How To Make Mashed Potatoes In Less Than 20 Minutes

Traditional wisdom says that a buttery, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth bowl of mashed potatoes needs one non-negotiable ingredient: time. To start, getting potatoes to a fork-tender consistency on the stove top can take up to 30 minutes, and that's before all the mixing and mashing. Now, you could argue that it's time well spent (after all, some people slow-cook the potatoes for four to five hours to make their mash). But if you could make incredible mashed potatoes in less than 20 minutes, then surely that's a no-brainer — especially when all you need to do is to change how you're cooking your potatoes.

The first tip to cut down on cooking time is to peel and chop your potatoes into medium-sized chunks. This step itself significantly reduces the time it takes to get your spuds nice and soft. The next tip, courtesy of Chef David Chang, is where things speed up significantly — the Michelin-starred celebrity chef suggests cooking the potatoes in a microwave oven. Simply chop your potatoes, dump them in a bowl, pop them into the microwave, and they'll be ready to mash in just 10 minutes. You can add a little bit of water in the bowl to ensure the potatoes don't dry out. Once the spuds are cooked, add your butter, milk, and seasoning into the same bowl and mash. "There's no way you're going to beat the speed of doing it, and also the cleanup," Chang told Tasting Table.

What if you don't have a microwave? Don't worry, you don't need to go and buy one just for making an under-20-minute-mash. There are a couple of other shortcuts you can use.

The second method to quickly make mashed potatoes is to cook the potatoes in your Instant Pot. Peel and chop your spuds, and put them in your pot with some water. You want them to cook under high pressure for 8 minutes. Allowing for a few minutes for the Instant Pot to heat up, and a minute or so for it to vent once cooked, your potatoes will be ready to mash in under 15 minutes.

This brings us to another question: What if you don't have an Instant Pot handy, either? Here's another trick to get those potatoes cooked within 15 minutes. This method involves two steps. First, instead of chopping the potatoes into medium-sized chunks as most recipes mention, slice them thin before boiling them. The thin slices allow you to use a smaller pot, which means less water to boil. Second, start with boiling water instead of cold water. Between these two simple steps, your potatoes will be cooked and ready to drain and mash in less than 15 minutes. In fact, you could shave off a little more time by keeping your pot covered while boiling your potatoes.

Use those extra 15 minutes wisely. And by that we mean spend your time picking the right combination of fat, dairy, and seasonings to make the creamiest and most delicious mash. In case you're looking for some inspiration, here's a list of 21 ingredients that will seriously upgrade your mashed potatoes.