No Drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Hands down, making no drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes is my favorite way to make homemade mashed potatoes. There's no peeling involved, no draining a pot of boiling hot water. It's a total game changer!!!

No Drain Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

I used to dread making mashed potatoes. The peeling, the dicing...it just seemed so, I don't know....

Is soul crushing too harsh?

But this no drain method makes the best mashed potatoes!I You can actually enjoy their creamy goodness...they're downright delightful!

With this easy method you can even make weeknight mashed potatoes and serve them alongside easy favorites like Crockpot Mississippi Chicken and Instant Pot country style ribs.

Now, your mom probably boiled the potatoes in water, then drained them, and then doctored them up. My Grandma made them the same way, many many times.

And there is nothing wrong with that, except that boiling potatoes is kind of a pain in the butt. There's hot liquid to contend with, and the sink has to be empty for the draining of the water...You see what I'm saying, right?

Ingredients for No Drain Mashed Potatoes

• Yukon gold or Red Potatoes - Yukon potatoes are my favorites but either work. Why these two kinds of potatoes?They don't need to be peeled and their skins almost melt into the taters. They add a rustic vibe in the best possible way! Good stuff, friends.
• Chicken Broth - you can use chicken stock or vegetable broth. Both work great and of course, my favorite is homemade. But do whatever you have and it's gonna turn out just great. You could use a cup of water, but the flavor from the broth is much, much better!
• Cream Cheese - for an extra creamy texture that makes your potatoes a dreamy experience.
• Sea salt and pepper - Potatoes, no matter how they're cooked, need a little salt and pepper. How much is totally up to you, but promise me you'll sprinkle in just a little S&P love, no matter what.

There's really only one prep step you need to make awesome mashed potatoes from scratch.

• Wash your potatoes and give them a scrub with a clean washcloth or potato scrubber.
• Cut potatoes in half or quarter them, depending on size.

That's it. That is all the preparation you need to make. Fist bump!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Instant Pot recipes like this are one of the very reasons I love this sometimes misunderstood appliance.

Everyone's like, why would I need one more appliance, and my answer could very well that it's worth it for mashed potatoes alone. It makes this recipe so easy!!

There's no waiting for the water to boil and it all cooks in one pot. Anything to get outta dish duty and I'm a happy girl.

And bonus, if you're making a big batch of mashed potatoes for the holidays, this keeps your stove top clear for other sides.

To make your mashed potatoes in an electric pressure cooker, aka Instant Pot, simply put the potatoes, garlic and broth into the container. Give a sprinkle of salt and pepper and follow the cooking time in the recipe card below.

Spoiler alert: Cook for 8 minutes under high pressure, then to a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.

It couldn't be any easier to make mashed potatoes in the slow cooker, too. You can see how to do that in the recipe card below.

Can mashed potatoes be frozen?

Yes, you bet your taters they can! I don't and won't freeze raw potatoes, but cooked, mashed potatoes freeze just fine.

I like to make a batch of mashed potatoes and freeze them in quart sized freezer bags for weeknight dinners, or gallon sized freezer bags for larger portions.

Be sure to remove any excess air to prevent freezer burn. Also, it helps if you lay them flat to freeze, both for storage and for thawing.

Tips making your mashed potatoes

Add the cream cheese, cut into chunks so it integrates nice and easy. If you don't have cream cheese, you can use sour cream.

I prefer to use a hand masher as opposed to a hand mixer which makes more of a whipped potato. I realize we all have some aggression to get rid of every now and then, but we're gonna go easy with the potato masher.

When you over work your mashed potatoes, they get sort of a glue like texture, kind of like wallpaper paste. Not that I've actually tasted that, but you get the idea.

So we're looking for a nice mash keeping a few chunks here and there for texture to go along with the potato skins.

You'll end up with fluffy, delicious mashed potatoes, every time. Even better, you can keep them warm until serving time.

What to serve with mashed potatoes

This is an excellent recipe for special occasions or your holiday dinner.

Ooooh, I love the topic of pairing the perfect side dish recipes...if it's the holidays, definitely make a side of cranberry sauce and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.

And of course, mashed potatoes go well with main dishes like ham, Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs, roast chicken, or cubed steak and gravy.

Other potato recipes you'll love:

Creamy Potato Soup

German Potato Salad

When you make these easy mashed potatoes, leave a recipe review or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!!!

This post was originally published in October 2019 and was updated November 2021 with enhanced instructions and photos.

As seen on Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday