Instant Pot steamed potatoes are simple, healthy, delicious, and can be used in so many ways. Try this pressure cooker method to steam whole potatoes to see how simple and fast this method is.
Jump to:
- Why you will love this recipe
- What potatoes are the best for steaming and boiling
- What you will need to make these instant pot potatoes
- How to steam potatoes in an instant pot
- How long to cook potatoes in instant pot
- Tips for success
- How to use steamed potatoes
- Frequent questions
- Other recipes to try in your instant pot
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why you will love this recipe
- Instant pot will cook whole potatoes so much faster than the stove method.
- The potatoes come out perfectly cooked, hold their shape and the skin comes off easily after they cool down.
- Steaming is one of the healthiest methods of cooking potatoes.
- Instant Pot boiled potatoes are great for meal prep because they can be used in a lot of ways during the week (salads, main dishes, sides).
You may also like our instant pot sweet potato cubes
What potatoes are the best for steaming and boiling
You can boil any type of potatoes, but some potatoes are better for a certain cooking method.
A perfectly boiled potato will hold its shape while being fully cooked inside. It has a smooth texture and the skin comes off easily after it cools down.
I recommend choosing waxy, low-starch potatoes for boiling. Avoid Russet and Idahos potatoes, because they are the best for mashing.
- Round White Potatoes are waxy and have lower starch content. They are not too big and not too small and are perfect for boiling purposes.
- Yukon Gold are semi-waxy types of potatoes and are suitable for boiling or steaming in the instant pot or on the stove.
- All-Purpose Potatoes are also great for boiling as they have a moderate amount of starch. They will more likely crack while boiling but still will hold shape if you need them cubed for salads.
What you will need to make these instant pot potatoes
Potatoes - Waxy or semi-waxy potatoes, such as Round, Yukon, or All-purpose will be the best for steaming.
Water - And of course, you will need some water to add to the instant pot to steam the potatoes.
How to steam potatoes in an instant pot
First, wash and scrub the potatoes to get rid of any dirt.
Now, pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker. Place the metal trivet in your Instant Pot. Add 5-6 potatoes on top of the trivet. You can add as many as the space allows.
Close the lid, and make sure the venting knob is closed. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes of natural release. It means that you will have to wait for another 10 minutes until the pressure naturally releases. After that, open the vent knob and let the rest of the steam come out.
Open the lid carefully, remove the potatoes and let them cool down until can be handled safely.
How long to cook potatoes in instant pot
The cooking time will not change if you cook 1 or 5 potatoes in instant pot.
You will have to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the potatoes. That's why it is important to pick approximately the same size potatoes.
- Baby Potatoes - 8 minutes of pressure cooking followed by 10 minutes of natural release.
- Medium Size Potatoes (5oz) - 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes of natural release.
- Medium-Large Potatoes (6-7oz) - 12 minutes followed by 10 minutes of natural release.
- Large Potatoes (10oz) - 14 minutes followed by 10 minutes of natural release.
Tips for success
- pick approximately the same-size potatoes
- adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the potatoes (see how long to cook potatoes in instant pot paragraph).
- do not peel potatoes before cooking
How to use steamed potatoes
I enjoy them warm as a side dish - peel and cut cooked potatoes into bite-size chunks and serve them with butter, chopped dill, garlic, or drizzle them with some home-made pesto.
Or serve it with my family's favorite Hungarian chicken paprika.
For meal prep - steam potatoes in instant pot to use in various ways during the week. Salads, sides, gratins, soups.
To make other recipes - this is so far the best way to steam potatoes for recipes such as salads or soups. They are soft but keep their shape when cut into cubes and very easy to peel.
Below are a few of my favorite ones:
- Olivier potato salad
- Okroshka soup
- Dressed herring salad
- Ukrainian beetroot salad
- Tuna, eggs and potato layered salad
Baking - you can easily make baked potatoes using the steamed ones. Just bake them in the oven at 400°F with some olive oil, salt, and garlic powder until the skin turns crispy.
Frequent questions
Let the potatoes fully cool down and place them in the air-tight container or a Ziploc bag. Store in the fridge for 4 days.
It is safe to freeze potatoes for up to 3 months. Let the potatoes cool down completely and place them in a freezer-friendly bag. Keep in mind, that potatoes are not the best vegetable to freeze and they will change texture after freezing.
No, you do not have to peel them. Of course, you can cook peeled potatoes. But it is so much easier to peel them once they are cooked, and cooking them with the skin will preserve the nutrients and vitamins. Also, your potatoes will not taste watery when cooked with the skin on.
Other recipes to try in your instant pot
- Instant Pot Steamed Beets
- Vegan Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Buckwheat in Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Millet
- Instant pot BBQ chicken
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Steamed Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Measuring Cup
- 1 instant pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 5 medium size potatoes about 4-5oz each
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes with cold water. Place the trivet inside your instant pot. Add one cup of water. Place potatoes on top of the trivet. Close the lid and make sure the vent knob is in sealing position.
- Press pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (for medium size potatoes).
- When the timer beeps, let the instant pot do natural release for 10 minutes. After that, manually release the remaining pressure by turning the valve on the lid towards "Venting".
- Unlock the lids carefully and let the potatoes cool little bit until safe to handle.
Notes
- pick approximately same size potatoes.
- adjust the cooking time depending on the size of potatoes.
- do not peel potatoes before steaming
- for accurate nutrition information and calories weight the ingredients and refer to special apps such as fitness pal.
Larry says
I am confused; up near the top of the article, under steaming with an instant pot, it states use 2 cups of water. However under the instructions near the bottom of the page it says to use 1 cup of water.
I know that this will not make any difference in the end product, but you may want to be consistent throughout the article.
Sava's Kitchen says
Thank you for pointing out the mistype:) It is 1 cup of water. I corrected the article.