Name: Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 large potatoes peeled and cut into cubes; 1 1/4 cup water; 4 tbsp butter softened; 2/3 cup milk; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided; 1/2 tsp salt or to taste; 1/2 tsp white pepper or to taste; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp parsley fresh, for garnish

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These Instant Pot Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes are made by steaming (not boiling), resulting in potatoes that are fork-tender, never water-logged, and perfect for mashing!

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Close up of garlic parmesan mashed potatoes in a white bowl with text overlay

The best part of these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes is that the Instant Pot keeps all the rustic potato flavor instead of letting it boil out like in a traditional mashed potatoes recipe. The pressure cooking seems to intensify the potato flavour.

Whenever I make this we have no leftovers! In my house no leftovers means the food was good! Other meals where we have no leftovers is my Best Ever Shepherd’s Pie, Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole, my Homemade Creamy Macaroni and Cheese and my Instant Pot Seafood Chowder.

Start by buying the large russet potatoes at the grocery store. This makes for the shortest peeling time. The bulk bags of russet potatoes almost always have the smallest potatoes and will take much longer to peel. A nice part about making these in the instant pot is you don’t have to cut up your potatoes all that much.

Close up of garlic parmesan mashed potatoes in a white bowl

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Why make mashed potatoes in a Pressure Cooker?

If you’ve ever had mashed potatoes that taste watery and bland, it’s likely because they boiled for too long and took on too much water. Steaming them solves the watery mashed potato problem, and making them in the Instant Pot or a Pressure Cooker means you don’t have to hover over them to make sure they cook properly. Just turn the IP on and walk away. Here’s how it’s done!

What are the best Potatoes to use?

Both Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes work well for mashed potatoes. Russet potatoes have a high starch content and pale interior and make light, fluffy mashed potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes have a light gold interior and make a smoother, creamier mashed potato. Do not use red varieties of potatoes because these have a lower starch content and a more waxy consistency which can lead to a sticky paste texture when mashed. If you’e come here from my Shepherd’s Pie recipe, then use Russet Potatoes.

How to make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Prepare the Instant Pot / pressure cooker by filling it with 1 cup water and adding the trivet that comes with the machine. (This will elevate the potatoes above the water so that they can steam rather than boil.)
Rinse, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Place them in a pressure cooker-approved steamer basket and place the steamer basket on top of the trivet.
Close and lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
Leave on Natural Release for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
Mash the potatoes according to your preferred method (see below) for tips.

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Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Yield: 10 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

These Instant Pot Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes are made by steaming (not boiling), resulting in potatoes that are fork-tender, never water-logged, and perfect for mashing!

Ingredients

6 large potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
1 1/4 cup water
4 tbsp butter softened
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper or to taste
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp parsley fresh, for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the Instant Pot / pressure cooker by filling it with 1 cup water and adding the trivet that comes with the machine. (This will elevate the potatoes above the water so that they can steam rather than boil.)
Rinse, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Place them in a pressure cooker-approved steamer basket and place the steamer basket on top of the trivet.
Close and lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
Leave on Natural Release for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
Drain the potatoes then add them to a large bowl. Add in the butter and using a potato masher, mash until smooth.
Add the milk, the Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper and whip with a mixer until smooth.

Notes

Using a Steamer Basket instead of a trivet makes it easy to lift ingredients out of the pressure cooker.

This recipe works with both peeled and unpeeled potatoes (just be sure to scrub ’em clean if you’re keeping the peel). I like a creamier texture, so I peeled mine!