Why We Love This Pressure Cooker Recipe
When you need cooked sweet potatoes, either to eat as-is, or to use in a recipe, the two best methods for cooking them are baking and pressure cooking. Baking sweet potatoes is simple, but it requires much more time. Cooking Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot is quick, retains the best fresh flavor, and makes the sweet potatoes super soft and tender. You can use Instant Pot sweet potatoes in all sorts of ways… Either serve them simply with butter + salt and pepper, turn them into sweet potato mash, or use the cooked flesh in all sorts of recipes (keep reading for some of our favorite suggestions for how to use cooked sweet potatoes). This method is also fantastic to make ahead several servings of potatoes for meal prepping! And speaking of prepping, there is basically none in this recipe. The whole potatoes are scrubbed before being placed in the pot, and that is it! Add some water, lock and set the pressure cooker, and go about your day. In less than 1 hour you are ready to enjoy the sweet potatoes with your favorite comfort foods, use them to cook other dishes, or put them away for your weekly meal prep. So many options!
2 Ingredients You Need
Sweet potatoes Water
Yup – that’s it! Pro Tip: The key to cooking sweet potatoes in the instant pot, so they are soft and tender every single time, is understanding that the size of the sweet potato affects the cooking time. Therefore, be sure to buy sweet potatoes that are all about the same size so they cook evenly.
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in an Instant Pot
Weigh your sweet potatoes so you know how long to cook them. Place 4-6 sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot. Pour 1 cup of water over the top of the potatoes. Note: You can cook as many or as few sweet potatoes as you like/can comfortably fit in the pressure cooker. This does not affect the cooking time! Lock the lid into place and set on Pressure Cook High.
For 5-8 ounce small sweet potatoes, set the timer for 13 minutes. For 8-12 ounce medium sweet potatoes, set the timer for 18 minutes. For 12-16 ounce large sweet potatoes, set the timer for 26 minutes.
Pressure cook the sweet potatoes. When the timer goes off, perform a Natural Release. After 10 to 15 minutes, when the pressure valve button drops, unlock and open the lid. Carefully remove the cooked sweet potatoes and place them on a holding plate. They will be hot! Once cool enough to the touch serve them immediately as a side dish, or scoop out the flesh and use it to make other recipes. Keep reading for some of our favorite ways to use pressure cooked sweet potatoes!
What to Do With Cooked Sweet Potatoes
You can use Instant Pot sweet potatoes in all sorts of ways! The filling is super convenient for making lots of other yummy sweet potato-based recipes. Turn them into sweet potato mash, or use the cooked flesh to make sweet potato soufflé’s, traditional southern sweet potato casserole, sweet potato biscuits, sweet potato poundcake, sweet potato pie, and even sweet potato falafel. And, of course, you can enjoy them with butter and seasonings as a satisfying side dish. They pair beautifully with nearly any of your favorite comfort food main dishes like roasted chicken, BBQ chicken, pork chops, and hearty steaks.
Suggestions for Sweet Potato Toppings –
Butter Salt and pepper Cinnamon Sour cream or Greek yogurt Shredded cheese Diced white and/or green onion Avocado Salsa Chili Shredded chicken Chopped cooked bacon
What is your favorite way to load up a “baked” sweet potato? Let me know in the comments below!
Looking for More Easy Instant Pot Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto Homemade Instant Pot Apple Sauce Easy Instant Pot Black Bean Soup Best Instant Pot Baked Beans
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