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Make the creamiest, richest, most delicious Instant Pot mashed red potatoes with only 4 ingredients. This easy recipe takes under 30 minutes to make and you don’t even need to peel the red potatoes! Simply pressure cook, drain, and mash with butter and cream cheese for a delicious Instant Pot red skin mashed potatoes side dish.
Why We Love Mashed red skin potatoes
This fantastic Instant Pot red skin mashed potato recipe mixes two of my favorite pressure cooker potato recipes.
Like with IP mashed potatoes and smashed potatoes, you can cook red potatoes in the Instant Pot in under 15 minutes without any hands-on work!
Then, they’re drained and mashed with just a handful of simple ingredients, including butter and cream cheese, for amazing texture and flavor.
The cream cheese gives the potatoes a delicious and tangy taste. It also goes well with the red skin potatoes and chicken broth.
You can peel the potatoes or leave the skin on for this recipe. Making no peel mashed potatoes adds a little color and texture to your potatoes.
Peeling your potatoes means they’ll be a little creamier.
So either way, your smashed potatoes will be rich, creamy, and delicious.
These quick and easy Instant Pot mashed red potatoes are a great side dish. But don’t be surprised if people think they are the best part of the meal!
New to Instant Pot Cooking? Read How to Use the Instant Pot 101 first! And, then Tips & Hacks for the Instant Pot is terrific for new owners and seasoned IP-ers alike!
What 4 Ingredients You Need to Make Instant Pot Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
- Red potatoes
- Chicken broth
- Unsalted Butter
- Cream cheese
Plus salt and pepper to taste.
Equipment for Instant Pot Red Potatoes
- Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker)
- Potato Masher
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How to Cook Mashed Red Potatoes in Instant Pot
Pressure Cook the red potatoes. Add the red potatoes to the Instant Pot and pressure cook them for 7 minutes. Use a quick release method as soon as they’re done cooking. Use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes into a bowl. Keep 1/2 cup of the potato chicken broth from the pressure cooker.
Mash the potatoes. Add cream and butter to the potatoes, and 1/4 cup of the reserved potato broth. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until they are creamy. I do not recommend using a hand mixer for this. They can easily become gummy or pasty. If needed, add more reserved potato broth.
Finishing touches for serving. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also garnish with parsley, chives, or grated parmesan before serving.
Tips for perfectly mashed potatoes:
- Be sure the potatoes are well-drained before mashing them. I recommend using a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked potatoes to a bowl. This will help remove as much liquid as possible. Then, add broth back in while you mash to get just the right consistency.
- Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes before you mash them. This will help keep their texture a little firmer and avoid making them gummy.
- Save the hand mixer for heartier Russet or Gold potatoes. These reds mash easily with a potato masher.
This recipe is made with red-skinned potatoes, which are lower in starch than Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes. Red potatoes tend to be less fluffy but very creamy in texture.
If you’re looking for mashed potatoes that are light and fluffy, try my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipes. They both use Gold or Russet potatoes.
Recipe Variations
- You can use any type of potatoes for this recipe. This includes baby potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or Russet potatoes.
- Use your favorite oil instead of butter if you want a dairy-free option. You can choose olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes: To make garlic mashed red potatoes, add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic to the pot with the potatoes while they are cooking.
- Cheesy mashed potatoes: Add 1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese to the mix if you want cheesy mashed potatoes. This will give your potatoes a delicious flavor.
- Herbed mashed potatoes: You can also mix in other herbs like chives, rosemary, or thyme.
- Potato Salad: Make potato salad if you don’t want to mash your potatoes. Add 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of diced onion, and 2 tablespoons of diced celery to the potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gummy mashed potatoes happen when the potatoes are mashed too much. They can also happen when the potatoes absorb too much water. That’s why I like to use an Instant Pot or pressure cooker to make mashed potatoes. These cookers use less water and steam the potatoes instead.
Yes, you can. Rather than use the reserved potato broth, use 1/4 cup of milk and add more (up to another 1/4 cup) as needed for creamy potatoes.
If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, you can swap the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Serve them with baked chicken, turkey, steak, pork chops, or a roast. They also pair well with roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts, carrots, and green beans. You can also top them with shredded cheese, green onions, bacon bits, or sour cream.
Get the Complete Pressure Cooker Red Skin Smashed Potatoes Recipe Here:
Instant Pot Mashed Red Potatoes
Equipment
- Potato mashed
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds red potatoes, scrubbed or peeled cut into 2" chunks
- 1 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces (or 1/2 cup) cream cheese softened or room temperature
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnish
- parsley, chives, or grated parmesan
Instructions
- Add red potatoes and chicken broth to the pressure cooker. Twist the lid to lock it, and turn or press the sealing lever to seal (if needed). Set Instant Pot to high pressure cooking for 7 minutes.
- Once pressure cooking is complete, use the quick release method to depressurize the pot. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes to a bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup of the potato chicken broth from the pressure cooker and set aside.
- Add butter and cream cheese to the potatoes, along with 1/4 cup of the reserved potato broth.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until they are all mashed and creamy. For the best results, do not use a mixer. Red potatoes become gummy or pasty easily when over-mixed. Add more reserved potato broth, if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley, chives, or grated parmesan before serving, if desired.
Notes
- You can use any type of potato for this recipe. This includes baby potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or Russet potatoes.
- Use your favorite oil instead of butter if you want a dairy-free option. You can choose olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes: To make garlic mashed red potatoes, add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic to the pot with the potatoes while they are cooking.
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes: add 1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese to the mix if you want cheesy mashed potatoes. This will give your potatoes a delicious flavor.
- Herbed Mashed Potatoes: you can mix herbs like chives, rosemary, or thyme.
- Potato Salad: make potato salad if you don’t want to mash your potatoes. Add 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of diced onion, and 2 tablespoons of diced celery to the potatoes.
Great instructions, delicious recipe.
Thank you!