Are you wondering how to cook beets easily? Here is your simple answer – use a slow cooker or Instant Pot! They are cooked to perfection with minimal effort (and no foil) and then are super easy to peel by just rubbing. Once cooked, the beets are perfect in salads right away or to preserve by pickling or freezing.

Looking for more easy slow cooker recipes? Try Easy Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Carrots with Onions, Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes with Creamy Cheese Garlic Sauce, Slow Cooker Honey (or Maple) Baked Beans.

For all the years I’ve roasted and frozen beets – or cooked them for pickled beets – I have used the oven to cook them. It’s fairly quick and easy, with a hands-off roasting method I found much easier than traditional boiling.

However, there have been times when I haven’t wanted to turn my oven on, either because it’s hot outside or I just have a smaller batch of beets to cook.

Which is why when I reader share how she cooked her beets in a slow cooker, I knew I had to try it!

After a few trial and errors – the original time shared with me was too long and my garden beets are always different sizes – I’ve found the simplest, and pretty perfect, way to cook beets.

I now cook beets in the slow cooker most of the time as it takes less electricity, no foil, and less monitoring. I only use the oven now if I have a really large harvest that won’t fit in my crockpot.

And if I need the beets sooner, I turn to my Instant Pot! The steps are similar to the slow cooker, only much faster than slow cooking, obviously, but also a bit faster than the oven, too.

How to Cook Beets in a Slow Cooker

Step 1: Prep beets. Trim the greens off the beets and then scrub thoroughly, making sure to get in any crevices. You can use as many as will fit in you slow cooker crock. Cut any large beets in half so that most of the beets are similar sizes.

Jami’s TIP

DO cut the trimmed tops/shoulders off as well as the root area – while this is optional and you’ll see many places telling you to NOT trim, I highly suggest doing it.

Firstly, I’ve never noticed more “bleeding” when trimmed – there’s just as much purple liquid without trimming – and this is the main reason why I’ve seen this suggested.

Secondly, trimming before cooking makes the skins MUCH easier to remove afterwards – in many cases you can just squeeze one end and the beet will pop out. So the pro definitely outweighs the con in this case, in my opinion!

Step 2: Cook beets. Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the crockpot. Place the trimmed beets in the crock and then add the lid. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, depending on size of beets. Use a fork or sharp knife to test doneness. Remove any that are done and if needed, cook another 30 minutes to an hour, depending on sizes.

Step 3: Remove skins. Let the beets cool a little then place slow cooker crock full of beets in the sink and fill it with cool water. Use rubber gloves to rub the skins off, if you prefer – I haven’t found any staining that couldn’t be washed out, so I usually don’t bother.

Step 4: Use in recipes or preserve them! The beets are now ready to be used in any recipe, like my favorite beet and goat cheese salad. You can also gently reheat them with butter and salt for a wonderful side dish or grate them to add to any salad.

How to Cook Beets in an Instant Pot

The steps are very similar to cooking in a crockpot:

Place 1 cup of water in the bottom of instant pot liner. You can either use a trivet or just place the beets in the water like we do in the slow cooker.
Place the trimmed beets (large ones cut in half) in pot.
Cook on manual, high pressure, for 20 minutes, then let natural release for 10 minutes. Quick release if needed. Note: if all your beets are on the smaller size, cook for 15 minutes before natural release.
Continue like slow cooker steps, letting them cool a bit and then filling the metal bowl with water and slipping the skins off.

Storing & Preserving Cooked Beets

Fridge: You can store cooked beets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Freezing Beets: You can slice or chop the beets to freeze in recipe-sized amounts and they will last up to a year! See how to freeze beets for all the details.

Pickling Beets: Slice and add the beets to a pickling liquid and then water bath can for 18 month storage OR store in the fridge for up to a year. See how to make pickled beets for all the steps.

Beet Recipes to Try

I hope you enjoy making these slow cooker and Instant Pot beets – if you try it, be sure to leave a rating and review so I know how you liked it!

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5 from 1 vote

How to Cook Beets In Slow Cooker or Instant Pot To Eat, Freeze, or Pickle

Slow cooker beets cooked to perfection with minimal effort in a crockpot or Instant Pot, for salads, pickling, and freezing.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Yield: -5 pounds

Author: Jami Boys

Equipment

4-6 quart slow cooker OR Instant Pot

Click for Cook Mode

Ingredients

1 cup water
3-5 pounds whole beets (or what's needed to fill the cooker)

Instructions

Wash well and trim both ends, but do not peel. Try to make all the beets similar in size by cutting any large beets in half.

Slow Cooker Method:

Pour 1 cup water into the crockpot. Add as many beets as you can fit in your slow cooker, usually around 3-5 pounds.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours, depending on size. Use a fork or sharp knife to test doneness. Remove any that are done to a large metal or glass bowl, if needed, and cook another 30 minutes to an hour, depending on size.

Instant Pot Method:

Place 1 cup of water in the bottom of an instant pot. You can use a trivet or just place the beets in the water like we do in the slow cooker.
Place trimmed beets (large ones cut in half) in pot.
Attach lid, set valve to seal and cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes, then let natural release for 10 minutes. Quick release if needed. Note: if all your beets are on the smaller size, cook for 15 minutes.

Both Methods:

Let the beets cool a little then place the crock or metal liner full of beets in the sink and cover the beets with cool water. Use rubber gloves to rub the skins off, if you prefer (I haven't found any staining that couldn't be washed out, so I usually don't bother).
Slice or cut into chunks as needed for recipes.

Notes

Storing & Using:

Fridge: You can store cooked beets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezing Beets: You can slice or chop the beets to freeze in recipe-sized amounts and they will last up to a year! See how to freeze beets for all the details.
Pickling Beets: Slice and add the beets to a pickling liquid and then water bath can for 18 month storage OR store in the fridge for up to a year. See how to make pickled beets for all the steps.