Perfect Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
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Perfect Instant Pot sweet potatoes each and every time, with perfect, creamy insides. A time chart based on the width of your sweet potatoes ensures they are perfectly cooked each time.
While I love a baked sweet potato and the convenience of a crock pot sweet potato, sometimes we just need to get it done quickly, right? Enter Instant Pot sweet potatoes. Ready in a fraction of the time, and they come out perfectly creamy, each and every time!
The thing is, there are way too many ‘one size fits all’ Instant Pot sweet potato recipes out there, and can we be real? Not all sweet potatoes are made the same, so why should the cooking method be?
After being constantly disappointed by under-cooked sweet potatoes, I set out to test dozens of sweet potatoes, until I came up with a formula so that you can have perfect sweet potatoes as well.
Sweet Potato Fries Seasoning
Are you wondering how to season sweet potato fries? There are so many ways to do that!
You can season them simply with salt and pepper, and they will be amazing!
But the best seasoning for sweet potato fries is definitely our Rotisserie Chicken Rub. It comes together in no time, and it contains garlic powder and onion powder, among other spices. This amazing seasoning mix takes this humble side dish to a whole new level!
You can use other seasonings in this recipe as well. Use Best Cajun Seasoning to make Cajun fries, or Italian Seasoning to make Italian fries, or The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning, for the most amazing Mexican fries.
How Long Does It Take To Cook Sweet Potatoes In The Instant Pot
The cook time for Instant Pot sweet potatoes is 16 minutes. Wait, 16 minutes?! But hold on for one second. The Instant Pot requires about 10 minutes for preheating to come up to pressure before cooking. Then this recipe requires a 10 minute Natural Release for cooling down, where the pressure cooker releases the steam inside naturally.
Whats the total time for pressure cooker sweet potatoes? The total time for this recipe is 35 minutes. Thats pretty good compared to about 1 hour for baked sweet potatoes.
A final note: the timing for how to cook sweet potatoes in an Instant Pot does depend on the size of the potatoes. This recipe is for medium to large potatoes, about 10 to 12 ounces each. For very large sweet potatoes, use about 18 minutes. Smaller potatoes could use less time, about 14 minutes.
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How Long Do You Cook A Roast In An Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Now for the confusing part: how long should you cook a roast in an Instant Pot?
Instant Pots have become a bit of a craze and theres a lot of different information online. No wonder some people are confused. Different blogs will give you different times.
Were here to clear up the confusion and give you a couple of very simple principles to work with.
Cooking time depends on 3 things
The time youll need to cook a roast in your Instant Pot depends on 3 things:
- the size of your piece of meat,
- what type of meat it is ,
- and whether it is frozen or thawed.
We recommend never cooking meat from frozenthaw it first for tenderest and juiciest results. It can be done, however, and weve provided times for that method too.
Dont overdo it
Remember, once you have overcooked a piece of meat, you cannot undo it. If overcooked, it will be dry, grainy, and sometimes inedible. You can always cook an undercooked piece a few minutes longer though.
So, principle number one is this: no matter how ridiculously short the cooking time in the instructions sounds, try it. You can always add a little more time after checking.
If youre unsure, use a meat thermometer to check. The internal temperature of the meat should be 145F/63C when done.
Lets look at size first
Now lets look at types of meat
If youre roasting a chicken, you will need just 6 min per pound. So, for a 34-pound chicken, you should cook it for 18-25 minutes. If frozen, add another 3 min for each pound.
Sweet Potato Cooking Times By Size
Set your Instant Pot to the below number of minutes, based upon the size of your potatoes. Remember to choose sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size so that they all finish cooking in the same amount of time.
- Small Sweet Potatoes . 12 minutes.
- Medium Sweet Potatoes . 17 minutes
- Large Sweet Potatoes . 25 minutes.
Also Check: How To Steam Kale In Instant Pot
Why You Will Love This Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe
- Quick and easy: It takes minutes to prep the potatoes before your Instant Pot does its job.
- Versatile: These sweet potatoes are great to serve up a healthy side dish, or load them up with your favorite toppings for a full meal.
- Dietary info: Sweet potatoes are naturally gluten-free and are Whole30 and paleo-friendly.
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Cook Time Guide
Cook time for pressure cooking sweet potatoes is not an exact science and its going to vary, depending largely on the thickness of the sweet potato.
Ive given a visual guide below that will help you get started, but as always, if you find that your sweet potatoes are not quite cooked at the end of the programmed cook time all you need to do is pop the lid back on and cook for a little bit longer, its very easy.
- Small Sweet Potatoes 16 minutes This includes sweet potatoes that are very skinny!
- Medium Sweet Potatoes 18 minutes I would say this is an average sized sweet potato
- Large Sweet Potatoes 20 minutes
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How To Store Leftovers:
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes:
Making mashed potatoes in the instant pot starts out just a simple and easy as if you were making mashed potatoes on the stove like my reader favorite Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes.
Youll start out with three pounds of potatoes. This is about 6 medium potatoes total. Go ahead and peel them. I havent tried this recipe leaving the skin on the potatoes because we prefer ours without skin.
Next, simply slice the potatoes into large rounds. For me, this came out to about 4-5 round slices per potato. There is no reason to spend time cutting them into cubes. Youll then cover them completely in water which will be about 4-5 cups depending on what size of instant pot youre using. The picture below shows the potato rounds in my 8 quart instant pot.
After the potatoes are covered in the water you will add ½ teaspoon of salt. This is just enough salt to flavor the potatoes while they cook without being overwhelming.
Then, thats it for now! Go ahead and place the lid on your instant pot. Set the valve to sealed and cook on manual for 8 minutes. Keep in mind that it will take about 8-10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure.
Once the timer goes off you can quick release the pressure from your pot. You will need to drain the potatoes and then return them to the instant pot with the power off.
You can mash these up with a standard potato masher if you wish. Or, you can mash then whip them with a hand-held mixer which is what I love to do!
Enjoy!
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Why Cook Sweet Potatoes In The Instant Pot
If you’re skeptical of kitchen trends or gadgets, the thought of swapping your baked sweet potatoes for ones prepared in the Instant Pot can be daunting. But I’m here to tell you that once you make Instant Pot sweet potatoes, you’ll never make them any other way. Here are a few reasons to make the switch:
- You’ll save time without sacrificing quality. To achieve the desired result, sweet potatoes need to bake in the oven for up to an hour. Of course, you can always nuke them when you’re in a pinch, but you’re going to end up with dried out sweet potatoes. The Instant Pot offers the best of both worlds. In about 35 minutes, the Instant Pot turns raw sweet potatoes into a moist and fluffy side dish.
- It’s less work. Don’t worry about rubbing the potatoes with oil or checking them for doneness. The beauty of the Instant Pot is it’s completely hands off.
- The result is perfection. With this method, you end up with velvety smooth sweet potatoes every time. The Instant Pot won’t dry them out like more traditional methods.
How To Serve Baked Sweet Potatoes
Whether you enjoy your sweet potatoes savory or sweet there are many toppings you can choose to put on your sweet potato.
Personally, I love a combination of butter, brown sugar, and cilantro!
You can make it a meal by topping your sweet potato with buffalo chicken or taco meat.
You can also use these sweet potatoes to make sweet potato casserole!
Make Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with salmon and caesar salad. A delicious combo!
Also Check: Ninja Foodi Tamales
Cubed Sweet Potatoes In Instant Pot
Published: . Last Updated: Aug 5, 2021 by Alpa Jain . This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sweet potato is a healthy, nutritious root vegetable loaded with vitamin A. It comes in a variety of colors and sizes. If you want to cook sweet potatoes then instant pot works like a charm.
Cooking whole sweet potatoes can take longer but sometimes you want them ready quickly for a side, topping your salad or just making mashed sweet potatoes. You can steam cubed sweet potatoes in the instant pot in just a few minutes.
How Long Do You Cook Baked Potatoes In An Instant Pot
The pressure cooking time depends on the size of your potatoes. I have tested out lots of different potatoes of varying sizes to determine these cook times. It is important to cook potatoes that are roughly the same size so that they will cook in the same amount of time.
Small Potatoes : 12 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural pressure release
Medium Potatoes : 16 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural pressure release
Large Potatoes : 20 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural pressure release
When Im not sure about the cook time for my exact size of potatoes, I always err on the side of adding an extra minute or two to the cook time. Id rather end up with softer potatoes than under-cooked potatoes and have to do a second pressure cooking cycle.
Read Also: How To Cook Ground Turkey In Instant Pot
How To Cook Sweet Potatoes In Instant Pot
Published Updated January 8, 2021 By Meeta Arora | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to cook perfect Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot? This is part of my Instant Pot Cooking Basics series. Sweet Potatoes cook to perfection in the instant pot…oh so tender and creamy. These pressure cooker “baked” sweet potatoes are fast & easy to cook, and make a delicious snack or side dish!
True story…my husband never liked sweet potatoes. But these silky smooth creamy sweet potatoes have finally converted him. Yay! Our favorite way to enjoy them is with lots of butter…salted butter of course.
Sweet potatoes are super nutritious, high in fiber and absolutely delicious. They are rich in beta carotene and Vitamix A. They are also low fat and have no cholesterol. Hence they are a great addition to a vegan & gluten-free diet.
Did you know sweet potatoes are also called yams? I grew up in India, and yams is what we called sweet potatoes.
I love to boil and steam veggies in the instant pot. I have shared how to boil russet potatoes and how to perfectly steam broccoli before.
The best thing of making instant pot sweet potatoes is you just put in the whole sweet potatoes, set the timer and forget them. Come back to creamy perfect moist sweet potatoes in less than an hour!
What About Baked Potatoes
If youre using russet potatoes you can cook them the same way! You can also cook a combination of potatoes.
Ive created an easy Instant Pot Baked Potatoes recipe with all the timing details you need!
I have a couple of kids who prefer regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. In this case, I put a few sweet potatoes and a few russet potatoes in the Instant Pot for dinner.
Just make sure to try to choose potatoes that are the same size for even cooking!
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Sweet Potato Size Matters
With the vast variety of potatoes, I recommend Garnet sweet potatoes. They have a bright orange flesh that cooks up to be very sweet and moist. Other varieties like purple, Jewell, Japanese, Okinawa, and Hannah can be used, however, they may have a slightly different texture. For quick and even cooking of the sweet potatoes, cut them into 1-inch pieces. Anything smaller and theyll crumble apart too easily.
How Do You Cook Sweet Potatoes In The Instant Pot
- wash, scrub and poke holes as normal
- use a steamer basket
- add water in bottom
- seal and cook on high pressure
Since there’s only a cup of water the Instant Pot will come to pressure more quickly so it works well for a side dish like this. If making sweet potatoes in the oven it would take much longer.
Also Check: How To Cook Frozen Tamales In Instant Pot
Instant Pot Whole Sweet Potatoes
You are going to love this no-fuss, foolproof method for cooking Instant Pot Whole Sweet Potatoes. Theyre an easy and nutritious food that everyone loves. This article also includes some delicious serving ideas.
I think youre going to love how easy and efficient it is to make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.
Compared to the time and effort it takes to cook whole sweet potatoes in an oven, cooking them in the Instant Pot is a cinch! Theyre done about 60% faster and you dont have to poke holes in the potatoes before you cook them.
Its honestly so convenient and Ill never go back to using my oven to make delicious, healthy sweet potatoes that are perfectly cooked.
How Long To Steam Cubed Sweet Potatoes
To cook these in the Instant Pot, close the lid and make sure it is sealed. Ensure the valve is closed and set so it will pressurize.
Select MANUAL on the Instant Pot and then set for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 5 minutes to come to pressure beforehand and then start cooking and counting down.
Once the 10 minutes cooking time is up, release the pressure manually. Be careful, steam will be hot.
Lift out the steamer basket carefully or spoon out the cubed sweet potatoes that are now soft and cooked. Season with salt and pepper or add butter to enjoy.
These steamed sweet potatoes are also the base for my WHIPPED SWEET POTATOrecipe. They are fluffy, sweet, creamy, and simply fantastic. Just a few ingredients for pure heaven.
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How Long To Cook Potatoes In An Instant Pot
- Different of potatoes may take a little bit longer, and it will take a bit longer if you keep the skin on your potatoes.
- Be sure that you are starting with a cup of water for the best results.
- Remember the size of your potatoes make a difference in cooking time. We recommend cutting them to about 1 1/2-inch cubes.
For Simple Instant Pot Steamed Asparagus Stalks:
- Trim off the woody bottom ends of the asparagus as these dont cook up nicely. Wash the veggies.
- Place the asparagus into a steamer basket or trivet, then place the basket into the pot with one cup of water.
- Drizzle asparagus with olive oil or add butter, season if youd like.
- For tender, firm results: Cook on HIGH pressure for 0 minutes and perform a quick pressure release.
- For softer results: Cook on HIGH pressure for 1-2 minutes and perform a quick release.
- If you have thicker stalks: Add 1-2 minutes to each cooking time.
- If you have thin, stringy stalks: Cook on LOW pressure for 1 minute.
Dont Miss: Cleaning The Instant Pot Lid
Read Also: How To Cook Steel Cut Oats In The Instant Pot
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Side Dish 35 mins
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe Cooking sweet potatoes in an Instant Pot makes cooking sweet potatoes so quick and easy! Perfect for enjoying as baked sweet potatoes as a side dish or for cooking to use in sweet potato casserole and so many other dishes!
Ive had my Instant Pot for sometime now and am always discovering a few essential ways that I like to use it. From cooking chicken quickly to make Barts chicken salad throughout the week to steaming these sweet potatoes to serve like I would baked sweet potatoes or even to use in my sweet potato casserole. I make it again and again throughout the week!
Making them really couldnt be simpler either!
I just add my steamer basket to my Instant Pot, scrub medium sweet potatoes clean and place them on top of the steamer basket, add my water and let the Instant Pot do all the work for me. When they are done, just let the Instant Pot release on the slow release setting and in minutes, you have the most tender and delicious sweet potatoes!
I know Ive shared how I also like to prepare them in my slow cooker. That method works wonderfully and is great for popping them into the slow cooker before you head out the door in the mornings so that they are ready for supper when you walk back in the door in the evenings.
