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Wondering how to cook beets in the Instant Pot? Instant Pot beets cook in a fraction of the time compared to roasted ones, and I love how the process is almost completely hands-off!

cooked beet cubes in the Instant Pot

Use these cooked beets in a beet salad, smoothies, pasta, and more. They’re so nutritious, I’m always looking for more ways to squeeze them into my day! Be sure to check out the recipes below for more ideas.

Why You’ll Love Them

Beets are one of my favorite veggies because they have been shown to lower blood pressure, most likely due to their high concentration of nitrates. This effect is temporary, lasting for about 6 hours, so you’ll need to consume beets regularly to enjoy these potential benefits.

Eating beets may help with athletic performance, too!

beets sliced into cubes on cutting board

How do you cook beets without losing nutrients? Steaming or pressure cooking is your best bet, because you won’t lose nutrients into the cooking water like you might with boiling.

How to Cook Them in the Instant Pot

How do you steam beets in an Instant Pot? Cut the beets into 1- or 2-inch chunks, so they will cook quickly. Since beets are very dense vegetables, it would probably take nearly as long as an Instant Pot sweet potato to cook them whole.

beets sliced into cubes

I imagine you want to use your Instant Pot to make the cooking process as fast and efficient as possible, so cutting the beets first will give you the fastest cooking results.

There’s no need to peel the beets, unless you really want to. The peels will become very soft once they are cooked, so I don’t notice them! (If you do choose to peel them, you may want to use kitchen gloves to prevent your hands from getting stained.)

water poured into instant pot with beets

Once the beets are sliced, pour a cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot and add a steamer basket or the trivet that comes with your machine. This will keep the beets lifted up, out of the water. (That way you won’t lose nutrients in the cooking water.)

Place the beets on top of the steamer basket and secure the lid. Move the steam release valve to Sealing, then use the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 12 minutes.

Instant Pot set to cook for 12 minutes

When the timer goes off, you don’t have to do anything.

Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. When the screen reads L0:10, you can move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure.

Instant Pot naturally released for 10 minutes

You’ll know it’s safe to remove the lid when the floating valve has dropped, signaling that there’s no pressure left in the pot. Remove the lid, and test the beets with a fork for tenderness.

They should be fork tender, without being total mush.

fork testing the cooked beets

Storage Tips

Let the beets cool, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to use these for smoothies, you can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Use Them

Wondering what to do with extra beets? Here are some ideas

cooked beet cubes in the Instant Pot

Instant Pot Beets

5 from 2 votes
Here's how to cook beets in the Instant Pot, so they'll turn out perfectly tender every time!
prep5 mins cook12 mins Pressurization:20 mins total37 mins
Servings:6

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh beets
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  • Remove the beet greens (save them for another use) and cut the fresh beets into 1-inch cubes.
    beets sliced into cubes
  • Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot and fit a steamer basket inside. (I use the same steamer basket I use for stove top cooking-- no need to buy specific equipment!) Pour the beets into the steamer basket then secure the lid.
    water poured into instant pot with beets
  • Move the steam release valve to Sealing and cook at high pressure for 12 minutes. It will take roughly 8 to 10 minutes to come to pressure, so the machine will read "ON" until then.
    Instant Pot set to cook for 12 minutes
  • When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. When the screen reads "L0:10" you can move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to open the lid.
    Instant Pot naturally released for 10 minutes
  • Test the beets with a fork, to make sure they are tender. It should pierce them very easily, without being mushy. Let the beets cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Use them as a salad topper, or in a smoothie for extra nutrients!
    fork testing the cooked beets

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1/4 pound of beets. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 369mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: vegan
Keyword: instant pot beets

If you try these Instant Pot beets, please leave a comment below letting me know what you think! And if you try anything different, I’d love to hear about that, too!

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. Hi Megan,
    Thanks for all the great recipes you share, and all the work you put into it.

    The beets sound good. We eat beets as part of meals, but also like putting them into smoothies. Considering the state of the beets we buy, I don’t feel that I would want to leave them unpeeled. Some have very rough texture to the skin, especially around the stem end.

    One comment about the nutritional content. That seems to represent 1 oz of beet, not 4 ounces (approximately 1/4 cup).