Learn how to make delicious and crispy potatoes in your Instant Pot with this easy and Paleo-friendly recipe. You’ll love the golden crust and fluffy texture of these pressure cooker potatoes.

An overhead shot of a plate of Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Crispy Potatoes

Are potatoes paleo?

“But…but…but…potatoes aren’t Paleo!”

Once again, with feeling: It all depends on what you mean when you say “Paleo.” There is, after all, no such thing as one definitive Paleo diet. Potatoes may not have been available to cavemen, but I really don’t care. Historical re-enactment ain’t my cup of tea. (Besides, it’s not like our prehistoric ancestors snacked on dark chocolate bars, either.)

My personal template for Paleo eating focuses on nutrient-packed whole foods that don’t hurt me. For me, potatoes fall into that category. After checking out Bill and Hayley’s post on the Paleosity of potatoes, listening to the safe starch debate, and soaking in Mat Lalonde’s talk about nutrient density at the 2012 Ancestral Health Symposium (during which Mat pointed out that peeled potatoes are actually more nutrient dense than sweet potatoes, save for the beta-carotene in the latter), I’ve decided that an occasional portion of peeled potatoes are a-OK on my plate. Your circumstances may be different; for instance, if you’re on a super-low-carb protocol at the moment, you’re probably not looking to down a bowl of spuds.

(July 18, 2014 UPDATE: White potatoes are now Whole30 approved!)

Blah, blah, blah, science, science, science, blah, blah, blah.

With that pesky business out of the way, let me show you how to use an Instant Pot to make spuds with crispy exteriors and fluffy interiors in no time flat.

The Instant Pot cooks potatoes in a flash!

Okay, lots of folks have gotten on my case that you can’t make “crispy” potatoes in an Instant Pot. However, I never promised that with this recipe. Instead, I show you a shortcut to crispy potatoes by using the Instant Pot!

By steaming potatoes quickly under high pressure, you are more than halfway there. In fact, you should meal prep a bunch of potatoes this way and store them in the fridge so you can crisp them in a skillet or air fryer in minutes later in the week! Also, by cooking and then cooling the potatoes in the fridge, you increase the amount of resistant starch in the potatoes and that’s a win-win!

Why you should make this Instant Pot crispy potatoes?

Uh, because they’re delicious! The outside of the potatoes are crispy, crunchy, and well-seasoned while the centers are fluffy and perfectly tender. Plus, you can make them super quickly as a fab weeknight veggie side dish to pair with something fast and easy like Air Fryer Cracklin’ Chicken! I know your kids will prefer these crunchy spuds to boring baked potatoes!

Ingredients

  • Fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes: I prefer fingerling and Yukon Gold potatoes to russet potatoes because they hold their shape better. I like to cut them into 1 to 1½ inch cube—make sure the size of the potatoes are the same to ensure even cooking. Whether you peel ’em is up to you, but there’s more fiber if you keep the skin on!
  • Ghee, avocado oil, or extra virgin olive oil
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Minced chives or Italian parsley (optional)
  • Juice from ½ medium lemon (optional)
A closeup of small brown-skinned potatoes, freshly scrubbed

How to make Instant Pot Potatoes

Add ½ cup of water (or the minimum recommended by the manufacturer) to the cooking insert of an Instant Pot or 6-quart stove top pressure cooker fitted with a steamer basket or trivet. (This Instant Pot model is my current favorite.)

Adding a silicone steamer into an Instant Pot

Dump in the potatoes.

An open Instant Pot with cut potatoes in a green silicone steamer.

If you’re using an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, simply press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and set the cooking time for 5 minutes under high pressure. Lock the lid, with the valve in the sealing position and let the Instant Pot do its thing.

Placing the lid on the Instant Pot to make crispy potatoes

When the potatoes are done cooking, turn off the Instant Pot and use the natural pressure release (~10 minutes). Instant Pot users can manually release the pressure manually at the 10 minute mark if the pressure hasn’t completely dropped by then. 

At this point, you can fry the cooked potatoes right away or refrigerate them in a covered airtight container for up to a week.

How to fry crispy potatoes in a skillet

A closeup of cooked potatoes right out of the Instant Pot

Melt the ghee or your fat of choice over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once it starts sputtering, carefully add the potatoes to the pan. Leave the potatoes undisturbed for 1 minute before flipping to brown the other side for an additional minute or so. If you’re cooking the potatoes from the fridge, it may take an additional few minutes to get them crispy.

Frying the cooked potatoes in a cast iron skillet until crispy.

Transfer to a platter and season generously with salt and pepper while the potatoes are hot and crispy. If desired, season with the juice from half a lemon and toss with fresh chives or Italian parsley. Serve!

An overhead shot of Instant Pot Crispy Potatoes on a white platter

How to make crispy potatoes in the air fryer

Heat the air fryer to 400°F and spray the cooked potatoes liberally with avocado oil. Air fry the potatoes in a single layer for about 6 to 8 minutes or until crispy all over, tossing at the halfway point. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper while the potatoes are hot.

How to make crispy potatoes in the oven

Heat the oven to 425°F or 400°F on convection mode with the rack in the middle. Toss the cooked cut up potatoes in 2 tablespoons of ghee or fat of choice and place the potatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned all over, tossing at the halfway point. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper as soon as you take the potatoes out of the oven.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022)!


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Instant Pot Crispy Potatoes

4.73 from 33 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time11 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Let me show you how to use an Instant Pot to make potatoes with crispy exteriors and fluffy interiors in no time flat!

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 pound fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into uniform 1 – 1½ inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup minced chives or Italian parsley optional
  • Juice from ½ medium lemon optional
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Instructions 

  • Add ½ cup of water (or the minimum recommended by the manufacturer) to the cooking insert of an Instant Pot or 6-quart stove top pressure cooker fitted with a steamer insert. Dump in the potatoes.
  • If you’re using an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, simply press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and program it cook for 5 minutes under high pressure. Lock the lid, with the valve in the sealing position and let the Instant Pot do it’s thing.
  • When the potatoes are done cooking, turn off the Instant Pot and let the pressure release naturally (~10 minutes). Instant Pot users can manually release the pressure manually at the 10 minute mark if the pressure hasn’t completely dropped by then. You can fry the cooked potatoes right away or refrigerate them in a covered container for up to 4 days.
  • Melt the ghee or avocado oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once it starts sputtering, carefully add the potatoes to the pan in a single layer.
  • Leave the potatoes undisturbed for 1 minute before flipping to brown the other side for an additional minute or so. Transfer the potatoes to a serving dish.
  • Season generously with salt and pepper while the potatoes are hot. Squeeze on the juice from half a lemon and toss with fresh chives or Italian parsley.

Video

Notes

Keep the pressure cooked potatoes in the fridge in a sealed container for up to four days and fry them to order whenever you want to eat crispy potatoes!
If you aren’t frying the potatoes in a skillet, you can crisp them up in an air fryer or oven:
Air Fryer Instructions:
Heat the air fryer to 400°F and spray the cooked potatoes liberally with avocado oil. Air fry the potatoes in a single layer for about 6 to 8 minutes or until crispy all over, tossing at the halfway point. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper while the potatoes are hot.
Oven Instructions:
Heat the oven to 425°F or 400°F on convection mode with the rack in the middle. Toss the cooked cut up potatoes in 2 tablespoons of ghee or fat of choice and place the potatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned all over, tossing at the halfway point. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper as soon as you take the potatoes out of the oven.

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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13 Comments

  1. I looked for this recipe in the app but can’t find it. Can you direct me or perhaps add it? I like having all your amazing recipes in one place and this one is a good one!

    1. It’s not on the app. All of our newer recipes are added to the app but many of our older recipes just can’t be formatted for the app.

  2. Hi! Is the steamer insert essential to have, to make this dish turn out crispy? Wondering if I should put the steamer insert on my Christmas list.

    Thank you!

  3. 5 stars
    I am always having the crispy goodness sticking to the pan. Is there a way to air fry them after you pressure cook? Thanks for your help and amazing recipes!

    1. Yes! I toss the potatoes in some avocado oil or EVOO and air fry at 400F for about 5 to 8 minutes, tossing at the halfway point, or until browned on the outside.

  4. 4 stars
    Turned out crunchity, crisply, deliciousy! Took much longer than 1 minute to crisp on each side, but that may have been an error on my part. Well worth the time!