14 Instant Pot Recipes That Will Convince You To Buy This Kitchen Gadget

If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, you are missing out! And I'm going to tell you why. I've got 14 Instant Pot recipes that are beyond delicious, super easy to make, and will speed up your prep and cook time like never before!

If you're thinking about using an Instant Pot, also known as an electric pressure cooker, because you've heard how AMAZING it is, then you're in the right place. I went out and bought an Instant Pot shortly after they hit the shelves. I was skeptical about this modernized pressure cooker and was not overly impressed with the recipes that came with mine.

So I did my research and dove into what some of the popular food bloggers, real FOODIES, were making and saying about the recipes they've been making. And let me tell you...I was blown away.

Instant Pot Recipes

Below you are going to find 14 irresistible recipes that you can make in your Instant Pot with the reason WHY you should make every single one of these! I guarantee you that these 14 recipes will convince you to buy one...or start using the one you have! If your an avid user one then you have to try these specific recipes.

Here's why...

1. Life Changing Beef Stew

Instant pot beef stew is simple to make. This was the first recipe I ever made in mine and after the first bite, I was SO glad I bought one! Here's why you want to make this recipe:

• I made My 9 year old daughter made homemade (from scratch) beef stew in 45 minutes with only 6 ingredients on a school night thanks to this kitchen gadget.
• This stew is FULL of wonderful beefy flavor.
• My 7 year old who hates all things food right now loved this recipe.

Seriously, it's an amazing recipe, super fast to make, full of flavor, and my entire family loved it.

2.  Meaty Italian Pasta Dinner

This was evolved from a Beef Noodle Skillet dinner and you know how most skillet pasta dinners require a lot of monitoring, right? Well, not when it's made using the pressure cooker. This Instant Pot pasta is FULL of flavor and the taste reminds me of a lasagna dish you would order at an authentic Italian restaurant.

3. Pork Carnitas

If you're looking for quick and easy, you're going to love these Instant pot carnitas! When life gets too busy and you didn't have time to plan for dinner, make this Instant Pot carnitas recipe. Pressure cooking gets the pork nice and tender, and shredable, which is exactly what you want with pork carnitas.

4. Easy Chocolate Lava Cake

So you're telling me I can make cake in this thing? Instant pot cake is actually really easy to make. This recipe has an ooey gooey center and it only takes 35 minutes to make these!

5. Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese

One of my favorite foods in the entire world is mac and cheese and when I learned I could make Instant Pot macaroni and cheese, I was thrilled! The old fashioned traditional homemade macaroni and cheese recipes you will find take a lot of time and effort. And while the traditional recipes out there are absolutely delish, I typically don't have the time it requires to make it. Mac and cheese in the Instant Pot is the way to go. This recipe is creamy, cheesy, and I'm loving the added broccoli. It's also way less mess for me to clean up. 

6. Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

If you're looking for Instant Pot chicken thigh recipes, then look no more! These only take 8 minutes to make! Juicy and fall-off-the-bone, these are made with a brown sugar garlic sauce and are pressure cooked resulting in the most tender chicken!

7. Popcorn

Yeah for popcorn! Who doesn't love popcorn! But Instant Pot popcorn is absolutely delicious and is ready in 5 minutes. That's right...5 minutes!! This popcorn recipe is made with coconut oil, popcorn kernels, butter and salt. You'll use the saute function and in 5 minutes, you'll be able to indulge in one of the best snacks out there!

8. Baby Back Ribs

I love me some pressure cooker ribs and let me tell you, the meat literally just falls off the bone like they have been slow cooking for hours! But when you make Instant Pot BBQ ribs, the cook time is just 25 minutes. It just doesn't get much easier than that!

9. Banana French Toast

Who would have thought you could make French Toast in a pressure cooker and it would turn out really really good? Yeah, not me. Let me go on the record to say I WAS WRONG! This French toast casserole takes 40 minutes to make from prep time to the table. It's full of flavor and the consistency is fantastic! I really enjoy this breakfast casserole on Christmas morning.

10. Chicken Enchiladas

The chicken and the sauce that covers these Instant Pot enchiladas is robust in flavor and incredible savory. You'll use the saute feature for this dish! 40 minutes start-to-finish is all it takes until this succulent dinner is on your table and ready to serve!

11. Greek Yogurt

Making yogurt in a pressure cooker is not complicated. You can make REALLY good yogurt in your pressure cooker! This Instant Pot yogurt recipe is easy, fun, and pretty! It only takes 2 ingredients to make and then you'll top it off with your favorite toppings! And...you'll have some left over for your yogurt starter for next time!

12. Cheesecake Bites

Who would have thought you could make Instant Pot cheesecake? Not me...but this little pressure cooker gadget continues to blow my mind! And you're going to be amazed at how easy it is to make cheesecake bites. You'll use an egg mold to make the graham cracker crust, mix the cheesecake ingredients, and then let the it do its magic. When these are done, they're topped with cherry pie filling. I love that these are mini cheesecake bites because it helps me with portion control!

13. Refried Beans

I typically make homemade pinto beans in my slow cooker and then smash them in a saucepan with a bit of milk and cheese to turn them into refried beans. But this is way easier! Instant Pot refried beans not only have amazing flavor, but the process is really low maintenance. I never would have thought that I could take dry pinto beans and have them cook and made into refried beans in an hour. This recipe is a huge time saver!

14. Oatmeal

I like making a big batch of oatmeal so that I can eat on it for 2-3 days when I don't have time to cook breakfast in the mornings. And let me tell you, Instant Pot oatmeal is so much easier to make and a lot more convenient. You can even double the recipe if you want. This is actually an Instant Pot steel cut oats recipe that has a bit of pumpkin puree to pop the flavor. Who said pumpkin is only for fall? You can enjoy it year round!

And there you have it! Guys, this is your ‘set it and forget it’ machine. If you haven't bought an yours yet, you're missing out, you still can!

Oh...and if you are looking for more recipes, check out my entire Instant Pot Recipe Collection!

I can’t wait to hear which recipes you end up making! Make sure you leave me a comment below. I love hearing from you! You can also sign up for my newsletter!

Update Notes: This post was originally published in November 2018, but was re-published with updated recipes in December 2020.