Instant Pot potatoes and carrots is ready in 15 minutes. Steam for a couple minutes, then toss in a lemon vinaigrette for a bright summery potato salad. Enjoy warm or cold. Serve with sausage or leftover protein for easy dinner.
Table of contents
Do you have an Instant Pot? Week after week, I'm reminded how it's my favorite small kitchen appliance. I can easily cook dried beans, rice/grains, vegetables, and so many foods. It's versatile and does a few things well.
I like cooking potatoes in my Instant Pot. It doesn't require any supervision, I can steam them to retain flavor, and it's just so easy. I often steam potatoes instead of baking them, they turn out great and are much quicker.
Easy Instant Pot potatoes and carrots is just one more delicious side dish recipe you can make in one pot, in the Instant Pot. I like them cooked for just 3 minutes in a steamer basket for tender, yet not mushy vegetables.
Serve with your fave main dish.
Not only is this Instant Pot potatoes and carrots recipe super easy, it's a great way to use up those last leftover potatoes and carrots, especially when they're just starting to soften. You can season them however you want.
I recommend using yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes, not russet to maintain their shape after cooking. Carrots are great, but onions or celery would work too.
These are sturdier vegetables that would hold up after cooking with the potatoes.
Also, easily double or triple the recipe for leftovers or to take as a side dish to a potluck or picnic. Add the vinaigrette or other seasonings just before enjoying for a bit more variation.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the Instant Pot potatoes and carrots recipe card for the amounts of each ingredient, but here's a quick visual + description of what's in this recipe.
- Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, fingerling potatoes, new potatoes are best for this Instant Pot potatoes and carrots recipe. They're not as starchy as russet potatoes, so they'll hold their shape when cooking.
- Carrots: Carrots are great in this recipe, they cook just a bit slower than potatoes, and will be soft crisp after 3 minutes of cooking time. Many other vegetables would be very soft after cooking this way.
- Salt: Adding pinch of salt to the vegetables after cooking them brings out the flavors of the vinaigrette, potatoes, and carrots.
- Lemon Juice: A nice squeeze of lemon juice adds a bright tartness to this easy side dish.
- Olive Oil: The bright olive-y and herby flavors of olive oil go nicely with Instant Pot potatoes and carrots. It makes for a nice vinaigrette dressing with lemon juice and more herbs.
- Herbs: If you have any fresh herbs, use them in this recipe. I used parsley because I had it on hand, but it'd be great with chives, green onion, rosemary, thyme, etc would be great. Or a combo of them.
Instructions
Scroll down to the Instant Pot potatoes and carrots recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here's a quick overview + photos to see how to make this recipe in general.
1. Chop potatoes and carrots into similar sized pieces. Mince Herbs.
2. Pour water into Instant Pot, place steamer basket in pot, add carrots potatoes.
3. Lock lid, set knob to sealing, set to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE. Cook 3 minutes for carrots with a bit of a bite. You can cook for 5 minutes for soft potatoes and carrots.
4. Quick release. Drain water.
5. Add olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and salt to Instant Pot potatoes and carrots. Toss gently. Enjoy warm or cold with your main dish. See options below, in 'Serve with' section.
Other seasoning options
- Butter, Italian seasoning, garlic, parmesan cheese
- Butter, garlic
- Rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar
Serve with
- Instant Pot Fish (from frozen). You could cook the vegetables on the bottom, in water, and put a steamer basket on top to cook the fish. Remove cooked vegetables, then finish cooking fish about 5 minutes until 145 degrees F.
- Air Fryer Salmon for One
- Baked Panko Chicken for One
- BLT Bagel
- Pan Seared Pork Chop
Storage/Reheating Tips
Store leftover Instant Pot potatoes and carrots in an airtight container for up to about a week. Again, use the sniff test to see if it's ok to eat. Reheat in the microwave, or crisp them up in an Air Fryer, oven, or toaster oven.
Substitutions/Tips
- This Instant Pot potatoes and carrots recipe works best with yukon gold or red potatoes and carrots. Other types of potatoes/vegetables require different cooking times.
- Russet potatoes will fall apart more in this recipe. Which is fine if you don't mind crumbly texture.
- You can add seasonings, like salt and garlic to the cooking water, but I wouldn't season any vegetables that are in the steamer basket. It'll be too salty in parts.
- Double, triple+ this Instant Pot potatoes and carrots recipe. It's easy to multiply, and holds over well for leftovers.
- Other great add-ins: You can add butter to the cooked vegetables, dried spices, more herbs, and even chopped nuts or cheese. See other seasoning options above for more ideas.
FAQ
Cubed carrots and potatoes cook in about 10 minutes in an Instant Pot. That includes time to get up to pressure, cooking time (3-5 minutes) and time to release the steam.
Yes, they will cook in similar amounts of time. Chop them into similar sizes for even cooking, or leave carrots a bit larger than the potatoes if you want them a bit more crisp.
Other good side dishes
What to do with leftover ingredients
When you're cooking for one, you often have leftover produce, cans of whatever ingredient, etc. Here are a couple ideas on how to use up the leftover ingredients. It'll help you save money by wasting fewer ingredients.
- Potatoes: Roasted Beets and Potatoes, Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
- Carrots: Pickled Dill Carrots, Carrot Cucumber Salad, Italian Beans for One, and Chicken Soup for One.
- Lemon: Lemon Herb Couscous, Carbonara with Lemon, Single Serving Lemonade.
- Herbs: add to Delicata Squash Soup, Baked Salmon in 'a bag', or Easy Shrimp and Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner.
Did you make this Instant Pot potatoes and carrots? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!
Instant Pot potatoes and carrots
Equipment
- cutting board
- knife
- Measuring cups, spoons
- Instant Pot
- Steamer basket Instant Pot safe
- Serving spoon
Ingredients
- 2 small-medium potatoes yukon gold, red, fingerling, new potatoes
- 2 large carrots
- 1 cup water
- 1-1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- Chop 2 small-medium potatoes, 2 large carrots into about 1 ½ inch pieces. It's ok if carrot slices are a bit larger than potatoes. Mince herbs.
- Place steamer basket in Instant Pot bowl, add 1 cup water. Add chopped potatoes and carrots to steamer basket.
- Lock lid, turn knob to sealing. Set Instant Pot to MANUAL, cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 3-5 minutes. 3 minutes for carrots with a bit of a bite, and 5 minutes for soft vegetables.
- Quick release when timer goes off. Drain water.
- Add 1-1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice*, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and optional lemon zest to potatoes and carrots. Gently combine. Test and adjust seasonings to preference. *see notes below
- Enjoy warm or chilled. Serve with sausage link, chicken breast, pork chop, or burger.
Notes
- The ratio of oil to lemon juice is not traditional. Personally, I like really tangy dressings. Start with 1 Tablespoon or ½ Tablespoon and add more to preference.
- Use yukon gold, red, fingerling, or new potatoes in this recipe. Russet potatoes will fall apart more when cooking. Sweet potatoes would need to cook longer to soften.
- I wouldn't substitute the carrots for other vegetables, many would get overcooked in this recipe.
- See other seasoning options in section above for other ways to season these Instant Pot vegetables.
- Double or triple this recipe for leftovers or to serve to a crowd. It's great for leftovers. Enjoy warm or chilled.
- I prefer the potatoes and carrots when cooked for 3 minutes, the potatoes are softened and the carrots have a bit of a bite to them. 5 minutes gives you very soft potatoes and carrots.
- You can substitute about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs in this recipe. Italian seasoning, herbs de Provence, or turkey seasonings would be good in this recipe.
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Elizabeth says
This would pair well with a nice roast. I like how you can customize it with your own combination of herbs according to preference!
Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says
oh great idea! it'd be so tasty with a roast
Kushigalu says
This instant pot potatoes and carrots looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says
definitely! enjoy
Kristen says
This turned out great! Thank you for the recipe!
Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says
great to hear!
Nathan says
I love how easy this recipe is, that lemon vinaigrette adds so much flavor and really makes the veggies pop!
Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says
agreed!
dana says
Tasty and simple! A great recipe to have on hand. This side seriously goes with almost any main.
Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD says
agreed, it goes with pretty much everything!