mashed potatoes. This was perfect! They came out super creamy, and it's much quicker than boiling water, etc. I won't make my mashed potatoes any other way.
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed them.