Foolproof Instant Pot Steamed Baby Potatoes

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Perfectly tender Instant Pot steamed baby potatoes every time. This foolproof recipe delivers creamy, fluffy results in minutes with minimal effort — ideal for easy weeknight dinners or simple side dishes.

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If you’ve been here for a while, you know how much I love the convenience of using the Instant Pot when I want guaranteed results. The Instant Pot has become a life saver to cook so many ingredients, such as lentils and beans and potatoes! I truly love how there’s no variation when I cook these in my Instant Pot. No matter what, if I do the same method, I’ll have everything perfectly cooked.

On the other hand, when I used to use my good old pressure cooker, which has met the garbage for quite some time - sorry pressure cooker! But you were too worn out and broken! - there were so many variables to affect the cooking process. For example, I’d forget how many “whistles” X needed before releasing the pressure, I’d forget to release the pressure, I didn’t hear the whistles, the pressure inside varied… Oh gosh the list goes on! I’ve had SO many struggles with my old pressure cooker, and with that I’ve ruined so many dishes and had to waste food and start over. I’m very anti-waste when it comes to food, but I mean, if your base isn’t cooked properly, then how can you continue cooking? Not only did I have to start my dishes over again, but that would waste time as well! When you’re hungry, you need to eat! These blunders with my pressure cooker bothered me to the end so I was just done with using it! That’s why there came a day where I just had to chuck it, and now I only ever trust my Instant Pot. Rant over!

Well, almost. So why am I here with this recipe today? It’s actually a personal pain! Yesterday, at the time of testing out this recipe (which thank goodness I got right on the first try - lucky!), I DID want to see if there was any information out there on how to steam baby potatoes in the Instant Pot. Because they’re tiny, it certainly will NOT be the same cook time as the larger potatoes. I was very nervous about over-cooking them! What did I find? Nothing! But that’s okay. I’ve figured out the answer and I’m here to share it with you so you don’t have to try to get the right cook time for your baby potatoes! For perfectly steamed Instant Pot potatoes, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s get to it!

Why Make Instant Pot Baby Potatoes?

Let’s go over why I strongly recommend the Instant Pot for cooking your baby potatoes:

Once you know the method, there are no variables. It’s the same every time
By using the Instant Pot, you’re saving a burner on your stove! That’s another thing that bothered me about using my pressure cooker. I’d lose space on my tiny stove and this would further delay my meals. Now that I use the Instant Pot, I have enough space so I can start other components of my dish, such as making a masala.
If you don’t need the stove as your potatoes are cooking, then you can just leave the Instant Pot be and work its magic as you go do chores or just relax on the couch!

I guarantee if you’re not already using your Instant Pot to cook your potatoes and you get started, you’ll be just like me. There’s no going back to any other way! Trust me!

If I’ve convinced you, you can check out my comprehensive guide on How to Cook the Best Beans & Lentils in the Instant Pot (times and settings for soaked and unsoaked beans!), and my guide on How to Cook Boiled Potatoes in the Instant Pot - for your regular-sized potatoes! You’re all set!

Why Use Baby Potatoes▼

So what’s special about baby potatoes? They are just like regular-sized potatoes, yes! But there are some advantages to using baby potatoes over their larger friends!

They’re fun-sized, so you most likely don’t have to cut them further
Potatoes are cheap, so very accessible to everyone!
A true blank canvas. Season them however you’d like or pair them in any kind of gravy or sauce!
Again, because they’re fun-sized, they just look good! There are some cases where these little guys really make a dish stand out just for the presentation! I’ve also noticed that baby potatoes mixed in certain curries don’t turn to mush because there’s not all the starch going into your gravy, such as dum aloo.

What to Serve Instant Pot Baby Potatoes With?

Here are some delicious ideas if you’re wondering what to serve your baby potatoes with:

How to Steam Baby Potatoes in Instant Pot

Thoroughly rinse potatoes and scrub any dirt off.
Insert the trivet in the Instant Pot and place potatoes on the trivet.
Pour between 1/4 to 1/2 cups of water over potatoes.
Close the lid and ensure the Instant Pot is in Sealing Mode.
Select the Steam setting and cook for 5 minutes, and let the pressure release naturally.
Try inserting a fork or knife to ensure the center of the potatoes are cooked.

Why Use the Trivet? I see recipes using a steamer basket!▼

Yes, I saw folks using the steamer basket too when I was trying to find the answer to how to steam your baby potatoes! No one else used the trivet. Should you use the trivet or the steamer basket? Well, the simple answer in favour for the trivet is that it came with the Instant Pot! Why go out and get another basket for steaming if it’s not necessary? The trivet works just fine! All we’re using it for is to create a gap between the Instant Pot and our potatoes so that our potatoes don’t sauté and become brown.

HOWEVER if your potatoes are super small that they would fall through the trivet, then by all means you can use a steamer basket! But my baby potatoes were large enough that they didn’t fall in the pot, so it did the trick! I just want to clarify that you can use what you have, no need to get extra accessories if the trivet does the job just fine!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra