Instant Pot Steamed Potatoes

Simplify your potato game and make these outrageously easy Instant Pot steamed potatoes! These steamed potatoes come out perfectly cooked and fluffy every time thanks to the pressure cooker’s magic. Weeknight dinner hero!

Why you’ll love this recipe

Ditch the boiling water and make the fastest, easiest potato side dish of your life by making steamed potatoes in the Instant Pot!

Steamed potatoes retain their texture and flavor much better than boiled potatoes. Plus, steaming them in the instant pot is totally hands-off, foolproof, and only takes a few minutes!

Scroll down for the printable card for this Instant Pot steamed potatoes recipe, or read on for all the details.

What do you need?

Equipment

Instant Pot

This recipe uses an Instant Pot, but you can use any brand of electric pressure cooker or multicooker with a pressure cook function.

Steamer basket (optional)

The easiest way to steam potatoes in an Instant Pot is to use a steamer basket. You can use any type of steamer basket. I have a silicone one and a stainless-steel one, both of which work fine in my Instant Pot.

This is optional, but if you want to steam potatoes rather than boil them you will need to find a way to hold them up out of the water during cooking. There are lots of options if you don’t have a steamer basket, see below for some ideas.

Key ingredients

Full ingredient list and quantities are given in the recipe card below.

Potatoes

For this recipe, I usually use baby potatoes, as I find they hold their shape a little better. However, you can also use regular sized potatoes. Choose a low-starch or waxy variety of potato (it might be labeled for boiling or for salads).

Most red, white or yellow varieties will work well (try Yukon Gold, Honey Gold). Russet potatoes are not so good as they are a high-starch potato and more likely to fall apart during cooking (they are perfect for Instant Pot mashed potatoes).

Water

Steaming requires water, and pressure cookers require water to get up to pressure. You will need to use at least one cup of water.

However, all pressure cookers will have a minimum amount of water that they require to operate, so check your manual if you are unsure what this is for your pressure cooker, and adjust the amount if needed.

Herbs (optional)

I love to add fresh herbs when steaming potatoes. The delicate flavor of the herbs infuses into the potatoes during steaming, that leaves you with potatoes that taste just a little bit more fancy than those cooked plain. The recipe below uses parsley, but you could also try mint, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, or dill.

Using fresh herbs is optional and the recipe will still be tasty even if you cook the potatoes plain.

>> Related post: How To Steam in an Instant Pot

How to steam potatoes in an instant pot

First, wash the potatoes, peel if preferred, and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. If using baby potatoes you can steam them whole, just cut any that are larger than 2 inches in half or into quarters.  

Place the steamer basket in the Instant Pot, then add the potatoes and pour over 1 cup of water.  

Close the lid and make sure the steam valve is set to ‘Sealing’.  

Set the potatoes to cook on High Pressure 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, release the steam valve and open the lid. The potatoes should be fork-tender and ready to eat.  

Instant Pot steamed potatoes without steamer basket

If you are wondering how to steam potatoes in Instant Pot without steamer basket, there are a few options you can try. 

You just need to find a way to elevate the potatoes out of the water so that they cook in the steam rather than in the boiling water. 

You can try using the metal steamer rack or trivet that comes with all Instant Pots. But you will need to check that the potatoes do not all through between the bars.

Alternatively, you can place a small plate or bowl onto the trivet and steam the potatoes on that, or roll up balls or logs of aluminum foil and place them in the bottom of the Instant Pot to hold the potatoes out of the water. 

Serving ideas

Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the potatoes while they are still hot. It will melt and add a lovely cheesy saltiness that complements the soft creamy potato flavor perfectly.  

Serve topped with melted butter – garlic or herb butter is a great option.

Storing and reheating leftovers

Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge, and use within 3 days.  

If we have leftovers I often serve them cold as a potato salad (keep it simple just add mayo and chopped chives).  

But they are also easy to reheat. Microwave them for ~1 minute on high (in a microwave-safe container of course).  

You can also reheat them in the instant pot: use a steamer basket, add a cup of water and pressure cook on high for 1 minute. However, you will probably find that they are a little on the soft side once they have been pressure cooked twice so I would only recommend doing this if you have used a very firm/waxy variety of potato.