The easiest and BEST way to cook perfect sweet potatoes every time! Fluffy, soft and packed with that sweet buttery flavor we all want in a sweet potato. You will never cook sweet potatoes any other way!

Okay so here is the first recipe for my new “Instant Pot Series” where I will be bringing you a new EASY Instant Pot recipe each week. Are you excited? I am since I am obsessed with my Instant Pot and these Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes are the perfect inaugural recipe. Super easy to make and when I say easy I mean this is totally a “set it and almost forget it” recipe. The sweet potatoes come out perfectly cooked, soft and fluffy and the flavor is crazy good! You really will never cook your sweet potatoes any other way once you try this.

Are sweet potatoes good for you?

Yes! Sweet potatoes are the most nutrient rich foods in the produce section of the grocery store. Why? Sweet potatoes contain high levels of vitamins A, B and C plus fiber and potassium. All things our bodies need for fighting disease, building our immune system, digestion, providing us with energy and keeping us fuller longer.

Plus sweet potatoes are absolutely delicious and very inexpensive, costing about $1.50 per lb and sometimes even less if you can find them at your local farmers market.

How do you cook sweet potatoes?

I cooked these sweet potatoes in the instant pot since I feel like that is the best method for perfectly fluffy baked sweet potatoes.

For mashed sweet potatoes you simply can dice them and boil them in some water then mash them and mix in some butter, herbs, salt and pepper. Super delicious!

You can also cut sweet potatoes into French fry shapes and bake them in the oven for healthy crispy baked sweet potato fries. My kids fave!

How long to cook sweet potatoes in the instant pot

Here is the deal on the cooking times since there are varied sizes of sweet potatoes. It’s a pretty simple formula to remember. You basically start with 18 minutes and just add 3-4 minutes to you’re cooking time based on the size of your potatoes.

• Small sweet potatoes – 18 minutes
• Medium size sweet potatoes – 22 minutes
• Larger sweet potatoes – 25-27 minutes.

Pretty simple right? I tested this and the times were spot on. The cook time does not include the roughly 12-15 minutes for the pressure to naturally release but it still only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and the potatoes come out so perfect. Still less time and effort than cooking them in the oven. Hopefully this helps!

How to cook the BEST Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Make sure to scrub the sweet potatoes to get all of the dirt off. I love this scrubber for potatoes. Then just add some water to the bottom of the instant pot, about 1 cup. Place the steaming trivet that comes with the instant pot on the bottom, lay the whole sweet potatoes on top of the trivet. No need to poke holes for steaming like you would need to do when cooking them in the oven. I never prick my potatoes when I cook them this way and they still come out perfect every time!

Place the lid on and secure it then just set the Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook” for 18-25 minutes depending on the size of your sweet potatoes. I used smaller sweet potatoes and set them to 18 minutes and they were perfect.

After 18-25 minutes, the pressure should automatically release which takes an additional 12-15 minutes. What I love is that you can just go about your day, folding laundry, tending to the kids, fit in an extra workout and then poof, the potatoes are done and you are ready to enjoy all of the work the Instant Pot did for you. It’s kind of genius!

How good do those look? Add a pat of butter and some fresh chives and it is the perfect side dish or snack in my case.

Can you cook other types of potatoes this way?

Yes! You absolutely can! Russet potatoes, red potatoes and baby potatoes can all be done using this same method. Of course you will need to adjust the cooking times based on the size of the potatoes.

How to cook baby potatoes in the Instant Pot

I have found that red potatoes and baby potatoes cook well at 5-7 minutes cooking time using the same manual “pressure cook” mode I used in this recipe.

How to cook Russet potatoes in the Instant Pot

Russet potatoes (my kids fave) require a little longer to cook, like 10 minutes since they are typically larger. Then you can just let the pressure naturally release or do a quick release about 10 minutes after the instant pot beeps at you. I am usually in a hurry, inpatient kids and all, so I like to do a quick release.

Here are some of my other AMAZING sweet potato recipes you may also like

Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl – With Black Beans

Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie