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How to Cook Yucca in the Instant Pot

An easy photo tutorial on how to cook yucca in the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker). Yucca (a.k.a. cassava) is a lovely starchy root vegetable that can be incorporated into all sorts of dishes, similar to potatoes.

Instant Pot Yuca - a photo tutorial on how to cook yuca (or cassava) in the pressure cooker | TheRoastedRoot.net

Yucca is one of my favorite root vegetables, and I don’t discuss it nearly enough! I just discovered my new favorite technique for whipping up the root to have on hand for all the meals.

Spoiler alert: It’s the Instant Pot Yucca method, and I adore it so.

If you aren’t familiar with yucca (or cassava), here’s the gist. Yucca (pronounced “yoo-kuh”) is a very starchy root vegetable that is very common in Latin American, South Asian, Caribbean, and African cuisine. Look at it as a potato on steroids. It’s just that carb-o-licious.

Many moons ago, I posted a recipe on How to Cook Yuca Rootwhich uses the stove top method. When I went to the Dominican Republic a few years ago, I consumed more than my weight in yucca. It’s just so dang good!

How to Cook Yuca Root

Funny enough, after I bought my Instant Pot, one of the first things I wanted to do with it was cook yuca. I figured it would be an easy method since you simply walk away from the machine and don’t need to hover over the stove top or poke and prod at the yucca.

Mission accomplished. Cooking yucca in a pressure cooker is silly easy!

I will say, it takes longer to cook yucca in the pressure cooker than boiling it on the stove top, but it gives me the peace of mind that the root is cooked thoroughly and I love that I don’t need to second guess if it is ready or check on it.

A cautionary tale: The thick skin of the yucca root is toxic as it contains cyanide. For this reason, it’s crucial you peel the skin prior to cooking the root.

Let’s take this step-by-step!

How to Cook Yucca in the Instant Pot:

Chop the ends off of the yucca root and use a vegetable peeler to remove the thick brown skin. Once the root is completely peeled, chop it into 3-inch hunks.

How to Cook Yuca Root in the Instant Pot

Plug in your Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) and pour in 1 ½ cups of water. Insert the wire rack that came with the pressure cooker. Place the peeled and chopped yuca on top of the wire rack.

How to Cook Yuca Root in the Instant Pot

Secure the lid, and pressure cook on High for 50 minutes. Once the pressure cooker has run its cycle, allow it to go into keep warm mode for 20 minutes. During this time, you can prepare your yucca toppings.

How to Cook Yuca Root in the Instant Pot

Sauté onion and garlic in butter with lemon zest and parsley for a delicious serving method.

There is plenty of room for experimentation here! You can add the cooked yucca to soups, stews (I use it in beef stew…YUM!), or make a mojo sauce for it.

The yucca root will turn from white to yellow during the cooking process and will begin to split open.

Once the yucca is fully cooked and cool enough to handle, open each chunk of yucca and remove the hard spine in the center.

How to Cook Yuca Root - an easy photo tutorial | TheRoastedRoot.net

Top the yuca with your sauteed onions, garlic, and parsley (or sauce/toppings of your choosing), and enjoy!

How to Cook Yuca Root in the Instant Pot

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your all your support!

If you make this Instant Pot Yucca, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!

Go to carb heaven!

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René Guerra, Sr.

Saturday 9th of October 2021

Hey Julia, thanks for your effort, the only flaw is that this is yuCa (aka cassava, and mandioca), NOT yuCCa. (capital "Cs" for emphasis)

The two are different plants each other and while the root of yuCa is edible and delicious --a delicacy, as a matter of fact-- the root of yuCCa is rich in saponins which are used to make soaps, fire extinguisher fluids, and as a component of medicines for cholesterol and diabetes, BUT in large amounts, as in 1 dish of yuCCa, is POISONOUS to humans and, even in small amounts, is HEAVILY POISONOUS to fish.

Yuca is original from Mesoamerica, mostly from the Maya region.

Whereas Yucca is original from hot arid regions (which Maya country is NOT) from what now is the south of the USA through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and other hot weather, arid islands of the Greater American continent (i.e., from the tip of Alaska in in the north throughout the most southern tip of Argentina/Chile in the south)

Please correct this mistake for the sake of your readers, and to help improve your otherwise beautiful post.

Julia M Rivera

Thursday 27th of August 2020

I agree sadly didn't even try to make this because the video just takes up all the screen. Couldn't even find the detailed recipe

Carl mTts

Monday 27th of July 2020

seriously I couldn't even finish the recipe because every time I scroll down I get a video for one of your other recipes that takes up half the screen on my phone that I can't click off. I can't even see what I'm typing here because all's I see is the keyboard that pops up and then your video that covers everything else

Richie

Sunday 3rd of May 2020

There is a much easier way to cook Cassava in an Instantpot. Place the peeled cassava in the pot and cover with water. Set the Intantpot to Manual for 9 minutes. Quick release the steam, drain, and the cassava is done.

Jenny L.

Wednesday 15th of April 2020

Assuming you are supposed to add water to the instant pot? How much? Thanks!!

NormaS

Tuesday 2nd of May 2023

@Jenny L., Plug in your Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) and pour in 1 ½ cups of water.

Julia

Friday 17th of April 2020

Hi Jenny! Yes, you're going to want to add 1.5 cups of water. Enjoy! xo

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