Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots is a versatile and simple side dish recipe that cooks to tender perfection in just minutes.

It’s easy to make flavorful potatoes and carrots in the Instant Pot with just a few basic ingredients.

A serving of Instant Pot potatoes and carrots on a small white plate with a fork next to them

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My Instant Pot has been a complete time saver when it comes to main dish recipes like Instant Pot Beef Stew, an all-inclusive recipe that’s loaded with meat, potatoes, carrots and a flavorful gravy.

But sometimes, I need a hearty side dish that’s versatile, tastes great and cooks quickly–and can be served with just about any dinner.

And who doesn’t love tender potatoes and sweet carrots?

Pressure cooker potatoes and carrots are loaded with flavor, thanks to the addition of garlic and Italian seasoning.

Serve them with roasted chicken, Instant Pot pork chops, roast beef, hamburgers, slow cooker country style ribs, as a side dish for sloppy joes, or almost any other favorite main dish.

The best part of this recipe is that you can cook potatoes and carrots together at the same time in the Instant Pot–in just 5 minutes.

Add in the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and they will still be finished and on the table faster than you can boil a pot of water.

More Instant Pot Side Dishes:

overhead view of the insert pot of the Instant Pot, filled with baby golden potatoes and chunks of carrots

Tips for Perfect Pressure Cooker Potatoes and Carrots

This recipe really couldn’t be any easier. These tips will make sure you get perfect potatoes and carrots every single time.

Wash and cut your veggies the night before cooking to save you even more time in the kitchen.
Sauté the onions and carrots for a few minutes to give them a head start on the cooking process.
Cut your veggies into similar sized pieces. You want larger sized chunks of carrots that are comparable to your smallest potatoes. Cut any larger potatoes as needed.
You can easily cut this Instant Pot recipe in half for a smaller serving or double it to serve more. Keep the liquid at one cup and keep the same cooking time.
If you prefer, you can cook the potatoes and carrots in a steamer basket, but I like to have them coated with the herbs and liquid.

How to Make Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots

It’s really easy to make potatoes and carrots in the Instant Pot.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Olive Oil
Onion
Carrots
Minced Garlic
Baby Yellow Potatoes
Italian Seasoning
Vegetable or Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper

side view of herbed potatoes and carrots cooked in the Instant Pot, served on a white plate

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Sauté the Veggies. First, you’ll set the Instant Pot to sauté and heat the oil.

Sauté the onions and carrots for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften and become translucent. Turn off the heat and stir in the garlic.

onions, potatoes, and garlic cooking in the insert pot of the Instant Pot using the Saute function

Add Potatoes and Cook. Next, you’ll add the baby yellow potatoes and the Italian seasoning, stirring to coat well.

Seal the lid and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure, followed by a 5-minute natural pressure release.

baby gold potatoes, herbs, and seasonings added to the carrots and onions in the Instant Pot

Serve. Last, you’ll perform a quick release of any remaining steam, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

overhead view of a helping of pressure cooker potatoes and carrots on a white plate, with a fork next to the vegetables

Notes and Adaptations:

If you have a variety of sizes of potatoes, cut the larger ones in half to be about the same size as the smaller ones.
You can substitute a different kind of potato, if desired. You may need to halve or quarter them, depending on their size. I like the creamy texture of baby potatoes for this recipe, but you could use russet potatoes as well.

Recommended Equipment:

Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker

Yield: 6 Servings

Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots

Name: Instant Pot Potatoes and Carrots
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 TBSP olive oil; 1/2 medium onion, diced; 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2" pieces; 1 TBSP minced garlic; 1 1/2 lbs baby yellow potatoes, halved if needed (see note below); 2 tsp Italian seasoning; 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth; Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking potatoes and carrots in your Instant Pot results in a quick, easy, and savory side dish everyone will love!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2" pieces
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 1/2 lbs baby yellow potatoes, halved if needed (see note below)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add olive oil to the insert pot of the Instant Pot. Press the Saute button to heat the oil.
Add onions and carrots. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until onions begin to soften and turn translucent.
Press Cancel to turn off the heat. Add minced garlic and stir.
Add baby potatoes and Italian seasoning, stirring to coat well.
Pour in the broth. Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time of 5 minutes at high pressure.
When the cook time is complete, allow a 5 minute natural release of pressure, followed by a quick release of remaining pressure.
Carefully remove the lid, add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Stir gently and serve.

Notes

If you have a variety of sizes of potatoes, cut the larger ones in half to be about the same size as the smaller ones.
You can substitute a different kind of potato, if desired. You may need to halve or quarter them, depending on their size. I like the creamy texture of baby potatoes for this recipe, but you could use russet potatoes as well.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 270mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 6gSugar: 5gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Don’t forget to save this recipe to your Instant Pot board on Pinterest!

Collage image featuring two photos of Instant Pot potatoes and carrots--one photo is of the vegetables in the insert pot of the Instant Pot, the other photo is of a serving of veggies on a white plate

Categories:

Appetizers & Sides, Easy Recipes, Gluten Free, Pressure Cooker {Instant Pot}, Side Dishes,

4 Comments

Such a great recipe. After prepping the vegetables (including celery), I realized I had run out of my dried italian seasoning blend. So I chopped up some fresh basil and put in a few shakes of dried oregano + dried parsley instead. It was lovely. I even drained the veggies out and put the remaining liquid on saute in the IP again, adding a Tbsp of red wine and a tsp of flour to thicken it up like a savory, thin gravy and drizzled it on top after plating. So glad I came across this recipe! While I am sure it would have been 10/10 if followed as directed, it allows so much “wiggle room” to be innovative based on what you have on hand. Save this one and play around with it!

Chrysti Benner says:

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Thank you so much, Charli! I love your idea of making a gravy with the liquid, and that you felt the freedom to be creative with the recipe. I agree, it’s always nice to have a versatile recipe you can easily adjust! 🙂

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