Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes

‘Tis the season of cozy comfort foods, and these Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes are high up on that list. No need to spend unnecessary hours in the kitchen when the pressure cooker makes quick work of this snug fall favorite! If you’re like me, the moment there is a fall chill in the air, my mind is thinking about fall gatherings and holiday dinners. I love getting my people together around a table for a hearty meal. While hosting dinner parties and holiday get-togethers can be a lot of work, there are ways to delegate and new cooking techniques to take some of the burden off you as host. A pressure cooker is going to be your new favorite kitchen appliance for that reason alone!

The grocery list.

• Yukon gold potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes are perfect for mashed potatoes, they’re naturally creamy and have an almost buttery flavor. 
• Kosher salt – Similar to salting your pasta water, adding salt to the water that your potatoes will cook in will allow them to absorb the salt. 
• Sour cream – Since I first added sour cream to my mashed potatoes I haven’t gone back. It’ll make your dish so creamy and salty. 
• Heavy cream – You can use milk instead, but heavy cream will make your mashed potatoes noticeably more thick and creamy. 
• Salted butter – Butter is a primary flavor of mashed potatoes, and using salted butter will make them lightly salty.

The preparation.

Start your Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes by cutting your yukon gold potatoes into large chunks. Place the cut potatoes into the bowl of your pressure cooker and fill with water, just enough to cover the potatoes. Add the tablespoon of salt and stir. This will allow your potatoes to absorb the salt while they cook. If you want to have bland mashed potatoes and instead add salt as needed, feel free to leave out the salt and use unsalted butter rather than salted. Your potatoes will still have that delicious buttery flavor, they just won’t be as salty. It fully depends on how you like your potatoes. Remember, you can always add salt but you can’t remove it! 

Place the pressure cooker lid on and ensure the vent knob is set to SEAL. Pressure cook your potatoes on HIGH for 10 minutes. When the pressure cook has completed, turn the vent knob to VENT to release the pressure in the bowl. Remove the pressure cook bowl and drain the potatoes of the water. Add the sour cream, heavy cream and butter to the pot of potatoes.

Using a hand mixer on low, beat the potatoes for 1-2 minutes or until your desired consistency. A hand mixer will allow your potatoes to get nice and smooth, but if you like them chunky you can use a hand masher or a big wooden spoon. This will take longer if you choose to hand mix them. We like them mostly smooth with a few random potato chunks. 

Taste the potatoes and add additional salt as needed. Switch to mixing the potatoes with a silicone spatula to maintain your desired consistency when you add more seasoning. 

Move the potatoes to a serving bowl and top with additional pats of butter as needed.

No pressure cooker? No problem!

While a pressure cooker makes this recipe quick and easy, you can still make these buttery mashed potatoes without one! 

Rather than placing your potatoes in the bowl of a pressure cooker, place the cut up chunks of potatoes into a large pot filled with water. Add the salt if you choose to. Place the pot on the stove. Bring the water to a boil and allow it to boil for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. 

Drain the water from the pot and follow the remainder of the Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes recipe. 

How to use up leftover mashed potatoes.

Every Thanksgiving, there’s always a surplus of mashed potatoes at my house. They’re a fantastic side dish, it’s just not something that anyone in my house usually eats on their own. If you’re like me and have trouble using up the last few scoops of mashed potatoes, here are some suggestions. 

Shepherd’s pie.

My mom occasionally would make shepherd’s pie for dinner (SO DELICIOUS) but she made it rarely because she said it was too much of a pain to make the mashed potatoes that go on top. In this case your mashed potatoes are already made, so the hardest part is done!

Potato pancakes.

Mix your leftover mashed potatoes with eggs, a little flour, and some shredded cheese if you want, and fry up some delicious potato patties on a hot buttery skillet. Serve these with some sour cream or apple sauce and now you have a starchy and delicious breakfast or lunch.

Potato bread.

Potato bread is a soft and delicious bread that is made with mashed potatoes. It’s great for sandwiches or to toast and have for breakfast!

Looking for more comfort foods?

Here are a few to try:

Grilled Sweet Potato Fries w/ Goat Cheese & Hot Honey

Italian Sausage & Garlic Bread Subs

Cheesy Elote Dip with Roasted Corn

Lastly, if you make this Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes recipe, be sure to leave a comment! Above all, I love to hear from ya’ll and do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of your dayyyummm good recreations is my favorite!

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