Instant Pot Steamed Japanese Sweet Potatoes

It's quick and easy to steam whole Murasaki sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot. Use the tender, steamed sweet potatoes for mashed sweet potatoes, snacking, easy meal prep and any recipe that calls for boiled or pre-cooked Japanese sweet potatoes or Korean yams.

Japanese sweet potatoes are starchy and fluffy, with more moisture when they're steamed vs. baked.

Baking Japanese sweet potatoes is my favorite method of preparing these, but steaming them is much faster and easier to know when they're done.

If you don't want sweet, caramel-like flavor in the finished potato, steaming is the way to go.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

• Japanese sweet potatoes - This variety of sweet potato has a red-purple skin and white flesh inside when you cut into it. They go by many different names, such as: Murasaki sweet potato, Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo), Korean yam (goguma) and red kūmara. You can buy these at Asian markets like H-Mart and Ranch 99, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

• Japanese sweet potatoes - instead of the pictured sweet potatoes with the red/purple skin and white inside, I have also used this method to steam up Stokes purple sweet potatoes and other starchy sweet potato varieties.

Looking to steam white potatoes, russets or gold potatoes? See this how to steam potatoes in the Instant Pot guide on my website!

🔪 Instructions

Making "baked" sweet potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes or "boiled" sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot is super simple and easy. It's also hands-off, so you can be doing something else while the potatoes are cooking.

You can make just a couple sweet potatoes at a time. Or, you can steam up to 5 pounds of potatoes in the 6 quart size Instant Pot.

How long to cook whole Japanese sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot?

• Small sweet potatoes (1.5 inches or 4 cm thick): Steam for 15 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes
• Medium sweet potatoes (2.5 inches or 6.5 cm thick): Steam for 20 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes
• Large sweet potatoes (3 inches or 7.5 cm thick): Steam for 30 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes

Your sweet potatoes are ready! If you prepared these for later use, allow potatoes to cool, then refrigerate for up to 5 days. Or, freeze for up to 3 months.

🍳 Equipment

• Instant Pot or pressure cooker - This method requires a pressure cooker to steam the potatoes. I use a 6-Quart Instant Pot.
• Steam basket or trivet - to elevate the potatoes out of the water for steaming. My Instant Pot came with a metal trivet and that's what I use for steaming the potatoes.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

Allow to cool at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before refrigerating. Store the baked sweet potatoes in a container or bag in the refrigerator. Will keep up to 5 days. Or, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Serving suggestions

Here's some ways I season and eat steamed Japanese sweet potatoes:

• mashed sweet potato - mash with plant-based milk, salt and a little sugar
• snacking (just take a bite! Delicious cold or hot. Add a bit of salt and it's the ultimate FILLING fast food)
• everything bagel seasoning - slice open and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.
• cinnamon sugar Japanese sweet potato - peel steamed sweet potato, then cut into large pieces. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or brown sugar. Roast in 400 degree oven until lightly browned on edges. Enjoy!

❓ FAQ

🗺 Cultural influences

Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams are enjoyed around the world by many different cultures, in many different preparations.

In my limited experience and research, the sweet potatoes pictured here in this recipe are called by the following names:

• Murasaki sweet potatoes - At Trader Joe's, they are packaged with this name. Murasaki means "purple" in Japanese. Although these have a Japanese name, they were cultivated to grow well in Louisiana and are grown mostly in California now.
• Japanese sweet potatoes - They are commonly called this online and in cooking shows. This variety is similar to Kotobuki sweet potatoes grown in Japan.
• Satsumaimo - this is the Japanese word for sweet potato, to my knowledge
• Korean yams or sweet potatoes - Goguma (고구마) means sweet potato in Korean. The most popular is bam goguma (밤고구마) and mul goguma (물고구마), which is the variety pictured here in this recipe.
• Kūmara - sweet potatoes in general are called kūmara in New Zealand. The murasaki sweet potatoes this post is about are called "red kūmara" or Owairaka Red.

This recipe is inspired by food experiences in my diverse hometown of Houston, Texas and by the strong cultural influences of my family and friends from New Zealand and Japan. See About for more information on my cultural influences and how I attribute recipes.

💜 More recipes you'll love

If you love this recipe, check out these other plant-based Instant Pot pressure cooker recipes!

📖 Recipe