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Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

Rosemary Garlic potatoes made in the instant pot are the perfect side dish!

Easy to make and full of flavor, these potatoes will quickly become your new go-to side dish for weeknight meals or entertaining!

Made with just 5 ingredients, these rosemary baby potatoes are vegan, dairy free, Whole30 and paleo friendly!

Spoon holding rosemary garlic potatoes over the instant pot.
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Why you will love this recipe

  • The potatoes cook in the instant pot in just a few minutes with very little prep work!
  • Once you make potatoes in the instant pot you will never want to boil them again. The centers get creamy on the inside and have the perfect texture after cooking.
  • Rosemary and garlic are the perfect seasonings to take simple potatoes to the next level.
  • This recipe is fancy enough to serve at dinner parties and entertaining but easy enough to make any day of the week! If you have a rosemary plant at your home, you will likely always have the ingredients for this on hand.
  • You don’t have to mash these potatoes or add milk or butter, making this the best instant pot potato recipe. Simply add the olive oil, garlic and rosemary to hot potatoes and magic happens!
Ingredients to make rosemary garlic potatoes.

Ingredients

  • Baby potatoes (gold, red or purple)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Rosemary

How to make rosemary garlic potatoes

  1. Start by washing the potatoes, scrubbing to remove dirt if necessary. You won’t be peeling these so you want them to be clean.
  2. Add 1 cup of water and a steamer basket to the insert of the instant pot (you can use the trivet that came with the instant pot if you don’t have a steamer basket that fits). I have a silicone basket that I also use on the stove.
  3. Add the potatoes to the steamer basket and put the lid on your pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, allowing the pressure to naturally release.

    Baby potatoes in a steam basket in the instant pot.
  4. While the potatoes are cooking, finely chop the rosemary and garlic.

    How to finely chop rosemary
  5. After the pressure has released, open the instant pot and carefully (use oven mitts) remove  the steamer basket (or use tongs to individually remove the potatoes) and pour out the water from the bottom of the insert.
  6. Add the potatoes back to the instant pot insert and take a knife and cut them in half. I find that when they are left whole they don’t quite take on enough flavor from the rosemary and garlic.  
  7. This should only take 1 minute or so since the potatoes are soft and easy to cut.

    Knife cutting the potatoes in the instant pot.
  8. Pour the olive oil, salt and chopped rosemary and garlic over the potatoes and stir well.
  9. The potatoes will start to break down as you stir, making a chunky mashed potato. The more you stir, the more they will break down.

    Cut potatoes in the instant pot with seasoning on top.
  10. You can use the keep warm function to keep them warm up to 20 minutes (place the lid back on the instant pot), or serve them immediately.

Other seasonings to use with baby potatoes

I love the combination of fresh rosemary and garlic with these instant pot baby potaotes, but some other fun ideas include:

What other fresh herbs could you add

I love how simple this recipe is. If you have other fresh herbs you would like to add, these would pair well with the garlic and rosemary:

  • Fresh oregano (use sparingly – this can easily take over the dish)
  • Fresh flat leaf parsley
  • Marjoram
  • Thyme
  • Basil (add this at the very end)

Tips to make the best instant pot baby potatoes

  • Be sure that most of your potatoes are the same size. If you notice one or two larger potatoes, take a minute and cut them in half or in forth pieces so they will cook evenly with the other potatoes.
  • Potatoes that are about 1 – 1.5 inches cook up in about 5 minutes in the pressure cooker. Potatoes that are closer to 2.5 inches need a few more minutes (7-8 minutes on high pressure).
  • I used a steamer basket to keep the potatoes out of the water. You could add the potatoes right to the water but I like being able to lift the basket of potatoes out to drain the water.
  • I would recommend you use tongs to remove the potatoes or use a colander at the sink to easily get the water from the bottom of the instant pot after cooking if you add the potatoes directly to the bottom.

What to serve with garlic rosemary potatoes

These vegan rosemary potatoes would be a great side dish for:

Rosemary garlic potatoes in a white bowl with a spoon.

Rosemary garlic potatoes common questions

Can you use larger potatoes?

Yes! You will want to cut larger potatoes down to 1.5 inch cubes before cooking to ensure they will cook in the time provided in the recipe. They will be just as delicious!

Can you make mashed potatoes?

Yes! Make these rosemary garlic mashed potatoes by simply mashing with a fork.

Can you double this recipe?

Yes! You will want to double the potatoes, salt, garlic, rosemary and olive oil amounts. You do not need to double the water in the bottom of the instant pot (1 cup) or the cooking time.

Instant pot filled with rosemary garlic potatoes.

Can you make this on the stove?

Yes! I originally made this recipe by cooking the potatoes on the stove but have discovered how much easier using the instant pot is! No need to worry about the potatoes boiling over or getting distracted and overcooking them!

To make these rosemary garlic potatoes on the stove:

  • Add potatoes to a large pot and cover in cold water.
  • Cook potatoes over medium high heat, covered until water is boiling. Remove the lid and cook an additional 6-10 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender (this means you can easily stick a fork in them without much resistance).
  • Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pot.
  • Chop the rosemary and garlic and add to the pot along with the salt and olive oil.

How to store instant pot rosemary garlic potatoes

Fridge: Store leftovers (if you have any) in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Freezer: You can freeze after cooking but you may notice a slight texture change when defrosting. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Substitutions

Baby potatoes: You can use gold, red or purple baby potatoes (or a mixture of all). If you do not have baby potatoes on hand, you can use standard size potatoes and cut them down to about 1.5 inch pieces before cooking. You could also make this same recipe with sweet potatoes that have been cut down to 1.5 inch pieces.

Extra virgin olive oil: I love the flavor of the rosemary, garlic and olive oil and highly recommend this combination. If you love your potatoes to have a more buttery flavor, you could add ghee or butter instead. If you prefer a more neutral oil, you could use avocado oil.

Fresh garlic: Most recipes I use garlic powder because biting down on fresh garlic can be overwhelming but this recipe shines with fresh garlic. You could use garlic olive oil (replace the olive oil above with garlic olive oil) or garlic powder in place of the garlic if needed. You will need about 1.5 tsp. of garlic powder.

Fresh rosemary: the rosemary is what elevates these potatoes to the next level. I have a rosemary bush at my house so I always have access to fresh rosemary (I highly recommend this if you have the space). You could also use dried rosemary but you will want to take the time to finely crush it, as dried rosemary leaves can be quite sharp and tough. You will need about ½ tsp. dried rosemary (before crushing). You could also use any of the fresh herbs listed above.

White bowl filled with rosemary garlic baby potatoes.
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Spoonful of rosemary garlic potatoes.

Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

$4.30 Recipe/$0.72 Serving
Instant pot rosemary garlic potatoes are the perfect side dish! Made with just 5 ingredients these are easy enough for weeknight meals but fancy enough for company! Dairy free, vegan, Whole30 and paleo friendly!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot baby potatoes, instant pot potatoes, rosemary garlic potatoes
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Pressure Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. baby potatoes (red, gold, purple) see notes for larger potatoes - $2.99
  • 1 tsp. sea salt - $0.05
  • 3 cloves garlic - $0.18
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped and measured after chopped) - $0.42
  • 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil - $0.66

Instructions

  • Wash the potatoes and scrub down the skin if necessary.
  • Add 1 cup of water and a trivet or a steamer basket to the insert of the instant pot.
  • Add the baby potatoes to the steamer basket and close the lid of the instant pot.
  • Check to ensure the valve is set to sealing, turn the instant pot on manual for 5 minutes of high pressure.
  • Let the instant pot come up to pressure, cook 5 minutes and naturally release pressure.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, finely chop the rosemary and garlic.
  • Once the instant pot has released all the pressure and the pin drops, open the instant pot and very carefully remove the steamer baskets (use oven mitts or tongs). Dump out the water from cooking.
  • Add the potatoes back to the insert. Cut the potatoes in half with a knife (takes 1-2 minutes)
  • Add the rosemary, garlic, olive oil and salt to the potatoes and stir well. Note: The more you stir the more the potatoes will break up.

Notes

How to make these potatoes on the stove.
  • Add potatoes to a large pot and cover in cold water.
  • Cook potatoes over medium high heat, covered until water is boiling. Remove the lid and cook an additional 6-10 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender (this means you can easily stick a fork in them without much resistance).
  • Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pot.
  • Chop the rosemary and garlic and add to the pot along with the salt and olive oil.
Can you use larger potatoes?
Yes! You will want to cut larger potatoes down to 1.5 inch cubes before cooking to ensure they will cook in the time provided in the recipe. They will be just as delicious!
Storage:
  • Fridge: Store leftovers (if you have any) in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
  • Freezer: You can freeze after cooking but you may notice a slight texture change when defrosting. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
 

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
242
Fat
 
8
g
Carbohydrates
 
40
g
Fiber
 
5
g
Sugar
 
2
g
Protein
 
5
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!

Recipe Rating




Julie @ Running in a Skirt

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

These potatoes are gorgeous!!! Perfect for anyone... vegan or not! Thanks for sharing.

Sam

Thursday 20th of November 2014

Julie thank you! They are pretty darn good :)

Tina Muir

Tuesday 18th of November 2014

You are on fire! Another delicious recipe, and these would be perfect for a thanksgiving dinner....or any other time! Steve LOVES potatoes, so he will love these! Thanks so much! I will pin it now :)

Sam

Thursday 20th of November 2014

Tina these sound perfect for your hubby! They are super easy which is always a plus in my book! Thanks for stopping by and co-hosting meatless Monday!

Dulcie @ Foodie Fiasco

Monday 17th of November 2014

Phew-I'm glad that I'm not the only one who feels like time has been slipping through my fingers as of late! The holidays are definitely my busiest time of year, so that's probably why. I used to think that all veg-heads made a big ol' batch of Tofurky, but after becoming one I soon realized that this is not often the case. So endless sides and salad it is! These potatoes seem like a delicious and flavorful addition. Thank you for sharing:-)

athleticavocado

Monday 17th of November 2014

yum yum! Love garlic taters! such a comfort food! :)

Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie

Monday 17th of November 2014

Yum! I love red potatoes, but haven't had them in ages! I'll definitely have to make this recipe soon!!