Quick and Easy Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and 1/4 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

Pair these potatoes with your favorite meatloaf or with these Instant Pot Garlic Tuscan Chicken Thighs!