51 Instant Pot Recipes for Quick and Easy Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, and Desserts
Air fryers might get all the attention, but we still think the Instant Pot has staying power. Some Instant Pot recipes aren’t just speedier than their stovetop equivalents—they’re better. Below you'll find 51 ways to put your electric pressure cooker to work, including hearty stews, easy soups, dinner party–worthy main dishes, comforting desserts, and homemade yogurt and hummus to get you through the week. Most of these recipes are one-pot options, which will help cut down on cleaning too.
Don’t have a pressure cooker yet? Here’s a guide to picking out the right Instant Pot for you.
Photo by Christopher Testani1/51Instant Pot Lemon Vanilla Rice Pudding With Whipped Cream
Instant Pot recipes aren't all meat and beans. This dessert from Melissa Clark's Comfort in an Instant pairs Arborio rice (the kind you'd use for risotto) with lemon, cinnamon, and a vanilla bean. Although rice pudding is traditionally served cold, this one is also wonderfully comforting when it’s still warm.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Simon Andrews2/51Big-Batch Instant Pot White Beans
Make a big batch of beans in your Instant Pot, and you'll be set for meals throughout the week. Pair with smoked paprika and piquillo peppers, or tomato and marjoram, or just add some herbs and olive oil and pile on toast.
Photo by Selina Lee5/51Instant Pot Japchae
This classic Korean dish takes just 20 minutes to prepare when you're using a multi-cooker like the Instant Pot. Feel free to swap in your favorite vegetables for the carrots, oyster mushrooms, and spinach called for here.
Photo by Colin Price6/51Brown Butter Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Steel-cut oats have a chewy, hearty texture. Taking the extra step of browning them in butter gives the oatmeal a toasty, rich flavor and helps to keep it from sticking to the pot. Easy Instant Pot recipes like this one can make your whole week better.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell7/51Instant Pot Brothy Farro With Sausage and Leeks
Photo by Colin Price8/51Instant Pot Hummus
The secret to making a smooth, light, fluffy hummus is to use warm, just-cooked chickpeas. And the Instant Pot makes that easy. Then, it's easy to turn hummus into dinner.
Photo by Charles Masters, prop styling by Sarah Cave, food styling by Chelsea Zimmer9/51Instant Pot Chicken Stock
Photo by Susan Brooks-Dammann/Stocksy United12/51Italian Chickpea Stew With Pesto
We love it when we're having chickpeas for dinner. Here, they're the basis of a savory Italian bean stew, which gets an extra kick from a spoonful of intensely flavored basil pesto.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou13/51Caramelized Pumpkin for Pie
This Instant Pot technique will work with any pumpkin pie recipe—all you need to do is melt some butter in your pressure cooker, add pumpkin purée and a rounded ½ tsp. baking soda, stir, and let it cook on high for 20 minutes before proceeding with your recipe. Read more about the technique before Thanksgiving, and you'll be glad you did.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Laura Rege14/51Instant Pot Braised Lamb With White Beans and Spinach
