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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Instant Pot Parsnips and Potatoes

Published: Mar 22, 2017 | Updated: May 14, 2025 | Author: Neena Panicker

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mashed potatoes and parsnips sin a bowl.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips Pinterest - bowl of mashed potatoes with fresh vegetables in a basket in the background - Paint the Kitchen Red

These Instant Pot Parsnips and Potatoes come out perfect every time. The slightly sweet taste of parsnips melds so well with the potatoes that you may never go back to plain mashed potatoes again. [Stovetop instructions also included.]

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips P4 - Paint the Kitchen Red

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Whether you’re making potatoes and parsnips for Thanksgiving, Christmas, a special occasion, or just as an everyday accompaniment to a meal, you’re going to be so thankful for the Instant Pot.

This recipe for pressure cooker mashed parsnips and potatoes comes out perfect every time I make it and I feel it tastes so much better than boiling the vegetables in water on the stovetop. However, I do include instructions for the stovetop, if that’s what you prefer.

five parsnips on white background

I sometimes like to roast parsnips with other root vegetables like rutabaga, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc.  But for this recipe, we’re making mashed parsnips.

If you’ve never tried making mashed potatoes with parsnips, I think you’re in for a treat.  You might never go back to your plain old mashed potato recipe again – these are so good! The parsnips have a slightly sweet flavor that goes so well with the potatoes.

➡ Mashed potatoes pair well with coq au vin, beef short ribs, or turkey!

Ingredients and Tips

🧂 Ingredients for Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Ingredients - potatoes, parsnips, cream, butter, pepper, salt

💡 Ingredient and Recipe Tips

🥔 Potatoes: My favorite kind of potatoes are Yukon gold potatoes. Cut them into 1 ½ inch cubes. You can substitute russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes. Avoid waxy potatoes like red potatoes because they’re less starchy.

🥕 Parsnips: Select smaller-sized parsnips. The larger ones can have a fibrous center and may not be as sweet. Cut the parsnips into very thick rounds and cook them along with the potatoes, placing them on top.

🧈 Butter and cream: Using cream and butter at room temperature makes them easier to incorporate.

❓ FAQS


What are parsnips?

Parsnips are root vegetables that are related to carrots. They look like cream-colored fat carrots. Parsnips taste like a cross between a potato and a carrot. They’re starchy like potatoes but slightly sweet like carrots.

How to Make Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes

⏲️ Instant Pot Instructions

Instant Pot Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes cooking stages in a collage.
  1. Pour 2 cups of water into the inner pot and place a steamer basket in the Instant Pot. Place the cut potatoes and parsnips in the steamer basket and pressure cook for 7 minutes. Do a quick release of pressure and open the Instant Pot.
  2. Carefully remove the steamer basket from the Instant Pot and empty contents into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the potatoes and parsnips. Add in the butter and half and half.  
  4. Mix until incorporated. Garnish with desired fresh herbs (eg. parsley, rosemary, or chives)

♨️ Stovetop Instructions

  1. Fill a large pot with water.
  2. Add the vegetables to the water.
  3. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
  4. Cook the potatoes and parsnips until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
  5. When the vegetables are cooked, drain them well and transfer into a large bowl.
  6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the potatoes and parsnips.
  7. Add in the butter and half and half.  Mix until incorporated.

See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips in a turquoise bowl with basket of fresh vegetables in the background - Paint the Kitchen Red

Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes

These Instant Pot parsnips and potatoes come out perfect every time. The slightly sweet taste of parsnips goes so well with the potatoes that you may never go back to plain mashed potatoes again.
5 from 4 votes
PRINT PIN RATE
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 312
Author: Paint the Kitchen Red
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Equipment

  • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
  • Steam rack / trivet
  • Steamer Basket
  • Large Bowl
  • Potato masher

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
  • 1 lb parsnips cut into 1-inch thick circles
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 4 tablespoon butter room temperature
  • 4 tablespoon half and half

Instructions
 

  • Pour 2 cups water into Instant Pot inner pot.
  • Place steamer basket in the inner pot or on a trivet.
  • Place cut potatoes in the steamer basket.
  • Place cut parsnips on top of potatoes.
  • Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes.
  • Do a Quick Release of pressure. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods].
  • Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot and carefully remove the steamer basket from the Instant Pot and empty contents into a large bowl.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Using a potato masher or fork, mash the potatoes and parsnips.
  • Add in the butter and half and half and mix well.
  • Garnish with fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, chives, rosemary) if desired.

Notes

  • Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. cut vegetables, etc.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 /6 quantity | Calories: 312 kcal | Carbohydrates: 71 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 9 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Cholesterol: 25 mg | Sodium: 466 mg | Fiber: 9 g | Sugar: 6 g
Course Sides
Cuisine American
Main Ingredient vegetarian
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I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

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Comments

  1. Yusra says

    July 19, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for lunch today and it was so quick and delicious, thank you!

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red says

      July 22, 2023 at 12:00 pm

      Yusra, I’m so happy you enjoyed the Instant Pot parsnips recipe.

      Reply
  2. JeannieD says

    October 19, 2022 at 7:01 am

    I made this as a base for Mushroom and Lentil Stew. I used vegan butter and unsweetened cashew milk to make it vegan. Quick and delicious! And one less pot going on the stove 😉 Thanks so much for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red says

      October 20, 2022 at 11:25 am

      Hi Jeannie – thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    • Karen says

      May 14, 2025 at 7:36 am

      I am going to be crunched for time when I want these to start cooking. Can I prep ahead of time and use delay start of 1-2 hours?

      Reply
      • Neena Panicker says

        May 14, 2025 at 10:16 am

        Karen, I’ve never tried doing that but it should work. However, when potatoes are peeled and left out they do become brown. This is not unsafe, but the color will affect your final dish. You could try and cook them in water rather than above the water.

        Reply
  3. Sunny Drohan says

    March 06, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    Am going to make these, maybe this week. Can you make these potatoes and keep in the pot and hit keep warm button?

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red says

      March 09, 2021 at 3:08 pm

      Sunny, if you release pressure and then do Keep Warm, it should be okay. If you do a natural release of pressure, the potatoes could overcook.

      Reply
  4. Harvey says

    February 19, 2019 at 3:32 am

    Recipe. Beef stew. Plus veggies..
    Please.?

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red says

      February 19, 2019 at 1:32 pm

      Harvey, I have an Indian beef curry with coconut milk that I also serve as a stew. That might not be what you’re looking for if you’re looking for a traditional beef stew 🙂 Here’s the recipe for Indian Beef Curry. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make!

      Reply
  5. Shanthini Jayanthan says

    April 18, 2017 at 1:01 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips

    Reply
  6. Shanthini Jayanthan says

    April 18, 2017 at 11:50 am

    Thanks Neena. This is my 2nd recipe (from your list) with the instant pot. I had some left over steak so wanted to make mashed potatoes and was very excited to try yours with parsnips which I have never used before.
    It came out perfect and used your quantities as I could not get smaller amounts. It was very tasty and have saved the 5 out of the 6 servings in the freezer for future use. Thank you for doing all the home work and the helpful pictures.

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red says

      April 18, 2017 at 2:22 pm

      You’re so welcome! I’m really glad it worked out for you.

      Reply
  7. Joyce says

    March 23, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    I have never had parsnips before, I always thought they were white carrots! I actually had no idea how to use them besides maybe roasting them. I definitely need to try this out with my potatoes to jazz it up a bit! 🙂

    Reply
    • Paint the Kitchen Red says

      March 25, 2017 at 1:01 pm

      It really tastes wonderful!

      Reply
  8. Shristi says

    March 23, 2017 at 11:15 am

    Looks really good! I’ve never ever tried parsnips, but I’ll have to get some to make this. Thanks for all your posts!

    Reply
5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Hi, I'm Neena Panicker, and welcome! I am the creator, photographer, and author of recipes and tips at Paint the Kitchen Red. I live in the glorious west in Salt Lake City, Utah with my family.

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