How to Cook Beets in the Pressure Cooker

Cooking beets will no longer need to take a long time! Welcome to "How to Cook Beets in the Pressure Cooker."! If you are a beet fan, you will love the convenience of using the pressure cooker, because beets are now a snap to cook and serve.

Using a pressure cooker helps you will eat better. Difficult to cook foods, become easy to manage, and serve!

One of the kitchen promises I made to myself was to master cooking in the Pressure Cooker. You see, I had learned all about "pressure cooker phobia" as a child, and I wanted to work through the misconceptions of cooking under pressure. To be able to cook with confidence, accuracy, and pride. the benefit being good food to eat! 

My mother had a stovetop model, but she used it as just another pan. The gasket had been removed and she never attached the weight to cook under pressure. I remember clearly her words of warning, "they can blow up if you are not careful". Bless her heart, she meant well. But regarding pressure cookers, mom did NOT know best!

Electric Pressure Cookers are a dream machine in the kitchen.

Honestly, it took many years and the arrival of the Electric Pressure Cooker for me to even want to get on board with using a Pressure Cooker. And by the time I purchased my first Electric Pressure Cooker, I had owned a stovetop model for many years...I think I had tried to cook stew once, but mostly it sat on the shelf in the pantry and got moved around from time to time when I needed something behind it! While I had a large amount of pressure cooker desire, I had a larger amount of pressure cooker fear...

The first model bought was on clearance, but I was determined. 

The first electric pressure cooker I purchased (it was a really good sale!) sat on the counter and in full transparent self-disclosure, it wasn't me that cooked in it first. FEAR stood in the way. Once day when I got home from work, dinner was ready and my dear husband had used the new pressure cooker. Dinner was good, and then a few days later he pressure cooked again. and then again. Finally, he told me how easy it was. Honestly, his cooking and the comments he shared as a means to ease my fears, He pretty cleared the way for me to begin cooking too.  

So yes, I not only gave it a try, I wore out the first machine!

So I gave it a try...with lots and lots of caution at first, but I actually wore that first electric pressure cooker out! We take a stovetop model in our little RV when we travel and have two electric pressure cookers here at home. I have found each to have its own pluses and minuses. 

Using the electric pressure cooker gave me the confidence to use the stovetop model also. Recently I used the stove top model for a roast while using the electric pressure cooker for Custard Bread Pudding. But I can honestly say we are a pressure cooker cooking family, and we eat better because of it. On the practical side, there is nothing like a pressure cooker to cut the cooking time in half for long cooking foods like beans, tough cuts of meat, and many root vegetables like beets...and with summer harvests coming off, beets are on my mind.

Maybe folks don't eat beets because of the long cooking time. 

We love beets, of any color. Whenever fresh beets are available, we will purchase a bunch when we go shopping at the Co-op or farmers market. Our first meal from that purchase is always the greens, cooked simply with salt, pepper. I am careful to not over salt the greens, because I like is to boil off the water until about a tablespoon remains, then stir in a small splash of vinegar. If the greens are not eaten that night for dinner, they go into the fridge until the next evening, only needing a quick warm-up.

The beets, on the other hand, are more of a long-term project. I have rubbed them with oil and roasted them on a baking sheet, but with some of the larger beets, this can take 2 hours or more. Boiling in a large pot of water presented the same challenge of long-term cooking. But this method in the pressure cooker changes all that. The directions given are accurate for stovetop or electric models. And you might as well fill the pan with lots of beets, the cooking time remains the same.

An additional thought on this process/recipe:

And finally this! Like most appliances, I have discovered that my Instant Pot cooks slightly different, from the many recipes I have tried, indicate. My current model seems to need an additional minute or two. Adjust the cooking time listed in the recipe if needed for your particular model. 

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• beets
• water

You will also need the following:

• kitchen knife
• cutting board
• liquid measuring cup 
• pressure cooker, stovetop, or electric

Now we are ready to begin!

How to Cook Beets in the Pressure Cooker

by the seat of my pants!

UPDATED: 10.08.2023

Scrub beets of the excess sand and grit.

Two options, use the steamer rack that came with your cooker, or simply place the beets into the cooking pot and add the water. 

Add 1 cup of water to the cooker, OR the minimum amount required per the manufacturer. 

Secure lid and close the vent. 

For the stovetop model, bring up to pressure, adjust the burner heat level, and cook for 35 minutes. For very large beets, add 10 minutes of cooking time. 

Let pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes. Place the cooker in the sink, and let a stream of cold water stream over the pan. Carefully release the valve. Open the pan and let the beets cool for peeling. 

Golden Beets ready to cook in the pressure cooker.

For the electric model, select cooking time, the cooker will come up to pressure automatically and cook for 35 minutes. For very large beets add 10 minutes of cooking time. 

Let pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes.

Release remaining pressure manually, open the lid, and let the beets cool for peeling.

Peel the beets by slipping the skins off with your fingers. When the skins slip off easily, you know the beets are cooked completely. 

Cooked and peeled, Golden Beets, ready to eat!

Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed for a recipe or for serving.

Storage options for Beets Cooked in the Pressure Cooker. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can freeze beets for longer storage, but expect to have a loss of texture when thawed. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. 

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of How to Cook Beets in the Pressure Cooker has been included below. 

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Printable "copy and paste" version:

How to Cook Beets in the Pressure Cooker

by the seat of my pants!

UPDATED: 10.08.2023

Scrub beets of the excess sand and grit.

Two options, use the steamer rack that came with your cooker, or simply place the beets into the cooking pot and add the water. 

Add 1 cup of water to the cooker, OR the minimum amount required per the manufacturer. 

Secure lid and close the vent. 

For the stovetop model, bring up to pressure, adjust the burner heat level, and cook for 35 minutes. For very large beets, add 10 minutes of cooking time. 

Let pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes. Place the cooker in the sink, and let a stream of cold water stream over the pan. Carefully release the valve. Open the pan and let the beets cool for peeling. 

For the electric model, select cooking time, the cooker will come up to pressure automatically and cook for 35 minutes. For very large beets add 10 minutes of cooking time. 

Let pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes.

Release remaining pressure manually, open the lid, and let the beets cool for peeling.

Peel the beets by slipping the skins off with your fingers. When the skins slip off easily, you know the beets are cooked completely. 

Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed for a recipe or for serving.

Storage options for Beets Cooked in the Pressure Cooker. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can freeze beets for longer storage, but expect to have a loss of texture when thawed. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. 

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