These Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes are rich and creamy and flavored with a whole head of delicious roasted garlic for an easy side dish that's loaded with flavor!
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Why This recipe works
Sure, you can load mashed potatoes with butter and cream to make them rich and indulgent. But to really take the flavor to the next level nothing beats roasted garlic mashed potatoes! They're the ultimate comfort food and go great with dishes like my Salisbury steak, herb-crusted roasted pork loin, and my Instant Pot London broil.
The caramelized roasted garlic adds a complex sweet but savory flavor to the potatoes and it's super easy to make.
And making mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot is my favorite way to cook them. Your potatoes are done in about the time it takes to bring a large pot of water to a boil for stovetop mashed potatoes.
It's also a great way to free up extra space on the stove when making large holiday meals like Thanksgiving dinner.
What Potatoes to Use for Mashed Potatoes
For this mashed potato recipe, I prefer to use russet potatoes. Their higher starch content produces a lighter texture. Yukon gold or red potatoes will also work, but these will produce a denser, creamier result.
How to Make Roasted Garlic
When you roast garlic, it changes the flavor as the sugars caramelize and makes it much milder than raw garlic. So while a whole head may sound like a lot of garlic, it's just the right amount for this recipe.
You can make roasted garlic in a toaster oven. No need to heat up a full size oven for 1 head of garlic!
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the loose outer layers of skin from the garlic and trim around ¼ to ½ inch from the top to expose the cloves.
- Line one spot in a muffin tin with foil and place the garlic in the foil. Drizzle around 1 teaspoon of olive oil on top of the garlic then fold the foil over the garlic to cover.
- Roast for 30-45 minutes until the garlic is softened and lightly browned. Once the garlic has cooled, you can squeeze the cloves out from the skin.
Roasted garlic will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, so you can make it well ahead of time to make these mashed potatoes even quicker.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices around 1 inch thick. Add to the pot with 1 cup of water. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Note: it will take around 8 minutes to pressurize, so the total cook time is about 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins onto a cutting board and roughly chop with a large chef's knife. Then, use the side of the knife to mash the garlic into a paste and set aside.
- Carefully quick release the pressure, then drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the roasted garlic paste, butter, milk, salt and pepper.
- Mash with a potato masher until smooth, adding more milk if needed until you reach your desired consistency. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste then serve warm.
Note: If your pressure cooker pot has a nonstick coating, mash the potatoes in a separate bowl or uncoated pot to avoid scratching your pot!
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To reheat smaller portions, stir in a splash of milk to loosen them up and reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through.
If making the entire dish in advance, I recommend placing them in a baking dish and covering them with foil, then reheating the oven at 325°F until warmed through.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
You can leave the skin on if you prefer more rustic mashed potatoes with the skin. Just make sure to wash them thoroughly before using them to remove any dirt. I would also recommend chopping the potatoes into chunks to avoid any large pieces of skin ending up in the final dish.
For the smoothest, fluffiest texture, I recommend using a potato ricer to mash your potatoes. You can also use an electric hand mixer, but be careful to not overmix.
What to Serve with Mashed Potatoes
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1 inch slices
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup whole milk, or half and half
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Roasted Garlic
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the loose outer layers of skin from the garlic and trim around ¼ to ½ inch from the top to expose the cloves.
- Line one spot in a muffin tin with foil and place the garlic in the foil. Drizzle around 1 teaspoon of olive oil on top of the garlic then fold the foil over the galic to cover.
- Roast for around 45 minutes until the garlic is softened and lightly browned. Once the garlic has cooled you can squeeze the cloves out from the skin.
Mashed Potatoes
- While the garlic roasts, place the peeled and sliced potatoes in your pressure cooker with 1 cup of water.
- Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes, then quick release the pressure. Drain the water and return the cooked potatoes to the pot.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the skin and roughly chop with a large knife. Use the side of the knife to mash the garlic into a paste.
- Add the garlic paste to the pot with the potatoes along with the milk, butter, salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk to reach your desired consistency. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste then serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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