How to cook perfect Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot? This is part of my Instant Pot Cooking Basics series. Sweet Potatoes cook to perfection in the instant pot…oh so tender and creamy. These pressure cooker “baked” sweet potatoes are fast & easy to cook and make a delicious snack or side dish!

Creamy Sweet potatoes topped with butter in a white plate ion front of the instant pot
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True story…my husband never liked sweet potatoes. But these silky, smooth, creamy sweet potatoes have finally converted him. Yay! Our favorite way to enjoy them is with lots of butter…salted butter, of course.

Sweet potatoes are super nutritious, high in fiber, and absolutely delicious. They are rich in beta-carotene and Vitamix A. They are also low fat and have no cholesterol. Hence, they are a great addition to a vegan & gluten-free diet.

Did you know sweet potatoes are also called yams? I grew up in India, and yams is what we called sweet potatoes.

I love to boil and steam veggies in the instant pot. I have shared how to boil russet potatoes and how to perfectly steam broccoli before.

The best thing about making instant pot sweet potatoes is you just put in the whole sweet potatoes, set the timer, and forget them. Come back to creamy, perfect, moist sweet potatoes in less than an hour!

When I don’t have a side dish planned for dinner, these sweet potatoes come in handy. If you like roasted sweet potatoes, check out my air fryer sweet potatoes recipe. For a cozy, warm dinner, here is my easy dump-and-go sweet potato soup recipe.

Oh, and these tender sweet potatoes work great as baby food too. My 11-month-old daughter loved them. You can also peel and steam the sweet potatoes, as I do when making baby food in the instant pot.

Why cook Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot?

  • They are fast – It takes less time than an oven, and we don’t have to heat up the house, especially in summer.
  • They are completely hands-off and need less than 5 minutes of your active time.
  • They are cooked to perfection with a moist, creamy interior.
  • Healthy & nutrient-packed
Tender creamy sweet potato flesh in a fork

How long to cook Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot?

Cooking potatoes or sweet potatoes is the one recipe where you need to adjust the cooking time based on the size of the potato. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all pressure cooking time.

The cooking time depends on the size of the sweet potatoes.  Now I will share some pointers so you can measure the circumference of the sweet potato to determine the cook time.

Measuring size of sweet potato

Below are the size and pressure cooking time on high pressure:

Small-Medium (6-7 inch circumference) –  15 minutes

Large (8-10 inch circumference) – 22 minutes

Very Large (12-inch circumference) – 30 minutes

Sweet potatoes on a trivet in an instant pot to be cooked

Follow this with a natural pressure release. If you are in a hurry, then you can do a 10-minute NPR. This means letting the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then releasing the pressure manually by turning the knob to venting.

Do note that the instant pot takes time to come to pressure and release pressure.

The important thing to note is that I do not pierce the sweet potatoes when cooking in the instant pot.

Sweet potatoes cooked in the instant pot

Just in case the sweet potatoes are not done well, then pop them in again for 5 minutes.

A cooked sweet potato being picked out of the instant pot with tongs

Pro-tips for Perfect Sweet Potatoes

  • Select sweet potatoes similar in size as they would have the same cooking time.
  • You do not need to pierce sweet potatoes to cook in the instant pot.
  • You can stack sweet potatoes, similar to how you might stack potatoes while cooking in the instant pot.
  • Use this timing as a reference. Adjust according to your preferred texture and altitude.
  • If some sweet potatoes are very large in size, you can cut them in half to reduce cooking time, similar to potatoes.
  • And finally, these sweet potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days after cooking.
Three Creamy buttery Sweet potatoes in a plate in front of the instant pot

How to Serve Sweet Potatoes?

  1. Just some salted butter!
  2. Smear with butter & sprinkle some cinnamon.
  3. Season with salt & pepper
  4. Top with yogurt or sour cream and some nuts/seeds
  5. Top with maple syrup
  6. Loaded Mexican style

I hope you enjoy these amazing creamy Sweet Potatoes cooked in the instant pot! We have been making them so frequently now that we have this easy method to cook them in the instant pot!

Free Vegetable Cooking Time Chart

If you are looking to steam other vegetables in the pressure cooker, check out my guide to Pressure Cooker Steamed Vegetables.

5 from 5 votes

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in Instant Pot?

Sweet Potatoes cook to perfection in the instant pot, tender and creamy. These pressure cooker “baked” sweet potatoes are fast & easy to cook, and make a delicious snack or side dish!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 4 Sweet Potatoes
  • 1.5 cups Water

Instructions 

  • Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes with water.
  • Add water to the instant pot steel insert. Place the trivet and whole sweet potatoes on the trivet. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
  • Set to Pressure cook or manual mode at high pressure for:
    Small-Medium (6-7 inch circumference) –  15 minutes
    Large (8-10 inch circumference) – 22 minutes
    Very Large (12 inch circumference) – 30 minutes
  • When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. If in a hurry, you can release pressure 10 minutes after the beep.
  • Open the lid and using tongs to carefully remove the sweet potatoes. Let them cool a bit before serving.
  • Serve with your fav toppings.

Notes

Pro-tips for Perfect Sweet Potatoes
  • Select sweet potatoes similar in size as they would have the same cook time.
  • You do not need to pierce sweet potatoes to cook in the instant pot.
  • You can stack sweet potatoes similar to how you might stack potatoes while cooking in the instant pot.
  • Use this timing as a reference, adjust accordingly to your texture preference and altitude.
  • If some sweet potatoes are very large in size, you can cut them in half to reduce cooking time, similar to potatoes.
  • And finally these sweet potatoes can be store in refrigerator for up to 3 days after cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 129mgPotassium: 762mgFiber: 7gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 32063IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 1mg

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten-free, Paleo, Vegan
Tried this recipe?Mention @pipingpotcurry or tag #pipingpotcurry!

About Meeta

I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. My passion is to share easy, healthy, and wholesome recipes made using Instant Pot & Air Fryer, that are well tested, so you can cook with confidence.

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8 Comments

  1. Always love your detailed recipes. I still have a question. Does the steam mode work for sweet potatoes or manual high pressure is better? If steam mode can work than how long? Thanks!

    1. Hi Suneena – You can use steam mode on high pressure for the same time as in the recipe too. Hope you enjoy the sweet potatoes.

  2. Game changer. Amazing potatoes. Thank you so much! Moist and tender, they mashed nicely with some butter, ginger, cinnamon & sugar. Best ever and so easy. 💕