Instant Pot Rutabaga (Swede)

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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.

instant-pot-rutabaga
Instant Pot Rutabaga

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.

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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.

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Rutabaga Instant Pot Ingredients

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?

instant-pot-rutabaga-step-by-step
  • 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

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Instant Pot Rutabaga

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.

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Instant Pot Rutabaga
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
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time13 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Instant Pot
Servings: 4
Calories: 63kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Rutabaga/Swede
  • 1 Tbsp Thyme
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Butter optional

Instructions

  • Place 1 cup/240ml of water or veggie stock into the bottom of your instant pot inner pot. Add in your steamer basket.
    How Long Do You Cook Rutabaga In Instant Pot?
  • 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.
    How Long Do You Cook Rutabaga In Instant Pot?
  • 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.
    How Long Do You Cook Rutabaga In Instant Pot?
  • Do a quick pressure release and do a fork test to make sure your rutabaga is fork tender.
    How Long Do You Cook Rutabaga In Instant Pot?
  • Then transfer the cooked rutabaga onto a serving plate and then add little bits of butter and let it melt over the rutabaga.
    How Long Do You Cook Rutabaga In Instant Pot?

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.
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Hi! I am Sam and along with my chef hubby Dom we love sharing with you easy everyday recipes using kitchen gadgets. We are also the authors of The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook, an amazing air fryer cookbook filled with 140+ everyday air fryer recipes. Beyond the air fryer we also love the instant pot, slow cooker, soup maker, ninja foodi, pie marker and several other kitchen gadgets. CLICKING HERE →

38 thoughts on “Instant Pot Rutabaga (Swede)”

  1. 5 stars
    Rutabaga is one of my Mom’s favorites! She always requests it for dinner on the holidays! I love how quick and easy it is in the Instant pot!

    Reply
      • Rutabaga starts white then turns to an orange colour when cooked. That’s normal. Brown might be a bit of overdone, but that might also allow some carmelization so don’t despair.

        Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Rutabagas have been grown here in the US for a long time. I like roasting them with other root veg. I still haven’t broken down and bought an instant pot… I just might have to do that now!

    Reply
  3. 3 stars
    I love rutabaga but this recipe says it is high in carbs but I did not see a serving size. Oh but it is so delicious

    Reply
    • Hi Rob,

      If you are adding alot more rutabagas up the time by 25% but if it is just a small amount leave it the same ?

      Reply
  4. In a town called Cumberland, Wisconsin in the US, there is a summer festival devoted to the rutabaga. It is called Rutabaga Fest. Also, here, we pronounce it Rootabeeggie or Rootabeguh

    I make them like mashed potatoes. So delicious!

    Reply
    • Hi Ann,

      We would add the seasoning before steaming and mix it well in a bowl then put in the steamer basket, but if you want to cook them in the seasoning i would add the whole bowl that you mixed them into the IP and add an extra minute because it will take slightly longer to cook been in a bowl rather than in a steamer basket 🙂

      Thanks.

      Reply
  5. Thank you for including the underrated rutabaga. I have also found it frustrating at times with different names for things. I thought in Scotland a neep was a turnip. Could you
    please clarify this?

    Reply
    • Hi Julie,

      In Scotland they have neeps and tatties usually on burns night the 25th January. The neeps are defiantly a swede even though there is some confusion because they are from the same family. The neeps are served traditionally with the haggis and potatoes. The confusion comes from alot of people in England assume a turnip is a swede, like i did before i was a chef and had to cater for a burns night preparing the swedes/neeps/rutabaga for it and asking what they wanted me to do with the turnips, i was soon put right. Turnips are smaller and white in colour i was told!

      Hope this helps to clarify abit for you Julie 🙂

      Reply
      • My mother grew up around Blair Hall and my father’s dad was from Dunfermline. I grew up thinking the purply-brown hard veg was a turnip. I only found out that’s what the Scots called them and that in North America, the turnip is a different beast (though somewhat similar) and that the term used in North America is rutabaga.

        I also have a nitpick on the timing/settings for the instant pot. Mine has both a normal and high (or maybe it is low and high) settings for the pressure cook cycle. I assume, being a hard veg, that you mean 5 minutes on high pressure cook, not low?

        I find this often not clarified in recipes for the instant pot and I know the two pressure levels do produce different outcomes.

        I use rutabaga in stews, sometimes in a chili, and sometimes in small cubes in a tortiere/meat pie. It goes well on a plate with carrots, potato, or butternut squash.

        Reply
        • Hi Tom,

          The Instant Pot does have 2 temps, high and low , but we only use low pressure for things like rice pudding, quinoa that kind of thing everything else we just leave it on high pressure for everything else 🙂

          Reply
  6. I was mostly looking for the cooking time, as I’m more accustomed to boiling these on the stovetop, then mashing them. You gave me exactly the information I needed. Thank you.
    When I was growing up, my American mother always called them “turnips” (or sometimes “yellow turnips” to appease my Canadian father, who insisted that “white turnips” were the only true turnips). In the stores here in Quebec, they are referred to, under the French term, as “navettes.” Whatever name they are called by, Canada grows a lot of them, including many to the U.S.

    Reply
  7. 5 stars
    We grew up in the US having Rutabagas — I think it was passed down from our English relations. It was a tradition growing up in California, and I still cook them every year. Now, I can do them so much more quickly — thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
  8. 5 stars
    I love rutabaga, but as you said, cutting them is a work out!!! Do you think it would be easier if you put it in whole, steamed it for maybe a minute, cooled and peeled it and then cut it up…and put back in to finish cooking? Two things I hate having to cut – fall squash (acorn, spaghetti) and Ruttabag! I know letting the squash heat up for a few minutes softens it……

    Reply
    • Hi Katie Beth,

      Yes that might be a good idea to try, it would be trial and error as you would not want to overcook it, but it would definitely help they can be very hard to peel and chop, mostly it is the fact that they move about on the chopping board and this is why i get my hubby to do it 🙂

      Reply
  9. 5 stars
    love rutabagas. have them every thanksgiving but they seem to take forever on the stovetop. the instant pot is a life saver. still they are really difficult to prep. i need my husband’s muscles!

    Reply
  10. 5 stars
    Perfect IP rutabaga recipe. My go-to instructions. We love rutabaga and it is on every holiday table.
    Any thoughts on cook time for two Swedes in one 8qt pot? Will 4 minutes still be enough?
    Thank you ❣️

    Reply
  11. In some parts of the country, rutabagas are known as turnips and turnips are called rutabagas. It’s very confusing at times. I actually had to look at the pictures to see what was in the pot. If they were orange, they’re turnips as I know them. And I’m using your recipe tonight to mash them with potatoes tomorrow, that’s a Thanksgiving tradition started by my great-grandmother.

    Reply
  12. 5 stars
    In Northumberland (North East England) we call them Baggie pronounced baygee. They are always better after a hard frost as this starts to intensify the taste. It’s the same with parsnips.
    As children we would make a baggie lantern for Halloween and put a candle inside as pumpkins weren’t available back then. It took great stamina and determination to hollow out a large swede with a blunt knife and an old spoon.

    Reply
  13. 5 stars
    Wow!This turned out perfectly! I’m a beginner with the Instant Pot and have just had recipes start to turn out. I’ve had a rutabaga in the fridge since Oct (Cdn Thanksgiving). Does it ever last! I cut off the wax and little bruised areas and followed your recipe to the T. Now it’s in the oven mashed and heating up.

    Reply

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