These easy pressure cooker mashed potatoes can be made in your Instant Pot OR Ninja Foodi! Made with Yukon Gold potatoes for the ultimate creaminess, and mashed with whole milk Greek yogurt. Save on stove space with this easy Thanksgiving or anytime healthy mashed potato recipe.
It took me way too long to hop on the pressure cooker bandwagon, but once I finally did, I learned that pressure cookers are indeed worth the hype! I mean, mashed potatoes in 25 minutes with no stove space taken up? I'm sold.
I also love that pressure cookers offer are mostly hands-off cooking option (just like with this Instant Pot peperoncini chicken and these Instant Pot steel cut oats). You just add your ingredients to the pot, push a couple buttons, and your cooking has been delegated.
These mashed potatoes are perfect for any weeknight meal where you're craving some healthy comfort food (they're a dream alongside this simple herb roasted chicken). But for me, they are most clutch when needing to save on stovetop space for Thanksgiving. Also, I tested these in both the Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 air fryer and pressure cooker, and both worked great. So feel free to use whichever one you have!
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Ingredients Overview + Testing Notes
- Broth or water - For pressure cooking the potatoes. Veggie or chicken broth will boost flavor, but using water with salt works well too.
- Yukon Gold potatoes - In my experience, Yukon Golds make the creamiest mashed potatoes, but russet potatoes would also work. Peeling is optional for Yukon Golds because the peel is so thin, but I always peel russets since their skin is a bit thicker.
- Butter - For mashing delicious buttery flavor into the mashed potatoes and more on top.
- Whole milk Greek yogurt - We'll use whole milk Greek yogurt for rich and creamy results. You could use 2%, but I personally don't love the fat free kind.
Equipment
I've tested this recipe many times in a 6-quart Instant Pot and 5-quart Ninja Foodi, but I have not tested it in larger electric pressure cookers. I'm not sure if the results will change, so I recommend something in the 5-6 quart size range for this recipe!
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegan - To make these mashed potatoes vegan, replace butter with vegan butter and Greek yogurt with plain-flavored plant-based yogurt. You can also use these swaps if you're not vegan and just need
- Sweet potatoes - You can also make healthy mashed sweet potatoes by swapping the same amount of sweet potatoes for Yukon golds. We've made these mashed potatoes both ways and love them!
- Roasted garlic - Roast some garlic, mash up 5-6 cloves, then mash those in with the potatoes at the same time you mash in the butter. You could also pressure cooker the garlic cloves right in with the potatoes. They wouldn't be technically "roasted", but you don't have to dirty up another dish that way.
Step-by-Step: Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Step 1
Prep the potatoes by rinsing, peeling, and cutting the potatoes into ¼ - ½" slices. Add to your pressure cooker with broth or salted water, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes with a quick release at the end.
Step 2
Drain the potatoes, then add them back to the pressure cook base with butter, and mash. Add in the yogurt, salt, and pepper, and continue mashing until smooth. Serve with more butter, fresh chives, and pepper.
Note that these were tested in a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker (5 quarts) and an Instant Pot (about 6 quarts). The size and amount of food/liquid does matter for getting similar results, so I wouldn't recommend making these in a bigger pressure cooker.
Keeping the Potatoes Warm
If you're not serving right away, or it's Thanksgiving and you want to keep these warm, I recommend leaving them in the electric pressure cooker on a 'keep warm' setting. You could also transfer them to another dish and the keep them warm in the oven, or a chafing dish.
Ways to Use up Leftover Mashed Potatoes
Sometimes you have enough leftovers to eat them once more, and then you've gotten your mashed potato fix for the month (week??). But other times, you have SO many leftovers, and you can only eat them so many times! Luckily, there are some pretty yummy ways to use up mashed potatoes 🙂
- Shepherd's pie (or vegetarian shepherd's pie!)
- On the side of... roasted chicken, homemade meatloaf, or some garlic butter shrimp or steak
- Beneath healthy Swedish meatballs or alongside some weeknight Spanish baked chicken meatballs
- Alongside some homemade maple baked beans (talk about a comfort food fix!)
Mashed Potatoes FAQs
Nope! Melting the butter separates the milk solids from the fat. If you add cold/room temperature butter to the mashed potatoes, the butter will melt and distribute evenly.
Yes! Mash the potatoes with all of the ingredients except the butter. When you're ready to eat them, reheat the potatoes and mash and stir the butter into the hot potatoes until it's melted.
Mashed potatoes become gummy if they're overworked, so the secret is not to over-mash. Use a potato masher or mixer, being careful to stop when the potatoes just become smooth.
Yep! To freeze the entire batch, transfer the completely cooled mashed potatoes to an airtight container with barely any airspace available. To freeze in portions, take out ½-1 cup scoops, and place them separately on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze that for a few hours or overnight, and then transfer the frozen scoops to a large freezer bag or container. Each freezing method is good for up to three months!
To store these mashed potatoes, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Since mashed potato texture changes slightly when reheated, you can reheat these mashed potatoes in the microwave and then mash again with just a bit more yogurt or milk (regular or unflavored plant-based milk).
📖 Recipe
Creamy Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Description
These pressure cooker mashed potatoes are so creamy, delicious, and easy to make! Mashed with whole milk Greek yogurt, you get that sour cream flavor and thick, creamy texture with an extra dose of protein in the mix. Use an Instant Pot or a Ninja Foodi!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices
- 2 cups chicken broth (or water + 2 teaspoons salt)
- 3 tablespoons butter (+ more for topping)
- ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- salt and pepper, to taste
- chives for topping
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Pressure cook the potatoes. Place the potatoes and broth (or water and salt) in your pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (pressure will build first for ~15 minutes), then flip the pressure release for a full quick release. Remove the cover, then carefully drain the potatoes, but do not rinse!
- Add butter and mash. Carefully add drained, steaming hot potatoes back to the pressure cooker pot with the butter, and mash until smooth. Try to keep the butter as close to the hot potatoes as possible so that it melts fully.
- Stir in other ingredients. Add Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper. Stir evenly into the potatoes to form a smooth, even mixture. Top with chives, pepper, and more butter!
Notes
- Potatoes: You can use Russet potatoes for this recipe as well. I prefer peeled potatoes, but you can leave peelings on if you don't mind a less smooth consistency.
- Pressure Cooker: You can use an Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi for this recipe! Note that this recipe was tested in each type of pressure cooker, about 5-6 quarts in size. I wouldn't recommend making this in a larger pressure cooker, such as an 8-quart. I like both of these pressure cookers, especially the 'keep warm' setting, which is super helpful for keeping the potatoes warm and fresh in there until you're ready to serve them.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Side
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Heaping ½ cup
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 543 mg
- Fat: 5.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.8 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 5.5 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
K says
Excellent recipe. I left a little of the chicken stock in the pot and it added a bunch of flavor.
Tera says
YUM! What a great idea!