30 Easy Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners: Master Your Pressure Cooker with Confidence!
Embark on your Instant Pot journey with these 30 beginner-friendly recipes! If you’re new to pressure cooking or simply seeking straightforward dishes, this collection offers perfect starting points to build your confidence and culinary skills.
Congratulations on getting your very first Instant Pot! It’s an exciting addition to any kitchen, but many new users find themselves a little intimidated by this versatile appliance. Perhaps you’re wondering where to begin, or even feeling a bit nervous about using a pressure cooker. Let’s put those fears to rest right away: your Instant Pot is incredibly safe and designed for ease of use. Forget the rattling, whistling pressure cookers of your grandmother’s era; today’s electric models feature advanced safety mechanisms, including automatic locks and sensors, ensuring you can cook with complete peace of mind. The lid cannot be opened when the pot is pressurized, eliminating any worries about mishaps.
The Instant Pot is more than just a pressure cooker; it’s a multi-functional kitchen marvel that can sauté, steam, slow cook, make yogurt, and even keep food warm. Its ability to drastically cut down cooking times makes it a game-changer for busy weeknights, meal prep, or when you just want a delicious, home-cooked meal without spending hours in the kitchen. From tender meats that fall off the bone to perfectly cooked grains and hearty soups, the Instant Pot makes healthy and flavorful cooking accessible to everyone, regardless of their culinary experience.
Why the Instant Pot is Perfect for Beginners
Navigating a new appliance can feel daunting, but the Instant Pot is surprisingly user-friendly once you get past the initial learning curve. Its “set it and forget it” nature allows you to accomplish complex cooking tasks with minimal hands-on time. These 30 recipes have been carefully selected to showcase the Instant Pot’s capabilities while keeping the steps simple and achievable for anyone just starting out. You’ll discover dishes that require only a few ingredients and simple “dump and go” instructions, as well as a few that introduce the handy sauté function for building deeper flavors before pressure cooking. Every recipe here is designed to be straightforward, ensuring delicious results that will inspire you to keep exploring your new kitchen companion.
Essential Tips for Your First Instant Pot Experience
Perform the Water Test: Before cooking any food, it’s highly recommended to do a simple water test. This familiarizes you with the basic functions like sealing the lid, setting the pressure, and releasing steam, without the stress of potentially ruining a meal. Just add 2-3 cups of water, seal the lid, set the vent to ‘Sealing’, and pressure cook for 2-3 minutes.
Understand the Basics: Familiarize yourself with key buttons like “Pressure Cook” (or “Manual”), “Sauté,” “Keep Warm,” and “Cancel.” Most beginner recipes will focus on these core functions.
Natural Release vs. Quick Release: Know the difference! Natural release (NR) means letting the pressure drop on its own, which is ideal for foamy foods, grains, and meats. Quick release (QR) involves turning the vent to ‘Venting’ to release steam quickly, perfect for stopping the cooking process for vegetables or delicate dishes. Always use a kitchen towel or oven mitt to protect your hand when doing a QR.
Don’t Overfill: Never fill your Instant Pot past the MAX line, especially with foods that expand like rice or beans. This prevents blockages and ensures safe operation.
The Sealing Ring: Ensure your sealing ring is properly installed and clean. A misplaced or dirty ring can prevent the pot from coming to pressure.
These initial steps and a little patience will quickly make you feel like an Instant Pot pro. Now, let’s dive into some incredibly tasty and surprisingly easy recipes that will make you fall in love with your new Instant Pot!
1
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken – Use the pressure cooker to make salsa chicken that is tender, juicy, and flavorful. Great for tacos, enchiladas, salads, quesadillas and more!
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2
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
Instant Pot BBQ Chicken – sweet and tangy, fall apart tender and juicy chicken. It is ready in minutes and perfect for sandwiches, salads, wraps, or to just eat with a fork!
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3
Instant Pot Pork Chops
Instant Pot pork chops are perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, and so juicy! Pair these tender, easy pork chops with a side of veggies or salad for a quick weeknight dinner.
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4
Instant Pot Potato Soup
This Instant Pot Potato Soup has a rich and creamy broth, with hearty potatoes, melty cheese, and crispy bacon. It’s the perfect comfort food for fall and winter.
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5
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice – an easy dinner that is deliciously creamy and cheesy with tender flavorful chunks of chicken. A great weeknight meal you can get on the table in minutes!
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6
Instant Pot Pozole
Instant Pot Pozole – a simple and comforting pozole recipe you can make in no time. It is super easy to make, loaded with flavor and a great Mexican inspired dinner.
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7
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Instant Pot Spanish Rice – tastes just like the Mexican rice for your local Mexican restaurant. It comes together in just minutes, with pantry staple ingredients you probably have on handalready!
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8
Instant Pot Meatballs
Instant Pot Meatballs – tender and delicious meatballs that could not be easier to make! They are ready in minutes with no browning required.
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9
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs – make a complete dinner in the pressure cooker in just minutes! The chicken stays juicy and tender and full of flavor.
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10
Instant Pot Ribs
Instant Pot Ribs – super tender, flavorful and delicious baby back ribs in the Instant Pot! Fool-proof method that are ready in just minutes.
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11
Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Instant Pot Crack Chicken – a delicious combination of cream cheese, chicken, ranch dressing mix, bacon, and cheddar cheese that all comes together in a creamy and delicious meal!
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12
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Instant Hard Boiled Eggs – make the perfect hard boiled eggs anytime in just minutes using your Instant Pot!
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13
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Instant Pot Pulled Pork – the most tender and delicious pulled pork. This easy pulled pork recipe comes together in the Instant Pot and gets dinner on the table in no time!
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14
Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas – make classic chicken fajitas in no time using your Instant Pot! Juicy, flavorful chicken, onions, and bell peppers come together in a delicious and easy dinner.
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15
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes – The fastest and easiest way to cook sweet potatoes! They are ready in 30 minutes and come out perfectly silky smooth every time!
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16
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos – make taco night extra tasty with this flavorful and easy chicken! Great for tacos, salads, quesadillas, burritos and more all week long!
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17
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob – an easy side dish you can make all summer long. The corn comes out juicy, tender, and perfect every time!
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18
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
These Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are creamy, fluffy, and full of rich, buttery flavor. Ready in a fraction of the time, they’re the perfect easy side dish for any meal!
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19
Instant Pot Bolognese
Instant Pot Bolognese – make Italian style bolognese sauce in the Instant Pot. So rich and delicious and ready in a fraction of the traditional recipe!
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20
Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
Instant Pot Chicken Adobo – a Filipino comfort food made with chicken thighs. Tender thighs coated in a sweet and savory glaze with a kick of heat from black peppercorns taste absolutely delicious.
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21
Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
Instant Pot Jasmine Rice – make the perfect rice every time with your Instant Pot! Just a few minutes and you have fluffy jasmine rice.
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22
Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin – a tender and juicy pork tenderloin that is cooked in the instant pot with an easy mushroom sauce!
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23
Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches
Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches – make super tender and juicy french dip sandwiches in a fraction of the time using the instant pot!
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24
Mexican Shredded Beef
Juicy Instant Pot Mexican shredded beef is easy to make from tender chuck roast cooked in a flavorful sauce. Perfect in tacos, enchiladas, or served over rice. Crock Pot directions included!
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25
Zuppa Toscana
This copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana in rich, hearty, and loaded with sausage, potatoes, and kale. It’s healthy, delicious, and only takes 45 minutes in the Instant Pot.
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26
Pork Tacos
Instant Pot Pork Tacos – these pulled pork tacos are super tender and so delicious. Topped with a creamy Mexican slaw and avocado sauce!
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27
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
This Buffalo Chicken Dip is a game day classic that you can make in the Instant Pot. Creamy, cheesy and all the buffalo chicken flavor you know and love
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28
Mississippi Pork Roast
Mississippi pork roast is full of tender, juicy, and rich meat, with spicy pepperoncini peppers. It’s hearty and comforting, and easy to make in a crock pot or Instant Pot.
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29
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
This Instant Pot Whole Chicken is the fastest and easiest way you can cook a whole rotisserie style chicken at home. Super easy to make and you can even turn the juices into gravy!
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30
Instant Pot Corned Beef
Instant Pot Corned Beef – make the most tender and delicious corned beef in your pressure cooker! Completely with potatoes, cabbage and carrots for the perfect St Patrick’s Day dinner.
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Unlock Your Instant Pot Potential
This collection of 30 easy Instant Pot recipes is designed to be your stepping stone into the exciting world of pressure cooking. From quick weeknight chicken dishes like Salsa Chicken and BBQ Chicken to comforting soups like Potato Soup and Zuppa Toscana, you’ll find a wide variety of meals that are not only simple to prepare but also bursting with flavor. Imagine serving up perfectly tender ribs, juicy pork chops, or a hearty batch of chili in a fraction of the time traditional methods would take. Even essential sides like fluffy rice and creamy mashed potatoes become effortless tasks for your Instant Pot.
As you work through these recipes, you’ll gain confidence in using your Instant Pot’s various functions, from sautéing to pressure cooking. You’ll learn how to achieve consistent, delicious results every time, transforming your cooking routine and allowing you more time to enjoy your meals with family and friends. This isn’t just about cooking faster; it’s about cooking smarter and making mealtime a joyous, stress-free experience.
Don’t let your Instant Pot gather dust in the pantry! Embrace its potential with these beginner-friendly recipes, and soon you’ll be experimenting with more advanced dishes, adapting your favorite stovetop recipes, and truly making the most of this incredible kitchen tool. Happy cooking!
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