How to Cook Boiled Potatoes in the Instant Pot

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Cooking With Anadi

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Before I discovered that an Instant Pot can boil potatoes, I used my stovetop pressure cooker. FYI, I actually ended up tossing out that pressure cooker, as it was just causing me too much stress! But that’s another story!

Maybe it is just me, but I could never get the timing right. The potatoes would either still be raw in the center or get mushy and absorb water.

Tools Needed

• Instant pot
• Trivet
• Fork

What Has Changed Since Making Instant Pot Boiled Potatoes?

• Potatoes are steamed, so they absorb no excess water while cooking.
• The potatoes are ready at the same time, every time!
• No monitoring needed so you can just sit back and relax.

So if you recently bought yourself an Instant Pot, I hope you try this recipe and have a breeze with preparing mashed potatoes for the next social gathering!

I like having boiled potatoes on hand so I can always prepare my favorite meals such as North Indian Potato Samosas, Potato Brunch Roll and Punjabi Aloo Paratha.

How to Boil Instant Pot Potatoes

1. Thoroughly rinse potatoes and scrub any dirt off.

2. Insert trivet in the Instant Pot and place potatoes on trivet.

3. Pour between 1/4 to 1/3 cups of water over potatoes.

4. Close lid and ensure Instant Pot is in Sealing Mode.

5. Select Steam setting and cook for 10-12 minutes, let pressure release naturally.

6. Try inserting a fork or knife to ensure the center of the potatoes are cooked.

And that’s it! This is such a simple process, and you’re guaranteed to have perfect potatoes ready for any occasion!

Tips for Perfect Instant Pot Boiled Potatoes

• If your potatoes are larger than 6-7 oz each, cut your potatoes in half to ensure even cooking
• If your potatoes are larger than 6-7 oz each, add 1 extra minute to the cook time for each additional ounce. For example, for 3 potatoes that are 8 oz, you’ll want to pressure cook for 12 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Potatoes to Use, and What Size

This recipe is written for 3 potatoes at about 6 to 7 oz each, which is a medium potato — roughly the size of your fist. Size matters more than variety here, because pressure cooking is timed rather than watched. Small potatoes, baby potatoes and new potatoes will be done sooner and can turn mushy on a full 10 to 11 minutes. Large potatoes will still be raw in the middle. The rule the recipe gives is the one to follow: anything bigger than 6 to 7 oz should be cut in half for even cooking, and you add 1 extra minute per additional ounce — so three 8 oz potatoes want 12 minutes rather than 10 or 11.

Whatever you use, aim for even-sized potatoes in a single batch. A pot holding one big potato and two small ones has no good cook time, because the small ones overcook while the large one catches up. That is the single most common reason for disappointing results.

On types of potatoes: the choice is about what you plan to do next, not about the method. Starchy russet potatoes fall apart readily, which is exactly what you want for mash or anything you push through a ricer, but it also means they are the easiest to overcook into water-logged bites. Waxy red potatoes and new potatoes hold their shape and their skins, so they are the ones for potato salad and for anything where you want distinct cubes. Yukon gold potatoes sit in the middle, with enough starch for a creamy texture and enough structure to stay in one piece — which is why they are the safe default if you are not sure yet.

Why the Trivet and the Steam Setting Matter

The whole point of this method is that the potatoes never touch the water. The trivet lifts them off the bottom of the pot, the 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water sits underneath, and the potatoes cook in steam on top of the trivet. A steamer basket does the same job if that is what came with your pot. Boiling potatoes submerged is what makes them absorb moisture and turn watery, and it is why a boiled potato can taste bland while a steamed one still tastes like potato.

That small amount of water is deliberate too. An Instant Pot only needs enough liquid to generate steam and come up to pressure; more water does not cook the potatoes faster, it just takes longer to heat and gives the potatoes more to sit in if any of them slip off the trivet.

Use the Steam program, which runs at high pressure, and make sure the valve is in Sealing before you walk away. If your model does not have a Steam button, the Manual or Pressure Cook button on high for the same 10 to 11 minutes does exactly the same thing. Then let it come down on a natural pressure release rather than venting it — the potatoes carry on cooking gently as the pressure falls, and a sudden release can split the skins. And unlike a stovetop pressure cooker, there are no whistles to count here; you set the minutes and the pot handles the rest, which is what makes it hands-free.

Check with a fork or a knife into the center before you commit. Fork-tender potatoes take the point with almost no resistance all the way through. If there is a firm core, put the lid back on for another 2 to 3 minutes — nothing is lost by going again.

What to Make With Them, and How to Store Them

This is a base rather than a finished potato dish, which is what makes it worth doing 3 at a time. Warm and riced or mashed they go straight into mashed potatoes; cooled and cubed they hold their shape for potato salad and for cold salads generally. They shortcut a shepherd's pie or any potato-topped casseroles, they thicken a soup or a stew without turning it to glue, and because they are already cooked through they crisp much faster than raw potato in a pan of hash browns, in the oven for roasting, or cut into potato wedges. Even oven french fries benefit from a par-cooked start.

Leave the skins on while they cook. The skin protects the flesh from the steam and keeps the flavor in, and if you want them peeled, the skin slips off easily with your fingers once they are cool enough to handle — far less waste than peeling them raw.