Tender Instant Pot Potatoes are easy to make using any kind of potato and seasoned any way you like. A quick, simple side dish everyone loves!
You can also save time with easy Instant Pot baked potatoes and Instant Pot mashed potatoes.
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Instant Pot potatoes are my absolute favorite side dish when I am tired, and I know we need to eat more vegetables and not pasta. After cooking I like to season them simply with butter, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.
I also love to make Instant Pot potato salad, Instant Pot chicken and potatoes or Instant Pot potato soup in my pressure cooker.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Basic: Quick potato recipe for cooking plain potatoes in Instant Pot.
- Quick and easy: Ready in under 25 minutes with just 2 ingredients and no peeling required. One of the easiest Instant Pot recipes ever!
- Detailed recipe: For all potato kinds and sizes. Creamer potatoes, large potatoes, and anything in between.
- Versatile: It’s a blank canvas simple dinner side dish that you can dress any way you like. See below for ideas.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Potatoes
You’ll be able to make this Instant Pot potatoes recipe any time, all you need is water and potatoes!
- Potatoes: Choose from Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, yellow potatoes, baby potatoes, or russet potatoes. You can cook 1-10 pounds at a time.
- Cold water: Be sure to add cold water, so potatoes don’t overcook.
How to Make Potatoes in Instant Pot
Cooking potatoes in Instant Pot is really simple with just a couple minutes prep time.
Here’s a quick overview, there is a full recipe card below.
- Prep the potatoes: Wash and cut potatoes. I cut mine into 1.5-2″ pieces for faster cook time, see chart below for other options.
- Fill Instant Pot: Add 1 cup cold water to the Instant Pot, then place potatoes into a steamer basket inside the pot. You can also place potatoes on top of a trivet.
- Pressure cook: Seal the lid, turn pressure valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure or Manual for 5 minutes.
- Release pressure: Use Quick Release by turning valve to Venting and open the lid. Poke potatoes with a knife, if the knife pierces flesh without much resistance, your potatoes are ready.
- Season cooked potatoes: Remove the basket or drain potatoes, season to your liking, and serve with a main dish of your choice.
How Long to Cook Potatoes in Instant Pot?
How long to pressure cook potatoes depends mostly on their size. Here’s a simple time table to guide you.
| Type and Size of Potatoes | Pressure Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| Creamer potatoes (baby potatoes) | 3 minutes |
| 1.5″ – 2″ cubes | 5 minutes |
| 3″ halves | 7 minutes |
| Whole potatoes | 15-20 minutes |
Tips and Variations
Here are my top tips for perfectly cooked Instant Pot potatoes along with some flavorful seasoning ideas.
- Cook potatoes of similar size: Small potatoes will go mushy while you wait for larger ones to cook, for even cooking make sure your potatoes are cut into similar sizes.
- Smash them: I like to add my mashed potatoes “regular suspects” like milk, butter, fresh dill, salt and black pepper, and just stir or smash potatoes with a wooden spoon.
- Whole baby potatoes: Keep them whole and gently toss with butter, freshly grated garlic, fresh dill, salt and pepper.
- Cheesy potatoes: Add a handful of grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of ranch dressing.
- Tangy potatoes: Add Greek yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream to taste along with other simple seasonings like salt and pepper.
- Fresh herbs: Chopped fresh parsley, dill, thyme, rosemary, green onions or basil always elevate any potato dish.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Potatoes?
I usually keep them plain and serve with a flavorful main dish, including some of our favorite healthy Instant Pot recipes.
- Instant Pot chicken: Instant Pot Italian chicken breasts or Instant Pot BBQ chicken breast.
- Chicken: Creamy lemon chicken and asparagus or lemon pepper chicken.
- Instant Pot pork: Instant Pot pork chops or Instant Pot pulled pork.
- For a very quick dinner when in a rush, I open a few cans of salmon or bake some store-bought whole wheat chicken fingers and serve with these potatoes and my 5 minute coleslaw recipe.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Place cooled leftovers in an airtight storage container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Reheating can be done in the microwave or in a covered skillet on the stove. Potatoes also taste delicious if you pan fry them with a bit of bacon fat or butter.
Freeze: Do not freeze, potatoes do not thaw well.
FAQs
Yes and no. Even if potatoes get overcooked, they are fall apart tender which is a great thing in my books. Feel free to add a few extra minutes to cook time, if you are not sure. However, when cooking potatoes for a potato salad, it is more important not to overcook them.
No, you don’t have to peel the potatoes. Just wash them well before cutting them to remove dirt. However, if you would like to peel them, feel free to do so. No changes in the recipe are necessary.
You’ll know your potatoes are ready when a knife inserted goes in easily, like into butter.
Close the lid, set valve to Sealing and pressure cook for another 2 minutes for potato chunks or 7 minutes for whole potatoes.
Yes, you can cook potatoes without a trivet or basket. Make sure to drain them well after cooking.
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot meatloaf and mashed potatoes
- Instant Pot pot roast
- Instant Pot beef stew
- Instant Pot shrimp boil
Instant Pot Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds potatoes cut into 1.5-2" pieces
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- In Instant Pot, add 1 cup cold water. Place potatoes into a steamer basket inside the Instant Pot. If you don't have a basket, add trivet and place potatoes on top.
- Close the lid, turn pressure valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure or Manual for 5 minutes.
- Release pressure immediately using Quick Release by turning valve to Venting and open the lid. Test potatoes for doneness by poking with the knife. If the knife pierces flesh without much resistance, they are ready.
- Remove the basket or drain potatoes and season to your liking. I like to add butter, salt, pepper and fresh dill or parsley or serve as is with a saucy main. Serve with a main dish of choice.
Thank you, Olena! Your email with this recipe was just the encouragement I needed to cook the potatoes that have been sitting there for a few days! I’ll be peeling them before cooking, and then make them into a potato salad with diced hard boiled eggs, onions and black olives, with a bit of mayonnaise and added English mustard 💕
You are welcome, Mari. Your potato salad sounds delicious!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!