Instant Pot Baby Potatoes

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These Instant Pot Baby Potatoes cook in just 5 minutes and can be crisped on sauté mode then sprinkled with herbs and butter to create a superbly flavorful potato side dish.

» If you love these potatoes you will love these Slow Cooker Potatoes in the Instant Pot.

Bowl of cooked baby potatoes

You’ve got a bag of baby potatoes staring at you. They can be boiled, roasted, cut into pieces and fried… I’ve faced this bag of potatoes many times and wondered what to do with them. The Instant Pot is your secret weapon.

In the Instant Pot, baby potatoes or baby red potatoes can be cooked quickly and then you can spice them up however you want, so they are incredibly versatile as a side dish.

I like to pressure cook them, then dust them with an herb blend and flash fry them in a bit of butter on saute mode. They are perfectly tender and creamy on the inside, with a little bit of crisp on the outside, and so much flavor.

Ingredients You Need

  • Baby potatoes: You can use any type of baby potato you want here. I’ve used yukon gold, baby reds, yellow potatoes, and fingerlings. They should be around 1.5 inches round. If yours are bigger than this, they’ll need more time to cook. You can cook up to 2 lbs of potatoes at a time in the Instant Pot with the same time settings.
  • Seasonings: I mix up whatever seasoning will go well with my main dish. You’ll want to use a generous amount of salt along with whatever other spices you like: Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin. Or you can just use something like Lawry’s seasoned salt.
  • Butter: If you’re going to crisp the potatoes in the pot after cooking, butter is a necessary ingredient to crisp. If you don’t crisp them, you can skip the butter if you want.
  • Water: The pot requires 1 cup of water in the bottom to provide steam.

How to Make Instant Pot Baby Potatoes

Start out by cleaning the potatoes well, to remove any dirt. Using a knife or fork, poke each potato to allow them to vent. This isn’t strictly necessary, but they can split under pressure if they don’t have a way to vent. If you don’t mind splitting, you can skip this step.

You’ll need a steamer basket for these potatoes. There are some recipes that say to put the potatoes directly into the water, but I find that leads to a soggy potato. I prefer to use the basket. If you don’t have one, you can also use the trivet with a piece of tin foil on top (with holes poked in it).

Bowl of cooked baby potatoes

Set the potatoes in the basket. Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Press the Pressure Cook button and set the time to 10 minutes. I have made these many times and 10 minutes turns out pretty perfect. If your potatoes are a bit smaller or larger than 1 1/2″ around, they might take a bit less or more time, but I rarely change the time for any type of baby-sized potato.

Do note that if you cook the potatoes directly in the water, not in the basket, they will cook faster, so 7 minutes is the preferred time if you don’t have a basket or a trivet to put them on.

When done, do a quick release of the pressure. They will continue to cook, so it’s important not to leave them to naturally release pressure, or they might turn out soggy. Open the lid and remove the potatoes.

If you want to crisp the potatoes slightly, pour out the water and dry the inner pot. Return it to the machine. Turn on saute mode.

When hot, add the butter and once melted, add the potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring the pot once or twice. In the last 30 seconds, add the seasoning and toss to coat the potatoes.

If you don’t want to crisp them, toss the cooked potatoes in the butter and seasonings and serve them hot.

Additional Seasonings

We’ve kept the seasoning in this recipe very simple, with just butter, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Don’t let that stop you from experimenting with other flavors.

Some other options are:

Bowl of cooked baby potatoes

Tips For Perfect Cooking

  • It’s always best to cook these potatoes for the least amount of time when you make them the first time. This is so you can get an idea of how you like them cooked.
  • I find that 10 minutes is perfect for a middle of the road softness. You might like your potatoes more crisp or even softer.
  • If you cook them for 10 minutes and find they are not yet as soft as you like, put them on to saute for 5 minutes and you’ll probably find that they become perfect after that amount of time.
  • Potatoes need time to change texture as they cook and the total 15 minutes in this recipe gives them just the right amount of time.

What to Serve With Baby Potatoes

There are so many great main dishes that go with baby potatoes. While you’re cooking chicken or pork chops on the stovetop you can be making these potatoes in the Instant Pot.

Or you can use the Instant Pot to cook both parts of your meal together, using the Pot-in-Pot cooking method. I often use this method to reheat a bowl of leftovers on top of the steamer basket, as I cook the potatoes.

As a main dish with your potatoes, try these:

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Bowl of cooked baby potatoes

Instant Pot Baby Potatoes

These Instant Pot Baby Potatoes cook in just 5 minutes and can be crisped on saute mode then sprinkled with herbs and butter to create a superbly flavorful potato side dish.

Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot

5 from 27 votes
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Pressurize Time 10 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 177 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds baby potatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chives chopped

Instructions
 

  • Clean the potatoes. Using a knife or fork, poke a hole in each potato to allow them to vent.
  • Pour the water into the base of the inner pot. Set a steamer basket in the Instant Pot (you can also use the trivet with a piece of tin foil on top (with holes poked in it).
  • Set the potatoes in the basket. Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing.
  • Press the Pressure Cook button and set the time to 10 minutes.
  • When done, do a quick release of the pressure. Open the lid and remove the potatoes.
  • If you want to crisp the potatoes slightly, pour out the water and dry the inner pot. Return it to the machine. Turn on saute mode. When hot, add the butter and once melted, add the potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring the pot once or twice. In the last 30 seconds, add the seasoning and toss to coat the potatoes.
  • Serve hot with extra salt, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 747mgPotassium: 963mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 33IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Potatoes
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Bowl of cooked baby potatoes
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