These herb & garlic Instant Pot mashed potatoes are simple to prepare and can be prepped ahead and kept warm in the Instant Pot. Made with garlic, fresh herbs, butter, and cream - perfect for a holiday feast.
When it comes to easy side dishes, we love to serve garlic parmesan mashed cauliflower, easy mashed sweet potatoes, or these herb and garlic mashed potatoes!
These herb & garlic Instant Pot mashed potatoes are a staple for dinner, whether a weeknight or holiday meal. Not only are they luxuriously creamy and decadent, but they are also so easy to make.
Thanks to the Instant Pot, we don't need to worry about a pot boiling over, and it makes them convenient to prepare ahead- simply keep on the 'keep warm' setting!
Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- they are so creamy, decadent, and buttery smooth
- you can prep them ahead and keep them warm in the Instant Pot
- no babysitting a pot of boiling water on the stove - the Instant Pot does all the hard work
Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see how to cook this recipe! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes - when making mashed potatoes, you'll want to use a starchy potato such as russet or yukon gold; avoid waxy potatoes such as red or fingerling (unless you want a chunky mashed potato texture). The starch in the potatoes helps absorb the dairy added while mashing, yielding smooth and delicious mashed potatoes!
- Butter - you may use salted or unsalted; increase the salt as needed.
- Cream - you can opt for milk for a healthier version of this recipe, but for the most luxuriously creamy potatoes, use cream! We do not recommend using non-dairy milk for this recipe as it yields a thin and starchy mash.
- Garlic - use minced or throw in whole, peeled cloves.
- Fresh herbs - rosemary and thyme pair perfectly with the garlic and infuse flavor into the potatoes while they cook; pull the woody stems out before mashing.
Step By Step Directions
Combine
In the stainless steel inner pot of an Instant Pot, combine the potatoes, peeled garlic, rosemary, thyme, and water until just covered - around 3 ½ to 4 cups water.
Note - don't worry about mincing the garlic, as it will get blended in after cooking.
Pressure Cook
Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to 'sealing', and select manual (or pressure cook) for 10 minutes. When the Instant Pot beeps, release the pressure immediately using quick pressure release (do this gradually if you doubled the recipe!).
Remove Herbs
Remove the woody stems of the rosemary and thyme, and carefully drain off the water.
Mash
Add the butter, then mash the potatoes. Stir in salt and cream. Add more cream or milk to your liking. Taste and adjust salt.
Serve
Serve immediately or keep the potatoes warm on the 'keep warm' setting on your Instant Pot.
FAQ
Unfortunately, they aren't nearly as good on day 2 as they are fresh from the Instant Pot; homemade mashed potatoes tend to dry out a bit. Adding an extra bit of milk or cream to the re-heated potatoes helps if you are serving leftovers, but for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I'd try to serve these within a few hours of cooking them.
We would aim for ½ cup portions. This recipe makes 6-8 portions, so if you are serving a crowd, definitely double it! I doubled this mashed potatoes recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and my Instant Pot was very full but it worked great! Just be careful when releasing the pressure.
My attempts have not been very successful; it's difficult to remove the dairy and retain silky mashed potatoes. With that being said, these white bean mashed potatoes from Cotter Crunch look insanely creamy!
Yes! We made a double batch of these for Thanksgiving in our 6 quart model. It was VERY full but worked fine; just be careful when releasing the pressure!
Variations
- add a head of roasted garlic (add it when you add the butter & cream)
- swap some of the cream for greek yogurt (to make it lighter)
- swap some of the cream for cream cheese
- add ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Storage + Reheating
- Fridge - Cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freezer- Store in an air tight container for up to 3 months; make sure container is completely cool before placing into the freezer to avoid freezer burn.
- Reheat - Heat in the microwave until steaming hot. Mash with extra milk to rehydrate.
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Herb & Garlic Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled & cut into 4; see note 1
- 5 cloves garlic peeled; see note 2
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 4 cups water
- ¼ cup butter salted or unsalted
- ¾ cup cream see note 3
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- In the stainless steel insert of an Instant Pot, combine the potatoes, peeled garlic, rosemary, thyme, and water until just covered - around 3 ½ to 4 cups water.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to 'sealing', and select manual (or pressure cook) for 10 minutes. When the Instant Pot beeps, release the pressure immediately using quick pressure release (do this gradually if you doubled the recipe!).
- Remove the woody stems of the rosemary and thyme, and carefully drain off the water.
- Add the butter, then mash the potatoes. Stir in salt and cream. Add more cream or milk to your liking. Taste and adjust salt.
- Serve immediately or keep the potatoes warm on the 'keep warm' setting on your Instant Pot.
Tips:
- yukon gold potatoes are another great choice for smooth mashed potatoes; avoid red or fingerling.
- remove the peels from the cloves, but there's no need to mince
- you may use milk to lighten up; a combination of yogurt and milk is another great way to make these potatoes thick, but does impart a tangy flavor. We do not recommend non-dairy milk in this recipe.
- Fridge - Cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freezer- Store in an air tight container for up to 3 months; make sure container is completely cool before placing into the freezer to avoid freezer burn.
Video
Nutrition Information
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Anat says
Thank you for this recipe! It's a great walk-away method for mashed potatoes.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Anat, we hope you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for leaving a rating and review!
Jada says
Sent this recipe to my grandpa and he loves it! He has been making it a lot since haha.
Denise says
Ahh I love that! Thanks for sharing, Jada, and I"m glad your grandpa loves the mashed potatoes <3
Ben says
I make a dairy free version with lactaid and country crock, comes out great. Thanks!
Note sure if it was my fault for getting measurements wrong but the one time I went full on dairy, they did come out significantly "glueier".
Also: I love flavor in my potatoes so I pretty much double the garlic at least double the herbs.
Denise says
Hi Ben! Thank you for sharing your dairy-free version, that's super helpful!
K Ann Guinn says
Thanks for this great idea to include herbs in Instant Pot mashed potatoes. We tried them tonight and it was great. I also don't measure and use any combination of milk, cream or yogurt, but loved the addition of fresh herbs from my herb garden.
Denise says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review <3
Alison Imboden says
Hi-
to lighten this up you said about a combo of Greek yogurt and milk? But how much?! Wasn’t sure if you had tested anything!
Denise says
Hi Alison! I'd try starting with 1/2 cup greek yogurt and add in the milk as needed to thin it out. This are just estimates because I never really measure. I hope you enjoy!