Easy Instant Pot Beets

Quick and easy, cooking beets in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker couldn’t be simpler. These super speedy Instant Pot Beets are ready to eat in 15 minutes….and that includes the preheating time!

Instant Pot Beets

One thing I totally hated growing up was beets……they were on the list of gag inducing foods I just couldn’t bare to see at the dinner table. I don’t know why, there was just something about the after taste I couldn’t get over. But as the years went on, as with almost every food I love right now, I grew to love them…..and, of course, all their nutritional benefits.

The problem with beets is cooking them can take FOREVER! And even though they are more of a hands off kind of vegetable when it comes to roasting beets, they’re so incredibly dense that roasting can take up to an hour depending on their size.

So, I decided to give a bunch of beets a whirl in the Instant Pot and the results were pretty life changing. I, seriously, am growing more and more attached to my Instant Pot for it’s pressure cooking feature alone. It definitely speeds things up when it come to kitchen basics like cooking beets or steaming artichokes.

I used to only use this recipe to roast beets for all my recipes but once I dusted off the Instant Pot…..this is definitely the way to go when time is crunched and you just want to whip up a healthy side dish or salad.

Do you have to peel beets before you cook them?

Here’s the beauty of cooking beets…..you definitely don’t need to peel them before you cook them in the Instant Pot or roast them in the oven. Once the beets are cooked to fork tender and allowed to cool enough to handle, the skin of the beet will peel right off without any effort.

How to Cook Beets in the Instant Pot

Cooking beets in a pressure cooker or the Instant Pot is definitely the fastest way to cook beets. And it’s really simple to do, too.

To cook beets in an Instant Pot:

1. Cut off the stem end of the beet leaving about 1/2 inch of the stem on the beet. 
2. Place the rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot and arrange the beets on top in a single layer.
3. Add 1 cup of water to the instant pot and place the lid on the Instant Pot.
4. Set to manual mode and vent in the sealing position. Cook beets on high pressure for 10 minutes (larger beets may take up to 15 minutes.)
5. Once the timer goes off, manually release the pressure carefully.
6. Remove the beets and allow to cool to room temperature or until cool enough to handle.
7. Cut the stem end off and gently peel off the skins. If they still stick, run them under cool water and they should rub right off easily.
8. Use in your favorite recipes calling for beets.

Health Benefits of Beets

One of the many reasons we’re BIG BEET FANS here are the MANY health benefits of beets. Whenever we’re feeling a bit yuck, we turn to beet juice to kind of flush everything out. My husband swears by an increase in energy immediately after drinking beet juice…..I should really drink more of it because I don’t feel anything like I do with the rush of a coffee buzz.

Here are some of the many health benefits of eating beets:

• Beets are extremely low in calories but PACKED with valuable vitamins and minerals. In fact, they contain a little bit of every nutrient you need.
• They help keep blood pressure in check. Beets contain a high concentration of nitrates which can lower blood pressure reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Beets may even enhance athletic performance by improving oxygen use and time to exhaustion.
• Beets may even have anti-inflammatory effects.
• Beets are a good source of fiber which is necessary to ward off a wide array of chronic illness.
• Beets are low in calories and high in water content which can help aid in weight loss.

What can you do with beets?

Beets are incredibly versatile and can be used in so many recipes or just enjoyed as a snack or side dish. 

Here are a few of my favorite recipes using beets:

• Spiced Lamb Burger with Roasted Beets
• Pickled Red Beet Eggs are a summer staple!
• Golden Beet and Whipped Goat Cheese Salad

What To Serve Them With

Roasted Beets are the ultimate side dish and salad topping. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to serve with Instant Pot Beets:

• The BEST EVER Oven Baked Chicken Breast
• Super simple Rotisserie Style Chicken
• Grilled Lamb Chops with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
• Parmesan Crusted Chicken

If you’re looking for ever more easy recipe inspiration, be sure to follow us over on Instagram!