Home » Side Dish » No Drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

No Drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read our full disclosure statement.

These No Drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are SO easy. With 3 flavour variations (Basic Butter, Sour Cream & Chive and Garlic Rosemary), you’ll want to add mashed potatoes to every meal. Save stovetop space at your next holiday meal and make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot!

You might also like my Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes recipe!

Become an Instant Pot Pro!

Get my top 5 tips for successful Instant Pot meals, every time.

By signing up you'll also receive our free newsletter.

Butter melting on mashed potatoes in a white bowl

Photos updated March 6, 2021. Originally published in November 2019.

This no-drain method is my new favourite way to make mashed potatoes. You don’t need to worry about awkwardly draining out the liquid from a hot insert. You simply pressure cook, add the flavour mix ins and mash everything right in the Instant Pot. I especially love using my electric pressure cooker to make mashed potatoes for holiday meals, when stovetop space is at a premium.

Ingredients

For Basic Butter

  • 3 pounds russet potatoes – cut into 2-inch pieces
  • Broth – I used chicken, but use vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian. We’re not draining the potatoes so the broth adds a bit more flavour. In a pinch, you could use water instead and adjust the other seasonings.
  • Milk or cream – I like milk for an everyday mashed potato, but certainly use half-and-half or heavy cream if you want to have a more decadent side dish (I’m definitely using cream for Thanksgiving and Christmas!)
  • Butter
  • Sea salt – to taste

Add-ins for Sour Cream and Chive

  • Sour cream – full fat or light, whatever works for you! Greek yogurt works too.
  • Chives – finely chopped. Note that I measured a 1/2 cup after chopping.

Add-ins for Garlic Rosemary

  • Garlic – 8 whole cloves. Pressure cooking really subdues the garlic flavour. I promise it’s not too much!
  • Fresh rosemary – finely minced. Note that I measure a 1/2 teaspoon after mincing.
Ingredients needed to make Instant Pot No-Drain Mashed Potatoes viewed from overhead.

Instructions

1. Add the diced potatoes, broth, butter and sea salt to the Instant Pot. If you’re making the Garlic Rosemary flavour, add the garlic cloves, too.

2. Close the lid, set to sealing and cook on Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes. It will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure.

Yellow diced potatoes, butter, salt and broth in an Instant Pot

2. At the end of cooking time, naturally release pressure for 5 to 10 minutes. If you’re in a time crunch, you can quick release right away and they will still be fine. After the natural release, quick release the remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid. Add your flavour mix ins and mash, right in the insert (yay for one-pot recipes!). Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

Tips for achieving creamy, fluffy Instant Pot mashed potatoes

  1. Use russet potatoes. Russets are the best choice for no-drain mashed potatoes – they give the fluffiest texture compared to other varieties like Yukon Gold.
  2. Cut the potatoes in equal-sized pieces, so they pressure cook evenly.
  3. Warm the milk/cream before adding it to the cooked potatoes. This will allow the potatoes to absorb the liquid more easily. Simply heat in the microwave for about a minute.
  4. Use a potato masher, rather than a hand mixer or immersion blender. Over-mixing can cause gummy potatoes. A potato ricer is also great for getting out lumps, but it involves more work and then you have more dishes to clean (not my style).
Garlic Rosemary Mashed Potatoes in a white bowl

How to reheat mashed potatoes

My favourite way to reheat cold mashed potatoes is on the stove top. I warm a small amount of milk in a large skillet, then add the potatoes and stir until combined well with the milk and heated through to a minimum temperature of 140 °F. Add more milk if you find they are too dry.

Sour cream and chive mashed potatoes in a white bowl

More Instant Pot side dish recipes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a review below! You can also subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see the latest recipes and meal inspiration!

Butter melting on mashed potatoes in a white bowl

No Drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Laura Lawless, BASc
These Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are SO easy. With 3 flavour variations (Basic Butter, Sour Cream & Chive and Garlic Rosemary), you'll want to add mashed potatoes to every meal. Save stovetop space at your next holiday meal and make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot!
5 from 8 votes

Click stars to rate now! ↑

Servings 6
Calories 174
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Inactive time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Basic Butter

  • 3 lbs peeled russet potatoes, 2-inch dice
  • 1 ¼ cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (28 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt (plus more to taste after cooking)
  • ¼ cup whole milk or cream, warmed (or enough to reach desired consistency)

Add-ins for Sour Cream and Chive

  • ½ cup finely chopped chives (lightly packed)
  • ½ cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)

Add-ins for Garlic Rosemary

  • 8 cloves garlic, whole & peeled (pressure cook with the potatoes!)
  • ½ teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

Instructions
 

  • Add the potatoes, broth, butter, and ½ teaspoon of sea salt to the Instant Pot. If you're making the Garlic Rosemary flavour, add the garlic cloves.
  • Close the lid, set the vent to sealing and cook on Manual High pressure for 10 minutes (your Instant Pot model may have a "Pressure Cook" button rather than a "Manual" button). It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
  • Add the end of cooking time, let the the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure, add in the warmed milk or cream along with the remaining ingredients for your chosen flavour and mash until smooth. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve immediately.

Notes

  1. To double: double all ingredients except the broth. Cook time stays the same.  
  2. Nutrition estimate reflects the Basic Butter variation made with whole milk. 
  3. Inactive time indicates the time it takes to come to pressure + the time to release pressure after cooking. 
  4. This recipe was tested in both 6-quart and 8-quart Instant Pot models.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 644mg | Potassium: 950mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 7mg

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review below and share your results!

Rate this recipe Pin this recipe Share with friends!
Portrait of Laura Lawless in a green sweater standing in front of white shelving filled with food photography props.

Hey, I’m Laura!

Creator of The Recipe Well


If you’re looking for easy meals and Instant Pot recipes, you’re in the right place! I use my nutrition degree to create simple, approachable recipes that will help you find your happy place in the kitchen.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is the recipe I always use for mashed potatoes. They always come out great!

  2. Linda LeBlanc says:

    5 stars
    Love it! Best way to make mashed potatoes. No more pots boiling over and sooooo creamy and delicious!

  3. 5 stars
    I’ll never use another mashed potato recipe! This one is a keeper!

  4. 5 stars
    Our favorite mashed potato recipe! We make it all the time and it’s going on our Thanksgiving menu again this year. Thank you!

  5. If you were to half the recipe would you do the same to the cooking time??

    1. Laura Lawless, BASc says:

      Hi Kristina, cook time would be the same! However, I’m not sure there would be enough liquid for the Instant Pot to come to pressure if you were to reduce the broth by half. To get around this, you could leave the amount of broth the same and drain some of it before mashing. Hope this helps!

  6. 5 stars
    Yummy potatos and I even forgot to add the butter. 1st time using the instant pot for mashed potatos and this recipe did not disappoint. I did garlic mashed and was a little worried that with 8 cloves of garlic the taste would be too strong, but it was perfect. This sure beat doing them on the stove top. Perfect way to do for a Thanksgiving dinner.

    1. Laura Lawless, BASc says:

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Cheryl! Thanks for leaving a review!

  7. Does cooking time change if halving the recipe?

    1. Laura Lawless, BASc says:

      Cook time stays the same! I haven’t tested a half batch in a 6 or 8 quart. For these sizes, half the liquid may not be enough to come to pressure. A half is perfect for the 3 quart though!

  8. 5 stars
    I’ve looked and tried a few…kept looking and tried a few more….Bravo!!! No more searching!!!

    1. Laura Lawless, BASc says:

      So happy you enjoyed the recipe!