Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots

How to cook Instant Pot potatoes and carrots at the same time! The best 3 minute healthy side dish that pairs well with any dinner. Easy to make in a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker too.

Pressure Cooker Carrots and Potatoes

We have made pressure cooker carrots and potatoes before. BUT when you want to throw several things together you might wonder exactly how it’s done.

It’s easier than you might think! Use our printable Instant Pot vegetable cook times sheet you can do it a lot more often and get everything just right. You want each bite to be the same tenderness as the next so the perfect pairing is where it’s at.

Ninja Foodi Potatoes and Carrots

If you’re looking for an easy Ninja Foodi recipe you can use that pot as well. They all basically work the same. It is easier if you have a vegetable steamer basket but I will share how to do this without one too.

Instant Pot Carrots and Potatoes

When it comes to potatoes there is a wide variety to choose from. You could use petite sliced in half like we did with our Instant Pot diced potatoes alone. Those are fun in different colors for sure.

We’ve used these for air fryer roasted potatoes before too, they’re super versatile. Good ol’ Russet potatoes are the cheapest and most common choice though.

How do you steam potatoes and carrots in Instant Pot?

It’s quite easy! They’re best inside a steamer basket but you can do it without that too. Just add water and in just 3 minutes both will be tender and delicious.

Can I steam potatoes and carrots together?

Absolutely. The key to this easy carrot recipe is to ensure all pieces are the same size. 1″ cubes are pretty perfect so both get fork tender, then season as desired.

How long does it take to cook vegetables in a pressure cooker?

That depends on what you’re cooking. Instant Pot broccoli is the shortest at just 1 minute while Instant Pot fried cabbage is a close second. All take under 5 minutes.

You can use bagged baby carrots if you want to save yourself a bunch of time. Either way this is an easy and quick side dish we just add butter and salt and pepper.

Ingredients

1. Carrots should be peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
2. Potatoes are best if you keep the skin on, washed and cubed into similar sizes is best. Red potatoes will stay firmer than Russet or Yellow.
3. Water or vegetable broth works
4. Steamer basket if you have one, if not just cook in the water but potatoes will break down a bit more this way

Seasonings are up to you. You could use Mrs. Dash for a sodium free option that still has great flavors. I opt for Italian seasonings, garlic salt, pepper, melted butter when done….just depends what I have on hand.

Early on I discovered how well an “old fashioned” vegetable steamer basket worked inside my IP. Back in the day my mom used it inside a pot on the stovetop to make pressure cooker cauliflower and all sorts of things.

They are quite inexpensive and is a must when you don’t want to submerge your food into the liquid below. I use this all the time when making Instant Pot hard boiled eggs too.

• If you do not have one NO worries.
• You can still make potatoes and carrots together. The only difference is that “boiling” them will break down the taters more than steaming them.

The top and bottom photo is without the basket so you can see. It is not bad but more than the instructions in the recipe card below.

Choose which method you want or need at the moment. If you do have the basket you can season it before and after cooking. This will give them a bit more flavor. You can add a few pats of butter on top when they’re in the basket too.

Then when it’s done everything is well melted and ready to serve. Taste once done and re-season as desired.

If you do need to cook your veggies in the liquid you may opt to use vegetable broth instead of water. This will give it more flavor with a bit of sodium. Of course this method will require you to drain it before serving. When using a basket you can just grab the center and lift it out and plate immediately.

Ready to try this one out?? One pot meals are game changers for sure. We make this, Crockpot carrots and our mixed air fryer vegetables several times a week with a protein. Wash outsides of vegetables. On a cutting board cube both into 1″ pieces. The smaller they are the softer they will get.

How to Cook Potatoes and Carrots in Instant Pot

1. Pour 1.5 cup of liquid into your pressure cooker inner pot. Lower a vegetable steamer into the bottom.
2. Put cubed vegetables inside the basket, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a few thin slices of butter too so that melts as it steams.
3. Close lid and steam valve.
4. Set to high pressure cook for 3 minutes and followed by a quick release.
5. Serve as is or with 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese on top!

Alternatively if you like your veggies REALLY tender you can omit the steamer basket and put directly into pot with 2 cups water or broth. Salt the water on top and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Drain, season and serve.

How long to cook baby Potatoes and carrots?

You would use the same timing if you slice those in half. If you use a bag of baby carrots you can cut down the prep since those are similar in size than chunks so the timing wouldn’t change from the instructions below.

SO easy right?? Garnish with parsley if you like, add some garlic butter on top or some sweetness like brown sugar. 😉

Serve with your favorite pot roast recipe and comfort food is served. Of course you can make these on the stovetop or in a slow cooker but why would you with this super quick cook time?

Once you try these mixed vegetables you may be blown away and want to try this with other groupings. If you love Instant Pot corn but want to make it with other things then give our Instant Pot steamed vegetables a whirl.

If you have this pot you can go a step further. Once they are pressure cooked you can drain the water and then crisp the outsides if you like. With a gentle olive oil spray and parmesan cheese it will melt perfectly.