Instant pot potatoes and carrots - a simple dish to brighten up any main meal. This carrot and potato recipe is so simple to cook with few ingredients and effort, yet tastes delightful. Vegan, healthy and gluten free vegetable side dish.
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Steaming vegetables in an Instant Pot pressure cooker is a breeze and requires no special skills. I bet once you get an understanding of functions and cook times, you will try no other method.
The key takeaway from steamed vegetables is that they can later be tossed with an individual’s choice of seasoning. Have a bowl of steamed potatoes and carrots, herbs, and spices, and let family members pick their own seasoning. This way, everyone gets to eat their food with no fuss.
Ingredients
- Vegetables: Potatoes and carrots
- Seasoning: Ground cumin and salt are the only basic seasoning used in the recipe.
- Herbs: I've used fresh parsley but you could use any other herbs that you have on hand.
Find the quantities and a short video in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to steam potatoes and carrots in Instant Pot?
Wash, peel and dice potatoes and carrots into 1-inch size pieces.
Add a cup of water to the inner steel pot of the instant pot.
Place the trivet at the base of the pot.
Now place a steamer basket on the trivet.
Place the diced carrots and potato cubes in the steamer basket.
Close the pot with the lid.
Move the steam release valve to the sealing position.
Press the steam button and set the timer to 4 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, move the steam release valve to the vent position to manually release the remaining pressure.
Once the pin next to the steam release valve drops, open the lid.
Carefully take the steamer basket out of the pot.
Transfer the steamed potatoes and carrots into a bowl.
Mix in oil, salt, cumin and chopped parsley.
Delicious instant pot carrots and potatoes are ready to enjoy.
Substitutions and Variations
Lemon juice adds a refreshing flavour and zing to the steamed vegetables.
Butter could be used instead of olive oil for extra flavour. Use vegan butter for a vegan version.
Red potatoes could be used as well instead of white potatoes.
Fresh Herbs
Coriander: Brightens the flavour of vegetables. It has a strong citrus aroma. Coriander is the best choice if you don’t like parsley.
Dill: Highly aromatic herb infuses grass-like liquorice flavour to the dish.
Mint: The refreshing flavour of mint blends well with the vibrant avocado.
Italian seasoning: It adds a savoury, subtly sweet flavour to cooked potatoes and carrots.
Spices
Garam masala: adds an Indian flavour to the steamed vegetables. Just a big pinch suffices to elevate the flavour.
Black pepper/Red chilli flakes: adds a spicy kick to the vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
Carrot and potato is a great side dish to go with pasta dinner: pink sauce pasta, rasta pasta, pumpkin pasta and hidden vegetable pasta.
It is a healthy side dish to pair with one pot meals such as dal khichdi, vegetable soup and quesadilla.
Perfect to pack in a lunchbox with veggie wraps or with mango avocado salad.
Storage
Fridge: Store leftover steamed carrots and potatoes in the fridge in an airtight container for a day or two.
Reheat: Place the vegetables in a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until piping hot.
Freezer: Leftover seasoned vegetables can be stored in the freezer. Place the vegetables in zip-lock bags, seal properly and pop them in the freezer. Even freezer-friendly containers could be used.
However, the vegetables might not be as tasty as freshly seasoned vegetables as the seasoning affects the texture and taste.
Tips and Tricks
Cut vegetables into the same size for even cooking.
Cook Time: The cooking time depends on the size of the vegetables. So ensure to cut them into little big chunks so that the potatoes turn soft and the carrots are soft with a firm texture.
Pressure Release: Do quick release only if you want the vegetables to be a little bit hard and less than half cooked. Allowing natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes is essential to get perfectly cooked vegetables.
The instant pot takes around 6 - 7 minutes to come to pressure.
FAQ
Yes, steamed vegetables can be frozen to use later. Consider freezing if you plan to cook potatoes and carrots ahead of time to use on busy days. Divide the vegetables into desired portions and place them in a freezer bag, leaving about two inches of headspace as the vegetables expand in the freezer.
Defrost: Remove a portion from the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Remove any liquid left after defrosting, place the vegetables in a container and heat in the microwave just until they are hot. Do not heat for a long time, as the vegetables are fully steamed and might disintegrate.
Note: I would suggest freezing plain steamed vegetables and adding seasoning after reheating them rather than freezing the seasoned vegetables.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Cook whole pumpkin in instant pot: Cooking a whole pumpkin in an instant pot is an easy and effortless way. Cooked pumpkin could be diced or pureed to use in pies, muffins, cakes, smoothies and curries.
Cook whole wheat berries in instant pot: Learn how to cook wheat berries in an instant pot with this easy-to-follow guide.
Carrot and Lentil Soup: A warming spiced soup packed full of protein is perfect for a weeknight dinner or to pack for lunch.
South Indian Cabbage Fry: Popular south Indian stir-fry made with shredded cabbage tossed with coconut and a few basic spices.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do let me know if you make instant pot carrots and potatoes. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online. You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribing to my Youtube channel. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?
📖 Recipe Card
Easy Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots
Equipment
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml
- 238 gms (or) 2 medium Carrots
- 286 gms (or 3 medium Potatoes
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- Salt as required
- handful Fresh Parsley chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Olive oil
Instructions
- Wash, peel and dice potatoes and carrots into 1-inch size pieces.238 gms (or) 2 medium Carrots, 286 gms (or 3 medium Potatoes
- Add a cup of water to the inner steel pot of the instant pot.
- Place the trivet at the base of the pot.
- Now place a steamer basket on the trivet.
- Place the diced carrots and potato cubes.
- Close the pot with the lid.
- Move the steam release valve to the sealing position.
- Press the steam button and set the timer to 4 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, move the steam release valve to the vent position to manually release the remaining pressure.
- Once the pin next to the steam release valve drops, open the lid.
- Carefully take the steamer basket out of the pot.
- Transfer the steamed potatoes and carrots to a bowl.
- Mix in oil, salt, cumin and chopped parsley.½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin, Salt, handful Fresh Parsley, 1 Teaspoon Olive oil
- Delicious instant pot carrots and potatoes are ready to enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
More Instant Pot Recipes
Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly healthy and fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
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