Boxed au gratin potatoes in the Instant pot are simple and quick to make. Have this easy side dish recipe ready in under 20 minutes. Slices of potatoes are coated in a creamy cheese sauce that was cooked in the pressure cooker.
Forget firing up the oven or stove to make this easy boxed side dish recipe. These boxed au gratin potatoes can be ready in minutes using the Instant Pot.
I have a small confession to make, I like using package meals from time to time. Now don't get me wrong I'm all about making as much as I can from scratch. But sometimes I don't feel like it or I need something quick and easy.
And let's face it peeling potatoes and slicing them thinly can be kind of time consuming. So every so often I turn to a box for a quick side dish recipe. If you are looking for au gratin potatoes made from scratch then you should check out our Crockpot au gratin potatoes with ham recipe.
Ingredients
Life can get busy and sometimes it calls for a quick and easy side dish recipe to go along with dinner. On these types of nights, I find myself going to the pantry and grabbing a box of au gratin or scalloped potatoes.
All you need to make these cheesy au gratin potatoes in the Instant Pot is the ingredients that the box calls for. Milk, butter, water, and the ingredients that come in the box.
Making the au gratin potatoes according to the package in the oven takes over 30 minutes. However, making them in the Instant Pot takes under 20 minutes. And that is with the time it takes the Instant pot to build pressure. The actual cook time is only 5 minutes. So if boxed cheesy au gratin potatoes are on the menu try making them in the Instant Pot.
Expert Tips
Whenever I make boxed au gratin potatoes, I always whisk just the water, milk, and cheese packet together first. I find doing this before adding in the butter and potatoes will help to get all the cheese powder mixed up. Doing this step when making these boxed potatoes in the Instant Pot will help to not get the burn noticed.
When adding in the dried potatoes I make sure to push them down under the liquid. That way the potatoes will fully cook and there won't be any hard clumps of potatoes.
To get that golden top to the potatoes, place them into an oven safe dish and place them under the broiler for a few minutes.
In the past to make these types of potatoes stretch a bit farther I added a real potato that I sliced thin. Now I haven't tried doing this while making the au gratin potatoes in the Instant Pot. So the cooking time may need adjusting if you try adding fresh potato slices in.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have not done this but from what I have read the leftovers can be frozen. It's recommended to freeze small portions for easy reheating.
You can dress these boxed potatoes up a few ways. One way would be to add extra cheese in after they were fully cooked. If you plan on putting these potatoes under the broiler after they have cooked in the Instant Pot. Sprinkle them with bread crumbs or french fried onions. To make this a full meal add in some diced ham.
Au gratin potatoes have cheese whereas scalloped potatoes don't.
There are a number of reasons why you will love to cook boxed au gratin potatoes in the Instant Pot. It's a dump and go recipe that doesn't take long to cook. This is also a budget-friendly side dish.
You all know that I'm about easy clean-up whenever possible. And this recipe is just that easy clean up since it can all be made in the inner pot of your Instant pot.
My Creative Manner is answering the question "what's there to eat" with simple homecooked recipes ~ Jen
- How to make mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot
- Loaded mashed potatoes
- Instant Pot french dip sandwiches
Instant Pot Au Gratin Potatoes (from a box)
With the Instant Pot, you can cook your favorite boxed variety of au gratin potatoes without using the stove or oven.
Ingredients
- 2~ 4.7 Ounce Boxed Au Gratin Potatoes with seasoning packets this is the twin pack from Betty Crocker
- 4 Cup Water
- 1 Cup Milk
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
Instructions
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Add water and milk into the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
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Whisk in both the seasoning packets that came in the Betty Crocker twin pack box. Whisk until there are no lumps of seasoning.
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Add in both the packages of dried potatoes. Press the potatoes down making sure all the potatoes are covered in the water mixture.
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Add the butter on top of the potatoes.
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Place lid on the Instant Pot, making sure valve is set to sealing
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Press the pressure cooker button (make sure it's on high pressure) and adjust the cooking time to 5 minutes.
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Once the cooking time is done do a quick release.
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Stir the potatoes and let sit for 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Serve or transfer to a shallow oven safe dish. Place under broiler for a couple of minutes to achieve a golden top to the potatoes.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was for a twin box of au gratin potatoes. You can make only one box using the same recipe and steps.
The nutritional value may vary depending on the ingredients used.
Thank you for visiting My Creative Manner. We hope that you enjoy this and many more of our recipes. My Creative Manner is not responsible for the outcome of any of our recipes found on our website. Or that may be linked from or to other websites. The desired outcome of these recipes may not be achieved due to several factors, including ingredients, equipment, errors/typos, or the reader's individual cooking skills.
Jan
I made box au gratin potatoes last week in the Instant Pot. Thanks to your instructions they turned out perfectly.
Jennifer
I'm glad to hear that these instructions were helpful.
Vickie
This says that there is only one gram of carbs??
Jennifer
The nutrition is calculated by a program that we use. Unfortunately in this case it is wrong, I will look into what I can do to change this. Thank you for pointing this out.