Have you tried cooking beets in electric pressure cooker? With this instant pot beets recipe you will get fork-tender beets in minutes. Perfect for meal prep, cooked beets can be used in so many ways!
This post includes useful tips for peeling beets without staining, choosing the best ones, plus a selection of beet recipes that are not salads.
Cooking beets in electric pressure cooker is easy. When I make instant pot beets, I always peel them before cooking. It only takes minutes and I don’t have to deal with that anymore after cooking.
How to make beets in instant pot?
The whole process of making pressure cooker beets is easy. Peel them first (for stain-free peeling, read more below). Then have a look at their size. If all of them look similar, then you don’t need to do anything.
If some are way larger than others, you should cut these to get similar looking pieces. This is important as you want them cook evenly.
I like to use a large ice cream/cookie dough scoop as a guide. If some of them are too large that they would not fit inside, I cut them in half. You can also weigh them but don’t go too crazy about this.
Then, pour a cup of water in your instant pot, add steam basket and put the beets in.
Instant pot beets – cooking time:
Our local supermarket sells small beets – about the size of a small-medium lemons. I always make sure they all (roughly) fit in my large cookie dough scoop which serves as a size-guide for me.
This way I know they will take 10 minutes in pressure cooker. Cooking beets in pressure cooker should not take longer. If you have large beetroots on hand, cut them smaller.
How to peel beets without staining hands
You have two options here: First one requires you buying gloves. They make peeling, cutting and handling beets easy and more importantly stain-free.
Second option (my favorite) is for those who don’t have or don’t want to use rubber gloves: If you peel beets under running cold water, they won’t stain your hands at all! I also like to use kitchen tongs to move them around (e.g. putting them in the pot or taking them out).
Tip: Put a colander or strainer in the sink to easily collect the peels and dispose of them, if you like. Or just grab them with hands and throw them in your bin and wash your hands right after.
How to choose beets
- If you have an option, pick the ones with greens. They are fresher than beets without them.
- Smaller ones are easier to peel so go for small or medium ones.
- Soft beets are old so try find some that are firm.
How long do cooked beets last?
These pressure cooker beets should last up to 5 days in the fridge, when stored properly. This makes them perfect for meal prep.
Make sure they are completely cooled down before you put them in an air-tight container or sealed Ziploc bag and put in the fridge.
Simple seasoning
Instant pot beets come out of your pressure cooker fork-tender, but they need some seasoning when you want to use them in salad. Drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle some salt and black pepper over and give them a good stir.
You can also add a splash of balsamic vinegar but if you are making beet salad using recipe that also includes some dressing, you might want to omit the vinegar.
What do I do with beets?
There are many ways to use them apart from tossing them in salad. I have several beet recipes on the blog that are not salads:
- Beet Carrot Juice – for this recipe you don’t cook the beets. They add a great color and flavor without being overpowering.
- Roasted Beet Hummus is a delicious way to use this root vegetable. If you like trying new flavors, I recommend giving this a go.
- Dark Chocolate Beet Brownies is a delicious recipe with cooked beets.
- Oven Roasted Beet Soup is a tasty soup that can be also made using cooked beets if you don’t want to roast them in the oven.
High altitude pressure cooking
This recipe was developed at sea level. If you live in a high altitude you will need to adjust the cooking times. In general, the higher the altitude the longer cooking time.
If you need more information on this topic, you might like this article: High altitude cooking times.
Instant Pot Beets
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water
- 5 Fresh Beets
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Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of water in your instant pot. Add in steamer basket.
- Peel the beets under running water (to avoid staining your hands). Use a large cookie dough cutter as a guide for size. If some of the beets are way larger, cut them to roughly similar pieces (to fit the cookie dough cutter). See note!
- Use kitchen tongs to put the beets in instant pot. Close the lid and lock it into its position. Turn the steam release valve to SEALING and set timer to 10 minutes (on PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL program).
- When the time is up, manually release the pressure (be careful not to burn yourself).
- If you are using them for meal prep, make sure they cool down completely before you store them in air-tight container and put them into the fridge.
Notes
- The preparation time may vary. This will depend on how many beets you want to cook. The more beets the longer the cooking time.
- It does not matter how many beets you put in your pressure cooker. What does matter is their size. Buy small to medium beets. I like to use a ¼ cup cookie dough scooper/2.4 inch in diameter (6 centimeters) as a size guide. You can also use half a lemon (medium in size) as a size guide.
- After 10 minutes of active cooking time, the beets are nice and soft. If you want them crunchier, reduce the time by 2 minutes (or more – depending how you like them).
- This recipe was developed at a sea level. Note that if you live in a high altitude, you might need to adjust the cooking time. I have no experience with this, but I included a link to a post that has detailed information on high altitude pressure cooking that you might find helpful. For more info read the post above this recipe card.
- This recipe was developed for a 6-quart/6-liter instant pot. If you are using a larger pressure cooker, add more water (check the pressure cooker manual for the minimum amount, if not sure). The overall cooking time does not include time needed for the pot to come to pressure. Count with 8-10 minutes.
- For more tips and beet recipes, I recommend reading the full post above this recipe card.
Ellen says
That’s a great tip about preparing them under cold running water. I really need an instant pot on my Christmas list.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Ellen. Glad you found it helpful!
kim says
I love how easy these beets are and they are so good in salads! I will be making this one again and again!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
That’s good to hear!
Suzy says
I’ve never really bought beets so thanks for the tips on how to pick out good ones! I love how simple it is to cook them!
Erika says
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked beets before. What a great way to make them in the Instant Pot.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You must try, Erika!
Marsha Maxwell says
Thanks so much for these tips! I love beets, but they’re a little intimidating to deal with.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome!
Brittany says
This looks delicious! And so easy to make! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome!
Chris Spence says
Love beets. Just such a nice and easy way to cook them. Lots of good tips on buying and preparing. Thank You.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome, Chris. Thanks so much for finding time to leave the feedback.
Rod Ferris says
I’m not sure why you’d peel the beets before cooking when beets shed their skins cleanly when hot. Then you don’t have to use tongs to put cold beets into a cold IP. Every time I use your recipe it comes out perfectly and the skins slip off and I’ve got wonderful beet juice in the bottom! Borscht and boiled beets all at once!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Well, I don’t know, Rod. :) That’s how I have been doing it but thanks for your suggestion. I will definitely try doing it your way next time I make them!