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Instant Pot Potato Salad (Smashed Red Potatoes + Tony’s Creole Kick)

Creamy Southern-style Instant Pot potato salad made with whole red potatoes cooked in 12 minutes, then smashed and mixed with Duke’s mayo, mustard, sweet relish, boiled eggs, a touch of sugar, and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.
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Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
pressure release time10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 37 minutes
Servings:10
Course:Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine:American, Cajun, Southern
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 11 red potatoes whole
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
  • 1/3 cup sweet relish
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-2 teaspoons sugar start with 1 teaspoon
  • 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning start here
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, for heat
  • 4-6 hard-boiled eggs chopped

Equipment

  • Instant Pot (pressure cooker)
  • Trivet or steamer basket (optional, but helpful)
  • Measuring cups and measuring spoons
  • Colander/strainer (to drain potatoes)
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Potato masher (or a sturdy fork)
  • Small bowl (for mixing dressing) (optional)
  • Spatula or large spoon (for folding/mixing)
  • Knife + cutting board (for chopping eggs)
  • Container with lid (for chilling/storage)

Method
 

  1. Cook the potatoes. Add 1 cup water to the Instant Pot. Add whole red potatoes. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes.
  2. Release pressure. Let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes, then carefully quick release the remaining pressure.
  3. Drain and cool slightly. Drain potatoes and let them sit 10–15 minutes until warm (not steaming hot).
  4. Smash the potatoes. Add warm potatoes to a large bowl and smash with a potato masher or fork until broken down, leaving some chunks for texture.
  5. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix mayo, mustard, relish, salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon Tony’s, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (if using).
  6. Add eggs and combine. Fold in chopped hard-boiled eggs. Gently mix in the dressing until evenly coated.
  7. Chill. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (best at 2 hours). Stir once before serving.
  8. Final taste. After chilling, taste and adjust:

Notes

Don’t mix mayo with steaming-hot potatoes or it can turn oily. Warm is perfect. Don’t over smash, leave chunks so it doesn’t feel like mashed potatoes. Tonys already has salt, so taste after chilling before adding extra salt.