19 Easy (Real Food) Instant Pot Recipes for Hesitant Beginners (2024)

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19 easy instant pot recipes for beginners using all real food ingredients. Now you have no more excuse – go forth and become an instant pot expert! I believe in you!

19 Easy (Real Food) Instant Pot Recipes for Hesitant Beginners (1)

It’s the last week of Instant Pot July, and it’s been an awesome month of talking shop about our favourite new tool: the magical Instant Pot. In the months leading up to this, I really fell hard for my IP, and now declare it to be my most valuable small appliance in my kitchen. It’s just so darn convenient!

Since I get asked so frequently, here are the models thatI recommend:

The one I have: Instant Pot Duo80 7-in-1 8qt for families of four or more, especially if you like to batch cook, or even just cook once and eat leftovers for a few days. (My sanity is 100% reliant on tactics such as this.)

The smaller, 6qt version if you have 3 or less people in the household, or if you hate leftovers: Instant Pot Duo60 7-in-1 6qt.

But friends – I’ve had my Instant Pot for seven months now. If there’s one thing I’ve heard over and over again from others in regards to their IP, it’s the fear of getting started! If you’re a newbie who’s hesitant about taking the plunge, welcome to your official hand-holding as you finally dive in.

The Instant Pot can seem intimidating, to be sure. It’s big and scary, and unless you’re already used to a stovetop pressure cooker, using it will mean learning a brand new cooking technique. I know how overwhelming that can feel.

Which is why it’s a darn good thing it’s pretty much idiot-proof.

And I say that with as much love as possible. If *I* could figure it out, anyone can! (Says the creative-minded writer with ZERO natural ability in the concrete/hands-on/kinesthetic/technology world. And yes, a kitchen appliance with buttons counts as technology, ha!)

Whetheryou just got an Instant Pot recently, or you’ve had it sitting there for months staring at you intimidatingly, or even if you’re already on your way to IP expert status, here is a compilation of some of the best basic recipes that are super easy to make in your shiny Instant Pot BFF. (Or soon-to-be BFF, anyway.)

First, a few words of advice fromothers. Go read these articles, and then come back and pick a recipe from the list that sounds good to you.

THEN MAKE IT. Today. Like, now.

I know you can do it – I believe in you. *Insert motivational cat poster, sappy believe-in-yourself pop ballads, and my best cheerleader impression.* (And apologies for that last one. It was obviously unhelpful, and I should have predicted that.)

Best Tips & Tricks Articles:

4 Things I Learned About My Instant Pot in the First 6 Months | Red & Honey

So Your Instant Pot is Still in the Box… How to Get Over the Hump and Finally Cook Something| Traditional Cooking School

Instant Pot Tips and Tricks 101 | Once a Month Meals

10 Basic Instant Pot Techniques | Kitchen Stewardship

Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash | Attainable Sustainable

Instant Pot Cauliflower Rice | Kitchen Stewardship

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili | The Humbled Homemaker

Instant Pot Shredded BBQ Chicken| Red & Honey (right here!)

Instant Pot Lemon Pudding Cups | Traditional Cooking School

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup | Dr. Karen S. Lee

Instant Pot Apple-Cranberry Steel Cut Oats | Kitchen Stewardship

Instant Pot Rice Pudding | Traditional Cooking School

Instant Pot Bone Broth Tutorial | Phoenix Helix

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes | Make Real Food

Instant Pot Best Ever Chili| Red & Honey (right here!)

Instant Pot Italian Lentil Dinner | Kitchen Stewardship

19 Easy (Real Food) Instant Pot Recipes for Hesitant Beginners (2)

Instant Pot Potato Salad with Magical Bacon Superpowers| Red & Honey (right here!)

Instant Pot Mac n’ Cheese | Kitchen Stewardship

Instant Pot Applesauce | Don’t Mess With Mama

How to Cook a Frozen Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot | Red & Honey (right here!)

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs | The Prairie Homestead

How to Cook Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot | Kitchen Stewardship

Instant Pot Herb Chicken Lunchmeat| Red & Honey (right here!)

Umami Instant Pot Pot Roast | Pressure Cook Recipes

Instant Pot Yogurt | Kitchen Stewardship

There you have it! 19 super easy Instant Pot recipes for beginners that you can easily add to your repertoire to start feeling like an IP rockstar. After this, you’ll be well on your way to Instant Pot expert.

Now – go forth and fall in love with your Instant Pot. It’ll love you right back and you’ll both live happily ever after.

Related: Quick Healthy Meals Ultimate Guide (101 Tips, Recipes, and Strategies)

Happy cooking!

19 Easy (Real Food) Instant Pot Recipes for Hesitant Beginners (3)

19 Easy (Real Food) Instant Pot Recipes for Hesitant Beginners (2024)

FAQs

What should I make first in my new Instant Pot? ›

When it comes to breaking your Instant Pot in, it's a good idea to start with some basic foods and simple meals you're already familiar with, then slowly expand your Instant Pot repertoire from there. Try making staples like eggs, sweet potatoes, rice, or lentils using just the pressure cooker function.

What foods should not be cooked in an Instant Pot? ›

In fact, there are a handful of foods that just shouldn't be pressure-cooked. Among them are dairy and fried foods, as well as burgers and steaks.

Is there anything you can't cook in an Instant Pot? ›

In general, seafood such as fish, oysters, shrimp, muscles and clams are just too delicate for pressure cooking and slow cooking modes. They are foods that are meant to be cooked quickly at just the right temperature, which is hard to do with an Instant Pot.

Why potatoes should not be cooked in pressure cooker? ›

Mostly we boil potatoes in a pressure cooker, but like rice, potatoes also contain a lot of starch. This is the reason why boiling or cooking in this pressure cooker is not considered good for health. If you still plan to use cooker for the same, add a lot of water and wash them thoroughly post cooking.

What is the best meat to cook in a pressure cooker? ›

You can still pressure cook leaner pieces – like eye of round and top sirloin – but these work best if they've been stuffed, shredded or rolled (with other ingredients). Best cuts of beef to use: Chuck steak, Round Roast, Shoulder, Pot roast, Ribs, Brisket, Oxtail.

Can you overcook meat in pressure cooker? ›

Steam penetrates food easily under pressure. So connective tissues in cubes of beef for soups or stews soften in 15 minutes or less, and a pot roast will be medium-rare in 30 minutes. Be sure to follow instructions carefully; at this speed, it's easy to overcook things in mere minutes.

What is the simplest food to cook? ›

Easy staples of mine:
  • Eggs - scrambled and over easy.
  • spaghetti with meat sauce (brown meat and add a jar of sauce)
  • hamburgers on the grill.
  • tacos (hamburger meat and seasoning packet)
  • Bake a chicken breast with seasoning and microwave a bag of frozen veggies for side.
Jan 17, 2018

What is lazy cooking? ›

It means making smart or clever adjustments that make cooking quicker and easier. Think of it as pandemic cooking 2.0—good, healthy food made convenient. It's all about sheet pan dinners, pressure cookers and any meal you can make in one vessel. It likely involves fewer steps and fewer ingredients.

What is one of the hardest foods to cook? ›

The World's Most Difficult Dishes to Prepare
  • The Fugu Puffer Fish. A Japanese delicacy, this deadly dish's organs contain a neurotoxin 1,000 times more powerful than cyanide. ...
  • Mole Poblano. Some date this difficult dish from as far back as 500 years ago. ...
  • Soufflé ...
  • Turducken. ...
  • Consommé
Nov 14, 2017

What can I cook in 5 minutes? ›

25 healthy recipes you can cook in 5 minutes or less
  • Pea and broad bean couscous.
  • Fast home-made baked beans.
  • Porridge.
  • Pasta with cherry tomatoes and rocket.
  • Home-made hummus.
  • Smashed avocado and wilted spinach.
  • Cucumber (or potato) raitha.
  • Quick pitta pizzas.

What can you cook in 3 minutes? ›

Three-Minute Meals
  • Mushroom Toast. 1 piece whole-grain toast. ...
  • Spring Salad with Shrimp and Brown Rice. ...
  • Italian-Style Ratatouille with Chicken Sausage. ...
  • Quick Vegetarian Tacos. ...
  • Mediterranean-Style Loaded Baked Potato. ...
  • Breakfast for Dinner: Vegetarian Omelette. ...
  • Asian-Inspired Stir Fry. ...
  • Whole Grain Flatbread Pizza and Salad.
Jun 7, 2017

Which dish would take the least time to cook? ›

Masala Kheema - Dry Spicy Minced Meat

This simple meat dish comes together in as little as 35 minutes using any ground meat you prefer. Chicken, lamb, pork, goat, and beef all work well.

References

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