These Easy Instant Pot Potatoes are seasoned with garlic, paprika, thyme and chili powder. They’re simple to make and ready in just 2 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Red potatoes – baby Yukon gold potatoes, cubed white potatoes or white potatoes can be used in place of red potatoes.
- Garlic powder – you can use fresh minced garlic or jarred minced garlic in place of garlic powder. Just make sure to mix the dry spices together separately from your fresh garlic. Onion powder would also work in place of garlic powder.
- Thyme – use oregano, marjoram or rosemary in place of thyme.
- Paprika – if you don’t have paprika, add extra chili powder or replace with cayenne pepper or chili flakes.
- Chili powder – add extra paprika or replace with cayenne pepper or chili flakes instead.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Butter – replace the butter with any neutral oil like olive oil, avocado oil or sunflower oil.
How to cook baby potatoes in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Add a trivet to the Instant Pot.
Add the 3/4 cup of water to the bottom of Instant Pot and then place trivet inside the inner pot.
Step 2: Place the potatoes on top.
Add baby potatoes. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
Step 3: Mix the spices together.
Step 4: Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
Press the pressure cook button and set to low, then cook for 2 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then notify you it’s done by beeping. Press the Cancel button then do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
Step 5: Toss the potatoes in the seasoning.
Carefully remove baby potatoes from Instant Pot and drain water, then add back to pot. Add in butter and gently toss until melted and potatoes are covered. Add in spices and toss until well seasoned.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
More seasoning options
Feel free to get creative with your seasoning! Depending on the main dish you’re serving, you may want to include different flavours, so season your Instant Pot red potatoes to taste.
Season your baby potatoes with:
- Onion powder
- Rosemary
- Italian seasoning
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Garlic butter
- Parsley
Frequently Asked Questions
Baby potatoes are basically just miniature and newer versions of regular potatoes. They’re picked sooner than regular potatoes, which makes them lower in starch.
These Instant Pot baby potatoes only need for 2 minutes on high pressure! It will take your Instant Pot 5 to 10 minutes to get up to high pressure, so the total cooking time is around 10 minutes.
Long story short, your Instant Pot red potatoes won’t get mushy as long as they’re only cooked for 2 minutes at high pressure. Any longer and the potatoes will begin to lose their form and get mushy in texture. Using a different potato like a russet potato will give you a varied and softer result, so I would recommend sticking to red potatoes or some of the other options listed in the substitutions above.
Storing and reheating
These Instant Pot baby potatoes are the best meal prep side dish, so you will definitely want to make extras. Once your baby potatoes have cooled down, place them in an airtight meal prep container and then store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
When you’re ready to enjoy your potatoes, you can microwave them until warmed for 1 to 2 minutes. If you’d like your potatoes to retain a crispy taste, roast them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit.
Freezing this recipe
This red potatoes Instant Pot recipe is definitely freezer-friendly. You can freeze your cooked potatoes in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for 3 to 4 months. Make sure your potatoes are packed properly or they will lose their firmness once they’re thawed.
When you’re ready to enjoy your potatoes, the best way to reheat them is on a sheet pan in the oven so they get nice and crispy.
More Instant Pot side dish recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these baby potatoes into your weekly lunches.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 4 months.
- If you’ve lost your Instant Pot trivet (it happens!), here’s the link to the steam basket trivet.
Easy Instant Pot Baby Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 1.5 lbs red baby potatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Add the 3/4 cup of water to the bottom of Instant Pot and then place trivet inside the inner pot.
- Add baby potatoes. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to low, then cook for 2 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then notify you it's done by beeping. Meanwhile mix the spices together.
- Press the Cancel button then do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Carefully remove baby potatoes from Instant Pot and drain water, then add back to pot. Add in butter and gently toss until melted and potatoes are covered. Add in spices and toss until well seasoned.
- Serve and enjoy!
