Instant Pot Salmon and Mashed Potatoes
Our easy Instant Pot Salmon recipe is the perfect quick dinner for a busy weeknight meal! It cooks in one pot, the side of mashed potatoes cooks right with the salmon, and your whole family is going to love it!
This Instant Pot Salmon Is The Easiest Salmon Recipe You’ll Make
We love a solid, easy Instant Pot meal, and this one is at the top of our list. Salmon is a fresh protein-rich option with the benefit of cooking so quickly that you barely have time to set the table and clear the counters before it’s done. Skip takeout and cook at home tonight. You won’t be sorry!
We can’t think of a better way to cook mashed potatoes and salmon than this. It’s a great, quick way to make mashed potatoes, and you only have one pot to wash. The potatoes are perfectly cooked, and the salmon is tender and delicious. Serve this with a simple vegetable or salad (suggestions below), and you have a complete meal on the table with minimal effort.
If you love salmon, don’t forget to check out our Best Salmon Recipes collection!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Homemade Instant Pot Salmon
- This recipe is fast and easy! Minimal prep, and all the heavy lifting is done in the pressure cooker.
- Our one-pot recipe doesn’t dirty excessive dishes. That makes clean-up a breeze!
- Instant Pot Salmon contains simple ingredients. You probably have everything but the salmon in your fridge and pantry right now!
Ingredients For Our Instant Pot Salmon Recipe
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts for Salmon in the Instant Pot, appears at the bottom of this post.
- salmon fillets – fresh, wild-caught salmon is best, but any fresh filet you can grab at the grocery store works for this recipe.
- chili powder – we prefer a mild chili powder, but if you like more of a kick, you can get creative!
- salt and pepper – basic seasonings that we use on almost everything savory that we make. Get the grinders and grind fresh. It really does make a difference.
- cooking spray – just a spritz is enough to keep the fish from sticking to the rack.
- russet potatoes – if you don’t have russets, yellow or red potatoes also work, but russets work the best.
- unsalted butter – salted butter is okay to use for salmon with mashed potatoes, but go easy on the other salt in this recipe if you do.
- half and half – heavy cream and a splash of milk also works wonders if you don’t have half and half in the house.
- fresh parsley – no dried parsley for this recipe. The refrigerated “lightly dried” version will work in a pinch, though.
- lemon wedges – squeeze over the fish before serving for a bright, acidic note.
How To Make Delicious Mashed Potatoes and Salmon In The Instant Pot
1. PREP. First, you’ll be placing cut up potatoes in the bottom of the pot, with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper, and water. Then, place the rack right on top of the potatoes. Spray the rack with nonstick spray, and place your salmon fillets on the rack.
2. COOK. Put the lid on the pot, set it to Sealing, and program it to cook for 3 minutes. It will take some time to come up to pressure, but not very long. I didn’t time it, but I believe it was even less then 10 minutes. Then, the pot will cook for 3 minutes.
3. RELEASE PRESSURE. Do an instant steam release and you’re almost ready to eat! Carefully remove the salmon on it’s rack. Add butter and half and half to the potatoes and mash them.
4. SERVE. Scoop your mashed potatoes onto plates, top with salmon, and it’s dinner time!
Instant Pot Salmon and Potatoes Home Chef Tips
- Make sure to use tongs and an oven mitt to protect your hands when you are removing the rack from the pressure cooker. It is going to be very hot!
- If you are cooking salmon with mashed potatoes for a crowd, you can make the mashed potatoes on the stovetop and use the Instant Pot to cook additional portions of salmon. Just put the extra salmon filets under the rack. In this case, we like to put some thick wooden kabob skewers on the bottom to lift the salmon slightly off the bottom and add a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to the water for extra flavor.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox.
Sides For Easy Instant Pot Salmon
Since you already have one side dish with the mashed potatoes, you probably just need a non-starchy veggie to round out this salmon and potatoes meal.
You can also use just the salmon portion of this recipe (skip the potatoes) to use for Salmon Alfredo, instead of our Recipe For Baked Salmon.
Like potatoes and gravy? Try our Homemade Gravy Recipe!
Best Sides For Salmon
How To Store Leftover Instant Pot Salmon
If you have leftover salmon and potatoes, transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
Can You Freeze This Dish?
Cooked salmon does not freeze well. The texture is negatively effected when you thaw and reheat.
More Foxes Love Lemons Favorites
Instant Pot Salmon and Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 skin-on center-cut salmon fillets 5-6 ounce each
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- Nonstick cooking spray
- ½ pound russet potatoes 2 small potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- Chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Rub tops and sides of salmon fillets with chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Spray Instant Pot cooking rack with nonstick spray and place salmon fillets on rack.
- Place potatoes, water, 1 tablespoon butter and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in bowl of 6-quart Instant Pot. Place rack with salmon over potatoes. Secure lid and set Pressure Release to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual Setting and set cooking time for 3 minutes at high pressure (pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure before cooking time begins).
- When cooking time ends, move Pressure Release to Venting to release steam.
- Carefully remove rack with salmon and set aside. Add half and half and remaining 1 tablespoon butter to Instant Pot and select Sauté setting. Use potato masher to mash potatoes until smooth and creamy.
- Divide mashed potatoes and salmon between two plates and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Hi.
If I am cooking this recipe for 3 servings, do I need to add more water to the potatoes and cook for longer?
Thanks.
Hi Anisha – Yes, if you are increasing the rest of the ingredients by a third, you will need to increase the water by a third (2 tablespoons extra) as well. Cooking time should be the same! Please let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!