How to Make the Best Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes – It’s easy to pressure cook fork-tender sweet potatoes that are perfect to slather with butter, load with toppings, or use in other recipes!

2 cooked sweet potatoes on a white plate, each is opened on top with a pat of butter inside.

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 cooked potatoes on a white plate, each is opened on top with a pat of butter inside.

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.

Row of 4 raw potatoes on a white board.

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!

Metal pot with 6 raw sweet potatoes inside.

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.

Get the Complete (Printable) Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!

Metal pot with 6 cooked sweet potatoes inside.

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!

1 cooked sweet potato on a white plate, opened on top with a pat of butter inside.

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 –

What is your favorite way to load up a “baked” sweet potato? Let me know in the comments below!

2 cooked sweet potatoes on a white plate, each is opened on top with a pat of butter inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I just make baked sweet potatoes if planning to eat them as baked potatoes with toppings?

That’s up to you… Baking potatoes creates crispy skin, and some people love to eat the skin with the flesh. However, even though IP sweet potatoes don’t have crispy skin, they are extremely moist. The flesh doesn’t dry out over time like it can in the oven.

Do you need to soak sweet potatoes before cooking?

One of the many great things about cooking sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot is that, no, you do not need to soak them first.

Do you cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot without a trivet?

There is no need to use the trivet! The potatoes are placed right into the pot.

How long do leftovers last?

Sweet potatoes will keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge. Cool first, then transfer either the whole potato or scooped flesh to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Can you freeze cooked sweet potato?

Yes! Let the cooked potatoes cool completely before scooping out the flesh and transferring it to an airtight plastic ziploc bag. Squeeze all of the air out and seal. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

2 cooked potatoes on a white plate, each is opened on top with a pat of butter inside.

Looking for More Easy Instant Pot Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:

2 cooked sweet potatoes on a white plate, each is opened on top with a pat of butter inside.
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Best Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe + Video

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
It's easy to pressure cook fork-tender sweet potatoes that are perfect to slather with butter, load with toppings, or use in other recipes!
Servings: 4 – 6 potatoes

Video

Ingredients

  • 4-6 sweet potatoes or yams close to the same size
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  • 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. (You can cook as many or as few sweet potatoes as you like. This does not affect the cooking time.)
  • Lock the lid into place and set on Pressure Cook High. For 5-8 ounce potatoes, set the timer for 13 minutes. For 8-12 ounce potatoes, set the timer for 18 minutes. For 12-16 ounce 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 the lid and remove the cooked sweet potatoes.

Notes

Sweet potatoes will keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge. Cool first, then transfer either the whole potato or scooped flesh to an airtight container and refrigerate.
To freeze: Let the cooked potatoes cool completely before scooping out the flesh and transferring it to an airtight plastic ziploc bag. Squeeze all of the air out and seal. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pc, Calories: 194kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.04g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g, Sodium: 127mg, Potassium: 762mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 32063IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 70mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Main, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier
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