Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Instant Pot sweet potatoes turn out perfectly tender every time. Serve as a dinner side, load them up with toppings, or mash them up for your favorite sweet potato recipes.

I wasn’t sure if I would like the Instant Pot, but I now use it every week!

Anytime I have a huge list of dishes to make and desserts to bake, whether for a holiday meal or just for a kitchen prep session, I turn to my Instant Pot to help make things a little easier, starting with Instant Pot sweet potatoes!

For me, cooking sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot (or an electric pressure cooker) means:

• My hands are available for other dishes that require stirring (like Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup)
• Freeing up a burner for this Caramelized Onions and Swiss Chard Recipe
• Being able to lower the temperature of the oven to make a big batch of Cranberry Orange Granola for breakfast

But it also means…

• Having one less pot to wash
• Not having to clean up spilled sweet potato juices from the bottom of the oven
• No repeatedly opening the hot oven to check on potatoes
• Skipping poking the sweet potato with a fork over and over to see if it’s done yet
• Being able to get dinner on the table without having to work so hard!

I’m pretty sure all my fellow at-home chefs just high-fived themselves, am I right?

PERFECT INSTANT POT SWEET POTATOES

You’ll absolutely love this Instant Pot sweet potatoes recipe because:

• Instant Pot sweet potatoes cook more quickly than Oven-Baked Sweet Potatoes (and they cook even faster if you cut them in half!).
• They turn out deliciously tender, sweet, and creamy.
• The Instant Pot cooks sweet potatoes perfectly every time!
• Cooked sweet potatoes make a great side dish for dinner or a base for stuffed sweet potatoes.
• The peels slide right off after cooking to make Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes.
• It’s SO easy! Just set the timer and walk away!

SWEET POTATO INSTANT POT RECIPE INGREDIENTS

You only need two ingredients for your sweet potato Instant Pot cooking:

• Sweet potatoes
• Water

Psst! Want to kick your sweet potatoes up a notch? Try finishing this sweet potato Instant Pot recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)

HOW TO COOK SWEET POTATOES IN INSTANT POT

Generally speaking, making fork-tender sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot is pretty simple and straightforward:

Step 1. Put the trivet inside the Instant Pot. Pour the water inside.

Step 2. Use a fork to poke each sweet potato twice, to allow steam to escape from the inside as it cooks.

Step 3. Place sweet potatoes in Instant Pot on the trivet.

Step 4. Lock the Instant Pot lid, seal the valve, and pressure cook on high pressure. Follow the cooking times below.

Step 5. When the cooking timer beeps, set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes to allow a natural pressure release.

Step 6. When the kitchen timer beeps, turn the sealing valve to “open” to immediately release the remaining pressure.

Step 7. Using tongs or a fork, remove the sweet potatoes from the Instant Pot carefully as they will be hot!

Store leftover sweet potatoes in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 4 months.

SWEET POTATOES INSTANT POT COOKING TIMES

The only tough part with making sweet potatoes Instant Pot style is figuring out the correct cooking time – sweet potatoes come in all different sizes!

Have no fear though, because I have cooking times regardless if you have big or small sweet potatoes!

The key is NOT in how long the sweet potato is, but how WIDE your sweet potato is.

Take a ruler and measure the width of the sweet potato. Then cook according to these temperatures:

• 2 inches or less: 15 minutes to 20 minutes
• 2-3 inches: 25 minutes to 30 minutes
• 3-4 inches: 35 minutes to 40 minutes
• 4 inches or more: 45 minutes to 50 minutes

Tip: Cut large sweet potatoes in half lengthwise to reduce the cooking time. The same works for smaller or medium sweet potatoes to make kids’ size or snack-size portions!

Remember that it will take some time for your Instant Pot to come to pressure. That time will depend on the size of your Instant Pot and how full it is.

My son loves sweet potatoes a little firm, but you can cook them softer. If your sweet potato isn’t cooked through completely, check the water level and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes. That’s it!

FREEZING INSTANT POT SWEET POTATOES

There are a few ways you can freeze Instant Pot sweet potatoes:

1. Freeze in chunks. Great for smoothies! Use the method for freezing blueberries to flash freeze for at least two hours. Move the chunks to a freezer-safe container (I use gallon-sized plastic bags). Then, pull out just what you need for the recipe.
2. Freeze mashed sweet potatoes. Line a cupcake pan with silicone muffin liners. Scoop ¼ cup into each muffin cup and freeze for 2 hours. Peel off the silicone liners and move the frozen mashed sweet potato to a freezer-safe container. These smaller portions help the potatoes thaw faster too! (This is basically sweet potato puree, perfect for this Sweet Potato Biscuit Recipe!)

With either method, make sure you label and date the outside of the container. I promise you won’t recognize what’s in the bag in a month or two!

HOW TO SERVE INSTANT POT BAKED SWEET POTATOES

My personal favorite topping on fluffy baked sweet potatoes is butter. Plain and simple. The rest of my family likes a little cinnamon added too. And we’ve been known to add some brown sugar or maple syrup.

Or use your Instant Pot sweet potatoes as a base for one of these:

• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
• Spicy Citrus Black Beans
• Cilantro Lime Coleslaw
• Lightly sautéed veggies with Magic Thai Peanut Sauce
• Vegetarian Chili

You can also use Instant Pot sweet potatoes for Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole.

HOW DO CARBS LIKE SWEET POTATOES FIT INTO MY DAY?

Don’t be scared of carbohydrates! A medium-sized sweet potato contains about 27g of carbs, which fits perfectly fine into your daily needs. Sweet potatoes also contain complex carbohydrates, which your body digests more slowly than simple carbohydrates, creating more lasting energy.

Look at sweet potatoes as part of your balanced day as a whole and adjust how you serve them accordingly.

Need more protein? Add meat. Try a lean protein like ground turkey or use a fattier meat like bacon if you need both protein and fat to round out your daily macros.

If you have fat available in your daily macros, top your sweet potato with butter or cheese.

Don’t forget the produce! Whether you add veggies to the sweet potato itself or serve fresh fruit on the side, make sure your plate includes plenty of plants.

Want to learn more about macros, nutrition goals, and accurately tracking what you eat? Grab my free guide here to start achieving your real body goals by eating the foods you love.

INSTAPOT SWEET POTATOES FAQS

MORE INSTANT POT BASIC RECIPES

I love to use my IP for making the basics, like these favorite Instant Pot recipes:

• Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Brown Rice
• Spaghetti Squash
• Quinoa
• Beans
• Mashed Potatoes
• Whole Chicken

WATCH HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT SWEET POTATOES