Can I make mashed potatoes in the crockpot?

Yes, and there's a recipe for you! Check out these u003ca href=u0022https://pinchofyum.com/easiest-garlic-mashed-potatoesu0022u003eEasiest Garlic Mashed Potatoesu003c/au003e.

Can you leave the skin on the potatoes?

Totally! While I prefer a smooth, creamy texture, you can leave the skins on to make it even easier. One caveat: if you're using russet potatoes, I'd opt to always peel to skin off since the texture isn't as texturally appetizing as a red potato, golden potato, or Yukon potato.

What should I use to mash potatoes?

You can use a potato masher or wooden spoon for mashing. If you want really fluffy and smooth potatoes, you could use an electric hand mixer.

How can I keep these warm before serving?

The Instant Pot has a u0022Keep Warmu0022 setting that you can use. However, to avoid any potatoes sticking or burning at the bottom, I'd recommend giving them a stir and maybe adding a splash of milk every once in a while.

The Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Name: The Best Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and halved (see notes); 4 teaspoons salt, divided; 2 sticks butter (1 cup); 2-4 cloves garlic; a few sprigs of herbs (sage, thyme, etc.); 1 cup cream cheese or sour cream; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional); 1/2 cup broth or milk (optional, for texture)

Description

These Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are so, so good! They are so creamy, so fluffy, and laced with garlic herb flavor. From start to finish in 30 minutes, all in one pot!

Ingredients

Scale

5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and halved (see notes)
4 teaspoons salt, divided
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
2–4 cloves garlic
a few sprigs of herbs (sage, thyme, etc.)
1 cup cream cheese or sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/2 cup broth or milk (optional, for texture)

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Instructions

Potatoes: Put your potatoes in the Instant Pot and cover with about 6 cups of water – enough to be completely covered. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook on the steam setting for 12 minutes. Release steam right away. Drain the potatoes. They should be fork tender.
Garlic Herb Butter: Melt your butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and herbs and let it just gently cook and infuse the butter with flavor for 10-15 minutes. Pull the herbs and garlic out, and reserve your flavored butter. YUM.
Mash and Mix: Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, mash the potatoes right in the Instant Pot. Add the garlic herb butter, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and the rest of the salt. Stir to combine. Season with more salt to taste – be generous! Voila. Delicious mashed potatoes are yours!

Equipment

The equipment section may contain affiliate links to products we know and love.

Notes

If you want the potatoes to be a little thinner, add 1/4-1/2 cup milk or broth.

A few comments have noted that 12 minutes was not enough time to cook their potatoes. This is most likely because of the size variation of potatoes. I like to try to get evenly sized potato pieces without spending a lot of time cutting them up all (you’re just going to mash them anyway!) so I usually cut the big ones in half and leave the rest alone. But if you’re working with very large potatoes, you may want to cut them into quarters, or cook them for closer to 15 minutes.

To prevent lumpy potatoes, mash them right after they’re done cooking. Don’t let them sit around for too long. They’ll develop a skin and it will be harder to get them to mash smoothly and evenly.

This is the Instant Pot that we use. (affiliate link)

A previous version of this recipe was written for half of this amount.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Side
Method: Instant Pot
Cuisine: American

Keywords: mashed potatoes, instant pot mashed potatoes, potato side dish, thanksgiving side dish, creamy mashed potatoes