Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

This Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes is a great tutorial for quickly preparing baked sweet potatoes, or preparing sweet potato puree for recipes. Sweet potatoes cook in half the time in an Instant Pot, so it’s a great shortcut!

Other options for preparing sweet potatoes include The Perfect Baked Sweet Potatoes and Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes.

A Simple Method for Preparing Sweet Potatoes

It’s sweet potato season! I’ve been making soups, desserts, and side dishes with sweet potatoes the past few months. If you LOVE sweet potato recipes, jump on over to a round up of my favorite ones!

This is the first year I have made sweet potatoes in an instant pot. I am in love with the crispy skins of a perfectly baked sweet potato – so why mess with perfection?

You’ll find this Instant Pot method perfect for when:

• Your oven has a holiday meal in it – and you need a different appliance to cook your sweet potatoes.
• You’re short on time. Instant pot sweet potatoes cook in half the time of an oven-baked one!
• A recipe you’re making calls for sweet potato puree. This is a perfect way to prepare puree quickly!

How Long to Cook Sweet Potatoes in an Instant Pot

Sweet potatoes come in a variety of sizes, from tiny and cute, to large-enough-to-feed-a-family. Before you start cooking your sweet potatoes, determine a time between 25-45 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.

Small Sweet Potatoes: These take 25 minutes. Small sweet potatoes are about 2 inches in diameter, or weight about

Medium Sweet Potatoes: These take 35 minutes. Small sweet potatoes are about 3 inches in diameter, or weight about

Large Sweet Potatoes: These take 25 minutes. Small sweet potatoes are about 4 inches in diameter, or weight about

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in an Instant Pot

Step 1: Wash your sweet potatoes. Clean them up by trimming the ends, cutting off any parts that have started to go bad, and poking a few holes in the skins.

Step 2: Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot, followed by the trivet, and then place 2-4 sweet potatoes in the pot.

Step 3: Set the Instant Pot to cook on manual. If your potatoes are small, cook them for 25 minutes. If they are medium sized, cook them for 35 minutes. Larger sweet potatoes will need 45 minutes to cook and fully soften.

Step 4: When the time is done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully release the remaining pressure.

FAQ and How to Store Leftover Sweet Potatoes

How to Store Leftover Sweet Potatoes

Wrap up sweet potatoes in an air tight container, and refrigerate for up to a week. Reheat leftovers by baking or microwaving them until they are hot.

Can I freeze Sweet Potato Puree?

Yes! If you find yourself making recipes with sweet potato puree often, peel the skins from your Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, and freeze the puree in 1-cup portions. Then it’s easy to pull out in the portion needed for a recipe.

My Sweet Potato Skins Burst! What did I do wrong?

This happens most of the time! Despite experimenting with cooking times and temperatures, sweet potatoes expand while steaming in an Instant Pot, and so the skins often crack open.

Fear not! Once you’ve cut open the sweet potatoes and topped them with butter, herbs, bacon, or whatever toppings you love, you won’t even notice.

I also most often use the Instant Pot to prepare sweet potato puree, so the skin will be pulled off and discarded anyway.

How to Use Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes: Serve Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes exactly as you would a baked sweet potato, topped with butter, herbs, bacon, or whatever else you love.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Peel the skins off the sweet potatoes, and mash them with butter, salt and pepper. Thin the sweet potatoes with a little unsweetened almond milk or milk, if needed.

Sweet Potato Puree: Lots of recipes call for sweet potato puree, and cooking them in an Instant Pot is a great way to prepare it! Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes, and the flesh should be soft and creamy enough to scoop it into measuring cups. I don’t find a need to process the sweet potato flesh when I have prepared it in an Instant Pot.

Recipes that Use Sweet Potato Puree

• Sweet Potato Pizza Crust
• Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
• Whole30 Breakfast Burritos
• Sweet Potato and Salmon Croquettes
• Leftover Turkey and Sweet Potato Enchiladas (if you don’t have a leftover turkey, use a pre-baked chicken!
• Healthy Chocolate Frosting

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