The thing nobody tells you about instant pot recipes is that the cook time on the recipe card is not the cook time. A three minute pasta still needs ten minutes to come up to pressure and another ten to release, and once you know that, the whole appliance stops being confusing and starts being useful. What is on this list is the proof of what it can do: beef stew with meltingly soft chuck, mac and cheese in fifteen minutes start to finish, Kalua pork that normally wants an underground pit, vegan posole, cranberry sauce that cooks for one single minute, and a key lime pie baked in a seven inch springform pan inside the pot. There are quick release recipes and natural release recipes here, and the difference matters, so each one says which. Weeknight dinners, Sunday roasts and a few desserts that will surprise people.
1. Instant Pot Vegan Posole
Jackfruit instead of pork, which the source calls an amazing plant based substitute for anything that resembles shredded meat. The pot does everything: saute the onion and garlic for five minutes, add the red chile puree, add the jackfruit, break it up with a potato masher, then six cups of vegetable broth and ten minutes at high pressure with a natural release. The hominy goes in afterwards for a single minute. It makes eight servings, and the garnishes are completely up to you: lime, oregano, shredded cabbage, thin radish.
Get the full tutorial at Tried & True Creative.
2. Mexican Instant Pot Quinoa With Cilantro and Lime Dressing
Quinoa cooks for one minute at high pressure. One. The work is all in the front half: soak the quinoa in lightly salted cold water for ten to fifteen minutes, an hour if you have it, then rinse it, then saute onion, red pepper, celery and half the salt for five minutes before the garlic and the spices go in. Corn, peas, tinned tomatoes and water follow, then one minute sealed and five to seven minutes of natural release. The cilantro lime dressing gets made while it cooks. Serves four.
Get the full tutorial at Instant Pot Eats.
3. Instant Pot Mongolian Chicken
Takeout style chicken in about thirty minutes, and the brown sugar is where the decisions get made. The recipe calls for three quarters of a cup and then tells you outright to use half a cup if you want it less sweet, and the same halving applies to the three quarters cup of lite soy sauce if you are watching sodium. Five minutes at pressure is all the chicken needs. Cornstarch thickens the sauce at the end, and the rice can cook in the same pot. Serves six.
Get the full tutorial at Sweet and Savory Meals.
4. Instant Pot Salmon With Chili Lime Sauce
Three minutes for fresh salmon, eight minutes for frozen, and that one line is why this recipe is worth saving. The chili lime sauce comes first, before the fish is even prepped: sriracha, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, smoked paprika, cumin and two teaspoons of hot water stirred together and left at room temperature to develop. The fillets then sit on the steam rack over a cup of water, skin side down, seasoned with salt and pepper only, and you quick release the second it beeps so the fish does not overcook. Serves two.
Get the full tutorial at Savory Tooth.
5. Instant Pot Shrimp And Pasta
Shrimp cook for one minute on the meat or stew setting with a five minute natural release, and that is the whole cooking time. Butter and oil go in first on saute, then garlic, then half a cup of white wine and half a cup of chicken stock to deglaze and stir up any browned bits. The pasta is cooked separately and stirred in at the end with a tablespoon of lemon juice. If you would rather do everything in the one pot, the source carries separate notes for cooking pasta and rice in it.
Get the full tutorial at The Classy Chapter.
6. Instant Pot Pressure Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
A two and a half pound chuck roast, seared on saute with kosher salt and garlic powder, then the onion softened and half a cup of red wine reduced by half before a fourteen ounce can of low sodium beef broth and a bay leaf go in. A hundred minutes on Meat or Stew, then a twenty five minute natural release. The comparison the source makes is the useful part: about two hours in the pot against at least eight hours on low in a slow cooker. Strain the liquid and serve it warm for dipping. Six sandwiches, on buttered toasted rolls with provolone.
Get the full tutorial at No. 2 Pencil.
7. Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
Two pounds of stewing beef, tossed in a quarter cup of flour and browned in batches so the pot does not get crowded, eight minutes of it for a proper browning. The beef then waits on a baking sheet, spread out, because crowded there it steams as it rests and undoes the browning you just did. Mushrooms get sauteed separately for four minutes, then onion, garlic and the tomato paste the card marks optional, then beef broth scraped up off the bottom. Twenty minutes at pressure with a ten minute natural release. A cup of full fat sour cream and a minced dill pickle finish it. Serves four to six.
Get the full tutorial at Bacon is Magic.
8. Instant Pot Herbed Potatoes
Six to eight potatoes, halved and then sliced half an inch thick, with only a quarter cup of water, a teaspoon of minced garlic, a quarter of a small onion minced, dried dill, Italian seasoning and four tablespoons of butter dropped over the top in dollops. Five minutes on stew and at least ten minutes of natural release. The note worth stealing comes at the end: if you want crisp edges, drain them, add more butter, hit saute and cook about eight minutes until they brown. Serves six.
Get the full tutorial at Wondermom Wannabe.
9. Instant Pot Ginger Garlic Drumsticks
Six to eight drumsticks, skin on, sitting in a sauce of soy, honey, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger and onion, cooked ten minutes at high pressure with a five minute natural release. Then comes the finish: the sauce goes back on saute to reduce while the drumsticks spend two to three minutes a side under the broiler. The recipe says not to skip that step, because it helps caramelize the skin, although its own FAQ admits you can. Pour the reduced sauce over to serve, and use skin on drumsticks for the better texture.
Get the full tutorial at Living Sweet Moments.
10. Instant Pot BBQ Pork Chops
Four bone in pork chops, seasoned, browned one at a time on saute, then a cup and a half of chicken broth to deglaze with a wooden spoon and a squirt of barbecue sauce in the pot. Ten minutes on manual, and then the part the recipe underlines: let the pressure release naturally for a full ten minutes. Do not quick release the moment cooking ends, the recipe says, because that is what dries the chops out. Serves four.
Get the full tutorial at Must Have Mom.
11. Instant Pot Wendy's Copycat Chili
A pound of lean ground beef, a chopped onion, a large bell pepper and six stalks of celery, chopped. The Ranch Style beans and the dark red kidney beans go in and get stirred, and then the Rotel, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce go on top and stay there, because stirred in they sink to the bottom and can scorch, which is how you get a burn warning. Ten minutes on manual and a natural release. Makes eight cups, which is a great deal of chili for one pound of beef.
Get the full tutorial at A Night Owl Blog.
12. Instant Pot Stuffed Peaches
Dessert from a pressure cooker, and it cooks for three minutes. Five medium peaches get a quarter inch sliced off the top, then the pit cut out with a paring knife, leaving at least half an inch of flesh so they hold their shape. The crumble is rubbed together by hand from cassava flour, maple sugar, cold butter, cinnamon, almond extract and a pinch of sea salt. The page has it gluten free, and grain free and Paleo too. Eat them warm with ice cream. Serves five.
Get the full tutorial at Recipes to Nourish.
13. Instant Pot Beef Stew With Potatoes
A pound and a half of chuck roast tossed in flour, browned in melted butter on saute for about five minutes, then beef broth, salt and three tablespoons of tomato paste stirred in until dissolved before the vegetables go anywhere near it. Frozen pearl onions are the smart shortcut here, with carrots, a russet potato and ten ounces of quartered mushrooms. Thirty five minutes on meat or stew, then ten minutes of natural release before venting. One pot browned and pressure cooked, five servings.
Get the full tutorial at Savory Tooth.
14. Asian Sesame Instant Pot Chicken
A sauce built from things already in the door of your fridge: half a cup of water, half a cup of ketchup, a quarter cup of soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and minced ginger, combined in a bowl. Two diced chicken breasts go into the pot first and the sauce gets poured over them and mixed through. Five minutes at pressure. The thickening happens afterwards, with a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed into three tablespoons of water, stirred in and cooked a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Serves four over rice, eighteen minutes all in.
Get the full tutorial at Living Sweet Moments.
15. Sunday Pot Roast In An Instant Pot
Three to five pounds of chuck roast, patted dry and rubbed generously with salt, then seared four to five minutes a side in hot oil until it is properly browned. The onion, potatoes and carrots get tossed with olive oil and a packet of dry onion soup mix, and here is the useful bit: add them now for very soft vegetables, or hold the potatoes and carrots back if you want them firmer. Sixty to seventy minutes for a three pound roast, at least a fifteen minute natural release. Nine servings.
Get the full tutorial at Favorite Family Recipes.
16. 10 Minute Instant Pot Spaghetti
Ten minutes of pressure and you never boil a pot of water. Olive oil, onions and garlic cook down first, then the ground beef goes in until the pink is gone, then a 24 ounce jar of sauce, two cups of water and eight ounces of spaghetti broken into thirds and sprinkled in so it does not lump, pushed under the liquid and not stirred. Eight or nine minutes if you like it al dente. Quick release. The card does not recommend doubling the recipe, because it will not turn out properly, and the post suggests two separate batches instead. Serves six.
Get the full tutorial at The Typical Mom.
17. Instant Pot Key Lime Pie
A whole key lime pie, baked in a seven inch springform pan inside the pot, cooking for fifteen minutes at high pressure. The graham cracker and butter crust gets pressed firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides, then goes into the freezer while you make the filling. That filling is three egg yolks, two thirds of a cup of key lime juice, about eight or nine key limes’ worth, a tablespoon of zest and a fourteen ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. It needs three to four hours of chilling, so the total lands closer to four and a half hours. The card says eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Living Sweet Moments.
18. Easiest Instant Pot Ribs
This is the one on DIY JOY, and the post credits Natasha’s Kitchen. Six ingredients: three pounds of baby back or pork loin ribs, six cups of apple juice, a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar, seasoning salt, a barbecue dry rub and two thirds of a cup of sweet barbecue sauce, divided. Pat the ribs dry and rub the dry ingredients over all sides. Then a third of a cup of the sauce goes into the pot with the apple juice and vinegar, and the other third is brushed over the ribs afterwards. Twenty five minutes on high, ten of natural release, then four to five minutes under the broiler or five on a preheated grill.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
19. Instant Pot Kalua Pork
Five pounds of pork butt, cut into large chunks, rubbed with a tablespoon of Alaea Hawaiian sea salt and a teaspoon of smoked paprika, with one cup of water. That is the entire ingredient list besides a head of cabbage. Ninety minutes on manual plus fifteen to twenty minutes for the pot to reach pressure, then a full natural release. The cabbage goes in afterwards, in the cooking juices, for three minutes. Normally this dish wants an underground pit, and here it does not. Eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Cooking With Curls.
20. Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
Two twenty ounce cans of young green jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed, and then a step the recipe makes optional: chop off the core portions and discard them, because the author does not like the texture of the harder parts. Five minutes at high pressure with a cup of water, then drain it, put it back in the pot and mash it with a potato masher until it resembles pulled meat. Eighteen ounces of barbecue sauce goes in and warms through on saute for two to five minutes. Six buns, with shredded cabbage or coleslaw.
Get the full tutorial at Nora Cooks.
21. Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
Fifteen minutes total, and the pasta cooks for four. A pound of pasta goes in with four cups of water, a tablespoon of dry mustard powder and a teaspoon of hot sauce, and the hot sauce is no accident: the recipe insists a little heat is what gives macaroni and cheese its depth. The mustard powder adds tangy complexity without overpowering the cheese. Quick release, and if the pot sputters milky liquid, wait four to five minutes and try again. Butter, a pound of cheddar, a cup of Monterey Jack, more hot sauce and milk get stirred in to melt. Serves eight.
Get the full tutorial at CopyKat Recipes.
22. Cranberry Sauce In The Instant Pot
One minute at high pressure. Ten ounces of cranberries, one or two apples peeled and chunked, a quarter cup of lemon juice, half a cup of raw honey or maple syrup and a little cinnamon and sea salt all go in together. Seven minutes of natural release, then mash the fruit a bit with a wooden spoon and simmer it on saute for a minute or two so some water evaporates and it thickens. The honey can be left out entirely. Makes two cups.
Get the full tutorial at Traditional Cooking School.
23. Instant Pot Goulash
Three minutes at high pressure with a quick release, and the noodles cook right in the sauce. A pound of ground beef browns on saute with onion and garlic, then two cans each of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire or soy sauce, beef broth, two cups of elbow noodles, three bay leaves and two teaspoons of sugar. The instruction that matters is to not stir after the noodles go in. Pull the bay leaves out, stir, top with parmesan. Eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at I Don't Have Time For That.
24. Easy Instant Pot Meatball Subs
Two ingredients, and the source says so with some glee: a pound of frozen Italian meatballs and a 32 ounce jar of traditional tomato sauce, layered into the pot starting with the sauce. Twelve minutes on meat or stew, a ten minute natural release, then a quick release for the rest. Pile them into hoagie buns with provolone or mozzarella on top. One tip from the comments, answered by the author: if your sauce is very thick and you get a burn notice, mix a cup of water into it next time.
Get the full tutorial at Tips From a Typical Mom.
25. Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
Lasagna without the layering, and the pasta only cooks for three minutes. A pound of ground beef or spicy Italian sausage browns with half a diced onion, then in go a cup of diced tomatoes, forty ounces of beef broth, a 24 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce and a pinch each of salt and oregano, with the noodles poured on top and gently pushed under without stirring. Quick release. Ricotta and mozzarella go on in the bowl, or stirred in first to melt and then added on top, and the ricotta line admits it is just as good without it.
Get the full tutorial at The Typical Mom.
26. Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
The dumplings are a tube of refrigerated biscuits, flattened to about an eighth of an inch and cut into half inch strips, which is the shortcut that makes this a weeknight dish rather than a project. Cubed chicken breast gets seasoned and browned on saute with the lid off, then chicken broth, water, carrots and frozen peas, then the biscuit strips stirred in. Five minutes on manual and a quick release. It takes another five to ten minutes just to come up to pressure. Serves four.
Get the full tutorial at Life Family Fun.
27. Instant Pot Basil Chicken Coconut Curry
Chicken breast cut into one inch cubes, four cloves of garlic, curry powder, chili powder, cardamom, fresh grated ginger, dried basil and a 14.5 ounce can of coconut milk. Five minutes of prep and twenty of cooking. The thickener is a tablespoon of tapioca flour, with arrowroot or cornstarch offered as substitutes if that is what your cupboard actually holds. The rice can be cooked in the same pot, and the recipe gives it its own ingredient group and method. Serves six, and it tastes like considerably more trouble than it was.
Get the full tutorial at Rebooted Mom.
28. Instant Pot Taco Pie
Built in a springform pan: a tortilla, then refried beans, then Mexican style cheese, then another tortilla, and from there you top with more beans, seasoned ground beef and cheese and repeat until everything is used up. It goes on the trivet over a cup of water for ten minutes at high pressure with a quick release, and the recipe says to let it cool and serve with your favorite toppings. Expect tortillas left over. Serves six.
Get the full tutorial at By Pink.
29. Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
The boxed version, made properly. Ground beef browns on saute with olive oil and diced onion, then a whisked mixture of water, salt, garlic powder and a can of cheddar cheese soup goes over the top, with a cup of uncooked elbow macaroni poured in and pushed gently under the liquid without stirring. Three minutes on manual and then a slow release, meaning you barely move the valve. Sour cream and shredded cheddar go in on saute at the end, and it needs at least ten minutes standing. The longer it sits, the thicker it gets. Serves five.
Get the full tutorial at The Typical Mom.
30. 15 Minute Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Rice is where pressure cookers earn their place, and this is fifteen minutes end to end. Onions saute in two tablespoons of avocado oil for about four minutes, then two cups of long grain white rice and the garlic go in for another two minutes, until they begin to turn a golden color. Tomato sauce, stock, salt, cumin and a dash of cayenne follow, and you scrape the bottom so the rice does not burn. Eight minutes on manual, then open the vent with a towel over it. Seven minutes of prep, eight of cooking.
Get the full tutorial at Ginger Casa.
31. Easy and Delicious Zuppa Toscana in the Instant Pot
Four minutes at high pressure, for a hearty one pot meal the source calls frugal, quick and full of flavor. Olive oil and onions go in first and cook until they begin to turn translucent, then the Italian sausage is crumbled in and browned, then four cloves of garlic for about a minute, then three large unpeeled russet potatoes sliced a quarter inch thick and six cups of chicken broth. Four minutes sealed, ten minutes of natural release, then a quick release. The kale goes in last and wilts in the heat of the soup, and the cream stirs in after that. Six to eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Margin Making Mom.
