Instant Pot Beets
You’re going to love how easy it is to make Instant Pot Beets. Cook them whole and then remove the skins. Slice the beets for an easy salad or side dish. This method is mess-free!
If you’ve ever made beets in the oven, you know it takes a lot of time and can be very messy. The good news is that you can cook beets whole in the pressure cooker and get the same results from oven roasting.
The Instant Pot cooks them 16 minutes cooking time on high pressure, and then you can just use a paper towel to wipe off the skins. It’s so easy and much less messy than roasting beets in the oven.
Beets are a summer vegetable, but you can find them throughout the whole year nowadays. I like to buy them fresh at the farmers’ market where they often have red beets, orange beets, yellow beets, and candy cane beets (Chiogga beets), which are striped red and white.
Why You Need This Recipe
- Cooked beets can be used in a variety of ways, including in a Watermelon Beet Salad, as a juice, as a side dish, or even in a smoothie. Learn how to use your cooked beets to make homemade beet powder.
- Beets are an incredibly healthy food, aiding in detoxification, blood pressure, and energy.
- This is the easiest and least messy way to make beets!
Recipe Steps
Step One
Unlike oven cooking where you have to wrap each beet in foil, all you have to do to prep beets for the Instant Pot is to remove any greens and large stems.
Step Two
Next, place a trivet in the base of a 3-quart, 6-quart, or 8-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker. Set the beets on top. You can cook as many beets as you like at one time, as long as they do not reach above the “max” fill line of the Instant Pot.
Step Three
Set the cooking time based on the size of the beets. For small beets, set the time to 12 minutes. For medium beets, set the time to 16 minutes. For large beets, set the time to 20 minutes.
Step Four
Once the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for about 10 minutes. Then, use the natural release and carefully remove the lid.
Step Five
The last step is to cut off the tops from each beet using a paring knife. Then, to remove the skin, carefully hold each beet under cold running water. Use a clean paper towel to wipe the skin off of each beet. Then, you can serve the beets or store them in the refrigerator.
Serve your beets plain or however you like to prepare them. I recommend this Watermelon Beet Salad that is sooo good!
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Use red beets or golden beets for this recipe.
- Beets are budget-friendly and are generally available at any time of year. See my other tips for eating clean on a budget.
- If you love beets, don’t miss my top-ranked recipe for Beet Juice (or my article on Beet Juice Benefits).
FAQs
I love to eat cooked beets in a beet salad, or freeze them and put them into smoothies (check out this Strawberry Beet Smoothie recipe). Cooked beets can also be blended into desserts as a hidden vegetable.
Cooked beets will generally last about a week (or sometimes longer) in the refrigerator. Store them in a tightly sealed container.
Yes, you will get the exact same result from cooking beets in the Instant Pot versus roasting them in the oven.
More Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Recipes You Might Like
- Instant Pot Artichokes
- Instant Pot Whole Butternut Squash
- Instant Pot Carrots
- Instant Pot Whole Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Whole Red Potatoes
Or, check out my round-up of the best healthy Instant Pot side dishes.
I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.
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PrintInstant Pot Beets
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
You’re going to love how easy it is to make Instant Pot Beets. Cook them whole and then remove the skins. Slice the beets for an easy salad or side dish. This method is mess-free!
Ingredients
- 1–2 pounds fresh beets, greens and stems removed
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Place the trivet on the bottom of your Instant Pot and add one cup of water.
- Place the beets on top of the trivet.
- Set the time to 16 minutes on high pressure (see the notes below for information on timing).
- Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, and then use the quick release.
- Remove the lid and use tongs to carefully transfer the beets to a plate.
- Use a paring knife to cut the ends off of each beet. Then, use a paper towel to gently wipe off the skin of each beet.
- Serve immediately, or store the cooked beets in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- 1 pound of beets is equal to about 5 small beets or 3-4 medium beets.
- You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your beets. For small beets, set the time to 12 minutes. For medium beets, set the time to 16 minutes. For large beets, set the time to 20 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: how to make beets in the instant pot, cook beets in pressure cooker
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Yet another reason to love the instant pot. I always thought I needed to roast beets for that sweet flavor, but these turned out delicious. So much quicker too! Can’t wait to try your berry beet smoothie this week.
★★★★★
Woo hoo! Glad you liked the method, Natalie! It’s so easy, right?!
Love your recipes!
So easy and healthy.
Awww, thanks Sharon! XO.