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Instant Pot Salt Potatoes are a huge cultural summer staple in Syracuse, New York. The “recipe” is literally just potatoes boiled in salt water! These salt potatoes are soo creamy, smooth, and perfectly salty.

What are salt potatoes?

Salt potatoes are, literally, potatoes boiled in salt water. The tradition hails from Syracuse, New York—a place that’s apparently the mecca of salt springs and production.

Back in the day, workers at the Irish Salt Spring (how cute would that job description be on your LinkedIn profile?!) would bring a bag of small potatoes to work and boil them in the spring.

Since then, these salty potatoes have become woven into the culture of upstate New York.

I posted about making salt potatoes on Instagram this weekend, and so many amazing New Yorkers messaged me with tons of enthusiasm about them!

They were so nice! I had multiple people offer to send me a bag of the correct potatoes and salt. They sell them packaged together in Syracuse!

What do Instant Pot Salt Potatoes taste like?

Here’s what the internet expert (Wikipedia) has to say about that:

As the potatoes cook, the salty water forms a crust on the skin and seals the potatoes so they never taste waterlogged, as ordinary boiled potatoes often do. The potatoes have a unique texture closer to fluffy baked potatoes, only creamier.

Are salt potatoes too salty?

I was worried about the potatoes being toooo salty, but they turned out exactly how wiki said they would. The potatoes were not waterlogged, and instead, they were super creamy.

The skin kind of “popped” when I bit into them, and as they dried, they formed a perfectly salty little dusting on the outside. Not too salty at all!

The salt doesn’t get absorbed into the potatoes. They just magically create the perfect salt bath to flavor and tenderize the potatoes, which makes them irresistible! Don’t worry- you won’t be ingesting a cup of salt!

How to make Instant pot salt potatoes

When designing this recipe, I looked up authentic, traditional cooking methods for salt potatoes. Most suggested boiling potatoes for 30ish minutes with one pound of salt per every four pounds of potatoes.

WOW that’s a lot of salt!

I used a bag of gourmet mini potatoes I found at Costco. They were super tiny and ranged in size from a bouncy ball to a fingerling potato.

First, I set the Instant Pot to High Saute with a couple of cups of water and the salt. I only put a little bit of water in to help dissolve the salt before adding the rest of the water. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip this step with good results. Don’t stress about it.

The first time, I used 1/4 cup salt (because 1 cup felt like a LOT), but I thought they weren’t quite flavorful enough. The next time, I used a full cup of salt and preferred the taste and texture much more.

I’ve since experimented with different amounts of salt and find that a minimum of 1/2 cup of salt works best.

What Salt to use for instant Pot salt potatoes

I used the cheap, fine grain salt so it would dissolve quickly. Don’t use your expensive pink Himalayan sea salt for this one! (Use that in my Kalua Pork recipe!). You may also use kosher salt.

REdmond Real Salt

My absolute favorite salt on planet earth is Redmond Real Salt. I know it sounds insane that you can be a salt snob, but I have become… a salt snob.

Redmond Real Salt comes from ancient salt mines locally here in Utah, and the salt is truly superior to any other salt I’ve ever had! It includes natural minerals and has a cult following. You can use my link above and the code IPCOOKING for a discount!

I purchase my salt in a 25lb bag, so I use it for my salt potato cooking water. However, if you only have a smaller container, I would honestly recommend using your cheap table salt and then use the Redmond salt as the finishing salt after you add the butter.

Salt Potatoes in Steamer Basket

I poured the potatoes into my steamer basket and washed them right in the basket. Then, I placed the basket in the Instant Pot and added enough water to cover. This allows me to quickly and carefully drain the potatoes much easier.

The second time, I measured 12 cups total (with the water that was already in the bottom). The amount will vary depending on how many potatoes you have.

I cooked them on manual high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10 minutes natural pressure release. Then, I lifted the steamer basket right out and set it on a plate to drip.

While experimenting with times, I previously recommended a 5 minute cook time with a quick release. I actually think that adding a bit of a natural pressure release adds a little more tenderness to the potatoes.

Please keep in mind that this time was for tiny, almost bite-sized potatoes. If yours are bigger, please add time accordingly!

These cute little potatoes are so pretty! I served them drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with fresh parsley and additional kosher salt or Redmond real salt. You could also use a seasoned salt for some variety.

How to make Instant Pot Salt Potatoes without a Steamer Basket

If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can just put the potatoes straight in the liner with the water and salt. You’ll need less water to cover the potatoes but you should use the same amount of salt.

What to serve with Instant Pot Salt Potatoes

These potatoes were soooo creamy and fun to eat. I just popped them into my mouth — even my baby loved them! The recommended way to serve Instant Pot salt potatoes is to drizzle them with melted butter and a dash of a lovely finishing salt.

I suggest serving them with any main protein for dinners like steak or my BBQ Instant Pot Ribs, or on a charcuterie board/fondue plate!

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If you like this recipe, you’ll love my super simple Chicken Drumstick recipe! Dinner will be on the table in less than 30 minutes!

You can serve these in place of any other potato dish (like mashed potatoes or potatoes au gratin).

Air Fryer Salt Potatoes

These salt potatoes would be perfect for Valentines dinner, Easter brunch, or Sunday dinner.

I crisped some up in my Air Fryer (400 for 2-4 minutes, shaking between) and served them as home fries with a veggie omelette for breakfast. SO good.

I don’t think these would be great mashed or cut into a soup because there would be a LOT of skin. I hope you’ll try these out! They were really yummy, and the easiest potato side dish.

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About Lisa

Lisa Childs is the food blogger behind Tried, Tested, and True. Join the hundreds of thousands of people each month that learn from Lisa-

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