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 do first time with 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.

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

Among them are dairy and fried foods, as well as burgers and steaks. These foods are not Instant-Pot-friendly for a multitude of reasons. And while Instant Pots are a useful tool when baking cheesecake, custard, or mousse, it's definitely not the best method for other types of desserts.

Why is Instant Pot food bland? ›

Third, while conventional cooking forms intensify flavors by boiling off water, the pressure cooker keeps moisture in, which means your flavors can get diluted. This is why many recipes call for cooking in broth instead of water and why heavy rubs and spice mixtures are common in many Instant Pot recipes.

Why do Instant Pot recipes say do not stir? ›

As explained by Kitchn, stirring the pasta with the liquid before locking the appliance and setting it to pressure cook will cause the dish to go sticky and gummy as it cooks, due to the way pasta releases starch under pressure.

What is the 5 5 5 method for Instant Pot? ›

It takes about 5 minutes for the cooker to come up to high pressure, 5 minutes to cook the eggs, and then 5 minutes of natural pressure release before removing the eggs from the cooker—hence the "5-5-5" method.

What is the best Instant Pot for beginners? ›

Best for Beginners

Instant Pot has always had a great basic model perfect for beginners, and the RIO continues this tradition. Allstar Nicole Russell tested the 6-quart version, using it for her tried-and-true Instant Pot recipes, and gave it high marks.

What is Instant Pot not good for? ›

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.

Can you overcook in an Instant Pot? ›

Unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, there's no going back. You'll be left with a pile of dry, crunchy, tasteless fibers and no amount of additional pressure cooking is going to put that moisture back into the meat. Earlier, I explained how ingredient size affects the cooking time.

What happens if you put too much meat in an Instant Pot? ›

Overfilling your Instant Pot can affect the pressure that builds up inside, so you might end up with a mushy meal, or one that doesn't cook properly. Also, an overly-full Instant Pot can lead to a clogged pressure release knob, because food and liquid can get sucked up inside.

What not to put in a pressure cooker? ›

Foods containing dairy, like milk, cream, or yogurt, should not be pressure-cooked. The high heat and pressure can cause dairy products to curdle or separate, ruining the texture, taste and flavour of the dish. Cooking fried foods is a strict no no, when it comes to pressure cookers.

Should you clean Instant Pot before first use? ›

Before first time use

Clean the pressure cooker with a sponge using a mild detergent or soapy water and 2 or 3 drops of vinegar, before using for the first time. Any oil adhering to the cooker will yellow and harden if it is exposed to heat before the oil is cleaned off and will be difficult to remove.

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