Healthy Instant Pot Recipes For Quick Flavor
Lean on your trusty electric multicooker to achieve your healthy meal plan. With these healthy Instant Pot recipes, you’ll be able to enjoy filling meals featuring lean meats, nutritious veggies, and bold spices. Read on for delicious, yet easy healthy Instant Pot recipes that will be perfect for weeknight meals and fancy dinners alike.
Our Test Kitchen really amped up the bold flavors with this healthy Instant Pot recipe. Pork shoulder is infused with fresh ginger, soy sauce, lemongrass, and garlic to really wake up those tastebuds. Enjoying the tender meat over fresh cabbage and veggies keeps this recipe grain-free, yet super filling.
North-African spices cumin, ginger, and cinnamon combine with tomatoes to make the base of this healthy Instant Pot dinner recipe. The one-pot meal sears the chicken first before a quick 12-minute cook under pressure. Serve over hot couscous topped with parsley and toasted almonds.
Black beans are the plant-based protein star in this healthy vegetarian Instant Pot recipe. Combined with whole-grain farro and spinach, it’s tasty enough to satisfy the meat-eaters in the family, too. Wrap it all up with avocado, lime, and cilantro for a burrito that’s better than anything you can get in a drive-thru.
Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken And Quinoa Stew
Look for bags of cubed butternut squash in the produce section to save you the trouble of peeling and dicing a whole squash. Find Castelvetrano olives either jarred in the olive and pickle section or fresh at most specialty market antipasti bars.
What To Serve With Spaghetti
We love topping our servings of spaghetti with grated Parmesan cheese. You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat and some chopped fresh basil for a pop of fresh flavor. These side dishes pair perfectly with this Instant Pot spaghetti:
- Bread: We love serving warm, buttery Garlic Bread alongside spaghetti. These Garlic Knots are another delicious option, or just slice up a loaf of crusty bread.
Recommended Reading: Can You Make Oatmeal In An Instant Pot
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
One of the very best uses for your Instant Pot? Mashed potatoes. Yes, mashed potatoes are so much easier in a pressure cooker! You dont have to worry about them boiling over on the stovetop, or keep testing them to see when theyre done. Nope, just throw them into the Instant Pot and press Go! This makes a large batch and is perfect for entertaining.
Creamy Instant Pot Pasta
This healthy Instant Pot recipe has become a fan favorite! Can you cook pasta in a pressure cooker without it turning to mush? Turns out, you can! This Instant Pot pasta mixes a marinara sauce with creamy goat cheese. Its so seriously flavorful and a perfect easy weeknight dinner recipe: it’s as simple as throwing a few ingredients in the pot and cooking for 5 minutes.
Recommended Reading: How Long To Cook Chickpeas In Instant Pot
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
This healthy Instant Pot split pea soup recipe is the ultimate meal! Its filling, plant based, and easy to make in a pressure cooker. This tasty dinner recipe is full of cozy, lightly smoky flavor. And all that’s required is chopping an onion, celery and carrot. That’s it! Let your Instant Pot do the rest of the work.
Whole30 Instant Pot Pork Recipes
Ive found that it can be difficult to cook pork in the instant pot because it can be tough, but these recipes look delicious and super tender.
Healthy Pulled Pork is one of my absolute favorite recipes. I love to make it in the slow cooker, but its great in the pressure cooker too!
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas are the best way to make seasoned, tender, caramelized, shredded pork. Carnitas are one of our favorite meals. We like to serve them with Pineapple Mango Salsa!
Instant Pot Pork Chops are slathered in an irresistible gravy! Low carb, keto and gluten free pork chops in your pressure cooker are easy and healthy!
Read Also: How To Use Instant Pot On High Pressure
Healthy Instant Pot Recipes
This Instant Pot Spaghetti is one of the best Instant Pot recipes for a fast family dinner. Everything cooks together in one pot: meat, pasta and sauce!
This Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup has the best flavors of fall wrapped up in a deliciously easy soup!
Honey Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Breasts are always moist, tender and flavorful! These pressure cooker chicken breasts cook perfectly in minutes from fresh or frozen for a quick dinner.
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup is the perfect hearty meal to warm you up. This homemade recipe tastes just like the restaurant version and is loaded with healthy vegetables and hearty beans.
Enjoy an easy savory meal with this Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe. Perfectly juicy and seasoned with a homemade spice rub, make these chicken thighs in your Instant Pot in just 30 minutes, start to finish.
These Easy Peel Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs are so simple to make and easy to peel! They are a great healthy meal prep option for breakfasts, snacks and lunches.
This vegetarian Instant Pot Lentil Soup is a warmly spiced soup thats filled with tender lentils, vegetables and tomatoes.
This Instant Pot Potato Soup is the perfect thick and creamy soup for a chilly winter evening meal.
We cant get enough of this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup! This healthy one pot dinner can also be made in the slow cooker.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans are a versatile recipe that you can use to make many delicious meals.
The Very Best Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Instant Pot plus chicken equals the simplest, no-brainer kind of weeknight meal. Quick, easy and pretty healthy, these Instant Pot chicken recipes are all winners:
- Instant Pot Chicken Marinara. Instant Pot chicken marinara recipe is a 3-ingredient equation for dinner that goes something like this: chicken thighs + a jar of marinara sauce = dinners done.
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken. A rich, bold homemade teriyaki is the secret to this delicious Instant Pot chicken recipe.
- Honey-Balsamic Instant Pot Chicken. Chicken legs cook to tender perfection in a simple honey balsamic sauce, and the whole thing is ready in just 30 minutes!
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken. Were big fans of Indian butter chickenthat tender, tomato-y takeout favoriteand this Instant Pot version really delivers!
- Instant Pot Chicken. Say hello to the best Instant Pot chicken recipe ever! Whenever a recipe calls for perfectly juicy chicken, this is your go-to recipe!
Read Also: How Long To Cook Chicken Wings In Instant Pot
Quick & Easy Lemon Cake
For an easy-peasy dessert that doesn’t overdo it on the calories, this lemon cake will satisfy that sweet cravingand still help you reach those weight loss goals.
Get our recipe for Quick & Easy Lemon Cake.
The Instant Pot can seem intimidating if you don’t have a recipe or an easy place to start. With these 25 recipes mentioned above, you have something to choose from for any mood, craving, or time of day. Enjoy these meals on your own, share with a loved one, or take to your next holiday party. Whatever you choose to make will help you feel confident in the kitchen while also helping you stick to your personal weight loss goals.
A previous version of this article was published in November 2021 and has since been updated to include more entries.
Best Healthy Instant Pot Recipes
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An ultimate collection of 45 Best Healthy Instant Pot Recipes for busy families. Most importantly, these tried, tested and true easy pressure cooker recipes actually WORK! I test each recipe at least 3 times, so you dont have to! Simple and kid approved ingredients to make healthy dinner ideas a breeze.
Recommended Reading: Instant Pot To Air Fryer Lid
Instant Pot Applesauce Ingredients
- Apples: Different apples will provide different flavor notes in the applesauce. Here Ive used Honeycrisp and Granny Smith.
- Water: The water is necessary to help the Instant Pot reach pressure and it also helps the apples to cook down. You need to only add 1/2 cup of water in a 6 quart pot and 3/4 cup of water for an 8 quart pot. The apples will also release some liquid as they break down, so the pot will have enough liquid to pressurize.
- Cinnamon: Adding a bit of ground cinnamon is optional, to make cinnamon applesauce.
Find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
How To Make Instant Pot Applesauce
Recommended Reading: How Long Corned Beef Instant Pot
I Got An Instant Pot For Christmas And I’m Afraid To Open The Box
First of all, you are not alone. According to our research, almost 70% of the users were afraid of the Instant Pot before their first usage in some regard.
I’ve been there too – don’t worry, I’m here to help you First of all – What Is an Instant Pot anyway?
An Instant Pot is a brand of electric pressure cooker or multi-cooker. It has multiple functions that allow you to prepare a wide range of recipes and meals.
It works at extremely high heat and forms a tight seal when cooking. This creates immense pressure inside the pot and enables the food within to cook at a much quicker rate than regular stovetop cooking.
Instant Pots perform best when preparing longer cooking items such as rice, legumes, and thick cuts of meat. All the same, they can cook just about anything: yogurt, oatmeal, cakes, stews, and more!
The Instant Pot acts as a slow cooker, rice cooker and pressure cooker, and can also transform into an air fryer if you have the right accessory. You can use them to fry, sauté, steam, and sterilize.
If you are into a special diet, the Instant Pot is super useful, since you can make steamed vegetables, perfectly tender chicken breast, oil-free jasmine rice and many more healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Now that you know the Instant Pot much better, you can open the box, do the Instant Pot water test and check these easy Instant Pot recipes I made especially for you.
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken And Mushrooms
To make these Instant Pot chicken thighs with mushrooms and orzo pasta, youll start by browning your chicken thighs. You can brown the chicken right in the Instant Pot using sauté mode.
Once the chicken is browned, remove it from the pot and add the chopped onion and mushrooms to the pot. Once these vegetables have softened a bit, youll sauté the garlic and then press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
Add the seasonings and chicken broth to the pot, scraping up any browned bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the orzo and then place the chicken on top of everything else.
Youll pressure cook everything together for just 4 minutes on high pressure, followed by a quick release. Then dinner is ready! This dish is especially delicious with some grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Can you substitute rice for the orzo?
I havent tested this recipe with rice, but it may work well with long grain white rice. I recommend reducing the amount of chicken broth to 1 1/4 cups, and allow the pot to naturally release for 10 to 15 minutes after the cook time ends. Brown rice will not work in this recipe, as the cook time for brown rice is much longer.
Can you leave out the orzo?
If you wish to make this without the orzo for a gluten-free meal, you should reduce the amount of chicken broth to 1 cup. There will be some liquid left after pressure cooking. You can thicken this using a cornstarch slurry and simmering on sauté mode to make a simple gravy.
Also Check: How To Seal Instant Pot Valve
Instant Pot Keto Bone Broth
This delicious broth can be a base for soups or any quick weeknight comfort meal. The consistency is rich for a broth, leaving a savory and comforting effect. Buy meat on the bone and take if off at home. Then, you can freeze them until you have enough to make a batch.
Mexican Red Beans And Quinoa
Cook 20 minutes
Total 25 minutes
This plant-based medley provides multiple , including quinoa and the kidney beans, Gorin says. As Harvard University points out, quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it provides all nine essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own. Whats more, quinoa is a standout health-wise, providing nutrients such as 118 mg of magnesium and 77.7 mcg of folate per cup, notes the USDA. This dish also includes plenty of spices for a flavorful kick. Plus, it takes only five minutes max to prep, and less than 20 to cook. One-quarter of this recipe from Awe Filled Homemaker offers 368 calories, 17 g of fat , 48 g of carbs, 13 g of fiber, and 13 g of protein. Optional: Serve with a squeeze of lime juice, fresh cilantro, avocado, and shredded cheese.
Also Check: Instant Pot Omni Plus Air Fryer Oven
Can I Use Frozen Meat For These Instant Pot Recipes
Yes, you can! Cooking frozen meat in your Instant Pot is just as simple as cooking fresh meat. In many of my Instant Pot beef recipes I’m using a frozen meat.
To do so, you just need to add a few more minutes of cooking time to the original recipe. For example, it takes 25 minutes to cook a cornish hen. To cook a frozen Cornish hen, add on an extra 5 minutes for a total cook time of 30 minutes. In fact, one of the most popular Instant Pot chicken recipes on Corrie Cooks, is the Instant Pot Frozen Chicken.
What Can You Cook In An Instant Pot
Animal proteins , grains, beans and legumes, various veggies, yogurt, desserts, hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, stews, curries, casseroles, and more can all be beautifully cooked in an Instant Pot.
Many busy home chefs particularly love this little appliance because Instant Pot dinners drastically reduce the cooking time for dishes that typically have to simmer for a long timelike beef stew, pulled pork, bolognese sauce, chicken stock, and slow cooker chicken recipes. But you can also make pretty much any meal or meal prep component that youd ordinarily cook on the stovetop.
Dont forget, though, that pressure cooking is just one of the Instant Pots many functions . The slow-cooking, sautéeing, and steaming functions are equally versatile for making delicious Instant Pot meals, while more specialized settings will make specific cooking tasks a cinch. Because why do one thing when you can do them all?
Read Also: Where Is The Manual Button On The Instant Pot
What Should You Not Cook In An Instant Pot
Even though theres an abundance of things that you can make with an Instant Pot, there are also a handful of ingredients that cant handle the pressure very welllike pasta, dairy, and crispy foods.Delicate pasta can easily overcook and disintegrate dairy products can curdle or separate and crispy things can get soggy. Often, you can avoid the issue by waiting to add certain ingredients until all the other parts have cooked. For instance, you can finish off a soup with a generous dose of cream, or use the sauté function to crisp bacon, then set it aside, and finally add it back to your dish at the end.
Meanwhile, youll want to be careful when cooking more delicate proteins or veggies so that you dont turn them into totally overcooked mush. You can generally achieve that by following the recipe instructions regarding the timing and settings.
Finally, some dishes are just not Instant Potfriendlyanything that requires some serious searing or crisping is probably best made using another method.
Meal Prep Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Cook a couple of pounds of chicken at the start of the week, shred it up, and you have the base for an infinite number of quick and easy meals. This version of the meal prep staple is so flavorful, you really don’t need to do much anything to dress it up.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Masoor Dal With Shiitake Mushrooms
Don’t Miss: Instant Pot Egg Tray
