Our Instant Pot is one of the most used appliances in our kitchen. And I’m convinced that you can cook just about anything in this little electric pressure cooker. In fact, I have 25 Instant Pot recipes that prove you can make virtually everything in this appliance.
25 Surprising Instant Pot Recipes That Prove It Can Cook (Almost) Everything
1. Instant Pot Creme Brulee
Creme Brulee in an Instant Pot? You bet! The trick is to cook this dessert in mason jars inside of your Instant Pot.
Each jar is wrapped tightly with foil to keep steam out. Then, it’s just a matter of pressure cooking for 7 minutes and letting it cool to room temperature before chilling.
You’ll need a creme bruelee torch for this recipe, but the rest is a piece of cake.
2. No Knead Bread
Yes, you can bake bread in an Instant Pot. Who knew?! The best part is that this recipe is for a no-knead bread, which makes it even easier to make. You’ll need the basic bread ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, sugar and water). You can add herbs and even cheese if you want a more flavorful bread.
3. Salsa Verde Chicken
Tender shredded chicken in a flavorful salsa verde sauce with fresh cilantro and a hint of honey for sweetness. You’ll love this recipe because it’s so easy to make, and it’s ready to eat in just 40 minutes. We love to serve this dish over rice, but you can also eat it in tortillas taco-style.
4. Easy Instant Pot Baked Beans
Delicious homemade baked beans from scratch and cooked right in your Instant Pot. The bacon and onion give this recipe so much flavor, but you’ll also need some molasses and barbecue sauce. This recipe does require a little prep work, like soaking the dried beans overnight, but it’s well worth the effort.
Related: 25 Easy Crockpot Recipes You Can Meal Prep for the Week
5. Lobster Bisque
Looking for fancy Instant Pot recipes? Try this lobster bisque. It’s a little bit of work to make, but it’s absolutely delicious and creamy. You’ll find directions for both the Instant Pot and stovetop, so you can cook this however you want.
In the Instant Pot, this dish is ready in about 25 minutes.
6. Chicken Burrito Bowls
These chicken burrito bowls are perfect for busy weeknights. It’s balanced and healthy, especially if you cut out the cheese.
For this recipe, you’ll need chicken thighs, onion, garlic, chicken broth, beans, rice, salsa, cheese and a handful of other ingredients. Dinner will be ready in less than 40 minutes, and you can even store leftovers in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week.
7. Mexican Rice Pudding
Rice pudding is the last thing I’d think to cook in an Instant Pot, but this recipe really surprised me. Just dump all of the ingredients into the pot, let it cook for about 20 minutes and pressure release for 10 minutes, and you have a tasty dessert everyone will love.
8. Chocolate Cake
The most delicious and moist chocolate cake you’ll ever cook in your Instant Pot. This recipe uses steam to help cook the cake. Just place your cake pan inside of the Instant Pot on top of the trivet and cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. This cake is perfect for birthday parties or just to enjoy for fun.
9. Raviolis
A tasty ravioli dish cooked in a savory tomato sauce with Italian sausage. To save time, this recipe uses frozen ravioli, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you could make your own ravioli from scratch.
Once the dish is cooked, you’ll stir in ricotta, spinach and Parmesan cheese for an over-the-top meal that everyone will adore.
10. Apple Dumplings
I love Instant Pot recipes for desserts, and these apple dumplings take the cake. They’re so easy to make, and they will be devoured by everyone in a flash.
You’ll use crescent rolls for the “dumpling,” and Granny Smith apples for the filling.
These dumplings are cooked for just 10 minutes at high pressure and are best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
11. Instant Pot Ramen
A tasty ramen with chicken, hardboiled eggs and veggies all cooked in an Instant Pot for less than 20 minutes. This recipe calls for using packaged ramen noodles (the cheap kind) but throwing out the seasoning packets. You could also use regular ramen noodles.
12. Lemon Chicken
Juicy chicken cooked in a lemon garlic sauce with caramelized onions. I love that this dish is ready in less than 20 minutes, and you can pair it with so many side dishes: freshly steamed veggies, rice, mashed potatoes, quinoa, etc. I like to top this dish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Related: 25 Delicious Air Fryer Recipes That Will Make You Wonder How You Lived Without Them
13. Pad Thai
Pad Thai is one of the dishes that I never thought I would make at home, but it is one dish that my taste buds love. But, as with all Thai recipes, you’ll need dozens of ingredients, such as creamy peanut butter, fish oil, coconut aminos, rice noodles, peanuts and many more.
14. Brisket
I never thought that I would like brisket until I tried it at a restaurant near me. You’ll need a good-quality flat-cut beef brisket, salt and pepper, diced onion, garlic, beef broth, rosemary, thyme and Worcestershire sauce.
The recipe is so simple, anyone can follow along with it.
15. Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a lot easier than I thought it would be to make, but you will need a cast iron pan with a lid. For this recipe, you’ll need smoked kielbasa, chicken breasts and a good Cajun seasoning.
Additional ingredients that you’ll need are yellow onions, olive oil, red bell pepper, garlic, celery ribs, Italian seasoning, chicken stock, fire-roasted tomatoes and long-grain white rice.
16. Hibachi Steak and Vegetables
If you like Hibachi, you’ll want to add this to your must-try Instant Pot recipes. Prep time is just five minutes for a hearty meal that includes sliced mushrooms, soy sauce, beef steak, fresh ginger and a tasty garnish.
You will need to be quick to release the steam, and to thicken the sauce, add in more cornstarch.
17. Chicken Souvlaki Rice
Long-grain rice cooked in vegetable stock with some lemon and chicken is just the start of this recipe. You’ll learn how to make a chicken souvlaki marinade and serve with a Greek salad and herbs.
And I almost forgot, you’ll also make your own homemade tzatziki sauce to add even more flavor.
18. Stuffed Pepper + Ground Beef and Rice
You’ll need a baking dish for this recipe, and you’ll appreciate that the recipe’s author explains how you can freeze this dish to keep it for up to three months. Prep time is 20 minutes, and you’ll need medium bell peppers, green onions, garlic, lean ground beef, Italian and steak seasoning, cooked rice, diced tomatoes, basil, parsley and thyme.
If you like, you can top it with mozzarella, but it’s 100% up to you – I recommend it!
19. Popcorn
Movie night with homemade popcorn is always a nice treat. You’ll need three very simple ingredients: butter, coconut oil and kernels. And if you want to drizzle anything else on top, you’re free to do so.
20. Street Tacos
Are you a fan of street tacos? They’re always so delicious, and you can now make them in the comfort of your own home. You’ll need a good flank steak for the meat, orange juice, olive oil, honey, cilantro, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, tortillas, pico de gallo and queso fresco for this recipe.
And you’ll learn how to make a tasty garlic lime sauce, too.
Related: 25 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes to Make in Your Instant Pot
21. Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
If you’re searching for fall-inspired Instant Pot recipes, these donut holes are a great choice. You will need a silicone egg pan and quite a few ingredients to make these donuts:
- All-purpose flour
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Baking powder and soda
- Sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Greek yogurt
- Butter (unsalted)
- Eggs
- Cinnamon
22. Baked Potatoes
Do you have a hankering for baked potatoes? This recipe leaves you with russet potatoes that have a crispy exterior, and you can add anything you want on top when you’re done: butter, cheese, bacon bits, sour cream – whatever you prefer.
23. Black Eyed Peas
You’ll start by setting your pot to sauté mode and adding some oil. Once hot, add on your garlic, onion and bacon. After browning, you’ll add spices and cook for a little longer before adding in your chicken stock, black eyed peas and bay leaves.
Splash on some Tabasco sauce or hot pepper vinegar, and you’ll have a tasty pot of black-eyed peas to eat.
24. Jam
Grab your mason jars and make jam inside of your Instant Pot. If you have peaches, strawberries, apricots, blueberries or other fresh fruit sitting around, you can use it – or frozen fruit – for this recipe.
Additional ingredients will include granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and vanilla extract.
25. Steamed Eggs
I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I cooked up these steamed eggs for the first time, but I was pleasantly surprised. Cook time is six minutes, and all you need to make this creamy dish is:
- 2 eggs
- Chicken broth
- Roasted sesame oil
- Green scallions
