Wondering how to cook beets in the Instant Pot? This post has everything you need to know about making perfectly steamed beets (golden, red, or any variety) in the pressure cooker, including a list of cooking time by beet size. Plus, you’ll learn how to use cooked beets in tons of delicious recipes.
Between the stained hands and long cooking time, preparing beets can be a hassle. Luckily for those of us with a pressure cooker, steaming beets in the Instant Pot is a total game-changer! They come out PERFECT — evenly cooked, wonderfully tender, and so easy to slice, grate, or blend, depending on what you need for a recipe.
I usually make roasted beets in foil, but these Instant Pot beets will definitely be in the rotation now too. From start to finish, and even when you include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, the total time is shorter than baking beets. It’s also nice not to turn on the oven!
So next time you grab a bunch of beets at the farmers market or have some in your CSA share, come back to this recipe. It may just become your new favorite way of preparing these earthy root vegetables. Be sure to check out my plethora of recipes that use cooked whole beets that I linked in the post too.
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Ingredients and Equipment
- Beets: You can use any kind of beets, including red, golden, or chioggia.
- Instant Pot (or pressure cooker): I use a 6-quart 7-in-1 Instant Pot. If you are cooking more than 2 beets, I recommend using at least this size of Instant Pot (or a larger one). However, a smaller Instant Pot would work if you are cooking 1 or 2 small to medium beets.
- Trivet: Use the trivet that came with your Instant Pot to hold the beets above the water that you’ll pour into the pot. This ensures they get perfectly and evenly steamed.
Instructions
The full recipe card for cooking beets in the Instant Pot is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you.
Trim the roots and stem (and the leaves if they’re there) from the beets. Scrub the beets under running water, using a vegetable brush, scouring pad, or your hands, to remove the dirt.
Place the trivet in the Instant Pot and put the prepared beets on top of it. Pour 1 cup of water into the pot. Place the lid on top, seal it, and check that the vent knob is turned to “sealing.”
Click the pressure cooker button and set the timer for the suggested cooking time for the size of your beets (see next section). When the timer goes off and the beets are finished cooking, turn the vent knob to “venting” to quickly release any pressure. Be careful and avoid letting the steam hit your arms or hands.
Transfer the beets, using a spoon or tongs, to a bowl. Let them cool before rubbing off the skin. If you want to speed up the cooling process, run the beets under cold running water.
Cooking Time By Size
Here’s how long it takes to cook beets in the Instant Pot, according to their size. Keep in mind that the Instant Pot takes a few minutes to come to pressure, so your cooking time will be slightly longer than what’s listed here. In general, you’ll want to increase cooking time by 10 minutes for every ½-inch increase in diameter.
- Baby beets (smaller than 2-inch diameter): 15 minutes
- Small beets (2-inch diameter): 20 minutes
- Medium beets (2.25-inch diameter): 25 minutes
- Medium-large (2.5-inch diameter): 30 minutes
- Large (2.75-inch diameter): 35 minutes
The beets I used were all about 2 inches wide and cooked perfectly in 20 minutes. If you have beets of varying sizes, you can cut larger ones into pieces that are similar in size to smaller ones so that they all require the same cooking time.
Storage
Beets cooked in the Instant Pot will last for up to a week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months for later use. See my post on How to Freeze Beets for more information.
Beet Recipes
Instant Pot beets are a great addition to sides dishes and salads. For an elegant side, pair them with goat cheese, nuts or seeds, herbs, and lemon juice. I also love to use cooked whole beets in smoothies and baked goods. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Beets
Equipment
- Instant Pot (6 quart or larger if making more than 1 or 2 beets)
- Trivet
Ingredients
- 3 beets - as close to the same size as possible
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Trim the stems and roots off the beets. Scrub them under running water to remove dirt. If you have beets of varying sizes, cut any larger ones in half (or quarters) so that they are similar in size to the smaller ones. This will ensure that they take about the same amount of time to cook.
- Place the trivet into your Instant Pot or pressure cooker and put the prepared beets on it. Pour 1 cup of water into the pot.
- Put the lid on top of the pot and seal it. Make sure the vent knob is turned to "sealing."
- Click the pressure cook button. Set the timer for the number of minutes based on the size of your beets:Baby beets (smaller than 2-inch diameter): 15 minutesSmall beets (2-inch diameter): 20 minutesMedium beets (2.25-inch diameter): 25 minutesMedium-large (2.5-inch diameter): 30 minutesLarge (2.75-inch diameter): 35 minutesThe Instant Pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure.
- When the timer goes off, use an oven mitt to carefully turn the vent knob to the "venting" position to release any remaining pressure. After the pressure is finished releasing, remove the lid.
- Transfer the beets, using tongs or a spoon, to a bowl to cool. When they are cool enough to touch, rub off the skin (it should peel right off). If you want to speed up the cooling process, you can run them under cold water.
- Add your beets to salads, sides dishes, baked goods, smoothies, and more!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Store cooked whole beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- The cooking times listed here are for whole, not cubed, beets.
DeAnn Wylie
Can you still wrap them in foil and cook them in the instantpot? Would the cook time be the same?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi DeAnn, good question. I believe it would work to wrap the beets in foil before putting in the Instant Pot. It should not affect the cook time, and I think the beets would still cook in about the same time as they would without foil.
Erin
Do they taste different than foil roasted beets? I always do that way, and I am hesitant to change. But… I live in Florida and not turning on the oven is always good.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I think they taste very similar! They are slightly less earthy than foil roasted beets, since they lose some of their juice during pressure cooking. But overall taste about the same and are even more tender than foil roasted IMO!