Try our easy Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes. This super-simple side dish is ready in under 30 minutes. Made with just two ingredients - sweet potatoes and water, these perfectly steamed potatoes can be enjoyed as a side dish, mashed, or even mixed into your flatbread dough.
Growing up in India, my mum made steamed sweet potatoes whole and cubed, in her manual pressure cooker regularly. It was one of my favourite after-school snacks, especially with a touch of salted butter. It was so common in our home that I never even thought of it as a recipe to share.
The Instant Pot cooking method is just as simple and wonderfully precise. Gives you perfect sweet potatoes—tender, fluffy, and consistently cooked every single time.
Learn to make perfect Pressure Cooker Sweet Potatoes every time with our step-by-step instructions!
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💛Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You need only two ingredients: sweet potatoes and water.
- A beginner-friendly, hands-off recipe with virtually no monitoring required.
- Consistently cooked sweet potatoes every single time.
- Faster than roasting—baked sweet potatoes can take up to 60 minutes, while Instant Pot sweet potatoes are ready in under 30 minutes.
- Ideal for meal prep. Use the cooked sweet potatoes for mash, purée, flatbreads, and more.
- Minimal cleanup since everything cooks in one pot.
- A delicious vegetarian side for everyday dinners and festive meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- Diet-friendly: Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, and dairy-free.
👩🏻🍳Sandhya's Top Tips & Tricks
- Keep the sweet potatoes above the water level. Add just 1 cup of water; if they are submerged, they will turn soggy.
- Cooking times are based on thickness. Remember, the sweet potatoes continue to cook slightly during Natural Pressure Release.
- Use sweet potatoes that are similar in size so they cook evenly.
📋Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Sweet Potatoes: I use orange. flesh sweet potatoes, easily available in the super market. They are sweet and creamy, when mashed.
How to Make Perfectly Steamed Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes?
Step 1: To make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, add 1 cup of water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Place the trivet.
Step 2: Pile the sweet potatoes on the trivet.
Tip: I have cooked 3. You can add as many as you like.
Step 3: Close the lid and turn the vent knob to the sealing position. Set the cook time to 16 minutes at high pressure.
Step 4: Allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the pot and check with a fork if it's tender.
Tip: Use the guide in the recipe card below to adjust the cooking time according to the size of your sweet potatoes.
🍽Serving Suggestions
I love serving whole instant pot cooked sweet potatoes with butter, chopped chives, and black pepper. They are also delicious with no-mayo coleslaw, sour cream chives dip and beans for a light, wholesome meal.
Sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile. You can peel and mash them to make a simple sweet potato mash or use them in my three-ingredient sweet potato flatbread.
🧂Storage
After cooking, your perfect sweet potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to 4–5 days.
Whole or cubed sweet potatoes can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Use leftovers for mash, flatbreads, soups, or salads—quick, easy, and no waste!
❓Recipe FAQ's
The biggest mistake is adding too much water, which submerges the sweet potatoes and makes them soggy. Always keep them on a trivet with just 1 cup of water. Using the wrong cook time for potato size is another common error.
Sweet potatoes take 15 to 55 minutes of Pressure Cook Time in the Instant Pot, depending on size. Small potatoes cook in 15–16 minutes, medium in 25 minutes, and large in 50–55 minutes.
More Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Recipes
Ingredients
- 3-4 Small to Medium Sweet Potatoes
- 1 Cup water
For Serving
- Butter or Vegan Butter
- Chives
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Clean the Sweet Potatoes by scrubbing the skin of the sweet potato under running water and set them aside.
- Add 1 cup of water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Place the trivet.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the trivet.
- Secure the lid, turn the vent to sealing. Pressure Cook HIGH for 16 minutes. Adjust the cooking time according to the width of sweet potatoes.2 inches or less in width: 15–16 minutes2–3 inches in width: 25 minutes3–4 inches in width: 50–55 minutes
- Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Open the lid, carefully pick the sweet potatoes with tongs and place it on a serving plate.
- Fluff the sweet potatoes with a fork and enjoy with your favorite toppings or meal prep for a dish!
Video
Notes
- 2 inches or less in width: 15–16 minutes
- 2–3 inches in width: 25 minutes
- 3–4 inches in width: 50–55 minutes
Wonderful cook says
These instant pot sweet potatoes were super yummy. Love an easy recipe that’s super impressive. Thanks.