Instant Pot Steamed Potatoes

It's quick and easy to cook whole potatoes in the Instant Pot. Russet, Yukon gold, red and baby potatoes all turn out great. Use the tender, steamed potatoes for mashed potatoes, potato salad, snacking, fries in the air fryer and any recipe that calls for pre-cooked potatoes.

Steamed potatoes make healthy meals for plant-based weight loss, since they are low in calorie density at about 350 calories per pound. They are also highly satiating, meaning they make you feel full and satisfied.

Combine steamed potatoes with a non-starchy vegetable like broccoli to further reduce the calorie density of your meal.

🎙 What people say about this recipe

"QUICK and easy way to prepare potatoes! Thanks also for sharing the different dish ideas to use them in!"

- Hope

"First time I ever used the steam mode on my IP. My potatoes turned out perfect. Such a great way to meal prep a bunch of potatoes to use throughout the week. Thanks for the great directions :)"

- Cathy

🧄 Ingredient notes

You only need two ingredients to make these steamed or boiled potatoes in the Instant Pot.

• potatoes
• water

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

When I'm batch cooking, I make 5 pounds of steamed potatoes, so we have plenty for the week.

What type of potatoes are best steamed?

1. Russet potatoes - they are versatile for lots of recipes and cheap to buy!
2. Gold potatoes - buttery flavor
3. Red potatoes - firm and smooth texture when steamed. perfect for potato salad.
4. Baby potatoes - great for snacks!

🔪 Instructions

Making "baked" potatoes, steamed potatoes or "boiled" 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.

1. Wash and scrub potatoes well. Remove any sprouts or bad spots.
2. Place wire trivet or steamer basket in Instant Pot insert.
3. Add 1 cup of water to Instant Pot.
4. Place all potatoes on top of trivet/steamer basket, layering if necessary.
5. Cover with Instant Pot lid, turn vent to "Sealing". Then, press "Steam" button and decrease time based on how large your potatoes are. For medium gold potatoes (pictured), steam for 10 minutes.
6. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Then, open vent with a utensil (be careful of the hot steam!). Potatoes are ready! If you prepared these for later use, allow potatoes to cool, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.

How long to cook whole potatoes in the Instant Pot?

• Tiny bite-sized baby potatoes: Steam for 1 minute, natural release for 10 minutes
• Small potatoes: Steam for 5-7 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes
• Medium potatoes: Steam for 10-12 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes
• Large potatoes: Steam for 15-20 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Serving suggestions

What can you use steamed potatoes for?

Steamed, cooked potatoes can be used for all kinds of recipes. Raw potatoes take a long time to cook, compared to other vegetables. So, if you already have pre-cooked potatoes ready, throwing together a plant-based meal will be faster!

Here's some ways I use steamed potatoes:

• mashed potatoes - mash with plant-based milk and salt
• potato salad (allow to cool completely first)
• snacking (just take a bite! add a bit of salt and it's the ultimate FILLING and healthy fast food)
• roasted potatoes in air fryer - cut cold pre-cooked potatoes into chunks or wedges, season with garlic, dill, salt and then air fry for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. Serve with BBQ sauce or ketchup. For a 50/50 plate: serve with a large helping of steamed broccoli.
• french fries - cut cold, pre-cooked potatoes into fries. Toss with seasoning, then air fry for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
• vegetable korma or curry - add cubed potatoes along with other quick-cooking vegetables. This saves 20-30 minutes when cooking curry by using pre-cooked potatoes.
• breakfast tacos - heat cubed potatoes, along with other filling in a non-stick pan
• tofu scramble - heat cubed potatoes, along with crumbled tofu, homemade eggy tofu scramble seasoning with black salt and vegetables. Serve with toast or tortillas
• breakfast skillet - cook onions in non-stick skillet, adding water if they start sticking. Then add diced potatoes and cook until heated through. Stir in cilantro and serve with salsa.
• burrito bowls - add diced pre-cooked potatoes to a bowl, along with cooked rice and beans. Heat in microwave, then top with lettuce, tomato, avocado, lime juice and salsa.

Did you know my family and I ate nothing but potatoes for 10 straight days? Read why we did it, if we would recommend it and what our results were.

🚦 Calorie density score

🟢 This recipe gets a green light on the calorie density chart. All of the ingredients are lower than 600 calories per pound, so eating meals like this regularly may help you lose body fat. Learn more about calorie density from Jeff Novick, MS, RDN.

Get your own printable calorie density chart for your refrigerator and free ebook explaining calorie density in simple terms.

🗺 Cultural influences

Potatoes are enjoyed around the world by many different cultures. My mind immediately goes to the Andes mountains of South America, where thousands of varieties of potatoes are cultivated. Potatoes are native to the Americas.

"Potatoes were introduced to Europe from the Americas in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice." - Wikipedia, Potato

💜 More recipes you'll love

Now you know how to cook potatoes in the Instant Pot, check out these other healthy potato recipes for weight loss!

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

📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Steamed Potatoes

Abi Cowell

It's quick and easy to cook whole potatoes in the Instant Pot. Use the tender, steamed potatoes for mashed potatoes, potato salad, snacking, fries in the air fryer and any recipe that calls for pre-cooked potatoes.

4.65 from 14 votes

Estimated Cost: $3

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Instant Pot

Cuisine Plant Based

Servings 10

Calories 179 kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot or pressure cooker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x...

• ▢ 5 pounds whole potatoes washed
• ▢ 1 cup water

Instructions

 

• ▢
  Wash and scrub potatoes well. Remove any sprouts or bad spots.
• ▢
  Place wire trivet or steamer basket in Instant Pot insert.
• ▢
  Add 1 cup of water to Instant Pot.
• ▢
  Place all potatoes on top of trivet/steamer basket, layering if necessary.
• ▢
  Cover with Instant Pot lid, turn vent to "Sealing". Then, press "Steam" button and decrease time based on how large your potatoes are. For medium gold potatoes (pictured), steam for 10 minutes.
• ▢
  Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Then, open vent with a utensil (be careful of the hot steam!). Potatoes are ready! If you prepared these for later use, allow potatoes to cool, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.

How long to cook whole potatoes in the Instant Pot?

• ▢
  Tiny bite-sized baby potatoes: Steam for 1 minute, natural release for 10 minutes
• ▢
  Small potatoes: Steam for 5-7 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes
• ▢
  Medium potatoes: Steam for 10-12 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes
• ▢
  Large potatoes: Steam for 15-20 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes

Notes

You can steam less potatoes at a time, you don't have to steam a whole 5 pounds, but that is the max that will fit in the 6-quart Instant Pot.

All varieties of potatoes I've used here in the Southern United States steam well in the Instant Pot. You can use russet, gold, yukon gold, red or white. Just follow the size chart above for the timing.

Serving size is based on a ½ pound serving of plain, steamed potatoes. So, for 5 pounds of steamed potatoes, this would yield 10 servings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portionCalories: 179kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 13mgPotassium: 946mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg

Keyword how to cook potatoes in instant pot

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

After further testing, this recipe was changed on 7/11/2022 to reflect a shorter steaming time for all potato sizes (from tiny, bite-sized potatoes to large russets), to prevent them from being overcooked. In addition, this makes this recipe faster to make! Yay, for quick meal prep. If you have any questions, please comment below.