Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe (Instant Pot)

Buttery creamy mashed potatoes all done in 30 minutes in the Instant Pot! This is the best mashed potatoes recipe for Thanksgiving!

Yes, we have the perfect mashed potato recipe already posted on the blog, but I love that this recipe can all be done in the Instant Pot freeing up the stove top for other things (hello No Fuss Stuffing!). And the flavor of Yukon gold potatoes just can’t be beat!

Use your Instant Pot for these delicious mashed potatoes your entire family will enjoy. This step-by-step recipe will help you get the perfect consistency and taste.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

You only need 5 ingredients to make these perfect mashed potatoes. Here is what you will need:

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: You will need about 8 potatoes (or 4-5 large).
  • PRO TIP: You can also use Russet potatoes if desired, but the taste of Yukon gold is unbeatable.
• Salt: Adds flavor
• Cream Cheese: Use full fat, no low fat or fat free.
• Whole Milk: Cream can also be used.
• Butter: Adds flavor and richness

The measurements for each ingredient are listed in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make the Best Mashed Potatoes

Here are the step-by-step instructions for making mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot. It’s easy peasy!

1. Set the cream cheese out to come to room temperature.
2. Melt the butter on the stove top or in the microwave.
3. Peel and quarter the potatoes.
4. Add the potatoes to the Instant Pot and add enough water to cover them. Add the salt.
5. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and seal it. Set to manual high heat and pressure cook for 8 minutes.
6. Measure the milk in a glass measuring cup and warm the milk in the microwave.
7. When the potatoes are done, quick release the IP and drain the potatoes. Leave the potatoes in the pot and let them steam dry for a few minutes.
8. Smash the potatoes with a potato masher or ricer. Then add the butter and stir, and then add the cream cheese and warmed milk.
9. Season to taste.

The complete instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. Keep scrolling for all the details!

Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

The best potatoes for mashing are the starchy potatoes – Yukon gold, Russet or Idaho. They have a fluffy texture that breaks down easily while mashing.

Variations

If you want to add additional flavors to the

Sharing a roundup of my favorite HigherDOSE products, just in time for their Black Friday deal. Starting now, you can use the code FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off sitewide (minus bundles and full-sized saunas).

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you’re having a wonderful morning. I just took my first workout class in two weeks – I took 16 days off with being sick/recovering/blah – grabbed a smoothie, and had a wonderful chiropractor appointment. I’m back home getting some work done before it’s time to pick up the crew and start the evening routine.

Today, I have some exciting news: HigherDOSE started their Black Friday promo. You guys know that I’ve been a fan of their products for a few years. I bought the sauna blanket for a Black Friday gift for myself a few years ago, and it’s become a wellness staple in my routine.

Today, I’m sharing some of my top picks, and you can use FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off! This is the best promo they have all year, so if you have your eye on anything, now is the time. Please also remember that all of these things are just fun to have, and might be some extra joy, zen, and rejuvenation to your routine.

Sharing the goods here if you feel like treating yourself!

The best HigherDOSE products

The sauna blanket

The HigherDOSE sauna blanket is an at-home and portable version of an infrared sauna. It uses infrared heat (which heats your body from the inside out, not the other way around), along with healing tourmaline crystals, clay, and a charcoal layer (which all generate negative ions). It’s made of nontoxic materials and is extremely low EMF, so it’s not emitting radiation throughout your body while you’re relaxing and sweating.

I u

Rich with butter and cream, aromatic, and seasoned very simply with salt, pepper, and thyme, these herb mashed potatoes are simply delicious. Mashed potatoes are always a hit with my family, but these are a step above the average.

Homestyle Mashed Potatoes

As much as we love mashed potatoes, I do not enjoy peeling potatoes. To avoid peeling potatoes, I use Yukon or golden potatoes in most of our mashed potatoes. The skins are so thin you can leave them on.

Rich, fluffy mashed potatoes with soft potato pieces and skins that melt into the creaminess are what you will get with this recipe. Yes, skin-on mashed potatoes can still be fluffy.

I’m a great big fan of rustic mashed potatoes. Why do I call them rustic? Because they aren’t supposed to be perfectly smooth, there should be some texture and it shouldn’t be fussy at all.

Mashed potatoes used to intimidate me, but I’m happy to tell you that there is nothing to worry about when making mashed potatoes. Just drain the potatoes and place them back in the pot over very low heat to make sure that any liquid or steam is released while you’re mashing them.

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Roasted Pear & Apple Salad with Caramelized Shallot Maple Vinaigrette

We love to make this roasted pear and apple salad in the fall with all the freshly harvested apples and pears!

It is topped with prosciutto, cinnamon pecans, pepitas, gorgonzola and raisins then tossed with the most stunning caramelized shallot maple vinaigrette. 

Ingredients for Roasted Apple Salad

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this salad recipe:

• Prosciutto – adds crunch and smoky delicious flavor
• Honeycrisp Apples (or Jonagold) – these apples hold up great to roasting and the flavor is the best
• Bartlett Pear (or Bosc) – become so flavorful and delicious when roasting
• Cinnamon Pecans (or Hazelnuts) – You can buy these at the store or make them on your own. See section below for how to make them at home.
• Olive Oil – helps keep the apples and pears from sticking to the pan
• Black Pepper – adds flavor
• Mixed Greens with Arugula – If your container of mixed greens doesn’t include arugula then buy some arugula and add it. Arugula just shines in this salad!!
• Gorgonzola – We love gorgonzola but it is easily substituted with any cheese you love. Try smoked cheddar, gouda, goat cheese, manchego, gruyere, etc.
• Pepitas – adds a yummy little crunch and nutty flavor
• Golden Raisins – can be replaced with regular raisins, craisins or pomegranate seeds

Vinaigrette

This recipe was inspired by a Taste of Home recipe I was reading. It just sounded so good and it was fabulous on this salad! Here is what you will need:

• Shallots – have a mild onion flavor and caramelize quickly
• Kosher Salt – adds a touch of flavor to the shallots as they caramelize
• Maple Syrup – use the real stuff!
• White Balsamic Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar) – you gotta have vinegar for a vinaigrette, both these options are sweet and tangy
• Olive Oil – the base of the vinaigrette

What Apples are Best for Salads?

I am forever loyal to honeycrisp apples! Jonagold will also work great. If you can’t find those or if they are too expensive (they can get quite pricey), then go with gala, granny smith, or Braeburn.

How to Roast Apples and Pears

Roasting apples and pears is so easy! You will want to slice them pretty thin, cutting the pears a little thicker than the apples. Then lay them on a baking sheet that has been drizzled with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Make sure all the slices are in a single layer. Place them in a preheated oven (425 degrees) and let them roast for 10 minutes. Then flip them all over and roast them for about 5 more minutes or until they are golden.

How to

Sweet Potato Rounds with Cranberry, Feta and Hazelnuts

Sweet potato rounds are like crostinis that you load up with goodness, but it’s all on top of roasted sweet potatoes making them a totally delicious and healthy side dish.

Years ago I started making little sweet potato rounds for our Christmas dinner. We did the gruyere sweet potato stacks the most but then with leftover cranberry sauce I started to experiment and eventually that led me to an adapted version of sweet potato rounds by Tidy Mom. I absolutely love making these and they are surprisingly very easy.

I love that I can use leftover cranberry sauce or fig spread. The cheese is also easy to swap and mix up. But most of all, I love that they taste absolutely scrumptious while looking stunning. Sometimes the best food is the ugliest, but that is not the case here!!

What Do I Need to Make Sweet Potato Rounds?

Just wait until you read all the delicious ingredients that go into this recipe! So much flavor in every bite…this is what you will need:

• Sweet Potatoes – you can peel the sweet potatoes if you want but I like to leave the skins on
• Olive Oil – used to roast the sweet potato rounds
• Fresh Orange Zest – you can’t beat the flavor of fresh citrus and it plays so well with the flavor of the toppings
• Kosher Salt – adds so much flavor
• Black Pepper – adds flavor and a teeny tiny kick
• Cranberry Sauce – you can use our recipe or make your own, but definitely make it from scratch
• Crumbled Feta – buy the brick of feta and crumble it yourself

For the Nuts

• Hazelnuts – easily swapped out for other nuts if you want, but roasted hazelnuts are so perfect for the holidays!
• Butter – helps roast the nuts and adds richness and flavor
• Cinnamon – adds flavor and warmth

For the Drizzle

• Honey – acts as the base for the drizzle and adds natural sweetness
• Balsamic Vinegar – adds a sweet tangy punch to the drizzle
• Fresh Thyme – adds a bright pop of flavor and freshness

Cheese Substitutes

If you aren’t a feta fan or want to change things up a little, then these are my suggestions for some possible cheese substitutes:

• Gorgonzola
• Bleu Cheese
• Gruyere
• Goats Cheese
• Parmesan Aged White Cheddar
• Manchego

Nut Substitutes

Hazelnuts can be a little harder to find than other nuts so if you have a hard time finding them or aren’t a fan, then try swapping them with any of these:

• Hazelnuts
• Pecans
• Walnuts
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