Beets are so flavorful and healthy. We will cook Beets in the Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot. Usually, beets take very long to cook, however, they are a breeze in the pressure cooker. I love beets, especially after knowing their nutritional value. Also, how can one not love the bright colors? Red is my favorite color. My husband on the other hand, is not a big fan of beets. But guess what? I mostly do the cooking, so I get to choose what we eat 🙂 To his credit, he never frowns on anything that is on the table. In fact, I think he completely relishes any new dishes I try. So instant pot beets as a side or salad have been in regular rotation in our house. I also love to roast beets in the air fryer to get the perfect crispy texture. If you are looking for other steamed vegetable recipes, check out my detailed guide – How to steam vegetables in the Instant Pot.
Beets Nutrition
“Beet is of exceptional nutritional value – low in fat, full of vitamins, minerals, iron, and packed with powerful antioxidants – a health-food titan“. They are also an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fiber, manganese, and potassium. Although I don’t use the beet greens in this recipe, they are also very nutritious and can be cooked up and enjoyed like spinach.
How to cook Beets in Instant Pot?
Trim the beets
The first step is to trim the beets. It depends where you buy the beets from, they might have leaves with them or leaves might have already been removed. Trim the leaves leaving the root. Then rinse the beets under running water to remove any dirt.
Pressure Cook
I used 3 beets this time, but you can easily double or triple the number of beets. The main thing to note is have almost equal sized beets when cooking. This is one recipe where the cooking time varies based on the size of the beets. Small to medium sized beets can all go in as is. If there are some large beets, then cut them in half. Add a cup of water to the instant pot and place the trivet in it. Place the beets on the trivet. You could also use a steamer basket. For all small to medium sized beets, cook on manual or pressure cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. If all your beets are large, you can cook for 20 minutes. Do a 10 minute natural pressure release, which means release the pressure manually 10 minutes after the pressure cooker beeps. The left picture below shows before they are cooked and the right one after pressure cooking. You can insert a knife through one of the beets to check if they are tender all the way through. Else cook them for a few more minutes.
Do I have to peel beets before cooking?
The answer is you can, but it is not required. I prefer to peel them after they are cooked. The skin just comes off with your fingers or a paper towel. No need for a knife or peeler. It can smudge your hands red, so if you are going to a party, don’t forget to wear gloves. Transfer the beets to a plate/cutting board and let them cool down. Then you can easily scrape off the skin with your hands. Slice or Cut the beets as you prefer. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. They are a perfect side dish or can be added to a salad. I made a Beet Caprese salad with the leftovers. If you are looking for more beet recipes, check out Indian Beet Rice and Beet Poriyal made in the pressure cooker. Check out other basic cooking recipes in the instant pot – Steamed Broccoli, Cooking Chickpeas.
