How To Steam Vegetables Instant Pot

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Helpful tip: If you dont want to remove your steamed veggies to yet another dish because you dont have a dishes fairy at your house, you can carefully take the steamer basket out, hold the vegetables to the side and use oven mitts to pour out the steaming water.

Give your Instant Pot insert a quick rinse with cold water to cool it down, and then your vegetables can go back into the pot. Give it a few minutes before putting the lid back on, though, or they will continue to cook and might get too mushy for your liking.

Also, check out this post on homemade cauliflower rice in the Instant Pot for another time-saving hack when steaming cauliflower.

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How Long To Steam Vegetables In The Instant Pot

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Trying to figure out how long to steam vegetable sin the Instant Pot can be frustrating. Here is a cheat sheet and a guide on how to cook Instant Pot vegetables. Youll be cooking up the best veggies ever with these tips and tricks!

How To Prep The Vegetables

Cooking vegetables in an Instant Pot is very easy. But you do have to prep the vegetables first.

Before you start, make sure to wash and clean the veggies. Remove leaves and any spoiled and/or dry bits.

Here is how to prep the veggies for steaming in an Instant Pot:

• Broccoli: Cut the broccoli into florets. You can also peel the stem and slice it into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Cauliflower: Cut the cauliflower into florets.
• Green beans: Trim the ends. If your green beans are very long, slice them in half.
• Zucchini: Slice in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 3-4 large chunks.
• Bell peppers: Remove the stem and seeds. Cut the bell pepper into large chunks.
• Brussel sprouts: Trim the ends and remove the outer leaves from each Brussels sprout. If the sprouts are large, slice them in half. If they are small, you can leave them as is.
• Asparagus: Break off the tough ends. If your asparagus spears are long, cut them in half.
• Fresh peas: Not much to prep other than rinsing the peas if needed.
• Carrots: Peel and cut each carrot in half crosswise. Slice the thin part into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Then slice the thick part in half lengthwise and cut each half into 1/2-inch thick half-moons.
• Turnips: Peel and cut into large chunks.
• Sweet potatoes: Peel and slice into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Fresh corn on the cob: Slice crosswise into 3 to 4 pieces.

Read Also: How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot

Heres How You Make Steamed Root Veggies In The Instant Pot:

STEP ONE:Wash and scrub the skins of approximately 4-5 lbs of various root veggies: -Potatoes of any color, -sweet potatoes of any variety. -Carrots, parsnips, turnips or beets, or other root veggies. -1 or 2 onions

STEP TWO:Plug in the Instant Pot. Place the rack in the bottom of the stainless steel pot. Add approximately 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pot. Place the stainless steel pot inside its housing in the Instant Pot multi cooker.

STEP THREE:Fill the stainless steel pot with the various cleaned root veggies on top of the rack or steamer basket.

STEP FOUR:Put the lid on and twist it to the LOCK position. Be sure to move the lever to the SEALING position.STEP FIVE:Select the STEAM setting by pushing the STEAM button.

Now press the + or button until you get to 12 minutes. Thats it! Now just stand back. The Instant Pot will AUTOMATICALLY START in 10 seconds.

STEP SIX:At this point, you can walk away and just let the Instant Pot do all the work!

When you come back an hour or more later, the little silver pressurenailhead on top of the lid should be down, and you may then unlock the lid and open the cooker. Once the hissing stops, thenailhead will drop down, and you may then unlock the lid and open the pot.) And if by chance you didnt make it back until hours later, its still ok, because the pot will automatically keep everything warm for hours, until you get back!

Now just open the lid and see your PERFECTLY COOKED ROOT VEGGIES!

Vegetable Heavy Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pot vegetables make a quick and easy side dish for with any meal! If youre looking for some delicious vegetable heavy Instant Pot recipes, here are a few of my favorites. These recipes make great meals that the whole family will enjoy. You can also add them to your meal prep plan to make life in the kitchen even easier!

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For Instant Pot Chunked Celery:

• From fresh: Cook on high pressure for 2-3 minutes before performing a quick release.
• From frozen: Cook on high pressure for 3-4 minutes before performing a quick release.

We hope that you found this Instant Pot 101 guide helpful. Make sure to bookmark it for later for all of your vegetable cooking needs! If you enjoyed it, wed love if you spread the word and share this article.

For Whole Sweet Potatoes:

• Just like with whole potatoes, you want to begin by poking your sweets with a fork a few times. Then, you can choose to pile them in the pot, wrap them individually in foil with seasoning, or use a steamer basket .
• Add one cup of water to the pot.
• For small to medium sweet potatoes, set the pot to cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. For large sweet potatoes, set the pot to cook at high pressure for 12-15 minutes.
• Allow the pot to naturally release pressure for around ten minutes before performing a quick release.

Also Check: How To Make Yogurt In Instant Pot Without Yogurt Button

Creative Ways To Serve Steamed Vegetables

Now that youve mastered the technique, maybe youre looking for a way to entice your family to add a few more steamed veggies to their plates. Check out these great ideas.

• Baked potato bar steamed broccoli is a great topping, but get creative!
• Whip up a veggie-filled pasta salad.
• Use steamed vegetables as a fresh addition to previously frozen or meal prepped soups like this Keto Chicken Curry.
• Explore some Asian cooking techniques stir fry night or make your own hibachi, anyone?

How Long Does It Take To Steam Vegetables In An Instant Pot

Although this recipe tells you to set the pressure cooking time to zero minutes, the actual cooking time is about 10 to 15 minutes.

This is because the vegetables are being steamed as the pressure cooker is building pressure.

For this reason, the volume of the vegetables in the Instant Pot is also important.

In my experience, it should be filled to at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the capacity. Otherwise, the pressure cooker will come to pressure too quickly, and the vegetables wont cook through.

Also Check: Making Yogurt In Instant Pot Lux

What To Serve With Instant Pot Vegetables

These Instant Pot veggies go great with so many different meals!

You can make a batch of boneless chicken thighs or BBQ chicken legs in the air fryer with some roasted potatoes and serve the veggies alongside that. Or, instead of chicken, try making this of eye of round roast beef in the instant pot!

Want to keep this vegetarian? Bake this healthy eggplant parmesan to serve with these instant pot frozen veggies and meal prep for the next few lunches and dinners if youd like. Its keto-friendly too!

Testing Instant Pot Frozen Vegetables

Can I confess until now that every vegetable I have ever cooked in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker has been fresh vegetables.

Its not that I HATE frozen vegetables, it is just that fresh has always been there for me.

My grandad , had their own allotment so freshvegetables was everywhere and why pay for frozen vegetables when you can getfresh for free?

Over the years the only frozen vegetables that I would buy, would be frozen peas and frozen spinach. Just for the convenience.

There is no messing around with pea pods and I hate how little spinach you get from a fresh bag.

But I decided to see what it was like to cook frozen vegetables in the Instant Pot and to see what the quality was like.

We tested out:

All in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

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Using It As An Extra Burner

Multicookers are equipped with a saute or sear function, meaning you can use them as you would a pot or skillet on a traditional stovetop. That can come in handy when your cooktop is full , or you cant or wont turn it on. Be sure to take into account that the pan surface area is likely to be smaller than some of your pots or skillets and that multicookers can run hot, meaning you should pay attention to and adjust the heat as needed. If something starts to burn, you may be treated to an alarm and automatic shut-off.

If you think youll be trying recipes that need to be cooked with a lid on or ajar, consider purchasing a glass lid to fit your multicooker or repurposing one you already have that matches the size. That will help you monitor your food and allow for better escape of steam.

You Can Cook Just About Anything In The Instant Pot But It Does An Especially Good Job At Cooking Fresh Summer Vegetables They’ll Retain Their Nutrients And Cook Up In A Flash

Whip up your vegetable side dishes using an Instant Pot, and theyll be ready in a fraction of the time it would take to cook them in the oven or on the stovetop. Its as easy as adding 1 cup of liquid to the pressure cooker, adding your vegetables and sealing the lid.

Unless otherwise noted, use the trivet included with the Instant Pot as a steamer basket and cook everything using the Manual mode set to high pressure.

Read Also: Instant Pot Multigrain Setting

What Should I Serve On My Steamed Vegetables

I like to serve with steamed vegetables with a little butter, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Some other good options are:

What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings , and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.

Want more tried and true Instant Pot recipes?

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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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.

Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes

Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes take an hour to cook in the oven, but youll only need 15 to 18 minutes when cooking under pressure. Just make sure to prick around the outside with a fork to keep them from exploding!

If you want these Instant Pot vegetables to cook even faster, dice the potatoes into small, 1-inch pieces and cook for 4 minutes for sweet potatoes and 7 minutes for russet potatoes.

Read Also: How Long To Cook Pre Cooked Ribs In Instant Pot

For Instant Pot Cooked Mushrooms:

• Wash and prepare mushrooms. You can halve them or prepare them in slices, or leave them whole.
• Turn the Instant Pot on saute mode and add 1-2 tbsp. of coconut oil or olive oil. Then, add in the mushrooms. Here, you can also use any additional spices you like, fresh garlic, etc. Salt to taste.
• Saute for 4-5 minutes or until browned and beginning to caramelise.
• If you are using sliced mushrooms: Your mushrooms will be done after this and you wont need to steam them.
• If you are using whole mushrooms or 1 lb.+ mushrooms: Place the lid on and steam for 12-15 minutes with a minimal amount of liquid, oil and/or butter, and spices.
• For smaller amounts of mushrooms, halved mushrooms or a more tender mushroom: Steam for 8-10 minutes on high pressure.
• End with a quick release of pressure.

Can A Instant Pot Explode

Instant Pot Explosions Buyer beware Instant Pots, like all pressure cookers, can potentially explode and cause severe scalds and burns if they are used improperly. Unlike traditional stovetop pressure cookers, Instant Pots have a number of advanced safety features to help reduce the risk of explosions.

Also Check: What To Do If Your Instant Pot Says Burn

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How Long Do You Cook Frozen Vegetables In A Pressure Cooker

This varies between the different frozen veggies. Root vegetables or vegetables of a bigger size take longer. Such as brussel sprouts. But the quickest are frozen broccoli and frozen cauliflower.

The general rule is that you can expect frozen vegetables in the instant pot to take between 0 and 2 minutes.

Recommended Reading: What Is C7 On Instant Pot

Important Tips For Steaming Vegetables In An Instant Pot

As mentioned earlier, this method is an incredibly easy way to steam vegetables. That being said, I have two important tips for you.

• Be sure to cut your vegetables in pieces that are as close in size as possible. This will help ensure that the vegetables cook evenly.
• Wait to add seasonings until after you remove the vegetables from the Instant Pot. This will ensure that your veggies have the best flavor possible.