Aug 17, 2019
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If you’re searching for a way to cook sweet potatoes faster and want to put your favorite small appliance to use, you’re at the right place.
This Instant Pot sweet potatoes method will give you perfectly cooked sweet potatoes in a fraction of the time it takes to bake them!
Whether you top yours with butter and brown sugar or your favorite savory ingredients, sweet potatoes made in the instant pot are a quick and easy side dish to serve alongside your favorite entreés.
These are just like slow cooker sweet potatoes in the sense that you can lock the lid and set everything to cook with the press of a button, but they take a quarter of the time.
Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot sweet potatoes have tender skins with super soft centers that practically melt in your mouth when cooked right. While they don’t have the same caramelized flavor or crispy skins you get from the oven, they’re still a delicious option when you want the luxury of loaded potatoes without heating up the entire house.
This method is also an easy way to cook a bunch of sweet potatoes for recipes like sweet potato casserole or soufflé. The centers are fork tender and could basically be mashed with a spoon.
What Size Sweet Potatoes
When shopping for sweet potatoes to cook in the instant pot, look for ones that are elongated and anywhere from 2 to 3 inches in width. These will cook through evenly and quickly compared to bulbous sweet potatoes.
How Long to Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot
The cooking time for sweet potatoes boils down to the width of the potato. And this goes for any method, whether you bake them in the oven, air-fryer, or microwave.
However, the instant pot provides a quicker route to fork-tender potatoes that you can load up and stuff with all your favorite toppings. Below is a comprehensive list of cooking times based on the potato’s width.
| Size (width) | Cook time |
|---|---|
| 2 inches | 15 minutes on High Pressure 10 minutes on Natural Release |
| 3 inches | 35 minutes on High Pressure 10 minutes on Natural Release |
| 4 inches | 60 minutes on High Pressure 10 minutes on Natural Release |
Any sweet potato with a width over 4 inches is better used for slicing and baking into cubes or fries.
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot
Alright, now that we’ve worked through the details, let’s get to cooking. Grab your sweet potatoes, a pressure cooker, and follow the steps below:
Wash
Gently scrub and rinse the sweet potatoes. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Using a fork, prick the skin of each potato.
Set up
Add 1 cup of water to a 6-quart Instant Pot or 1.5 cups for an 8-quart Instant Pot, and place the trivet on top. Arrange 3-4 sweet potatoes in an even layer on the trivet.
Cook
Place the lid on the Instant Pot, seal, and close the release valve. Cook on high pressure based on the width of the sweet potato (reference the chart above).
Chill out
Once the cycle is finished, allow it to sit for 10 minutes on natural release. Carefully open the pressure valve to release the steam away from you.
Serve!
Remove the lid and let the sweet potatoes cool for 3 minutes before removing and serving.
More Ways to Cook a Sweet Potato
Oven-Baked | Microwave | Crockpot | Air Fryer
Instant Pot Settings for Perfect Sweet Potato
To make these sweet potatoes, you will use high pressure and natural release settings. This will help the potatoes cook evenly in a short amount of time.
How Many Sweet Potatoes at One Time
This is a great question, but it depends on the size of your Instant Pot and sweet potatoes. A good rule of thumb is as many sweet potatoes that fit on the trivet in one layer, which helps them cook evenly.
For an 8-quart Instant Pot, you can fit up to 6, and for a 6-quart Instant Pot, you’ll easily fit 3 to 4.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
I’ve shared the best toppings for sweet potatoes in the past, but below I’m providing a few meal ideas to serve these instant pot sweet potatoes alongside.
- Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
- Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
- Topped with Paleo Chili
- Bacon & Spinach Frittata
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4-6 medium sweet potatoes 2-3 inches in width
Instructions
- Gently scrub and rinse the sweet potatoes under warm water. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Using a fork, prick the skin of each potato.
- Add 1 cup of water to a 6-quart Instant Pot or 1.5 cups for an 8-quart Instant Pot, and insert the trivet. Arrange 4-6 sweet potatoes in an even layer on the trivet.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, seal, and close the release valve. Cook on high pressure based on the width of the sweet potato, about 15 minutes for 2-inch sweet potatoes and 35 minutes for 3-inch sweet potatoes.
- Once the cycle is finished, allow it to sit for 10 minutes on natural release. Carefully open the pressure valve to release the steam away from you.
- Remove the lid and let the sweet potatoes cool for 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Nutrition information for 5″ long sweet potatoes
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