When I show you how I make “baked” sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot, you may never make them any other way again. They are so easy and delicious and ready in less than thirty minutes!
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So this is my very first Instant Pot recipe. So many of you have send me messages and comments, asking how I am liking the Instant Pot.
In short, I LOVE it. It is super convenient, and it is great for making fresh, wholesome food in a snap.
Plus, it is SO versatile since you can use it in several different modes, including pressure cooking, slow cooking and sautéing.
This is something I really considered before buying yet another kitchen appliance. I am really making an earnest effort to be a little bit more minimalist these days!
One of the most frequent uses for my Instant Pot these days is to make these “baked” sweet potatoes. I do them in batches, so I always have some on hand and ready to re-heat. The texture comes out perfect.
Sweet potatoes are pretty much my favorite vegetable ever. And if you follow my Instagram stories, you know that they are Mallory’s favorite too. 🙂 She is currently spitting out any baby food that is not a sweet potato.
So I have used this method to make baby food purees, and it would be perfect for making sweet potato casserole in a few months for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Or you can just serve them with a little butter, plus some cinnamon sugar. YUM!
Basically, I just scrub the sweet potatoes clean, and I put them in the Instant Pot with some water. I use the trivet that came with my Instant Pot to keep the sweet potatoes out of the water. They basically steam cook.
Probably the biggest benefit of making sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot is speed. It takes about 25 minutes, give or take, to do what normally takes over an hour to do in the oven.
Plus, my kitchen stays much cooler, and the device uses less electricity than my oven. That is no small thing since it is still almost ninety degrees here in Alabama.
And cleanup is a snap, since barely any mess is made. Win!
FAQ’s for Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes
Do I need to poke holes in the potatoes prior to cooking them?
No, I have never poked holes in potatoes, squash, pumpkins, etc. No issues here, and we have literally made this hundreds of times.
What about a really massively large sweet potato?
Just add some extra time to make sure it cooks all the way through. Alternatively, you can cut it in half prior to cooking.
Can I make other types of potatoes this way?
Yes! We do russets the same way for “baked” potatoes. I also have cooked small baby red potatoes and small Dutch baby (golden/ yellow) potatoes this way. The small ones need about 10 minutes, plus NPR. When in doubt, add a little extra time.
Can I combine different types of potatoes in the same pot to cook together?
Yes! We do this all the time since my husband prefers russets, and my kids and I prefer sweet potatoes. It works great! 🙌🏻 It helps if they are all similar in size. If not, set your cook time to the largest potato. I have found that potatoes are pretty resilient to over cooking. Alternatively, you could cut the biggest one in half.
Did you crisp your potato skins in the oven afterward?
I’ve seen other people do this, but honestly I never, ever do it myself.😬 We like them just as they are. 🤷🏼♀️ Plus, I hate to heat up my kitchen just for the skins. That being said, if crispy potato skins are your jam, feel free to stick them in the oven for a few minutes to crips them up. 😎👌🏻
Can I use this same method for making purees, sweet potato casserole, etc.?
Yes! This is the method I use for making purees and sweet potato casserole. Also, the peeling comes off really easily once they are cooked. Be carful not to burn yourself peeling them, though! Letting them cool a few minutes helps to prevent burning your hands.👌🏻
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.
- Instant Pot – I have the 6 quart one. Note: different sized ones may need you to adjust the water in this recipe.
- Steamer trivet that comes with the Instant Pot
- Tongs or oven mitts for removing the cooked potatoes
How to Make Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot
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Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes raw
- 1.5 cup water
Instructions
- Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes.
- Add the water to the Instant Pot.
- Place the steaming trivet inside, and lay the potatoes on top.
- Place the lid on, and seal the pot.
Use manual mode to set on pressure cook (high) for 18 minutes.
- Allow the device to depressurize "naturally." This takes about 15 minutes. (Pressure valve will lower)
- Carefully remove the lid, and serve immediately.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for about a week.
Recipe Notes
The potatoes I used were all between 8 and 10 ounces. Cooking times may vary if your potatoes are significantly bigger or smaller than mine.
lauren says
I used a pretty large sweet potato, so cut it in half prior to cooking — otherwise, I followed all of the instructions here and the timing + letting the pressure naturally release worked out perfectly. The skin peeled right off the potato when I took it out of the instant pot.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Lauren! So glad you enjoyed it.💖
Danka doo says
Super easy and delicious. I did peel mine because I had already done so before it pulled up a recipe. I like to make a lot, mash and then use with meal prep. This recipe was great to use with my meal prep which I feeeze.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed it.💖 Thank you for the feedback!🙏🏻
Anne Frances Charrette says
Hi Marjorie,
New to the insta pot cooking and a sweet potatoe lover I went to your recipe! What a blessing! Simple and even better was the perfect result! I used chicken bone broth rather than water and wow were my sweet potatoes delicious! Looking forward to finding more recipes from you!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad you enjoyed it Anne!💖
Audrey says
Hi, I tried this twice and each time I got the “burn” message, it never got to full pressure and when I opened it all the water had evaporated out. What am I doing wrong? I did push down the sealing button. Fortunately, the potatoes were still wonderful
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
It sounds like you have some sort of a sealing issue with your pot, Was the rubber seal pushed all the way in there? Did you see steam coming out when it was supposed to be sealed? Believe it or not, I have absentmindedly left out the rubber seal altogether when trying to cook something. 😂 I always realize it pretty quickly, though, when I see the steam.
Barbara says
I just got my Instant Pot and this was the very first thing I made. It turned out absolutely perfectly!! Thank you SO much for this. I am vegan love sweet potatoes. Had bought a box of them a couple weeks ago and was wondering how I would make them all the slow way. Then I found your recipe and with it christened my Instant Pot. Again, thank you!!
Steven Brown says
I assumed you used the “steam” setting. There was no mention of any setting in your instructions.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Steven. Manual high pressure works just fine. Updating the instructions for clarity. Thank you!
Brooke says
This worked great! I’m preparing about 15 lbs of sweet potatoes for casserole for thanksgiving and they typically take forever in the oven. I worked in batches (weighing each potato to be sure I didn’t crowd the pot) and they came out perfect! I now have about 14 cups of perfectly mashed sweet potatoes in my fridge just waiting to be turned into casserole on Thursday. Thank you!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Brooke! Happy Thanksgiving!❤️
Laura says
Doesn’t it drive you crazy when people ask you the same question over and over again, especially when the answer is already mentioned in the instructions? I suggest Reading the entire recipe and the comments before you post a repeat question, this saves everyone time.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Haha! I am used to it. Comes with the territory.😉
Lynnette says
I’m fairly new to instant pot and the last time i cooked sweet potatoes in it they came out mushy!
They were cooked for a much lesser time than you suggest! I being cooking my sweet potatoes in the microwave for 6-7 minutes and they are still firm to touch ready to peal when they are cool to top them with melted butter and brown sugar.
Genevieve Roberts says
Yup, repeat questions drive me crazy. So do recipe sites that lead with some long blurb about how the recipe writer makes this for her children when the air is chilly and the red maple leaves have fallen off the tree, or whatever. And what a comfort food this is. I didn’t come to read a biography. i just want the recipe!
margaret middleton says
Ha! My thoughts exactly!! No offence to anyone but please I don’t need the life story just the recipe – thank you:)
Cas says
Ummmm the math makes no sense. 18 minutes at pressure, then about 15 minutes to naturally release pressure is a total of 33 minutes, and that’s not including the time it takes to get to pressure.
DAvid alan says
DIDN’T SEE THIS MENTIONED IN THE OTHER COMMENTS, BUT YOUR PICTURE OF THE FINISHED POTATO APPEARS AS THOUGH THE SKIN IS CRISPY, BUT SINCE YOU DIDN’T MENTION ANY USE OF BAKING after the pressure cooker, then I guess it’s just an appearance…is that correct?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, I didn’t bake anything after the fact. And no, the skin is not crispy, but that doesn’t bother me one bit. 👍🏻 I photographed them just out of the IP.
Lee @ Dragon'sEyeView says
I needed sweet potatoes for a breakfast smoothie — I used your recipe last night and the sweet potato mixed in perfectly in the smoothie, and now I have a bunch of sweet potatoes in the fridge to either eat or make the smoothie again tomorrow! THANK YOU!
Not sure why I can’t capitalize anything in your comment box. I even tried cutting and pasting from a word processing program. 🙂
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed it! It’s the only way I make sweet potatoes now.🙌🏻
Elaina says
Trying tonight!
I’m In bama, too. Totall get you on the kitchen heat!
Ashley says
The easiest and probably healthiest way to cook potatoes. And the look delicious!🙂
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Woo hoo! Thanks Ashley. It is definitely our favorite.
Melody says
Can you cook a russet potato with the sweet potato? Thanks!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Great question…and yes, you can as long as they are close to the same size. I do this all the time, since my husband is not a fan of sweet potatoes. I often throw in a russet for him. Hope this helps!
sk51 says
great recipe- tried this last night and it will be my new go to recipe for sweet potatoes-fast and flavorful and easily adaptale for a variety of other sweet potatoe uses
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Woo hoo!🎉 I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it.🤗
sk51 says
Very nice recipe- made these last night and they are fast,flavorful and can be used in a variety of ways- my new go to sweet potato recipe
Kim says
Does it make a difference to wait for it to depressurize naturally?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Kim. Yes, they will still be cooking during that natural release, so it does make a difference.
Becky says
just bought an instant pot, 5 qt, just made sweet potatoes. did mine @ 30 min, they were pretty big. turned out great. thanks for sharing.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yaaay! You are going to love the IP. Glad the sweet potatoes turned out well for you.👌🏻
jfletcher says
perfect, creamy … thanks to you and my instant pot (which I LOVE)
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Woo hooooo! SO happy to hear that. I haven’t made mine in the oven anymore for that same reason. They turn out so great in the IP!
SouthernJBell says
Just happened unto your blog looking for sweet potato Instant Pot cooking. I’m trying it now and plan to use the cooked s/p for side dish later on. Thank you – enjoyed reading your blog! Very interesting, read it all the way thru. Life’s not easy so I admire you for sticking to your blog career. Keep up the good work!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Thank you! I hoped you enjoyed the sweet potatoes.
Sharla Hanna says
you don’t have to prick them? I was looking at a regular potato recipe and you had to for them.
Amber says
Can you cook just one sweet potato? Any idea how long?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
You sure can Amber, and I do it often. It is the same cook time for one – 18 mins. Cook time would be based on the size of your potato. So if it is over 10 ounces, I would add on an extra minute of pressure cook time.
Gina says
Question, why don’t you use the steam function for potatoes. Is there a reason to use the manual mode?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Great question, and I am not sure I know the answer. I use manual mode probably 90% of the time. If things turn out great, I don’t question it. You could totally try steam, but I am not sure how/if it would affect the needed cook time.
Chrissy Coffey Kramer says
Do you have to poke holes in the potatoes?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Great question! No, no need to poke holes.
Vicky says
Thank you for asking the same thing I was wondering. I was worried the potato would explode because you always have to poke holes in them when you bake them.
Jeanne says
Did you manual on High or Low Pressure?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
High pressure👍🏻
Gene Black says
Thanks, I am in Alabama also. I know how that summer heat can be a killer – and it is worse when you use the oven!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Absolutely! We rarely use the oven in the summer for that very reason.