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Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe – Cooking sweet potatoes in an Instant Pot makes cooking sweet potatoes so quick and easy! Perfect for enjoying as baked sweet potatoes as a side dish or for cooking to use in sweet potato casserole and so many other dishes!
Looking for more delicious Instant Pot recipes? I think you’ll love my Instant Pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken, Instant Pot Eggs, and Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake.
I’ve had my Instant Pot for some time now and am always discovering a few essential ways that I like to use it. From cooking chicken quickly to make Bart’s chicken salad throughout the week to steaming these sweet potatoes to serve like I would baked sweet potatoes or even to use in my sweet potato casserole. I make it again and again throughout the week!
Why I Love This Recipe
I know I’ve shared how I also like to prepare them in my slow cooker. That method works wonderfully and is great for popping them into the slow cooker before you head out the door in the mornings so that they are ready for supper when you walk back in the door in the evenings.
But you know, there are also those days that I forget to get them into my slow cooker and the Instant Pot has saved supper for sure! I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ll whip up a sweet potato like this for lunch. They are perfect every time!
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in an Instant Pot
Ingredients
Water – you will need to add water to your Instant Pot to help the Instant Pot to build pressure and cook your sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes – you will want to make sure you are using sweet potatoes that are of similar size to ensure they are all cooked evenly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep. Place steamer basket in Instant Pot and add 1 cup water.
- Clean. Scrub sweet potatoes until skins are clean. Place in the steamer basket.
- Cover and seal. Cover and place vent on lid to “Sealed.”
- Cook. Set on “Steam” program and set time for 10 minutes.
- Release pressure. When finished cooking, don’t open lid. Allow pressure to reduce naturally, about 25 minutes.
- Serve. Remove the lid and serve.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
To Make Ahead. Store sweet potatoes in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven before serving.
To Freeze. Peel sweet potatoes and place the flesh into freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat before serving. Serve as mashed sweet potatoes, use in a soup, chili, casserole, or sweet potato pie.
Here’s my Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe. I topped them with my homemade cinnamon honey butter in case you want to give that a try, too! I hope you love them as much as we do! They are a weeknight classic around here now!
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Prep. Place steamer basket in Instant Pot and add 1 cup water.
- Clean. Scrub sweet potatoes until skins are clean. Place in the steamer basket.
- Cover and seal. Cover and place vent on lid to "Sealed".
- Cook. Set on "Steam" program and set time for 10 minutes.
- Release pressure. When finished cooking, don't open lid. Allow pressure to reduce naturally, about 25 minutes.
- Serve. Remove lid and serve.
Notes
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
To Make Ahead. Store sweet potatoes in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven before serving. To Freeze. Peel sweet potatoes and place the flesh into freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat before serving. Serve as mashed sweet potatoes, use in a soup, chili, casserole, or sweet potato pie.Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
What is an instant pot?
Hi Linda,
An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker. So sorry I wasn’t clear on that! xo
Is the instant pot you are referring to the same as a pressure cooker?
Hi Bonnie,
Yes, an Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker. Sorry I wasn’t as clear as I should’ve been! 🙂
I appreciate this post. I just got one a month ago and would love to see how you’ve been using it.
Love you blog!
Wow! This makes me wish I had an insta-pot! 🙂
What’s an instant Pot?
Hi Diane,
An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker. Sorry I wasn’t very clear on that! 🙂
I use my instant Pot to cook white or russet potatoes in 25 minutes. It is great.
Do you mind sharing the kind of instant pot you have ? I mean the brand name and any other particulars that would be helpful to know if purchasing one. Also, other ways in which you use it would be useful. ThanksBa
Saw the Insta Pot and the recipes and couldnt resist. Bought it at Amazon. Cant wait to make the sweet Potatos with Cinnamon Honey Butter! Thanks!
Hi Robyn,
Is that a homemade butter on top of the sweet potato in the picture? I’ve never tried sweet potatoes before and I’m looking for interesting recipes to try.
– Kristen
Hi Kristen!
It is my homemade cinnamon honey butter on top of the sweet potato. Absolutely sublime! 🙂
What’s on top of the cooked potato?
Hi J.C.,
It is my homemade cinnamon honey butter on top of the sweet potato. So, so good!
What is the other stuff on top of the done Sweet Potatoes? Looks like a home made topping, it’s a different color.. It’s on the finished sweet potato.
Hi Kathleen,
I’ve topped my sweet potato with my homemade cinnamon honey butter. I hope you give it a try sometime, so good!
What do you put on these sweet potatoes to make them look so delicious!
I topped it with homemade cinnamon honey butter. Oh my goodness, delish!
Would like to know where you found your instant pot and the brand name. I had never heard of and electric pressure pot. I have a regular pressure pot that you use on stove.
Hi Grace,
The brand name of my electric pressure cooker is Instant Pot and I purchased it through Amazon. There are a few different models of them and for testing purposes, I’ve tested and have found that I prefer this model: Instant Pot 7-in-1
Stainless steel inside pot healthier than teflon.
If you have to let it sit in the pot for 25 minutes before opening, total time should be longer. Shouldn’t it?
Is it the same time for 2 med sweet potatoes? Can’t I just use the trivet that came with the IP?
Yes and yes!
Hi, Are the potatoes poked, like when they are baked, so they don’t explode?
thanks
Julie
I’m wondering this as well…?
I don’t poke holes in mine and I’ve not had a problem with that happening. Thanks!
Hi Robyn,
This is my favorite way to make sweet potatoes in my instant pot! May I link to you in a blog post? I’ll use my own image.
Hi Nancy – I love cooking sweet potatoes in my Instant Pot too! So simple, fast and delicious to cook them this way!
Yes, you may certainly link to me in your blog post. I really appreciate that!
Thanks so much! xo
This is a yam, not a sweet potato.
Hi Eva!
I understand that there is common confusion over sweet potatoes and yams. I find this information from the NC Sweet Potatoes Commission to be helpful, “That sweet, orange-colored root vegetable that you love so dearly is actually a sweet potato. Yes, all so-called “yams” are in fact sweet potatoes. Most people think that long, red-skinned sweet potatoes are yams, but they really are just one of many varieties of sweet potatoes.” (NC Sweet Potatoes Commission).
Do you think it would be okay to double stack the sweet potatoes, cooking eight instead of four?
Hi Mindi –
I’ve not tried cooking eight at once in this recipe. I am not sure if they are stacked if they would fit in the steam basket and leave enough room for all of the potatoes to steam properly. I hope that helps. Thanks Mindi – Have a great holiday!
Can you use the Quick Release instead of the Natural Release, thereby cutting out some time?
Hi Christie,
I’ve tried it and didn’t like the results as much. I thought the potatoes were more tender when I used the natural release. Of course, it could depend on the size of your sweet potatoes. Let me know how they turn out for you if you try it. xo
Do you need to pierce sweet potatoes at all?
I do not, but of course, you can.
Okay, I like the sound of that, although, what is the sauce you have on those sweet potatoes? It looks great!
This was not enough time, I cooked two sweet potatoes exactly as you said and they were still pretty hard in the middle. Would recommend an additional five minutes in the instant pot.
You need to adjust time by the size of the sweet potato I would guess . . .
Followed this recipe exactly for cooking one sweet potato. Unfortunately potato was not cooked all the way and I had to throw the majority of it away ?
I’m sorry your potato didn’t get done. I haven’t had this problem and cook sweet potatoes like this very often, so I can’t be sure what happened. Thanks!
Maybe the problem is altitude? I’ve heard you should add cooking time if you are at a higher altitude. (There are charts that show the percentage you should add depending on how high your altitude is)
Cannot find how to use the: “SLOW COOKER” version, using your recipe: INSTANT POT SWEET POTATOES..
Need to know water & sweet potato amount’s, temp & tength of time to use.. Would appreciate this info, thank you for your time..
Mmm this was great and so easy!
I tried this today and my sweet potatoes were not cooked through…ended up microwaving to finish the job.
I’m sorry about that Melissa! It sounds like it could possibly be a problem with a setting or release method.
Did you use the slow release method after cooking? Mine takes about 25 minutes or so for all the steam to release and then the potatoes are just perfect. I am sorry they weren’t done for you, but hope that this helps.
Thanks so much!
I was wondering what you put on those sweet potatoes. It looks really yummy.
Hi Kristen!
I’ve topped them with Cinnamon Honey Butter. It is delicious and is also great on pancakes, oatmeal and more! Thanks! xo
The instructions were spot on for me. I read several comments saying the sweet potatoes were too hard when completed, . Not so here. Much appreciated!
Hi Dave,
I appreciate you taking the time to tell me – and I’m so glad they turned out well for you! They always turn out great for me and save so much time – I love to cook them this way and I’m so glad it helped you as well.
I think the issue some have could be with the pressure settings of their appliance or how fast it is released…can’t be certain, but may be what it is.
Thanks again! I’m thrilled this worked great for you!
This recipe didn’t work and I followed the directions. I even added 2 minutes to the cooking time and left it sit for over 30 minutes before the steam released naturally. I use daily four potatoes small enough to fit on the steamer rack. I microwaved for two minutes and they still weren’t done. Currently in the microwave for an additional 3 minutes.
Hi Eric,
I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. I’ve never had that issue with this recipe – it definitely should not have taken that long to cook those potatoes. I can’t be certain, but I’m wondering if something could be wrong with the release or a setting or something on your cooker. I use this recipe all the time and it makes the most perfect sweet potatoes.
Thanks!
I think the different machines require different cooking times. It seems like you have to get to know your machine. If the potato isn’t cooked, add more time and/or increase the pressure.
So yummy your dish is! Do you think that using Aluminum Foil for these potatoes in instant pot can seed up the cooking time?
I just got my Instant Pot today (yea!), and this was the first thing I made after doing the initial water test. The potatoes turned out PERFECT! I’m enjoying one now. My potatoes were medium-to-large sized. Thank you, thank you, Robyn!
Wonderful, Judy! I make potatoes in mine all the time – it’s just so simple and easy! I’m so happy it worked well for you and that you are enjoying them! Great to hear from you! Thanks so much! xo
I tried this recipe with 3 very large sweet potatoes and only cooked for 8 minutes because I had one less potato. They did not cook through all the way. I even restarted them for an additional 5 minutes and still had to microwave them for 5 mintues after. Not sure what happened, so bummed!!
Hi Erin,
I’m sorry they didn’t get done, but I’ve not had that happen when I’ve cooked according to the recipe instructions. Even though you had 3 potatoes, you say they were very large. They probably should have cooked the amount of time in the recipe and allowed the pressure to reduce naturally. Hope this helps. Thanks!
Started making this weekly in my apartment! So easy to do, thanks for sharing!
I make them all the time too, Julian! I’m so glad this works out well for you and that you enjoy them. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Delicious! Will be making these again. I cooked 1 fairly large one and added 3 minutes to the cooking time. Was not quite done and allowed to naturally release pressure for 30 minutes. Cut in half and put back in pressure cooker for another 4 minutes and it was perfect! I am in a higher altitude though, so that could have been why. Thanks for sharing. Definitely a keeper and will be a go to way of making sweet potatoes.
So glad you like this method and enjoyed the sweet potatoes! I make sweet potatoes like this so often and just love how they taste and how easy it is! Thanks so much, Cindy! xo
Hi ! I use a pressure cooker (6 qt.). What’s so different about an INSTANT POT ?? Marketing??
You may e-mail your answer, if you like. Thank you..
You can steam in it, saute meat, cook the meat and make gravy in the same pot. Make hard boiled eggs, with a spring pan make cheese cakes and lasagna, incubate to make yogurt. It has safeguards to prevent opening when pressure is high and will not explode like the old fashioned ones. I’ve never owned a non electric, non digital pressure because I too afraid of accidents. I’m sure that’s why the instant pot and other electric pressure cookers (I own a GoWise 8 Quart) are so popular now.
Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker are the same thing. Just depends where you are from.
Thank you for the recipe. I’m sorry that so many are not observant enough to compare the size of your sweet potatoes to the standard Collapsible Steamer Basket shown here. I’ve never seen such small sweet potatoes. I’m going to wash mine up right now and one is equal to three of yours, adjusting time accordingly!
Robyn, I am a new Instant Pot owner and I am loving it. I have made baked sweet potatoes a few times with success you describe. I looked at several online recipes/methods with considerable variations in time. In reading all the comments of people who did not have the outcome of your delicious looking photos I am wondering if people are getting confused by your recipe card stating a “total time” of 15 minutes. Real life time from start to eatable finish is about 40 minutes when allowing the pressure cooker to release naturally. You do mention that but only in the instructions near the end. The quick reference at the top of the card is a bit misleading when you add on the additional 25 minutes. Seems total time should include the pressure release time. If you try to open and eat prior to that they would not be done. In a hurry people skim and I myself glance at the time reference on recipes and on yours I thought how does she get them done in 15 minutes when I knew every time I have made them in takes about 40 minutes. This is still so much quicker than in the oven. I hope this might bring some clarification to others.
I just came across this recipe and made a sweet potato for lunch. I used a medium potato and followed your directions. It came out PERFECT! The skin looked like it was baked in an oven. I should have taken a picture but I ate it already. Think I’ll make another one tomorrow. Thanks!!
Oh Sue, I’m so glad that you loved it! Isn’t it amazing?! They are so tender!!! You’ll have to take a photo and share with me on Instagram if you use it. Just tag me so that I can see! I’m @addapinch there!
These come out amazing! I’m in North Florida and I put the free cooking rack in my IP that came for free with it. I then add a cup and a half of water to the bottom, next we scrub the potatoes well and just stick 3-4 medium to large (really closer to the large dize) in my IP. I seal the lid to “sealed” and Press the pressure button to on, which defaults to high, set the time to 30 minutes and forget about them. After 30 minutes I let it release pressure naturally and boom delicious potatoes. These in fact came out so delicious and perfectly sweet, that for Thanksgiving this year, I chose to use fresh sweet potatoes instead of candied yams. I mashed them up and made a sweet potato casserole out of them. Amazing and so easy I’m surprised I didn’t come up with how to do this myself till I read your blog. Thanks!!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I used this recipe more times than I know just during the last couple of weeks! I made my sweet potatoes for my sweet potato casserole this way too – sooo easy! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed it, Lauren! xo
Do I need to poke the potatoes with a fork before cooking?
Hi Elaine,
I don’t! I just pop them right on into the instant pot and they cook beautifully! I hope you enjoy them! xo
15 Minutes!!! I have to buy one of those pots 🙂 I’ve been hearing from everyone how wonderful they are but this looks delicious and so much healthier! Thank you for sharing.
They are such a great addition to the kitchen, Lyla! I enjoy using mine! Thanks!
It’s not really just 15 mins. Don’t be fooled by recipe times. There is a warm up time and then a pressure release time.
Both can vary greatly. For this particular recipe I think total time might be 40 mins.
Be sure to allow for the 25 mins it takes to release the pressure from the instant pot…
What is the spread that you have on top of yours? Is there a recipe?
Hi Elizabeth!
That is my Cinnamon Honey Butter. It’s delicious! Thanks!
Wow! You made those fast. My family is big so I always appreciate new ways to make dinner faster or how I can add a side if I forget and I don’t need to wait an hour! Great idea thank you for sharing.
What is the butter on top of these?
Hi Katelyn,
It is my cinnamon honey butter recipe. https://addapinch.com/cinnamon-honey-butter-recipe/
How could anybody not know that an instant pot is just a cute name for a pressure cooker? They can see it, the recipes make it very clear with the directions,, etc. How obvious does it need to be???
Instant Pot is the brand name of a pressure cooker. Just like CrockPot is a brand name of a slow cooker.
Several respondents have confusingly suggested that Instant Pot and pressure cooker are one and the same. That’s not strictly true any more than saying Ford and automobile are one and the same. “Instant Pot” is a particular brand of multi-function electric cooker that includes pressure cooker, slow cooker, sauté cooker and several other modes of operation. Several models and sizes are available, 6 qts. being the most common size.
For the purposes of this article it is being used in its pressure cooker mode. Presumably the recipe should also work for other brands of pressure cooker.
I hope that helps remove any lingering confusion.
I am a newbie user having recently bought an Instant Pot 3 qt Mini model. So far it is working well for me.
What if you don’t have a steamer basket?
I’m a bit annoyed because 10 minutes was not long enough to cook the sweet potatoes even after waiting the 25 minutes for natural pressure release. I put them in for another 10 minutes, so will see if that is long enough. Hoping the rest of my meal isn’t ruined while I wait.
Should I pierce the potatoes or is it not necessary for this cooking style vs baking in the oven?
How long do I cook if I use one sweet potato? Still 10 minutes?
How do I cut this is half, for two potatoes? Most recipes for Instant Pot are for larger families, & I need to know what changes I would have to make for two servings, as opposed to four, please?
I tried this tonight and it didn’t work…at all. I just tried piercing the potato all over and I put it back in. So, we’ll see if that works.
Same amount of time for one, two or four potatoes.
It’s our Canadian Thanks Giving and wanted to do some prep work ahead of time for our dinner tomorrow. Of all the sites i looked at yours was the shortest time in cooking. With following the instructions to a T. my sweet potatoes turned out way to soft.
By looking at your picture you used Yam’s. Mine were the Sweet Potato more yellow in colour, Yam’s are more Orange in Colour.
since i have no choice but to use them I’m hopping that they will be fine.
By the looks of things could you please tell me what I should do to adjust my time.
Look forward to hearing from you soon.
:
Maybe my potatoes were too big but this method did not cook them.
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you Heather. It could be possible that the potatoes were too big. I’ve always gotten great results with the potatoes I’ve cooked with this recipe! Thanks!
If the potatoes are really large, what time is recommended?
I don’t have a steaming basket is there anything else I can use and can you make more than four potatoes at a time
Sometimes I get foil and crumple it up so that the food will sit in top like in a steamer. Also be sure to pierce your yams/sweet potatoes with a fork so they don’t explode in your pot.
Thanks for that tip, Karen!
These were absolutely perfect! I followed the directions pretty closely, using about 1/2 cup of water. I pressed the steam button and the 10 automatically came up. When it was finished cooking, I waited for the pot to count up to 25 and removed the lid. The skins fell off and i mashed the sweet potatoes and added butter, brown sugar, and pecans. I was on a roll and figured I would try this with regular potatoes, so in went the entire 5 pounds of potatoes (Yukon gold). Following the same directions, they also were perfectly done for mashed potatoes. Thank you so much!!
So happy you enjoyed these Gerry and Janet! Thanks!
What kind of sauce is on the potatoes in the pictures? It looks delicious!
Hi Bryanna!
It is so delicious! It’s my Cinnamon Honey Butter. I mentioned it in my blog post and I do hope you give it a try! It’s great on oatmeal and pancakes too. xo
I’m the worlds worst cook and I don’t like to cook. So I bought the instant pot and have tried a few recipes(not yours). 1st recipe was ok, 2nd one had good flavor but looked horrible but the sweet potatoes cooked EXACTLY like you said! PERFECT! I think I can live on these don’t you? Lol
So glad this recipe worked so well for you, Roberta. Don’t you love how easy this recipe is? I make these all the time so I can understand wanting to live on these! xo
Do you need to pierce the sweet potatoes?
Hi Robin,
You certainly can, but I usually just pop them straight into the Instant Pot without that step! They work perfectly. xo
I am new to Instant Pot! I love how it works. Your Sweet Potato Instructions with Cinnamon Honey Butter is the best. I don’t buy Honey Butter any more though I make my own.
Worked great for us. Everything was perfect! My husband, Graham (the cook 👨🍳 in our house) thinks it is a wonderful recipe and would make it often!!!
Hi June!
I’m so happy you and your husband enjoy these! I use this recipe sooo often! Please tell Graham thanks as well! Glad to have you here! 🙂
Hi Robyn,
I’m not a good cook. But last night I did it according to your recipe and I think I succeeded. It’s very good.
Thanks!
That’s great, Michael. I hope you find more recipes on here that you like.
Curious what weight should be considered “medium?”
This is a good idea about potatoes. The way you present this dish is great. I love it.
This wasn’t enough cooking time for my 2 larger potatoes. Had to microwave for 3 minutes more. Next time I’ll do 13 minutes cook time. Should be perfect.
How many servings does this make?
There would be 4 servings of one potato for each person.
The best way to make them! TY!
Aren’t they so easy to make in the Instant Pot, Erica! Thanks1
Love the honey-cinnamon butter, use it on many things. Potatoes+Instant Pot=culinary success, period I cut sweet potatoes in half when done, scoop out 3/4 of flesh and slightly mash, add mini marshmallows then the flesh back, top with the honey-cinnamon butter. Grandkids love it that way, even adults. Careful as they are hot when handling, use a glove. As always, thanks Robyn.
Thanks for the tip, Jona. I love the cinnamon honey butter on the sweet potatoes.