66 Best Instant Pot Recipes, From Soups To Mains To Dessert (Yes, Really!) (2024)

Spoiler alert: It can even make cheesecake.

By Mackenzie Filson
66 Best Instant Pot Recipes, From Soups To Mains To Dessert (Yes, Really!) (1)

We LOVE our small appliances here at Delish—we admit to cooking more than our fair share of meals in our air fryers, slow cookers, toaster ovens, and more. One of our favorites? Gotta be the Instant Pot. If you've been flirting with getting one of your own but have yet to take the plunge, consider this your sign. After you check out these 66 recipes for the easy-to-use multi-cooker, you'll be wanting your own in a, well, instant. We're not just talking how easy it makes dinnertime, either. We break out the Instant Pot for help with every course, from the first dip into some Instant Pot street corn queso to the last slice of Instant Pot Oreo cheesecake. We won't be surprised if you find you can cook all your meals all week long in an Instant Pot!

If you're not sure what Instant Pot is right for you, we tested all the best Instant Pots that are well worth the counter space. In general, Instant Pots do so much more than just pressure cooking and can be used as a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer yogurt maker, sauté pan, and a meal warmer.

Aside from the tech specs, Instant Pots magically make meals that taste like they simmered all day, like our Instant Pot corned beef or our Instant Pot pot roast, but actually took a fraction of the time. And what's dinner without something sweet at the end? Yup, the Instant Pot can even make dessert, and our Instant Pot banana bread, our Instant Pot brownies, and our Instant Pot cheesecake are proof.

Want to save even more time (right now, and in your kitchen)? Check out our favorite Instant Pot appetizers, our best Instant Pot chicken recipes, and our top healthy Instant Pot recipes too.

1

Instant Pot Chicken & Rice

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If there's one thing we find magical about Instant Pots, it's how quickly and perfectly they cook chicken and rice. The rice is the perfect texture and the chicken is insanely tender. This is 100% the meal we cook in the Instant Pot the most often.

Get the Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe.

2

Instant Pot Potato Soup

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This potato soup is what an Instant Pot was made for—no need to boil potatoes for a long time or stand over a stove. Throwing everything in the Instant Pot will give you a delicious soup in about 40 minutes flat. 😍

Get the Instant Pot Potato Soup recipe.

3

Instant Pot Pork Puttanesca

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For this dish, we were inspired by classic Italian puttanesca, a tomato-based dish with anchovies, capers, and olives that's traditionally served over pasta. Pork makes it extra hearty, so we served it over creamy polenta, but feel free to sub in pasta, rice, or whatever else you can dream up.

Get the Instant Pot Pork Puttanesca recipe.

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4

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

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Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of chicken noodle soup? This Instant Pot recipe makes light work of this homestyle classic.

Get the Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.

5

Instant Pot Jambalaya

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The Instant Pot is a great way to make jambalaya, a Cajun classic, in just an hour. All the rice, veggies, broth, and chicken go in the Instant Pot together and get cooked under high pressure for the perfect, fluffy jambalaya.

Get the Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe.

6

Instant Pot Copycat Bourbon Chicken

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If you were hanging out in malls in the '90s, you've likely been chased down in the food court to sample this delectable, perfectly sauced chicken thigh recipe on a toothpick. Now you can make this dish at home in your Instant Pot any time you like!

Get the Instant Pot Copycat Bourbon Chicken recipe.

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7

Instant Pot Risotto

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One of our favorite things the Instant Pot can do is make risotto—it takes all of the arm workout out it! Start with warm broth just as you would with a stovetop version, and you'll have a creamy risotto in no time.

Get the Instant Pot Risotto recipe.

8

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

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Our Instant Pot butter chicken recipe is about to become your favorite weeknight staple that you can now make faster than delivery. Chicken thighs become extremely tender under all the sauce that you'll want to soak up with plenty of naan.

Get the Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe.

9

Instant Pot French Toast

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There's no need for your French toast casserole to take an hour to bake in the oven. You can spend half that time in the Instant Pot for a fuss-free breakfast. It's perfect topped with a little powdered sugar, fruit, and maple syrup.

Get the Instant Pot French Toast recipe.

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10

Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

Juicy pork tenderloin seriously deserves its own spotlight. We keep the seasoning simple here: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder. If you want another flavor profile, the world is your oyster: oregano and Italian seasoning, ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, or even just salt and black pepper will do.

Get the Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin recipe.

11

Instant Pot Rice

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When cooking rice, a lot of things can go wrong. But not in this easy recipe (thanks to the Instant Pot's handy "rice" button!). Instant Pot, we 💖 you.

Get the Instant Pot Rice recipe.

12

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

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The gravy that comes with these chicken thighs is luxuriously smooth and full of chicken flavor. Want to make it a meal? Serve these thighs up with mashed potatoes and some simple sautéed greens like this garlicky kale or this 10-minute bok choy recipe.

Get the Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe.

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13

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

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We love lentil soup for its versatility. For this rendition, we add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic as a base, plus canned tomatoes and fresh thyme. Simply add ingredients, set your Instant Pot to high, and press go!

Get the Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe.

14

Instant Pot Wings

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This recipe is the perfect jumping-off point for any of your favorite types of wings. Not a fan of Buffalo sauce? Toss these wings with your favorite barbecue sauce or make a batch of sauce from our Korean fried chicken recipe instead.

Get the Instant Pot Wings recipe.

15

Instant Pot Banana Bread

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The nature of the Instant Pot is to steam things, and that's why a banana bread is so very good after being cooked in one—it gets SO perfectly moist and tender.

Get the Instant Pot Banana Bread recipe.

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16

Instant Pot Chili

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The convenience and speed of the Instant Pot is pretty unparalleled, especially for chili. No more sweating over a hot stove, forever standing and stirring, and standing and stirring...

Get the Instant Pot Chili recipe.

17

Instant Pot Sweet & Spicy Brisket

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If you're a fan of Korean flavor profiles, you'll love this recipe. The balance of sweet and spicy is perfect for any season, any day. When the meat is done cooking, reserve the broth and pour a little on top when serving—it's truly flavor central.

Get the .

18

Instant Pot Street Corn Queso

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Everyone loves a good queso dip, but we might love this Mexican street corn variety even more—it's got crunch, spice, and tons of cheese as garnish. How could you go wrong?

Get the Instant Pot Street Corn Queso recipe.

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19

Instant Pot Brownies

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We're always searching for the best way to make the fudgiest brownies, and we might have found it in the Instant Pot. This is a straightforward and easy recipe that won't heat up your kitchen during the summer. Win, win, win.

Get the Instant Pot Brownies recipe.

20

Instant Pot Beef Stew

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There's no need to wait for a large piece of meat to tenderize for hours when your Instant Pot can do it in less than an hour. This hearty beef stew can be made in a fraction of the time, and is perfect on a cold winter's night.

Get the Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe.

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Mackenzie Filson

Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.

66 Best Instant Pot Recipes, From Soups To Mains To Dessert (Yes, Really!) (2024)

FAQs

What is the Soup button on the Instant Pot? ›

The Soup button on the Instant Pot is preset with a specific cooking time and pressure level, and it does not allow for manual adjustments. However, you can always use the Manual or Pressure Cook function if you need more control over the cooking time and pressure level.

Is the Soup setting sealing or venting on Instant Pot? ›

The Soup setting on the Instant Pot operates by using high pressure to create a sealed cooking environment. It brings the contents of the pot to a boil, allowing flavors to infuse and ingredients to become tender.

Can you boil Soup in Instant Pot? ›

Yes, the “Soup” setting on the Instant Pot is designed specifically for boiling soup. It provides a preset cooking time and temperature that is ideal for soup recipes. Simply select the “Soup” setting on your Instant Pot and adjust the cooking time if needed, based on your recipe's instructions.

What is the meat stew setting on Instant Pot? ›

What about the meat/stew button? The meat stew setting is a one-click approach to cooking larger pieces of meat (like those in this recipe) in the Instant Pot. The meat stew setting on the Instant Pot is 35 minutes long, so it should work, but I haven't experimented with the setting myself.

Why soup in a pressure cooker cooks faster? ›

At that pressure, water boils at 121°C (250°F). That means food can cook at a much higher temperature than it ever could at atmospheric pressure—and since cooking reactions speed up at higher temperatures, your food cooks faster. It also doesn't dry out, since the water stays in liquid form.

Why does Instapot say burn food? ›

The Instant Pot's burn message simply means that your Instant Pot has detected that its inner pot has gotten too hot. There may be a slight amount of burned food at the bottom of your pot, but not enough to ruin whatever you're cooking.

Is it better to cook soup in a pressure cooker? ›

Yes, better for some soups than others, but yes pressure cookers can make soup quickly and nicely. A pressure cooker raises the atmospheric pressure to reduce the cooking time. If your soup contains ingredients that would require an unusually long time to cook then a pressure cooker would save time.

How long do you can soup in a pressure cooker? ›

Process:
  1. For weighted gauge pressure canners at 0-1000 feet, process at 10 pounds pressure - 60 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts. ...
  2. For dial gauge pressure canners at 0-2000 feet, process at 11 pounds pressure – process 60 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts.

Does meat get more tender the longer you cook it in a stew? ›

Chuck meat is your best bet for beef stew, but it's also a pretty tough cut so it needs time to break down and become tender. Rush the cooking process and the beef will be tough and chewy. Follow this tip: For really tender meat, cook the stew low and slow, for approximately two hours.

What is the difference between meat stew and pressure cook? ›

Contrary to what some of the other replies say, meat/stew is not a slow cook setting or anything like that, it's actually just a pressure cooking setting, but it sets the initial settings to about what you need for meat/stew, it sets the time to 35 minutes, high pressure.

Should I use natural or quick release for stew? ›

When and how to use a natural release. Because there is so much pressure built up inside the pot, releasing it gradually is gentler than a quick release, but it also adds time. This makes it ideal for foods with longer cook times, like braises, stews, and broths.

Is it better to cook stew on low or high? ›

While many slow cooker recipes can be made on high for 3-4 hours, I highly recommend cooking this beef stew on low for the full 7-8 hours. This will ensure that the beef gets nice and tender. Thicken your stew properly.

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