Instant Pot Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
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These Instant Pot Yukon Gold mashed potatoes are creamy, buttery, simple, and a longtime family favorite. In fact, I have family members who don’t particularly care for mashed potatoes elsewhere but love these.
Yukon Gold potatoes are always my first choice for mashed potatoes. I love their creamy texture, beautiful golden color, and naturally buttery flavor. They do tend to be smaller, which means a little more peeling, but for me, the finished potatoes are worth it.
That said, you can absolutely make this recipe with other potato varieties if that’s what you have on hand.
The Instant Pot also makes these incredibly convenient for a big family dinner. No watching a pot on the stove, and once they’re cooked, everything can be finished right in the Instant Pot.
Why Yukon Gold Potatoes Make Such Good Mashed Potatoes
Yukon Golds are my favorite for three reasons: texture, color, and creaminess.
They have a naturally creamy consistency that makes fantastic mashed potatoes without needing a huge amount of milk or cream. Their yellow flesh also gives the finished potatoes a beautiful warm, buttery color.
If you don’t have Yukon Golds, don’t let that stop you from making the recipe. Other varieties will work, although the finished texture and color may be slightly different.
Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients:
- 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt, for cooking
- Water, enough to cover the potatoes
- ½ cup + 2 teaspoons butter (122 grams)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
- Chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)
That’s it. No cream cheese, sour cream, or complicated add-ins necessary.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
1. Prepare the potatoes
Peel the potatoes and roughly chop them into similar-sized pieces.
Place them in the Instant Pot, add ½ teaspoon salt, and pour in enough water to cover the potatoes.
2. Pressure cook
Secure the lid and cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes.
Once the cooking time is complete, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes. Carefully release any remaining pressure.
3. Drain
Drain all of the cooking water from the potatoes.
Return the drained potatoes to the Instant Pot insert. There’s no need to dirty another bowl or pot.
4. Add the butter and milk
Add 122 grams of butter (about ½ cup plus 2 teaspoons), ½ cup whole milk, and the salt.
I use about 1½ teaspoons of salt, but I recommend going easy at first. You can always taste and add more.
5. Mash
Mash everything together right in the Instant Pot until the potatoes reach your family’s preferred texture.
Taste and adjust the salt if necessary, then they’re ready to serve. Top with chopped fresh chives if you like.
A Family-Favorite Mashed Potato Recipe
This 4-pound batch is just about perfect for our family of seven.
Everyone gets plenty with dinner—but there aren’t leftovers for the next day.
If you want leftover mashed potatoes for another meal, definitely make more! This recipe can easily be scaled up or down depending on the size of your family and whether you want extras.
Leftover mashed potatoes are useful enough that intentionally making extra isn’t a bad idea.
An Easy Side for Big Family Meals
One reason I love making mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot is that it frees up space on the stove.
That’s helpful for an ordinary family dinner, but it’s especially valuable when I’m cooking a larger meal and already have several things going at once.
Once the potatoes are cooked, simply drain them, add the butter and milk, and mash everything right inside the Instant Pot. Fewer dishes and one less stovetop pot to manage is always a win.
These are especially good with:
- Short ribs
- Pot roast
- Roast chicken
- Pork chops
- Meatloaf
- Beef and gravy
- Turkey
- Ham
Basically, if there’s something on the plate that comes with gravy or pan juices, these potatoes belong beside it.
A Few Things I Use
- Instant Pot – the Rio Wide 7.5-quart is the model I recommend now that my Duo Plus has been discontinued. I share more about it in 11 Kitchen Tools That Make Cooking From Scratch Easier.
Instant Pot Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Peel the potatoes and roughly chop them into similar-sized pieces.
- Add potatoes to the Instant Pot.
- Add ½ teaspoon salt and enough water to cover the potatoes.
- Secure the lid and cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure.
- Drain the cooking water completely.
- Return the drained potatoes to the Instant Pot.
- Add the butter, whole milk, and salt.
- Mash directly in the Instant Pot until the potatoes reach your desired texture.
- Taste and add additional salt if needed. Garnish with chopped fresh chives, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
More Pantry to Plate Recipes
- Cheeseburger Soup – a hearty, creamy soup that also uses Yukon Gold potatoes.
- Homemade Au Jus Mix
- Famous Meatballs
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