Herb and Garlic Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Name: Herb and Garlic Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 18 min
Ingredients: 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters (cut smaller potatoes in half; try to keep the potato chunks about the same size).; 4 cups of chicken broth, enough to cover the potatoes (You can use vegetable broth as well.); 1 tsp sea salt; 1/4 cup butter; 3 cloves of garlic; smashed, peeled, and grated to a paste or very finely minced; 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary; 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme; 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley; 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (You can also use sour cream or cream cheese); 1/4 cup whole milk; Cracked black pepper, to taste; Extra chopped fresh parsley, or chives, for garnish

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by Dana Sandonato // August 31, 2021 (updated January 9, 2024)

Herb and Garlic Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes! Quick, easy, and impossible to mess up. Perfect for weeknight dinners or holiday entertaining.

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Smooth, creamy, and absolutely foolproof.

Instant Pot potatoes. Never thought I’d see the day, but I’m so happy about this recipe! Not only is it delicious, but it’s absolutely perfect for holiday entertaining. It’s quick and impossible to mess up; you’ll never have to worry about overcooked, soup-y, or gluey mashed potatoes again. The timing is perfect and their tenderness makes for easy mashing, promising velvety buttery goodness every single time. This good stuff is cooked in broth for extra flavor, and the butter is infused with garlic and fresh herbs. You’ll never boil your potatoes on the stovetop again!

How to make mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot.

Pressure cooker mashed potatoes are so easy to make. It’s honestly just a matter of peeling your potatoes (or leaving the skin on if that’s your jam), cutting them into dropping them into the Instant Pot, covering them with liquid, and cooking them on high pressure for 8 minutes. Let’s look at our ingredients list and then get into specific steps.

This is all you need:

Yukon Gold potatoes
Chicken or vegetable broth
Butter
Garlic cloves
Fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley
Plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
Whole milk
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

The potatoes.

Peel and rinse your potatoes, then cut them into quarters (or half, if it’s a smaller potato. Try to keep the chunks of potato around the same size). Place the potatoes into the Instant Pot and pour in enough chicken broth to cover them (about 4-5 cups). Secure and lock the lid into place, position the valve to sealing, and cook the potatoes on high pressure for 8 minutes. When the timer beeps indicating the potatoes are ready, move the valve to steaming for a quick release. Carefully remove the inner pot from the pressure cooker and drain the potatoes, then return them to the pot. Add the salt and pepper to taste, then add the herb and garlic butter, milk, and Greek yogurt. Mash them with a potato masher until smooth. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with a pat or two of butter and a sprinkle of fresh parsley or chives.

The herb and garlic infused butter.

While the potatoes are pressure cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove. Once the butter has melted, add the grated garlic and chopped fresh herbs. Stir occasionally to keep the butter from separating. If your butter separates, simply heat it up again and keep stirring. Once the potatoes are ready to be mashed, you’ll add the butter to the pot.

How long do you cook mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot?

This will depend on the type of potato and the size of the pieces you’re putting into the Instant Pot. I highly recommend Yukon Gold potatoes since they make the best mashed potatoes with their buttery and velvety smooth texture. But with most potatoes, you can get perfectly tender potatoes in 8-10 minutes of high pressure cooking when cut into 1 to 1.5-inch pieces.

Are your Instant Pot potatoes undercooked?

If your potatoes are undercooked upon opening the lid after being pressure cooked it’s a simple fix. First, make sure you have at least one cup of water in the pot. Secure the lid, then cook the potatoes on high pressure for an extra 2 minutes. When done, do a quick release and check on the tenderness. At this point they should definitely be done. If not, repeat the process until they are.

Equipment you’ll need:

Recipe tips + tricks.

Yukon Gold potatoes are the best for mashing. Seriously, skip the Russet potatoes. Yukon Gold forever.
If you don’t like texture in your mashed potatoes and would prefer to not have chopped up herbs or garlic in the mix, you can infuse the butter by simply smashing the garlic cloves and putting them into the melted butter whole, and adding the fresh herbs in sprigs without chopping them up. That way, you still get the flavor infused into the butter. Once you’re ready to transfer the butter to the potatoes, discard the garlic cloves and herbs.
You can use chicken or vegetable broth, or simply water. If using water, add a bit of salt before cooking the potatoes.
For extra herb and garlic flavor, you can use herb and garlic cream cheese instead of Greek yogurt.

What to serve with these bomb pressure cooker mashed potatoes:

Hope you enjoy!

If you plan on making this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag us on Insta! @killing__thyme.