This post is a step by step guide on how to cook beets in the Instant Pot or in an electric pressure cooker. Beets or beetroots are rich in nutrients and taste delicious too. We eat beets almost every other week. Our favorite dish featuring beetroot is beetroot Thoran, a south Indian stir fry. And I find that Instant Pot beets reduces my prep time by half.
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Technically, this is a how-to guide. I will not call it a recipe because it is a detailed tutorial on cooking these gorgeous vegetables.
While the process is fairly straight forward, sometimes the timings can differ based on the size of the beets. So I recommend that you read the whole post for consistent results.
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Ingredients
We just need two ingredients for this.
- Beetroot– You can cook both golden and red beets using this method. Please read the recipe notes for better understanding on timings.
- Water– No pressure cooker based recipe should be attempted without water for safety reasons. We will need 2 cups water for this recipe.
Pressure cooker beets without steamer basket
Let me be honest. The steamer basket and I are not great friends. Having said that, I love my trivet and my egg rack.
Since we will be cooking beets whole, you do not need a steamer basket here. Instead, an egg rack or a tall trivet will do its job nicely.
Beets – Instant Pot vs Roasting
Both are very different cooking techniques. They will yield different results in texture and taste, definitely.
While cooking beetroot in the Instant Pot is essentially cooking under high pressure in the presence of moisture (steam/water) here, roasting involves cooking them in a dry heated up environment, like that of an oven.
Pressure cooked beets are great in salads, smoothies, Raita or stir-fries. Whereas, roasted beets work well in salads mostly.
One advantage to roasting beets is that you can add flavors while you roast them. But this may not be easy while pressure cooking.
Instant Pot Cubed Beets
If you ask me, I won’t bother cubing beets and then pressure cooking them. Let me explain.
It is simply because it is so much easier and effortless to cube them once they are cooked.
But if you want to reduce the cooking and standing time, then I recommend that you peel and cube the beets before pressure cooking.
To cook cubed beets in the Instant Pot, follow these steps-
- Wash and scrub the beets thoroughly to get rid of any mud.
- Slice off the tops and roots, if any.
- Peel the beets and cut them into 1 inch cubes.
- Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot.
- Add 2 cups water. Place a trivet into the pot.
- Place the cubed beets in a steamer basket.
- Plug in the Instant Pot.
- Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted properly into the lid and close the Instant Pot.
- Turn the VALVE TO SEALING.
- Press STEAM and set the timer to 12 minutes.
- Wait for the steaming cycle to complete.
- When done, wait for 10 minutes of NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE. After 10 mins, do a controlled and gradual quick pressure release.
- Open and season as you prefer. Enjoy.
How to cook whole beets in the Instant Pot?
Wash and scrub the beets well to get rid of any mud. This step is very important here since we are not going to peel the beets for this method.
Trim the leaves, tops and roots of the beets. Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot and add 2 cups water to the inner pot.
Place an egg rack or a tall trivet into the inner pot and arrange the beets on the egg rack.
Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted correctly into the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot and TURN THE VALVE TO SEALING.
Press PRESSURE COOK-HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 25 minutes. Wait for the pressure cooking cycle to complete.
Once done, wait for 10 minutes of NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE. Press CANCEL. After 10 minutes, do a controlled, gradual quick pressure release.
Open the lid and allow the cooked beets to cool down. To peel them, gently rub the beets between your fingers or use a paper towel to scrub the peel away.
Slice them or cube them as desired and use it as per your requirements.
Recipe Notes
Timings-
The most crucial part of this process is the timing. If your beets are large in size, they take a long time to cook. Smaller ones cook fairly quickly. Follow these timings for different beet sizes-
- Small beets – High Pressure for 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes NPR.
- Medium beets – High Pressure for 15 minutes followed by 10 minutes NPR.
- Large beets – High Pressure for 25 minutes followed by 10 minutes NPR.
Serving Suggestions
Rich in antioxidants and nutrients, beets can be used in so many ways. Steamed till perfection, you can use them in many ways. Here are some ways in which I use them-
- Beetroot Raita
- Beet salad
- Beet Thoran
You can also serve them just as a side with some seasonings of your choice. We love eating these with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
More Instant Pot Recipes
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Beets
Equipment
- 1 six quart Instant Pot
- 1 tall trivet or egg rack
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 4 beets about 6 oz each
- 2 cups water
Instructions
Instant Pot Cubed Beets
- Wash and scrub the beets thoroughly to get rid of any mud.
- Slice off the tops and roots, if any.
- Peel the beets and cut them into 1 inch cubes.
- Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot.
- Add 2 cups water. Place a trivet into the pot.
- Place the cubed beets in a steamer basket.
- Plug in the Instant Pot.
- Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted properly into the lid and close the Instant Pot.
- Turn the VALVE TO SEALING.
- Press STEAM and set the timer to 12 minutes.
- Wait for the steaming cycle to complete.
- When done, wait for 10 minutes of NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE. After 10 mins, do a controlled and gradual quick pressure release.
- Open and season as you prefer. Enjoy.
How to cook whole beets in the Instant Pot?
- Wash and scrub the beets well to get rid of any mud. This step is very important here since we are not going to peel the beets for this method.
- Trim the leaves, tops and roots of the beets. Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot and add 2 cups water to the inner pot.
- Place an egg rack or a tall trivet into the inner pot and arrange the beets on the egg rack.
- Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted correctly into the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot and TURN THE VALVE TO SEALING.
- Press PRESSURE COOK-HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 25 minutes. Wait for the pressure cooking cycle to complete.
- Once done, wait for 10 minutes of NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE. Press CANCEL. After 10 minutes, do a controlled, gradual quick pressure release.
- Open the lid and allow the cooked beets to cool down. To peel them, gently rub the beets between your fingers or use a paper towel to scrub the peel away.
- Slice them or cube them as desired and use it as per your requirements.
Notes
Timings-
The most crucial part of this process is the timing. If your beets are large in size, they take a long time to cook. Smaller ones cook fairly quickly. Follow these timings for different beet sizes-- Small beets – High Pressure for 10 minutes followed by 10 minutes NPR.
- Medium beets – High Pressure for 15 minutes followed by 10 minutes NPR.
- Large beets – High Pressure for 25 minutes followed by 10 minutes NPR.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
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