Instant Pot Beets

Beetroot, also known as beet is the taproot portion of the beet plant. Beets are very popular around the world for their nutrition and are used in many dishes.

Beets have a lot of health benefits and have very less calories. It is said to keep blood pressure in check and help fight inflammation.

Beets can be roasted in an air fryer, cooked whole in a pressure cooker, or even eaten raw by shredding over salads and sandwiches. This is an easy and perfect Instant Pot beets recipe.

Ingredients

You will need fresh whole beets and water to pressure cook them in the Instant Pot. I have used red beets but golden beets can be used as well. Most of the time the beets will have leafy greens which you can cut off.

The good thing about cooking whole beets in Instant Pot is that there is no need to peel them. Just cut off the ends with a knife, wash them thoroughly, and place them in the Instant Pot for cooking.

Once they are cooked, the peeling task is a breeze, cooked beets are very easy to peel, in fact, the skin will slide off with your fingers.

Instructions

Pressure cooking the beets in Instant Pot is quite simple. But before cooking them, cut off the greens and the tapering ends. Rinse thoroughly with water to get rid of any dirt.

Pour a cup of water into the Instant Pot liner and place a trivet. You can also place a steamer basket. Place the cleaned beets on top of the trivet. Lock the lid and turn the release knob in the sealing position and select the high-pressure mode.

Depending on the size of the beets, the time to cook beets will vary. Medium beets that are about 3 inches in diameter get cooked well in 15 minutes.

For large beets (more than 3 inches in diameter), the cooking time is longer and takes 20 minutes to be perfectly done.

After about 10 minutes of natural pressure release, turn the pressure knob to the venting positions and release remaining pressure. To test if the beets are well done, insert a knife, fork, or a butter knife at the center of the beet and insert it till its core. If it goes in smoothly and is fork tender, the beets are done.

If the knife is not able to get through then the beets need some more cooking. In this case, pressure cook the beets once again in the Instant Pot for another 5-7 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally.

It is always easy to peel the beets after cooking. Once the beets have been steamed in the Instant Pot, the skin becomes soft and very easy to peel off with a knife or slide with your fingers.

Beets will be hot once you remove them from the Instant Pot. You might not be very comfortable to peel hot beets.

It is best to allow the beets to cool down and it is easier to peel when it is cold. They can be cooled easily by placing them in a bowl of cold water.

Variations

Were you thinking of discarding those beet greens? They can be substituted in ripes for other leafy greens!

You can saute them and season them with some spices or salt and pepper and serve as a side dish. You can also add it to pasta dishes or pasta soup or use it in Indian dishes like saag paneer.

Serving suggestions

After peeling, the beets are very easy to slice or cut into chunks of desired shape and size. Cooked beets can be sliced and added to salads and sandwiches. To serve as a side dish drizzle some balsamic vinegar or olive oil.

It is also used in making soups, pickles, and hummus. I like to add a few slices to an Indian curry - pav bhaji - to give it a nice red color.

Storage

Cooked beets can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can store them after peeling or without peeling. When you are ready to eat, just peel them, slice them, and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like

• Vegetable Casserole
• Jasmine rice
• Sweet potato
• Corn on the cob
• Sev Puri Chaat
• Aloo Paratha
• Navratan korma (vegetable korma)

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