19 Instant Pot Recipes for Low-Lift Dinners
The Instant Pot company’s 2023 bankruptcy came as a shock to proud owners of the appliance. American households had been sustained on Instant Pot recipes for everything from pot roast to turkey chili to meatballs for years by that time; many considered it to be the gold medalist of one-pot meals, especially ones that are usually slow-cookers but, like magic, take a fraction of the time with the steam-pressure device. You can even cook brown rice in an Instant Pot.
Already a fan of the device? No need to fret. Instant Pot Brands emerged from bankruptcy as a stand-alone company earlier this year. For those not yet Instant Pot-obsessed, who might not even be clear about the difference, yes, an Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, but that’s not the end of it: Using an Instant Pot for pressure cooking alone would be like buying from Breville only for their espresso maker (i.e., Breville makes a lot of great products). The higher ranges of Instant Pots can replace your slow cooker, rice cooker, air fryer, and more. It all depends on which Instant Pot you’ve got.
The IP is also an invaluable prep tool. You can use it to turn rock-hard winter squash, roots, and tubers into something more manageable (try Sarah Jampel’s trick for weeknight butternut squash with spiced chickpeas). With all that said, the selections below are mainly pressure cooker recipes. Ready to get cooking? Here are our go-to Instant Pot recipes for weeknight dinners, lazy nights in, and everything in between.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Michelle Gatton2/19Instant Pot Red Bean and Quinoa Soup With Taco Fixins
Photo by Heami Lee, food styling by Judy Haubert, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky3/19Instant Pot Beef Pho
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Pearl Jones4/19Instant Pot Collard Greens
Instead of stewing greens on the stovetop for hours, make these collards in minutes. If you have a second device, you can churn out more speedy BBQ side dishes like Instant Pot macaroni and cheese or Instant Pot mashed potatoes to serve alongside
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen5/19Instant Pot Glazed and Grilled Ribs
Less than 10 minutes of cook time in the Instant Pot is all it takes to transform famously tough spareribs into the tender barbecue classic you never thought you could make on a Tuesday. And we’ve got more where this recipe came from: pressure cooker beef short ribs.
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou7/19Khichdi
If you can’t find the mung beans required for this one-pot Indian stew, check out our Instant Pot dal formula that can be made with any type lentils you might already have on hand. Looking for more Indian recipes for the Instant Pot? (Like that viral Instant Pot butter chicken?) Check out our conversation with cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey.
9/19Instant Pot Creamy Loaded Potato Soup
A stuffed potato in soup form means you still get sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced jalapenos, chopped chives, and bacon for toppings, but you get to eat it all with a spoon.
Photo by Alex Lau10/19Instant Pot Coq au Vin
Instead of hours in the oven, this classic French braise only needs 15 minutes in the Instant Pot. Curious about its sister dish beouf Bourguignon? The beef stew from Burgundy is also ripe for making in a pressure cooker.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens11/19Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
This black bean soup is so hearty it does for your soul what chili does. If you’re looking for a full-on chili recipe, though, try this Instant Pot Beef and Sweet Potato Chili.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Molly Baz12/19Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Split pea soup is a lot like your favorite pair of slippers: It might not look like much, but boy, does it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s the ultimate fall-season American comfort food.
13/19Instant Pot Cilantro-Peanut Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go for this recipe. They won’t get quite as crispy as skin-on thighs, but you don’t really need that texture when each morsel is ultimately coated in a cilantro-peanut chutney.
14/19Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash
When it comes to chicken recipes, we’d say that Hungarian chicken paprikash with bouncy warm egg noodles is up there on the cozy scale with the likes of chicken and dumplings and Instant Pot butter chicken.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones16/19Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
In a little over half an hour, pork shoulder emerges from an Instant Pot soft, flossy, and ready to be crisped in a nonstick skillet and spooned into tortillas along with shredded cabbage and pickled onions.
Christopher Testani17/19Pressure-Cooker Gigante Beans in Tomato Sauce
We like big, creamy gigante beans here, but almost any white bean would work. Just note that the smaller they are, the more quickly they’ll cook.
Alex Lau19/19Instant Pot Polenta Cacio e Pepe
The ingredient list of this gluten-free Instant Pot recipe fits comfortably on a notecard: polenta, salt, pepper, butter, and Parmesan. Need something to roll on top of that polenta? Try these cheesy Italian-ish Instant Pot chicken meatballs.