Instant Pot Potatoes are so easy to make, and are the perfect fast side dish for so many dinners. These buttery little beauties practically melt in your mouth. My family is obsessed with this easy garlic potato recipe.
A few years ago we made some simple Roasted Baby Potatoes to accompany my Top Round Roast for a photo shoot. It was like an accidental recipe. Something I threw together on a whim. But we totally fell in love with it. It became our go to recipe anytime we needed a side dish.
Since then, I’ve been wanting to make an Instant Pot version. I am lucky that I have a double oven and can make roast beef in one and potatoes in the other, but I know not everyone has that. This Instant Pot potato recipe takes care of that. In fact, it cooks the potatoes faster than the original, while still being just as buttery and delicious.
Had that for supper tonight and they are delicious! I sprinkled parsley and cheese over them.
How to Cook Potatoes in Instant Pot
- Prepare the potatoes. Make sure they are washed, and cut in half. Extra large baby potatoes should be cut in fourths.
- Put the potatoes in the Instant Pot. Cover them completely with water. The amount of water you use is less important than them being completely covered.
- Seal the Instant Pot. Set the valve to sealing (not venting). And set the Instant Pot for Manual, High, 5 minutes. The Instant Pot will take some time to come to pressure (it took ours about 13 minutes) then it will count down the 5 minutes.
- Vent the Instant Pot. When the pressure cooker is done cooking and the timer goes off, release the pressure and let the Instant Pot vent. This is a really important step. If you don’t do this, your potatoes will be over cooked.
- Open the Instant Pot. Once the float valve drops, open the Instant pot. Carefully drain the water.
- Season the potatoes. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a serving bowl and toss with melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
How Long to Cook Potatoes in Instant Pot
Instant pot potatoes – regardless of what kind you are making – only need 5 minutes on high. The key is to release the pressure when the timer goes off. The pressure cooker will release pressure faster than if you do a natural release and this way the potatoes will not over cook.
What Potatoes to Use for Instant Pot Potatoes
For this recipe, I love using baby Boomer Gold Creamer Potatoes. They are so soft and buttery. They cook perfectly and they really lend themselves to this simplistic recipe with minimal seasoning.
That being said, you could use any baby potatoes for this. This same recipe will work with red potatoes and it would be delicious. Just cut them to a similar size as what you see here, about 1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches.
Seasoning Baby Potatoes
In this recipe we are simply using butter, fresh garlic, kosher salt, and pepper. Because the garlic doesn’t get cooked in this recipe, it has a strong taste. We love that, but if your family isn’t as over the moon for garlic as we are, I suggest cooking the garlic with the potatoes in the water. Then use a fine mesh sieve to drain it so you retain the garlic.
Please also note that we used kosher salt. If you don’t have kosher salt and instead are using table salt, you will want to cut back on the amount you are using.
FAQ
Absolutely. If you want to double the recipe keep the cooking time the same, just double the amount of potatoes you are using and make sure they are completely covered in water. Then of course double the butter, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Yes! This method of potatoes in the instant pot is exactly what we use in our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. In that recipe we cook them for longer (10 minutes) since the pieces are bigger and we are making mashed potatoes. There is no risk of over cooking them.
If you want to eat the potatoes as pieces (not mashed) but the pieces are bigger (approximately 2 inches by 2 inches), follow this method but increase the cook time to 8 minutes.
Yes! This would work perfectly as the start to my Potato Salad or really any potato salad recipe.
Other Side Dish Recipes
If you make these Instant Pot Potatoes or any of my other recipes leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Instant Pot Garlic Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boomer gold creamer potatoes washed and cut in half
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced (read more about using garlic in this recipe here)
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt (if you are using table salt, start with only 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place your prepared potatoes in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Cover with water. Close the lid and set it to sealing.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual, High, for 5 minutes.
- At the end of the time, do a quick release to release the pressure. Once the float valve drops, open the Instant Pot carefully.
- Drain the water. Make sure to completely drain them. Toss them with the melted butter, garlic salt, and pepper. Serve and enjoy.
Judith Fulton says
had that for supper tonight and they are delicious~! sprinkled parsley and cheese over them.
I’m so glad you liked them, Judith!
Kat says
I got a pre-loved instant pot from a family member and was a bit hesitant to use it -they are kind of intimidating. A lot of the guides said to try something easy like a side or something. I sat down at my computer to search for “side dish instant pot recipes.” I happened to have facebook open already and caught a glance of the stories and the story for this recipe was right there. It was fate.
I was finally brave and tried it tonight and it was yummy. The perfect way to dip my toe into the waters of the wonder of the instant pot. Thank you.
You are so very welcome! I hope you feel confident to try more of my Instant Pot recipes now.
Tricia says
Made this as written, then stirred in a little leftover crema and chives from the backyard. Everyone loved it. Definitely will make again.
I’m glad you liked it, Tricia!