Instant Pot Salt Potatoes [Syracuse, New York], created by Irish Salt Miners are made with new potatoes boiled in brine, yielding a creamy interior.
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Created by local Irish Salt Mine Workers back in the 1800’s for a quick and cheap lunch.
Traditionally, Syracuse Salt Potatoes are made with new, potatoes. Syracuse is in Central New York.
The Irish Salt Workers would bring a bag of small potatoes to work and boil them in the Salt Springs. They did not peel them and they were often not premium potatoes.
With the use of an Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, you can have the same great taste!
Also, called, Canarian Wrinkly Potatoes, in the Canary Islands and served with a Red or Green Mojo.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
- New Potatoes – yellow, red, purple or a combination
- Salt – The Salt can be Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
- Water
- Ghee or Butter
As you can see, there are not many ingredients. The Potatoes should be new and white. And bite-sized, small enough to pop the whole Potato in your mouth.
Salt, Lots of Salt!
Unlike the Salt Miners, who boiled their potatoes in the Salt Springs, we’ll use a Pressure Cooker and enjoy the Potatoes in under 30 minutes.
Fine Salt is best to use, as it will quickly melt.
Instant Pot Salt Potatoes is easily altered for smaller portions. Follow the Salt/Water ratio found in the Recipe Card below, if you would like a larger portion.
If you have a Mini Instant Pot, just cut the recipe completely in half. Cook time is the same and it works equally as well!
Water + Salt = Salt Spring!
What Type of Salt is Used?
- Sea Salt is good.
- Some people use Kosher Salt. It works too, just takes longer to dissolve.
- Pink Himalayan Salt is very tasty too.
As a huge Potato lover, we eat this with our meals, quite often. The Salty residue protects the potatoes from becoming water-logged.
Lukewarm Water + Salt = Salt Spring! Hahaha, just kidding. But, it does make a nice Brine.
Smoked Salts are great to use too for a wonderful smoky flavor.
Smoked Salts to Try
- Applewood Smoked Salt
- Cherrywood Smoked Salt – one of my favorites!
Dissolve the Salt
How to Make Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
- Whisk up the salt with the water very, very well.
- The salt and water mix up very thick, like the Dead Sea. You won’t want to taste, as you will want to gag.
- Small potatoes are added and then cooked under pressure.
I wonder if you can float in it like the Dead Sea. I went to the High School in Israel. We floated in the Dead Sea. It was salty!
The end result of Instant Pot Salt Potatoes will not be overly salty, as the salt forms a crust.
More New York Recipes
- New York Coffee Shop Home Fries.
- Instant Pot Dirty Water Hot Dogs – like the kind you get from street vendors on the streets of New York City!
- Air Fryer New York Egg Rolls
I love New York and the food. Can you tell? I’m not from New York, but both parents were born there and we spent a lot of time in the state growing up. My grandmother even had a resort in Monticello, New York (upstate) and I spend many summers there with my parents and cousins. Would you believe I have a cousin named Jack? Imagine what people thought when my grandma used to call us over the loudspeaker when she wanted us to come in from playing.
Add in the Potatoes
Three pounds of Potatoes fit nicely in a standard 6 quart Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.
The Potatoes should be bite sized. If you cannot find the New/Small White Potatoes, grab some Fingerlings.
If you can’t find either, but really want to make Instant Pot Salt Potatoes, buy the smallest Potatoes you can find and adjust the cook time.
You can add more Potatoes if you like, just adjust the Salt and the Water.
This is NOT Traditional Syracuse Salt Potatoes
As I mentioned above, Traditional Syracuse Salt Potatoes use small white Potatoes.
The shape doesn’t matter. As long as they are all similar size.
Tri-color potatoes work very well too and after making a batch of the tri-colored, I can honestly say they are equally as delicious.
Drain the Water
Tips and Tricks to Instant Pot Salt Potatoes.
- Make sure to use warm water and whisk to thoroughly combine the salt.
- Use a Stainless Steel Colander to drain the salt water from the potatoes to let the salty crust form.
- Melt a little butter while the potatoes are draining, so the butter is nice and hot.
- Chives, Scallions, Rosemary, or other herbs you may like, an be used when you melt the Butter.
Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
These Instant Pot Salt Potatoes are so good on their own.
The Melted Ghee or Butter, make them even better!
Other Variations of Instant Pot Salt Potatoes.
- You can add Butter to the cooking pot and melt.
- Then toss in the Potatoes with some herbs and mix to coat.
Tri Colored Potatoes are so Pretty
And I am! For you naughty people, the Tri-Colored Potatoes are so pretty. They taste good too. There is a difference in taste between the colors.
Go rogue, try them. 🙂
If you have any leftovers, cut them in half and put them in your Air Fryer for delicious Air Fryer French Fries.
More Instant Pot Potato Recipes to Make:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker)
- Instant Pot Garlic Whipped Potatoes
- Instant Pot Caramelized Sweet Potatoes Yams
- Instant Pot Colcannon – another Irish inspired recipe. Make this, you won’t regret it!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- 6 oz Porcelain Ramekins
- Stainless Steel Colander
- Sea Salt
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Wash/Scrub Potatoes. Add Salt and Water to Pressure Cooker cooking pot and Whisk until the Salt has completely dissolved.
- Add Potatoes.
- Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure for 2 minutes. When Beep sounds, wait 15 minutes and then release pressure.
- Strain Potatoes in a colander and let dry for a few minutes. Serve with Melted Ghee or Butter.
Stove Top Method
- Mix together Salt and Water and bring to boil. Add Potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and serve.
Notes
Smoked Salts to Try
- Applewood Smoked Salt
- Cherrywood Smoked Salt - one of my favorites!
What to Eat with Instant Pot Salt Potatoes
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Syracuse Salt Potatoes!
Pressure Cooker Syracuse New York Salt Potatoes
I just read this morning that the salt potato is getting a historic marker here in Central New York!
This is the third instant pot salt potato recipe I have tried, as the others were disappointing. This recipe was absolutely fantastic! I am also from central N.Y. So salt potatoes are a summer must, and these were perfect.
Thanks, Kathy. So glad you enjoyed my recipe. This is the original IP recipe for this dish. I’m guessing your other attempts gave you mushy potatoes. Jill
This is my favorite recipe ever, for sure! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. We make it often. Keep them coming.
I wanted to like these and we sure did. They were the best potatoes ever for sure. Thank you for the recipe.
Holy crap! These are the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten! I’m 64 and I should have known about these decades ago.
Super easy recipe! I love that you can change the number of servings to suit.
Jill, you’re the bomb! I’ll be following you and feel confident that I will find many amazing recipes from you.
Gary
Hi Gary. Thank you so much for the lovely words. Jill
Thanks Jill. I’m going to make these tonight to have with our BBQ ribs and corn on the cob.
Is a Stainless Steel colander really a requirement? Because I have an old steel one, and a couple of high-temperature plastic/silicone ones. Interested in the recipe, but that seems… odd.
No, no, any type you like. I just prefer not to use plastic. Jill
I have a silicone one so I guess I’m good to go I was afraid to use it!
Great!
Yessssssss! I live in central New York and wondered how I could cook this in the instant pot without heating up my house! They came out perfect! I love to use leftovers and make home fries.
Awesome, glad to hear this, Alicia. Thank you. Jill
How long do they last? Fridge or room temp?
Made these as part of a full-scale roast turkey dinner…and they still stole the show. So simple, so purely good. You don’t even need the butter: perfectly savory, just the right amount of salt already on them, a beautiful presentation if you use tricolour baby potatoes, and yes, a creamy smooth interior.
Wonderful to hear. Thank you, Bard. Jill
Nice to have this recipe for when I’m not in Upstate NY, but please add an adjustment for people using the authentic Hinerwadels Salt Potato bags sold in and around Syracuse. They contain 3/4 lb of salt and 4 1/4 lbs of potatoes – some a bit larger than bite-sized. I used 7 cups of water, the salt they came with, and 3 minutes. We thought they were just right, but would love for your take on it. Thanks!!!
Oh, and this fit in my 6 Quart Lux!
Straight in the pot? no trivet?
Nope. They need to be submerged
Perfect! My Syracuse raised husband loved these!
Thank you, Joy. Jill
Love these!!! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Dee. Jill
These are so freaking good! Thank you for the method. My main way of eating potatoes now!
Thanks, Bill. Jill
I’ve been making your recipes for a good two years now! Thank you so much for sharing the benefits of your labors with us.
In the step by step process, you say to check the recipe card for the salt to water ratio. However, that information is missing from the recipe card. Can you please update with the ratio?
Claudia, it is all there on the card. Jill
PS I’m pretty sure it’s the IP Paleo site that stole your recipe, not vice versa. Thought you should know. I love your site!!
Thank you. I just filed a copyright notice with google. All the recipes on his site are stolen, photos and all. Jill
Trying this tonight and realized my potatoes aren’t bite size. They are a bit bigger. Should I increase the time?
Actually, they didn’t bring a bag of potatoes, but each of the workers would throw them in a put in the morning for lunch. Syracuse had ponds around Onondaga Lake that were naturally salty. They were asking the Erie Canal route. In later years the ponds were poisoned be Cross Hindes dumping chemical crash into the lake. The remaining ponds are now home to geese and ducks year round.
“For the Best “Baked” Potatoes, use large Russet Potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. ”
Do you poke holes in the russets like you would making a normal baked potato, or no?
Great recipe! Thanks a lot!
I would, Richard. Jill
Made this with discount potatoes I thought were red. What a fantastic recipe! Also, I usually hate reading chefs’ preambles to their recipes and scroll through in an irritated hurry. I love your sense of humor and writing style and read every word with a smile 🙂
Awwww, Maureen, thank you so much. I like to write whatever pops into my head at the moment and try to be me when I write my posts. Jill
So excited to try this. We used to live in the Canary Islands & loved these potatoes. I’m looking for a mojo recipe now! Thanks for posting.
Oh my gosh! These were amazing. I had a pound of leftover smallish potatoes and thought I’d try out this recipe. Jill, they were salty, and creamy and full of flavor. And so very easy. These are definitely a keeper!
Even better, if you mash them up with some butter or margarine and half n half, they make some mean mashed potatoes!
These were delicious and I will certainly make again. I used Himalayan salt. I put it in a bowl of water and microwaved it so I could better dissolve the large crystals. Then I put the salt water in the instant pot with the potatoes.
Delicious! Thank you!
In New York, nearish to Syracuse, you can buy a bag of Syracuse potatoes, small young potatoes and they come with the salt packet .
Actually, they didn’t bring a bag of potatoes, but each of the workers would throw them in a put in the morning for lunch. Syracuse had ponds around Onondaga Lake that were naturally salty. They were asking the Erie Canal route. In later years the ponds were poisoned be Cross Hindes dumping chemical crash into the lake. The remaining ponds are now home to geese and ducks year round.
If you are in almost any grocery store in Upstate you will find 5lb bags of them under the Hinderwaldel brand. They are a local clam back place that puts on the best spread and these are a staple.
I live in Syracuse and the story I was taught was that the salt boilers, mainly Irish immigrants, would drop these small potatoes in the salt VATS that were used to boil the natural brine down to make table salt.
Or, you can do what I do and buy Hinerwadel’s Salt Potatoes! These are from Hinerwadel’s in North Syracuse on Taft Road. Hinerwadel’s is a clam bake place, which is amazing! These are the best ones you can buy! I grew up on them and still make them when I can get them. I grew up in Syracuse until I moved away at 38.
My manager made this for our potluck at work and they were a hit! I also went to
High School in Israel. class of 1983!
Hi Julie. Were you in the school based in Beit Berl? Jill
Do you have any idea how long 6 cups of water will take to come to pressure?? And do you start with hot water?
this looks very interesting .. I can’t wait to try it…
I live in Utah and have floated in the Great Salt Lake 🙂
Hi Vikkie. That sounds like fun. Hope you enjoy the potatoes. Jill
Hello, I am hoping to make these potatoes but I do have a question. My Instant Pot is 8 qt and I was wondering if you would recommend adjusting (increasing) the recipe at all to ensure coverage of the potatoes or just keep everything the same? If adjusting the recipe, what would you recommend? Thanks.
These are fabulous! The family loves them just as they are, but I just saw a recipe for oven-roasted Salt & Vinegar potatoes and I am intrigued. Do you think I could just substitute vinegar for the salt?
I meant “substitute vinegar for the water” 😀
So we love this recipe! But after reading this reply, I decided to try vinegar. I improvised and substituted 1/3 of the water with vinegar. I loved them, but my husband’s response was “interesting!” LOL Since there are only 2 of us, for 1 lb of potatoes I mixed 2 C water with 1/2 C salt, which I dissolved before adding 1 C of vinegar. I used Apple Cider that I had on hand but I do think Malt Vinegar would be better. I really enjoyed them and like the potatoes both ways.
Ooooh….I never got around to trying it, so thank you for your experiment, Cindy! I can hear my husband saying something similar 😀
Sounds wonderful! Jill
love finding the recipes from this old gal, they work so well for the instant pot do you have recipe book out
I have 4 colanders… none are stainless. Is it important that the colander be stainless?
Hi Terryl. They don’t have to be stainless. What I show is what I like to use. Enjoy. Jill
I tried this recipe yesterday for the first time, for our family Sukkot dinner and let me tell you it was the best! the potatoes turned out so soft and yummy, one of the best potatoes recipes. And with the melted butter… serious indulgence. Zero work and 100% success. This recipe will go in the family pantheon.
It was, as you said, like the dead sea. It brought back so many great memories of our family camping trips to the dead sea as a kid (well, except for the wet-finger-in-the-eye moment 😉 ) .
So thank you for this great recipe.
Hi Michal. I am so glad you enjoyed the potatoes. How nice that you were able to go to the Dead Sea! I haven’t been there in many years, but would love to go back. Jill
Tried this recipe tonight for family dinner. Everyone loved it. Cut the ingredients in half. Used a 1.5 lb bag of baby potatoes, 1/2 cup of salt and 3 cups of water. Cooked for the same amount of time (2 mins high pressure + 15 mins release). Turned out perfect. Thanks for the great recipe. I’ll definitely make it again.
I’ve heard so many good things about this recipe that I decided to try it tonight. It’s in my IP right now and I can’t wait. 🙂 I just have one question: If I make this again within a few days, can I keep the brine and use it a second time? Thanks!!
Hi Patricia. I hope you will enjoy the potatoes. I don’t see any reason not to reuse the brine for another batch. Jill
My husband just brought home 10 lbs of Salt Potatoes from Syracuse this past weekend. Can’t wait to cook them up!
This upstate NYer thanks you for the recipe! We love our salt potatoes here! How about you try some Chicken Riggies next???
I have Natural Applewood smoked sea salt, I will have to try this with it. I love the smokey flavoring it adds to foods.
Can you make ahead and reheat in oven?
They are not so good reheated, in my experience
Jill, I made these last night and they were such a success that my guests are buying an Instant Pot! I love your recipes and this is one of the best!
Hi Sally. Thanks so much. Jill
Hi Jill! Wondering if I could do the salt potatoes on bottom, then pork chops either on a tall rack, or in a pot-in-pot? How long do you think it would take to cook? 15 minutes? Just trying to see if I can make a whole meal altogether!
Thanks!
Kate. The potatoes would be mushed at 15 minutes. Jill
I live in Syracuse, and love our salt potatoes. Here in Syracuse, they sell 5 pound bags of salt potatoes — 4 pounds of potatoes and a 1 pound bag of salt. I’ll have to try the tri-colored potatoes too!
Hi Joanne. I love using the tri colored potatoes. The yellow and red taste similar. The purple is quite different, but also delicious. Jill
Great local potatoes. Much better than what we get in the rest of the country.
I grew up in central NY and we made these a lot but never in the pressure cooker. Just put a pan on the stove with water, potatoes and the salt….cooked until done.
I lived in Syracuse and I know salt potatoes. These were the best I ever made. I used the whole 5 lb bag, a little more salt and a little more water. Thanks Jill. I will never make them any other way.
Awesome, Ganine. So glad they were a success. Jill
Being from Scotland I do love my taters, we grew up eating them with every single meal so I know my family will love this recipe a lot 🙂
Hi Sheena. Thanks. I can’t wait to hear how you like this method. They are kind of addicting. Jill
I made these last night with potatoes from my CSA, and they were delicious. I roasted them in the oven for a bit after the IP, just to make sure the outsides crisped/dried. I’ve been cooking mostly oil-free, so instead of butter/oil, I made an oil-free green mojo with cilantro, garlic, cumin, sherry vinegar, salt, and sumac. Sliced tomatoes, roasted okra, and potatoes were my amazing meal.
Stephanie, that sounds delicious. Jill
“the High School in Israel”
Meaning Alexander Muss, by any chance? Or just happened to do high school there?
Also, soooo excited for this recipe
Hi Stephanie. I believe the Alexander Muss name came after The High School in Israel name, but I think it is the same program. I think it is through Jewish Federation. It was so long ago, I hardly remember that part of it, but do remember having to read “The Source.” Jill
Thank you Jill for another fantastic recipe ! I made these tonight using 1 pound of our local Ozette potatoes from Olympia Farmers Market. I used 2 cups water and 1/3 cup sea salt . They were absolutely perfect ! ? Must get more ( a lot more potatoes ? )
Glad you liked them.
These are so, so good. I have restocked my potatoes so that I can make more. Thanks for posting–I had never heard of them!
Hi Melissa. I am so glad you enjoyed the Salt Potatoes. Jill
I only have 1.5 lbs. of baby potatoes.
I plan to halve the salt and water, but keep the
same cook time. Does that sound right?
Did that work? I have a 1.5 pound bag too.
I did nearly that: 1.75 lb potatoes, 4.5 C water, 3/4 C salt (3/4 the recipe as opposed to 1/2), cooked for the same amount of time and they turned out perfectly. I believe she makes note somewhere in the verbiage that as long as you maintain the same ratio of ingredients, you can keep the same cook time with good results.
Yes, that is correct.
Mmm, mmm, mmm! Can’t wait to try these!! Butter, salt, and potatoes! Just add ice cream and you’ve hit every one of my favorite food groups!! 😉
????????
Ice cream! Major yum. Strawberry, Vanilla and Coconut. My favorites.
I made these Syracuse salt potatoes today in my mini! They were delicious. How could something so simple be so fantastic!
Wow! Made this recipe with my new IP tonight and it was a total hit with my family. Thank you so much for sharing. This will be in our regular rotation from now on!
Thank you, Kare. I am glad your family enjoyed the Salt Potatoes. Jill
How long would you cook if you were making “baked” russet potatoes this way?
Hi Katie. I would try 8 minutes and then let it naturally release. Jill
LOVE the recipes,just got my Pressure Cooker LOVE it,keep up the good work. A fan in GA
Does the amount of salt pit the stainless steel liner?
Hi Pat. No problem with the cooking pot. Jill