Best Easy Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

These Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes are hands down the best method for cooking a sweet potato. They cook quickly and come out perfectly fluffy and delicious every time! Once you pressure cook sweet potatoes you’ll be hooked!

I am so obsessed with my Instant Pot and these Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes are the best recipe for cooking sweet potatoes perfectly every time . They are easy to make and when I say easy, I mean this is totally a “set it and almost forget it” recipe. It really is.

The baked sweet potatoes come out perfectly tender, soft, fluffy and flavorful. You really will never cook your sweet potatoes any other way once you try this.

In this post I will share everything you need to know about how to pressure cook sweet potatoes.

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 in about 20 minutes since I feel like that is the best method for perfectly fluffy baked sweet potatoes.

You can also make Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot as well.

Or try these Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes if you don’t have an instant pot.

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 12 minutes and just add 3-4 minutes to you’re cooking time-based on the size of your potatoes.

• Small sweet potatoes (6-8 ounces) – 12-15 minutes at high pressure
• Medium size sweet potatoes (8-12 ounces) – 18-22 minutes at high pressure
• Larger sweet potatoes (12-16 ounces) – 25-27 minutes at high pressure

Pretty simple right? I tested this and the times were spot on. The cook time does not include the roughly 8-10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure but it still only takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish and the potatoes come out so perfect.

Still less time and effort than cooking them in the oven but just as delicious.

Ingredients You Will Need

You only need a couple simple ingredients to make these amazing instant pot sweet potatoes. Here is what you’ll need:

• Sweet potatoes – whole medium size sweet potatoes work best. If the sweet potatoes are too large they will take much longer to cook.
• Water – just a little bit of water is used to help steam and cook the sweet potatoes in the instant pot.

How to cook the BEST Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

1. Make sure to scrub the sweet potatoes to get all of the dirt off. I love this scrubber for potatoes. Use a fork to poke holes all over the potatoes to help with venting.
2. Place the steaming trivet that comes with the instant pot on the bottom, lay the whole sweet potatoes on top of the trivet.
3. Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot, secure and lock the lid and make sure the valve is set to “sealing”. In manual mode, set the potatoes to cook for 12-25 minutes depending on their size (see cooking recommendations above and in recipe card). The Instant Pot will take 5-7 minutes to come to pressure and will then start to cook.

I used medium sweet potatoes and set them to 20 minutes and they were perfect.

4. After 18-25 minutes, the pressure should automatically release which takes an additional 8-10 minutes. Manually release any extra pressure.

5. Carefully remove the sweet potatoes from the Instant Pot. Slice each, top with butter and chives.

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.

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

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. You don’t need to poke holes in the smaller potatoes since there is not as much venting needed.

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 is finished cooking them.

I am usually in a hurry, inpatient kids and all, so I like to do a quick release.

Recipe Tips

• Select sweet potatoes that are all similar in size so they cook evenly. This took me a few extra minutes in the produce section my grocery store but was well worth it.
• Know the size of your Instant Pot. I have a 6 Quart (standard size) Instant Pot that fits about 4 medium-sized potatoes.
• Poke holes all over each potato for easier venting while they cook.
• Use the trivet that comes with your Instant Pot to place the potatoes on. This will prevent the bottoms of the potatoes from burning while they cook.
• Use 1 cup of water to help the potatoes cook. I prefer room temperature water but cold water also works.
• Let the potatoes rest for a few minutes after cooking before slicing them open. They will continue to cook for a few minutes after cooking, so letting them rest for 5 extra minutes makes them super soft and crazy fluffy and creamy.

How To Store and Reheat

Cooked instant pot sweet potatoes store great once they are fully cooled in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave or oven (at 350°F on a baking sheet) until fully heated through.

More Easy Sweet Potato Recipes

• Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl – With Black Beans
• Air fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
• Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
• Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Other Instant Pot Recipes To Try

• Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan
• Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

Did you try this Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below.

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