Delicious Instant Pot red potatoes are covered in a garlic lemon sauce. They cook quickly in your Instant Pot, freeing up space on your stove top. Great side dish recipe for your next holiday meal or intimate weeknight dinner!
Original post: November 2019 | Updated: December 2024
Why This Recipe Works
- Of all the varieties of potatoes out there, red potatoes are my favorite. They are soft, buttery and flavorful with such a creamy texture. They are easy to cook and impossible to mess up!
- I adore my Instant Pot and not just because it infuses magical flavor into everything cooked inside it. It also just makes life easier by allowing you to “cook in the corner.” No stove top mess, no space filled up in the oven.
- This easy recipe is so ridiculously delicious. The flavor! Oh my goodness, the flavor.
You know how much I love my Instant Pot, and not just because it infuses magical flavor into everything cooked inside it. It also just makes life easier by allowing you to “cook in the corner.” It just sits in the corner and does its thing while you do yours. With no stove top mess and no space filled up in the oven, it’s also perfect around the holidays.
Plus, this easy red potatoes recipe is sooo ridiculously delicious, you guys. The flavor! Oh my goodness, the flavor. It’ll knock your socks off. Every time I make these potatoes, my family devours them.
They’re a great option for your holiday table. But honestly, they’re so easy and go great with everything, so they’re also an easy side dish recipe for everything from an intimate date night dinner for two, to a weeknight dinner with the whole family.
Ingredients for IP Garlic Lemon Red Potatoes
This simple recipe calls for just a handful of commonly found ingredients.
Red potatoes – These potatoes are creamy and perfect for mashed potatoes however you can use what you have on hand. Use 6 regular sized red potatoes or 12 baby potatoes for this recipe.
Butter – Salted butter will pull out the flavors in this dish. Replace butter with olive oil for a slightly healthier recipe.
Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best flavor. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder can be substituted.
Fine sea salt
Lemon – Fresh lemon juice tastes best.
Flat-leaf parsley – Also known as Italian parsley. Go crazy with fresh herbs! Add to the parsley or replace it with chives, basil, thyme or sage!
How to Make Red Potatoes in the Instant Pot
Follow these step by step directions for perfect potatoes every time.
Step 1
Pour 1 1/2 cups water into the Instant Pot and place the trivet in the pot.
Add the potatoes to the pot.
Place the cover on the pot and set the timer to 10 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting).
Note: It will take the IP around 17 minutes to build up pressure before it actually begins cooking the potatoes.
Step 2
When cooking time is done, do a quick release.
Carefully pour the potatoes into a strainer and empty the liquid from the pot.
Step 3
Set the pressure cooker to saute mode and melt the butter in the bottom of instant pot.
Add garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley to the melted butter.
Cook for 3 minutes and add potatoes back to the pot. Toss potatoes to coat.
How Long Does It Take For Instant Pot To Preheat
The time leading up to actual cook time may seem long, but it’s an important part of the process!
The Instant Pot is working on building up the appropriate amount of pressure at which it will be cooking the food. The typical time it takes to pressurize is about 10-15 minutes. But that time depends on the volume of ingredients as well as their temperature. Starting the IP with hot ingredients already will help the pressure heat faster.
The Instant Pot handles liquids and solids differently and also fresh and frozen differently, so the time can vary. Most recipes take between 10 and 15-20 minutes to build up pressure.
How To Saute In The Instant Pot
To begin sauteing in your Instant Pot, press the “saute” button and it will start heating up, just like a stove top would. When using the saute mode after pressure cooking, press the cancel button, followed by the saute button.
Treat the saute mode on the Instant Pot as if you were sauteing in a pan on a stove.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- A final sprinkling of sea salt and an extra touch of fresh parsley over the top before serving is always an excellent choice.
- Replace the water with chicken broth or vegetable stock for extra flavor.
- Use olive oil or vegan butter to make this a dairy free recipe.
Best Seasonings for Red Skin Potatoes
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper – keep it basic
- Paprika
- Garlic and Onion Powder
- Seasoned salt – like Dash or Badia Complete Seasoning are great choices to simplify your seasoning search
- Italian Seasoning
- Curry Powder or Garam Masala – to switch things up a bit
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
Red Potatoes vs Yellow Potatoes
Red potatoes have a higher moisture and low starch content and hold their shape better than yellow potatoes, especially when being used for roasting or boiling.
They also keep their firmness better than yellow potatoes when cooked, whereas yellow potatoes, like Yukon Gold, become softer and creamier in texture. Yellow potatoes are better for mashed potatoes, baking, and fries.
How To Clean Red Potatoes
Rinse your red potatoes under cold water while scrubbing them gently with a vegetable brush or soft scrub brush to remove any remaining dirt. Pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel before adding oil or seasoning.
How to Serve
These potatoes are a great side dish with this Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham or this Crockpot Pork Loin. Perfect for your holiday table!
They’re also great paired with chicken! Everything from Air Fryer Hot Wings to this delicious Creamy Mushroom Chicken.
Honestly, these delicious potatoes go amazingly well with almost every dinner option. You really can’t go wrong!
How to Store Leftover Potatoes
Allow the potatoes to cool fully before storing. This helps prevent condensation from forming during storage.
Place in an airtight container or storage bag and keep refrigerated. Eat within 3-4 days.
To Freeze Cooked Potatoes
Cooked breakfast potatoes can be frozen for up to 3 months!
Use a freezer safe bag for storage, and remove as much of the air from the bag as you can. Use a vacuum sealer or just a straw. Seal the bag tightly, date, and store. Allow potatoes to thaw in the fridge or cook in the oven from frozen for about 15-20 minutes.
How to Reheat
Reheat leftover potatoes in a 350° Oven or Air Fryer to crisp them a bit after being refrigerated.
To Reheat in the Oven – 10-12 minutes or until heated to your liking.
To Reheat in the Air Fryer – 5-7 minutes or until warmed through.
More Favorite Recipes
Delicious Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- This is my Mom’s Mashed Potatoes recipe. Goes great with any main dish, any time of year. You’ll never need another mashed potato recipe again!
- This is the most delicious Homemade Cranberry Sauce! It is super easy to make and way surpasses the canned version in flavor.
- This Classic Sweet Potato Casserole is great on your Thanksgiving table. It is filled with a delicious sweet potato mixture and topped with crunchy pecans and marshmallows.
- Throw just a few ingredients in your slow cooker to create this Crockpot Green Bean Casserole.
Mac and Cheese Recipes for Thanksgiving
Mac and cheese is a Thanksgiving staple and the perfect side dish!
Click on the link for some scrumptious mac and cheese recipes for Thanksgiving that you can make this year! You’ll find a ton of options to choose from in this roundup.
Best Instant Pot Recipes
- Cook perfect, tender Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot every single time! Start with thawed or frozen to create the most delicious chicken you will ever make.
- Make comforting, hearty Goulash in your electric pressure cooker! This American version of Goulash could not be easier or more delicious. It cooks perfectly every time and is done in only 30 minutes.
- Chicken Noodle Soup – Make this classic in the Instant Pot! Using a pressure cooker will save you time and will produce the most perfectly cooked soup you’ll ever taste.
- Chili made easy in your pressure cooker is so good! This recipe is the absolute perfect comfort food, packed with flavor, texture, color and a tiny bit of spice.
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Instant Pot Red Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Pour 1 1/2 cups water into the Instant Pot and place trivet in pot.
- Add the potatoes to the pot.
- Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 10 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting). It will take the IP around 17 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
- When cooking time is done, do a quick release. Carefully pour the potatoes into a strainer and empty the liquid from the pot.
- Set the pressure cooker to saute mode and melt butter in pot. Add garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Cook for 3 minutes and add potatoes back to the pot. Toss potatoes to coat. Serve warm with cooking liquid spooned over the top!
Notes
- A final sprinkling of sea salt and an extra touch of fresh parsley over the top before serving is always an excellent choice.
- Replace the water with chicken broth or vegetable stock for extra flavor.
- Use olive oil or vegan butter to make this a dairy free recipe.
These were so simple yet so good. I don’t use the instant pot much because it seems to dry everything out but these were perfect. They were deliciously bright. My husband loved them. We will definitely make them again.
Thank you for sharing Sarah! I agree they have a nice litte flavor and that lemon brightens up and keeps the potatoes from drying out.