The pressure cooker spinach is a quick and light side dish, perfect for accompanying meat and fish main courses. A basic pressure cooker recipe that allows you to get steamed spinach, which can then be seasoned with oil or used to prepare other recipes.
Cooking spinach in the pressure cooker is really very simple and saves time and energy while preserving the nutritional properties of the vegetable. For this recipe, I used the Instant Pot, but you can also use a traditional pressure cooker. Obviously, below you will find the cooking methods and times for both versions. Additionally, you can use frozen spinach as in my recipe or fresh spinach. Obviously, the cooking times for frozen vegetables change. They will need to be cooked for a few more minutes.
For the electric pressure cooker, the recommended program for cooking vegetables is Steam. Depending on the model you have, this program may work differently: under pressure or without pressure. If your Instant Pot cooks with Steam under pressure, the cooking will be much faster. Otherwise, the cooking times will be longer and similar to those of a traditional steamer. For this reason, I advise you to check the instructions manual of your electric pressure cooker to identify the model of the Steam program provided. In any case, if your pot does not offer the Steam under pressure program and you need to speed up the cooking times, you can always use the Pressure Cook function.
As already mentioned several times, cooking in a pressure cooker is not difficult. It just requires a little practice to understand the correct cooking times and amounts to use. If you’re curious to find out how to prepare this recipe, let’s go to the kitchen, because the pressure cooker spinach will be ready in a click!
If you are interested in other pressure cooker side dishes, also read:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 16.82 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 0.00 (g) of which sugars 0.00 (g)
- Proteins 3.14 (g)
- Fat 0.00 (g) of which saturated 0.00 (g)of which unsaturated 0.00 (g)
- Fibers 2.02 (g)
- Sodium 66.41 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 76 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 16 oz spinach, frozen
- 1 cup water (at room temperature)
Tools
- Pressure Cooker electric
- Steamer Basket
Steps
It is very simple to prepare spinach in the Instant Pot. First, pour the water into the Instant Pot. Then insert the stainless steel steam basket at the bottom and place the frozen spinach inside it. If you are using fresh spinach, they should be rinsed under water and drained first. In this case, as fresh spinach is very bulky, be careful not to exceed the level indicated in the pot. If this happens, cook them in 2 batches.
Then close the pot and move the decompression valve to Sealing if your pot allows pressure cooking, as explained above. If not, make sure the valve is on Venting. Alternatively, you can also replace the pot lid with a regular one.
Set the cooking to Steam and set the cooking time for the spinach to 2 minutes. After the cooking time, move the valve to Venting and proceed with decompression. As soon as the steam has completely escaped, open the pot.
Now let’s see how to cook spinach in a regular pressure cooker. In the case of fresh spinach, as mentioned above, rinse them very well under water and drain them. Then pour some water into the pot. Insert the basket with the vegetable inside it and make sure the water does not reach the vegetable. Close the pot and bring it to maximum power. From the start of the whistle, cook the spinach for 5 minutes.
After the cooking time, gradually let the steam out and open the pot. The spinach is ready to be seasoned or used for other recipes.
Variations and Tips for Pressure Cooker Spinach
Pressure cooker spinach can be stored in the refrigerator for one or two days in a container with a lid
FAQ Questions and Answers for Pressure Cooker Spinach
What can be done with spinach cooking water?
It can be used as a base for vegetable broths, soups, or stews. It can also be used to cook pasta or water plants.
