Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potatoes (With Or Without Oven!)

Creamy, buttery and perfectly scoop-able, Instant Pot loaded mashed potatoes are a casserole fusion of loaded baked potatoes and a classic mash. Ours is an irresistibly delicious combo of white and sweet potatoes, mashed and loaded with cheese, bacon and scallions. Super easy and perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, roast dinners and for making ahead.

In This Post:

• ℹ️ Overview
• 🛒 What You Need
• 📷 How To Make It
• 👩‍🍳 Make-Ahead Tips
• 📝 Go To Full Recipe
• ⭐️ Comment On & Rate This Recipe

👉 If you like this recipe, make sure to check out our Instant Pot loaded potato soup as well as the creamy and cheesy Instant Pot ranch potatoes. Plus our Instant Pot recipes for cheese lovers and for bacon lovers.

Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potatoes

If you're looking for a change from the classic mashed potatoes, try our creamy, delicious loaded mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon, made directly in your Instant Pot. You can get that final melted result with or without the oven, giving you extra space for roasting or baking.

This loaded mashed potato casserole is the perfect side dish for any occasion but is particularly fabulous for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas party when you tend to want to dress up your good ol' mash.

As well as topping the mashed potatoes with cheese, bacon and scallions (green onions), we use a mix of white and sweet potatoes for that gorgeous orange color and extra sweetness. You're welcome to use all-white potatoes to keep it more traditional.

What You'll Need

You will find the full recipe, ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below. Let's go through the key ingredients you'll need to make this potato dish in the Instant Pot.

• Potatoes - we used a total of about 3 pounds of potatoes, 4 large white potatoes and 2 medium to large sweet potatoes. You can use all white or all sweet potato if you wish.
• Fats - we used salted butter but you can use unsalted, simply taste for seasoning once everything is added to see if you need to add extra salt; we used light sour cream as this dish is already calorie-dense so this will lighten it up a little bit. 
• Loaded toppings - streaky bacon, scallions and grated cheese will go both inside the mash and on top; we used a mix of Colby and Cheddar naturally colored cheese as we have a sweet potato for that lovely orange/yellow tint, but yellow cheese is great for adding color too. We've got wholegrain mustard for tang and this is totally optional! Plus, a little onion powder for savory umami taste, also optional if you don't have any on hand. 

How To Make Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Here are some step-by-step pics to guide you along.

• Step 1. Peel and dice the potatoes into large cubes.
• Step 2. Add potatoes to the Instant Pot together with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix and pop the lid on top.
• Step 3. Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. The pressure will take about 12 minutes to build up and then the timer will kick off. Allow 2-3 minutes for the pressure to release naturally and then use the quick release to let off the steam.
• Note: If using the oven to finish the dish, start heating it up to 420 F / ~220 C. 
• Step 4. While potatoes are cooking, pan-fry the bacon on medium heat until crispy and browned on both sides. You may have to do this in batches.

• Step 6. Transfer to parchment paper to absorb excess oil and once cooled, dice into small cubes. Set aside.
• Step 7. Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Step 8. Open the Instant Pot and strain *most* of the cooking water. We left about 2-3 tablespoons of water in the pot but you can also use milk instead. 
• Step 9. Keep the Instant Pot on Keep Warm setting while you add the following: butter, sour cream, mustard, onion powder and pepper. Mash potatoes to desired smoothness consistency. We like it a little chunky for this particular recipe.

• Step 8. Once mashed, add 1 cup of shredded cheese and fold through to melt. Now fold in half of the bacon and half of the green onions. 
• Step 9. Finish the casserole with melted cheese on top.
• Option 1: If not using the oven, add the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of the potatoes and place a lid on top (any lid will do). Leave on Keep Warm setting and wait for 3-4 minutes for the cheese to melt on top. You can now top with the remaining bacon and onions OR you can transfer to a serving dish and then garnish.

• Option 2: If using the oven, transfer the potato mix to a deep casserole dish (see below), top with cheese and pop in the oven for 10 minutes to melt. Remove from the oven, garnish with bacon and onions and serve. 

Can I Make Loaded Mashed Potatoes Ahead Of Time?

Yes! This is a great dish for making ahead and in fact, it tastes even better the next day once reheated in the oven.  Make the potatoes and transfer them to a casserole dish or a Tupperware container with or without extra cheese on top, cover and store them in the fridge overnight or for up to 2 days for freshness.

Then, when ready to serve, top with the remaining cheese if not already on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so to reheat and melt the cheese. Reheat the pre-cooked bacon in the microwave or an oven and top the potatoes once cooked. Finish with freshly chopped green onions.  

More Instant Pot Potato Recipes

• Instant Pot Stuffed Baked Potatoes 4 Ways
• Instant Pot Potato Salad With Eggs & Creamy Dressing
• Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (Instant Pot Step-By-Step Recipe)
• Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup (Step-By-Step)

Full Recipe

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.

Rate This Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potatoes (With Or Without Oven!)

Instant Pot loaded mashed potatoes are creamy and buttery, topped with cheese, bacon and scallions (green onions). They're a breeze to make and are perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and making ahead. We used white and sweet potatoes for this loaded mashed potato casserole recipe.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Servings: 8 Or 10 smaller ones

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Irena Macri

Ingredients

• 3 lb white potatoes mix of Russet white potatoes and sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 7-8 oz bacon streaky, about200 grams
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons butter we used salted
• ½ cup light sour cream
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon pepper white pepper is best here but black is fine too
• 1.5 teaspoon wholegrain mustard optional
• 2 cups shredded cheese we used a mix of Colby & Cheddar natural colored cheese but yellow is great too
• 3 scallions green onions, chopped pale white and green shoots (1 cup chopped)
• Extra salt to taste

Instructions

• Add peeled, cubed potatoes to the Instant Pot together with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix and pop the lid on top.
• Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. The pressure will take about 12 minutes to build up and then the timer will kick off. Allow 2-3 minutes NPR and then quick release. 
• If using the oven, start heating it to 420 F / ~220 C. 
• While potatoes are cooking, pan-fry the bacon on medium heat until crispy and browned on both sides. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer to parchment paper to absorb excess oil and once cooled, dice into small cubes. Set aside.
• Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Open the Instant Pot and strain *most* of the cooking water. We left about 2-3 tablespoons water in the pot but you can also use milk instead. 
• Keep the Instant Pot on Keep Warm setting while you add the following: butter, sour cream, mustard, onion powder and pepper. Mash potatoes to desired smoothness consistency. We quite like it a little chunky for this particular recipe. 
• Once mashed, add 1 cup of shredded cheese and fold through to melt. Now fold in half of the bacon and half of the green onions.  
• Option 1: If not using the oven, add the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of the potatoes and place a lid on top (any lid will do). Leave on Keep Warm setting and wait for 3-4 minutes for the cheese to melt on top. You can now top with the remaining bacon and onions OR you can transfer to a serving dish and then garnish.
• Option 2:  If using the oven, transfer the potato mix to a deep casserole dish, top with cheese and pop in the oven for 10 minutes to melt. Remove from the oven, garnish with bacon and onions and serve. 

Notes

You can use all white or all sweet potatoes if you like.

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 689mg | Potassium: 836mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 383IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 2mg

CourseSide Dish

CuisineAmerican

KeywordBacon, Cheese, Christmas, Instant Pot, Mashed Potatoes, Potatoes, Sides, Thanksgiving

Made this recipe?Mention @instantpoteats or tag #instantpoteats!