Farmhouse Style Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Buttery, creamy, and simple. The perfect no frills Instant Pot mashed potato recipe!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

So what exactly are “farmhouse style mashed potatoes?” Well, it is a term I dubbed for my simple, rustic, no frills mashed potato recipe.

My Instant Pot mashed potatoes are creamy, buttery, and so easy to make!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Yukon Gold Potatoes

I am of the opinion that the two best potatoes for making mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot are Russet and Yukon Gold.

And of those to types of potatoes, I have a slight preference for Yukon Gold potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes make a great mashed potato because they have a really creamy texture, and they also have a beautiful golden hue to them.

But regular Russet potatoes also make great mashed potatoes. If you prefer a slighty more rustic and firmer mashed potatoes, Russets are defintely the potato to use.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Skin

Whether or not to peel your potatoes before turning them into mashed potatoes is really a personal preference. Again, if you prefer more rustic mashed potatoes, then I recommend keeping the skin on.

Of note, Yukon Gold potatoes have a thinner skin that better dissolves in the mashed potatoes. I personally do not skin Yukon Gold potatoes when I am makig mashed potatoes. But if I am using Russet potatoes, I do peel them before cooking.

Like I said, it really is a personal preference. Try making your mashed potatoes with and without the skin and decide for yourself whether what you prefer!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with 5 lbs

My Instant Pot mashed potato recipe calls for 5 lbs of potatoes. I like to use this many potatoes because it is easy to grab a 5 lb bag of potatoes at the store and cook the whole thing up.

If you are making mashed potatoes for a crowd, this will ensure that you have plenty of mashed potatoes to serve.

If you are feeding a smaller group of people, I still like to make a big batch because then I can use the leftovers to make another meal, such as Shepherd’s Pie.

How Much Water do You Put in Your Instant Pot for Mashed Potatoes?

This will vary by how much you are making, but for my recipe I use 1 1/2 cups for 5 lbs of potatoes.

How Long Does it Take to Soften Potatoes in the Instant Pot?

This will depend on whether you are cooking whole potatoes or cut potatoes. If you are cooking whole potatoes, it can take 20-25 minutes to soften potatoes in the Instant Pot.

If you cut the potatoes, it will take closer to 10 minutes.

I roughly quarter my potatoes and cook them for 10 minutes in the Instant Pot.

Creamy and Fluffly Mashed Potatos

How do you make creamy and fluffly mashed potatoes. The answer is that less is more!

I use really basic ingredients in my mashed potatoes. A lot of recipes call for sour cream and/or cream cheese. And while those ingredients can add delicious flavor to mashed potatoes, in my experience they create a more dense mashed potato.

If you want creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes, I recommend simply adding butter, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. That is it! It really is that simply to create creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes.

Another trick is to not overmix your mashed potatoes. Many recipes call for mixing the mashed potatoes with an electric mixer.

I prefer to simply mash my potatoes with a hand masher, and then gently stir the mashed potatoes to incorporate the other ingredients.

This gives me greater control over the mixing process and helps prevent overmixing, which can lead to dense and gummy mashed potatoes

Also, adding the butter and heavy cream when they are at room temperature will help them incorporate better into the mixture, which will help prevent overmixing as well.

Farmhouse Style Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

5 lbs Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled (optional) and quartered

8 oz butter, room temperature

1 cup heavy cream, room temperature

3 tsp salt, divided

1 tsp pepper

Method

Place 1 1/2 cups water in Instant Pot.

Put potatoes in Instant Pot and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt.

Cook on high pressure 10 minutes. When cook cycle is complete, perform a quick release.

Drain any remaining water.

Carefully hand mash the potatoes with a potato masher.

Add butter and stir to incorporate.

Add heavy cream, 2 tsp salt, and pepper.

Carefully stir, being careful to not overstir.

Serve.