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Instant Pot Beets are really simple to make and this pressure cooker recipe for cooking gives you nice tender beets. This is an easy way to have flavorful beets on the table in about an hour. I like to make a big batch and eat some right away with lemon juice, butter and salt, or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then use the rest for my 3 favorite pressure cooker beets recipes, that I’m sharing with you! This is such a great way to make delicious, healthy beets!
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Originally published 9/13/17
Instant Pot Beets (Beetroot)
Beets, (also called Beetroot in some parts of the world) are a delicious root vegetable. They have a sweet, earthy flavor, a pleasant texture, and are so pretty! Of course, they are nutritious, too!
The two main types of beets are red beets and golden beets (yellow beets). You can find them at your local grocery store or farmers market. Fresh beets will be very firm and have a rather dusty appearance, don’t worry, you will be scrubbing the dirt off before pressure cooking them!
There are many different ways to cook beets. I like to use my Instant Pot to cook them because I often make more and use the extra in other recipes. The cooking process is just so easy using an electric pressure cooker to cook the beetroot!
Beet Greens
If you like greens, it is a wonderful bonus if your beets have the beet greens still attached! You can sauté them in some butter and garlic for a healthy leafy greens vegetable side dish! You can also add them to a salad (be sure to wash them before consuming).
Is This the Best Way to Cook Beets?
- Beets cooked in the oven can take up to an hour, whereas this Instant Pot Beets recipe takes no more than a half hour, in most cases (Beets are done when you can stick a knife in them easily. Larger beets can possibly take a little longer).
- I love beets cooked both ways, as well as boiled on the stove top. It depends on what I’m making from them, and how much time I have.
- I’m not going to say that one method is better than the other, but I do like to pressure cook beets. It’s my favorite way, and the easiest way to prepare them for most recipes, or to enjoy as a side dish.
Size of the Beets Matters
Cooking beets in the Instant Pot to get them ‘fork tender’ is all about the size of the beets. Smaller beets will take less time to cook than medium beets or large beets. My suggestion is when you buy your beets, try to get them all about the same size. That way they will cook to the same doneness in the same amount of cooking time.
Preparing Beets for Pressure Cooking
The best way to prepare beets for cooking:
• Scrub the beets under cool tap water.
Pro Tip: Leave the beets whole and try not to pierce the skin. If you are trimming off the greens, leave a little at the tip. This ensures that the delicious beets won’t lose too much of their wonderful, nutritious juices while cooking!
How to Cook Beets in the Instant Pot
- Pour a cup of water (2 cups for 8-quart pot) into the inner liner of the Instant Pot.
- Place the silicone or stainless steel trivet or steamer rack (or steamer basket) in the pot.
- Rinse and scrub the raw beets, but don’t peel or cut them. Place the whole beets on the trivet/rack in the pot.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- See cook times below to choose the time to cook your size beets.
- Press the Pressure Cook button (or Manual button or dial), and use the +/- button to adjust the cook time in minutes (times are in notes below). High Pressure.
- When cook cycle is done, wait 5 minutes (5 minute natural pressure release) and then do a Quick Release of the pressure. Do this in short bursts at first to ensure that no beet juice spews out with the remaining pressure.
Instant Pot Beet (Beetroot) Cook Times*
- Small Beets – 7-10 minutes (some beets are really small 1″ – 2″ in diameter, so cook those on the lesser time).
- Medium Beets – 12-15 minutes (about the size of a lemon)
- Large Beets – 20-25 minutes (when I get the ones that are the size of a baseball, I cook 25 minutes for soft beets)
*If you like a very tender, soft result, add 2 minutes, or let Naturally Release for about 5 minutes longer. Results may vary depending on age of beets, your altitude, your brand of pressure cooker, etc. If you have the Instant Pot Mini, use this timing as well.
Peeling Instant Pot Beets
- The fun part! Peeling cooked beets really isn’t that bad, but it can get messy, as beet juice stains EVERYTHING! I have some food service disposable gloves that I purchased online that I wear for peeling and chopping cooked beets. They help a lot to keep the beet stains off my hands.
- If I happen to get beet juice on my counter or cutting board I wipe it up right away. If it does stain, I just use a little bleach in some water and wipe it right off!
- To peel these Instant Pot beets I just run them under cold tap water and start rubbing the skin off (still wearing gloves!). If there is a stubborn peel, just grab a paper towel and try rubbing the peel off with it.
- You can also use a vegetable peeler.
- Once the beets are all peeled, you can chop them to the size you need for the recipe you are going to make.
Storing Cooked Instant Pot Beets
Place beets in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Here Are a Few of My Favorite Beet Recipes
Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Orange Vinaigrette
More Instant Pot Vegetable Recipes
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
Instant Pot Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Hopefully this simple method of cooking beets is a game changer for the beet lover out there!
If you made these tasty, sweet beets in the electric pressure cooker, please let me know how they turned out for you. You can leave a comment with a star rating below.
Instant Pot Beets
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker
- Trivet or Steamer Basket
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Water for the pressure cooker
- Whole Fresh Beets (unpeeled, with the ends trimmed off)
Instructions
- Pour a cup of water (2 cups for 8-quart pot) into the inner liner of the Instant Pot.
- Place the silicone or stainless steel trivet or steamer rack (or steamer basket) in the pot.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position, if not self-sealing.
- See cook times below to choose the time to cook your size beets.
- Press the Pressure Cook button (or Manual button or dial), and use the +/- button or dial to adjust the cook time in minutes (times are in notes below). High Pressure.
- When cook cycle is done, wait 5 minutes (5 minute natural pressure release) and then do a Quick Release of the pressure. Do this in short bursts at first to ensure that no beet juice spews out with the remaining pressure.
Notes
Beet (Beetroot) Cook Times*
- Smaller Beets - 7-10 minutes (some beets are really small 1" - 2" in diameter, so cook those on the lesser time).
- Medium Beets - 12-15 minutes (about the size of a lemon).
- Large Beets - 20-25 minutes (when I get the ones that are the size of a baseball, I cook them for 25 minutes).
I have a recipe booklet that belonged to my Nana from 1946 called Cooking Made Easy with a Wear-Ever Pressure Cooker. The beet cooking times come from there, and were modified for the electric pressure cooker from tests I've done. Your results may vary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources to Make Instapot Beets
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I use an apple slicer after pressure cooking my beets. Makes pretty slices and it works quick. Just one push down and you have 8 perfect pieces with a little round center piece. No mess.
What a great tip!