Instapot Potato Burritos

Do you have an Instapot yet?  I borrowed my sister’s while she was in the process of moving and I fell in love!  I had it for about a month before I mustered up the courage to actually try it.  It all seemed so intimidating.  The first thing I tried was meatloaf and baked potatoes together in the pot.  I learned an important lesson with this first experiment… the Instapot needs water. I tried cooking it twice for 30 minutes each time and after each time the meat was still raw!  Finally I had an idea to add a bit of water to the bottom and thirty minutes later I had perfectly cooked meatloaf and tender potatoes.  After this test, I started getting brave with the instapot and trying my own things.

My dad has coached basketball for as long as I can remember, and my mom used to help him with a fundraiser for his team.  She made hundreds of potato burritos and bean burritos to sell during his home ball games.  She eventually recruited a few other moms and taught them how to make these burritos and together they would fill 2 or 3 roasters with the burritos and sell out in one night.  It just didn’t feel like a home basketball game until you had your burrito.  My dad is no longer coaching, but my family still makes these burritos for dinner as well as to store in the freezer for a quick meal.

I was making dinner one night for someone who was allergic to chicken and celery (odd combo) and it just so happened that I was out of beef and only had chicken for meat.  So I needed a meatless meal and I decided to give potato burritos a try, but I wanted to see if I could use the Instapot to speed up the process.  It worked wonderfully!

Potato Burritos

Ingredients: potatoes, canned green chilies, Mexican style shredded cheese, tortillas and an Instapot


1. Peel and cube potatoes then place in the Instapot. (You can do as many or as few potatoes as you would like.  I would at least use 4 good sized potatoes and more if you want to freeze some burritos for later.)

2.  Fill the Instapot with water to completely cover the potatoes with water.

3.  Pressure cook the potatoes on high for 15-20 minutes.  You can play with the time depending on your pressure cooker.  You want the potatoes soft enough to easily mash with a potato masher, but a few chunks are good.

4.  When the timer has gone off on the pressure cooker, do not turn the valve to vent the steam.  Let the pressure release naturally.

5.  While the potatoes are cooking, use a food processor to grind the canned green chilies.  You can use 1 or 2 cans depending on how spicy you want the burritos.  If you prefer chunks of green chilies, you don’t have to chop them in the food processor.

6.  After the potatoes have released the pressure (about 10 minutes), open the lid and check to make sure they are tender.  If they mash easily with the fork, then drain some of the water, but not all.

7.  Use a hand potato masher and mash the potatoes. Remember, a few chunks are fine.  It will have the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes.

8.  Part way through mashing, add a handful of shredded cheese and the green chilies.  Continue to mash until desired consistency.  Mine were a bit watery so I let them sit without a lid for a few minutes to let the water evaporate and then they were perfect.

9.  Scoop a good amount onto the tortillas, fold in the side, and roll the burrito.

10.  Eat right away or wrap each burrito in foil to either heat in a roaster for a big event (like a ball game) or stick in the freezer for later.

11.  To reheat a frozen burrito, remove the foil and wrap in a paper towel.  Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until the middle is warm.

We enjoy these potato burritos smothered with green chili or dipped in salsa and sour cream.

They would also go well with my homemade queso you can find here.

I would love to know if you try these and what you think!  I know that a potato burrito sounds like a strange combination, but it sure makes our family nice and happy!