Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potatoes

POTATOES!!!  Glorious, delicious, cheesy potatoes!!  Is there anything better?  Well, maybe…but potatoes are pretty high on my list of favorite foods!

If I could, I’d probably eat potatoes every….single….day!  Yep, they are that good!  And they are even better with cheese, bacon(of course!), and sour cream!  Next time you crave a loaded baked potato, try making LOADED Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot!  They cook in just 8 minutes and are so good!

Tips for making Loaded Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot:

1.Be sure to cook your bacon before adding it to the mashed potatoes.  You can either cook it ahead of time or use pre-packaged cooked bacon bits.

2.Use shredded cheese instead of cubed or sliced.  The thinner the shreds, the more quickly it will melt and incorporate into the mashed potatoes. 

3.If you make your LOADED mashed potatoes ahead of time, you can refrigerate and reheat for later. I always add just a little bit of milk, cream, or chicken broth to the potatoes when reheating them.  This helps to make them creamy again!

4.  Get creative and add additional ingredients or different cheeses!  We usually use cheddar cheese, but have also tried mashed potatoes with pepper jack cheese!  It goes really well with the bacon and sour cream!

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?  Check out some of our favorites!

• Instant Pot ABC Green Beans
• Instant Pot Pecan Glazed Ham
• Instant Pot Carrot Cake Cheesecake
• Instant Pot Creme Brulee
• Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

Ingredients for making LOADED Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot:

• 3-4 pounds potatoes-peeled and quartered
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup milk or heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup COOKED thick cut bacon-cut into small pieces
• sliced green onions for garnish-if desired

Directions for making LOADED Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot:

1.Peel and quarter 3 pounds of russet or golden potatoes. I almost always have russet potatoes on hand, so that is what I used.  Based on the size of the potatoes, you may have to cut them into 6 or 8 pieces instead of 4.  The goal is to have all of the potatoes cut into pieces that are about the same size and about 2 or 3 inches in size.

2.Pour the chicken broth into the Instant Pot.

3.Carefully pour the cut up potatoes in the Instant Pot.

4.Add 1 teaspoon of salt.  This salt will help to flavor the potatoes while they are pressure cooking.

5.Close pressure cooking lid and set timer to 8 minutes.  Make sure that the pressure cooking valve is in the “sealed” position.  When the timer beeps, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.  If liquid starts to come out of the valve, close the valve and allow to natural release for a couple of minutes and then try to quick release the pressure again.

6.Double check to see how much liquid is left in the Instant Pot after releasing the pressure.  This will vary based on how quickly your pot released the pressure.  You should only have about ½ cup of liquid left.  If there is more liquid left, carefully pour the extra out of the pot.  If there is just about ½ cup of liquid, there is no need to pour out or drain!  Add ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, and butter.  Cutting the butter into smaller pieces makes it melt faster.

7.Add sour cream.

8.Pour in milk or heavy cream.

9.If you are using a stainless pot, mash potatoes with a hand mixer until potatoes are smooth.  If you are using a non-stick pan as I did, use a plastic handheld potato masher to mash potatoes and combine all ingredients.  DO NOT use an electric mixer or metal utensil in a non-stick pot.

10.Add in shredded cheese and cooked bacon and stir.  Garnish with green onions if desired.