Vegan Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (No-Drain)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This recipe for Vegan Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes is so easy it’s shocking.

That’s right—creamy, glorious mashed potatoes, made in your Instant Pot. If you are making a bunch of other food, you can set your Instant Pot up and make these out of the way of the feast-making action.

Here’s why they are so easy

• The potatoes are cooked in vegan no-chicken broth so you don’t have to drain them
• You mash them in the Instant Pot with a potato masher or electric hand mixer

Bonus nutrients?

As a bonus, since you don’t drain the potatoes they keep more of their nutrients. I know—they are starchy potatoes, how many nutrients are there to keep? I don’t know, but Penn Jillette & Kevin Smith have both lived on nothing but potatoes for a whole fortnight.

Additionally, leaving the peels on the potatoes will provide more nutrients.

Have it your way

• Don’t peel them, peel them, or peel some but not all of them
• Use russet, gold, or a mix of the two. You want high-starch potatoes, not waxy potatoes like red or fingerling
• Serve with Amazing No-Chicken Vegan Gravy, extra Earth Balance, salt & pepper, or whatever you want
• Mash with a potato masher or the electric mixer

You can over-mash

It’s not just something they made up on the Gilmore Girls so that Lorelai could have that line about mashed potato elbow, you actually can over-mash.

When potatoes are mashed, starch is released. The more you work the potatoes, the more starch gets released. When too much starch gets released, the potatoes become gummy, gluey, and unappetizing.

I use the electric mixer on low to medium speed and not very long. Before I turn the mixer on I mash the potatoes manually with the beaters by moving the mixer up and down. Mash while they are hot and it will be quicker and you will have better mashed potatoes.

Vegan no-chicken broth options

I use these often, in many recipes. I recommend using a no-chicken or vegan-chicken-flavored broth for these potatoes. I’ve used regular veggie broth in things and disliked the flavor. The low sodium broth is good to use on its own or to mix with other broths—especially if you are watching your sodium intake.

Extra Credit

When Earth Balance and plant milk are added straight from the fridge, not only do they cool everything down, they also don’t get absorbed into the potatoes as well.

To keep the potatoes warm, super-mashable, and ready to absorb goodness, try using soft or melted Earth Balance and room temp or warm plant milk for the best possible mashed potatoes.

You can nuke them in the microwave or heat them together in a small pot on the stove while the potatoes are cooking in the Instant Pot. 

Creamy or less creamy?

These mashed potatoes are creamy. They get their moisture from the broth, plant milk and Earth Balance. If you would like less creamy, drier mashed potatoes, skip the plant milk or add it a little at a time, stopping when you’ve hit your desired consistency. Potatoes will thicken after being mashed and absorbing the moisture. 

Let’s make Vegan Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Measure the Earth Balance and plant milk and set out so that they will warm up. You can heat the plant milk & melt the Earth Balance before mashing if you want (recommended).

• 

• 

• 

Ready For The Instant Pot

Place the potatoes in the bottom on the Instant Pot, then pour the broth over the top. Close and seal the lid, making sure the valve is set to Sealing.

• 

• 

Set to Manual, High Pressure, 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take 5 – 10 minutes get up to temp/pressure. It will read On while this is happening. When the Instant Pot is at pressure it will display the remaining minutes. When finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep.

• 

• 

Manually release the pressure. I wear a silicone oven mitt to avoid burning myself on the steam. It will take 4 -5 minutes for the steam to release. If you are busy with other foods and the potatoes sit in the Instant Pot and do a natural steam release, that works too.

• 

• 

Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and poke a few of the potato pieces with a fork. If the fork goes in easily, they are fully cooked and ready to mash. If they are firm, close the lid and let them sit on the keep warm setting for a few minutes until they pass the fork test.

• 

• 

Mash

Add Earth Balance, oat milk, and salt & pepper. Mash with a potato masher or mash and blend with an electric hand mixer until they are your desired texture. Do not over mash. Serve and enjoy or store.

• 

• 

• 

Serve and enjoy or store.

For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

Recipe adapted from Karlynn Johnston at Fast & Slow Cooking.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also enjoy

• Amazing No-Chicken Vegan Gravy
• Lux Vegan Yogurt Twice-Baked Potatoes
• Instant Pot Ancient Grains
• Vegan Green Bean Casserole
• Classic Vegan Muffin Tin Stuffing
• Vegan Jackfruit Barbacoa (Both Instant Pot & Stove Top + Oven Instructions)
• Pan-Seared Vegan Gnocchi With Brussels, Kale, Toasted Walnuts & Garlic Shake

Did you make Vegan Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes?

How did it go? Any variations? What did you eat them with? Tell me about it in the comments section below.