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
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- 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
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Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes.
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Add the water to the Instant Pot.
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Place the steaming trivet inside, and lay the potatoes on top.
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Place the lid on, and seal the pot.
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Use manual mode to set on pressure cook (high) for 18 minutes.
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Allow the device to depressurize "naturally." This takes about 15 minutes. (Pressure valve will lower)
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Carefully remove the lid, and serve immediately.
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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.
Bretta says
Thank you for sharing this simple recipe! I have used it many times and the sweet potatoes are always perfect! My favorite way to eat them is topped with shredded chicken and salsa verde (sometimes with Greek yogurt or sour cream). Having it for supper tonight. 🙂
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Sounds delicious! I am so glad you are enjoying it, Bretta!💖
Pam Treffehn says
Will try this out tonight. Why do you use Manual rather than the steam button?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Great question, Pam. You can use either one. I find that it doesn’t make much difference, so I use manual almost all of the time for almost everything I make in the IP.
Elizabeth Davis says
Great instructions! Thanks for the particulars! I tried it and the sweet potatoes turned out creamy and delicious!`
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Elizabeth! I am happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know.👍🏻
Karen says
I am trying this now but how did you reverse the steaming trivet up so high? First time using the trivet and it only sits stable in the pot when the “handles” are up & the trivet sits only about an inch or less from the bottom of the pot. so to get it higher it is leaning to one side & trying to balance the potatoes on it, LOL!!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Great question! That is actually a different type of trivet that came with an older model Instant Pot. I have the shorter one with handles too. Both work well. 👌🏻
Peppermintpatti says
Marjorie, this is my go to for sweet potatoes, I have it saved to my favorites so I can find it. Almost have the timing memorized. Today I’m fixing russets and will make a little sauce of butter, yogurt, ham and cheddar Thanks for sharing this.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so happy to hear you are enjoying it! That sauce sounds yummy too.
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!