Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
How to steam instant pot rutabaga. Also known as swede or neeps, rutabaga is delicious served with some butter for the ultimate veggie side dish or transformed into a veggie mash.
We will show you how to prepare rutabaga for the instant pot, as well as the best serving suggestions making it perfect for a quick veggie side.
We originally shared with you how to cook instant pot rutabaga back in 2018 and we are updating it today with more tips and tricks and better rutabaga ideas.
Table of Contents
Rutabaga Vs Swede
One of my most bought veggies is rutabaga. I love it because they last ages in the fridge in case I forgot to cook it, makes a great alternative to carrots and even though it normally takes forever to cook using other methods, when steamed in the instant pot it is fast.
But it wasn’t until I went in a shop with a lot of American products that I found out that rutabaga is also what us Brits call a swede.
Usually in the UK a swede will be loaded into stews, casseroles, veggie bakes etc and most popular of all is to mix with carrots to make a carrot and swede mash.
Though up in Scotland it has a totally different food culture. There is it called neeps and most famously served up with haggis and tatties on Burns Night, which has a big place in my heart because me and Dominic got married on Burns Night! If you want to check out our instant pot haggis tatties and neeps then you can see how it all comes together.
So, if you live in the US and hear the word swede or live in the UK and here the word rutabaga, then note they are one of the same and perfect for pressure cooking for a quick veggie dish.
And today, I wanted to share with you the best way to cook rutabaga.
Are You New To The Instant Pot?
Plus, as well as our extremely popular instant pot mini course which teaches you the instant pot basics in 5 days, we also have our instant pot bucket list. That is loaded with 30 FREE bucket list worthy instant pot recipes.
Click here or on the banner above and you will have access to both in an instant.
Best Way To Cook Rutabaga
Because rutabaga is a very thick hard root vegetable, the best way for it to cook is in the instant pot, or another brand of electric pressure cooker.
This is because the instant pot cooks food much faster and will also steam your rutabaga to stop it from losing its flavour or nutrients.
Though if you cut the rutabaga small enough you can also air fry it such as our air fryer rutabaga fries.
Can You Steam Rutabaga?
Yes, you can steam rutabaga or swede. It makes it cook much faster and also makes it ideal for then steaming a little longer to make some veggie mash with.
Though, I love steaming rutabaga and then adding it into my air fryer frittata for a quick breakfast.
Can You Freeze Cooked Rutabaga?
Yes, you can freeze your leftover rutabaga and I do this all the time when I have some leftover. You can just load your leftovers into a Ziploc bag, but I much prefer to cook for longer and then I can freeze as little mashed potato style cubes, a bit like I do in our instant pot beef stock recipe.
How To Cut Up A Swede
One headline I remember (must have been over 20 years ago now) but has stayed in my memory was the front page of The Sun, when they wanted rid of the current England Manager. He had an eye for the ladies and the press hated him.
He was Swedish and the front cover had a picture of a swede and the headline “chop the swede”.
I still think of that now each time I cut up a swede!
To prepare a swede or rutabaga is easy.
Simply have it sat straight on your chopping board and chop the top and bottom off and then thinly slice around the edges until all skin is removed.
Then do one slice around the edges, that is like a long strip and keep doing this until you have no swede left. Doing it this way makes it so much easier and then you don’t need to cut right through to the middle which is hard work.
Instant Pot Rutabaga Mash
Whilst I usually pressure cook rutabaga and then just season it and add butter, I know most of you would rather have instant pot rutabaga mash.
Well, the easiest way to do this is to follow our swede and carrot mash recipe. Which is also a pressure cooker recipe and combines it with mash for a delicious side dish.
And even though its most associated with Christmas you can enjoy it at other times of the year. Or another idea is to have it as your top layer of your slow cooker cottage pie.
Would you like easy & amazing instant pot recipes from instant pot experts? Click here and join the Recipe This Newsletter. We will then send you the BEST instant pot beginner recipes direct to your email inbox along with other useful instant pot resources.
Rutabaga Instant Pot Ingredients
Rutabaga – Even though you could do a few instant pot rutabagas I usually just steam one.
Liquid – You need some liquid to take the instant pot to pressure. When I am cooking rutabaga in instant pot for serving cubed, then I will just add water to the bottom. But if I want a little of the liquid to make mash, then I will use some instant pot veggie stock.
Seasoning – Pressure cooker rutabaga can be a bit boring on its own, so I will usually season it with salt, pepper, and thyme.
Butter – Optional but delicious I love to add a little butter that can melt over the rutabaga as it is served on the dinner table or you can take the low fat option and go with some light margarine.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this rutabaga instant pot recipe it has just been our Instant Pot. We have this one and it’s my favourite and great for a lot of different instant pot quick recipes.
Plus, we recommend you head over to our instant pot recipes category as we have many electric pressure cooker recipes and have been using instant pots for 5 years.
How To Cook Rutabaga In Instant Pot?
- Liquid. Load your liquid into the instant pot first and then add in your steamer basket.
- Prep. Chop around the edges of the rutabaga and then gradually slice and then dice into cubes. Season well.
- Cook. Load the rutabaga into the steamer basket, place the lid on the instant pot, set the valve to sealing and pressure cook for 5 minutes, or 7 minutes for large chunks.
- Serve. Do a quick pressure release, remove the rutabaga from the basket and then serve with a little butter.
And I am sure you can see now how simple and easy it is to cook rutabaga in instant pot and why you should be doing the same.
How Long Do You Cook Rutabaga In Instant Pot?
The instant pot rutabaga cook time is JUST 5 minutes. Which is pretty good considering that it feels like rutabaga takes a lifetime to cook.
And I can not find a quicker method for rutabaga than in the instant pot.
Listen To Instant Pot Rutabaga
Want to learn more about our Podcast? Then click here and you can browse through past episodes and subscribe to the Magic With Gadgets Podcast.
More Instant Pot Veggies
I love instant pot veggies and there are so many different ways to you can put veggies on the dinner table. Here are a few more ideas:
- Instant Pot Carrots
- Instant Pot Cabbage
- Instant Pot Beets
- Instant Pot Cauliflower
- Instant Pot Broccoli
- Instant Pot Frozen Broccoli
Your rutabaga instant pot recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
Though before you do, don’t forget to subscribe, and grab your FREE VIP Pass to Recipe This. You will get access to our latest recipes first, you will be able to request recipes, you will have access to free mini courses, free instant pot ebooks and useful instant pot cook time charts and so much more.
Print Recipe
4.84 from 12 votes
Instant Pot Rutabaga (Swede)
How to steam instant pot rutabaga. Also known as swede or neeps, rutabaga is delicious served with some butter for the ultimate veggie side dish or transformed into a veggie mash.
Prep Time8 minutes mins
Cook Time5 minutes mins
Total Time13 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Instant Pot
Servings: 4
Calories: 63kcal
Author: RecipeThis.com
Ingredients
Kitchen Gadgets
Metric – Imperial
Instructions
Place 1 cup/240ml of water or veggie stock into the bottom of your instant pot inner pot. Add in your steamer basket.
Peel and then gradually slice and dice your rutabaga or swede, until it is into medium sized chunks. Season well with salt, pepper, and thyme.
Load the rutabaga chunks into the instant pot, place the lid on the instant pot and set the valve to sealing. Pressure cook for 5 minutes.
Do a quick pressure release and do a fork test to make sure your rutabaga is fork tender.
Then transfer the cooked rutabaga onto a serving plate and then add little bits of butter and let it melt over the rutabaga.
Video
Notes
Liquid. We used water because we were using it for a quick steam of rutabaga for lunch. If making mash or something specifically flavoursome then swap for veggie stock.
Thanks for reading our instant pot rutabaga recipe on Recipe This. We have many more instant pot recipes for you to check out next. Though if you would like to see more instant pot veggies then do check out our instant pot frozen veggie soup recipe next.
Nutrition
Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 306mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 173IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition InfoPlease Note: Nutrition values are our best estimate based on the software we use at Recipe This and are meant as a guide. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Have You Tried The Instant Pot Mini Course?Its FREE and its delivered by email over 5 days. Ideal for beginners to the instant pot Click Here.
Are We Friends On Pinterest?If we are not and you use Pinterest then follow us @RecipeThisBlog for more delicious recipes.
Fancy A Video?Subscribe to the Recipe This YouTube Channel for full length recipe videos. Don’t forget to click the bell icon to be notified when we upload a new video. Subscribe Here!
Copyright Notice© RecipeThis.com. ALL content including photos are copyright protected. Sharing of our recipes is both encouraged and appreciated via the social share buttons. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media channel or onto your own website is strictly prohibited.