There are so many great recipes for the Instant Pot out there. Here are 10 of the best things to cook with an Instant Pot that I have found over the years. Did your favorites make the list?
10 of the Best Things to Cook with an Instant Pot
#1: Hard Boiled Eggs
I know, I know. Hard boiled eggs are NOT that hard to make on the stove. And they don’t take that much time. But the reason to make them in the Instant Pot is not necessarily because it saves time. The number 1 reason to make hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot is because of how much easier they are to peel! This is a thing I promise. The peels practically slide off magically.
I love making a batch of hard boiled eggs each week and having them available for a quick protein-filled snack or to chop them up and put them on salad for lunch. I also throw a hard boiled egg into my kids lunches.
P.S. If you need a bunch of chopped boiled eggs for a recipe I have a great trick for you. Some people call this “egg loaf.” Basically you crack as many eggs in a dish that you need and then cook them very quickly in your Instant Pot. Once the eggs are cooked you can cut them up easily on a cutting board. I like to use these eggs for cobb salad, avocado egg salad, egg salad or potato salad. Here is a video on how to make an egg loaf…
#2: Yogurt
Making yogurt in the Instant Pot has completely changed my life for the better! I love making homemade thick and creamy Greek yogurt. I can make about 8 cups of yogurt for $2! What a deal! I love eating my yogurt every day with some berries or bananas and a little granola. It’s high protein and a great breakfast or snack. My brother-in-law likes to stir protein powder into his Greek yogurt for a high protein and delicious snack. I tried it and it almost tasted like pudding. So yummy!
Note: Not all Instant Pots have the yogurt button on them. In my opinion the upgrade is well worth the money! I also use the yogurt button to proof bread in my Instant Pot.
Once you do it a few times you won’t even need to look at a recipe you’ll just know the process. But here is my step-by-step video to get you started:
#3: Roast
I love making roast in my slow cooker but sometimes I don’t get it into the crockpot in time. That’s why I love the Instant Pot! I can make fall apart tender roast in the Instant Pot in less than 2 hours. You can even cook frozen roast. I have quite a few roast recipes.
Here are my favorites:
Instant Pot Mom’s Pot Roast — this one has roast, potatoes and carrots with lots of seasonings, no packets!
Instant Pot 5-Ingredient Pot Roast Dinner from Frozen! — you can cook a pot roast even if it’s frozen solid in your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot 3-Ingredient Rump Roast — this one just calls for three ingredients! A perfect recipe for a beginner at the Instant Pot.
#4: Legumes
The Instant Pot is the perfect vehicle to cook dried beans, chickpeas and lentils. The Instant Pot cooks them WAY faster than any other way. Seriously. It’s a game changer for those who like to cook legumes from scratch instead of buying canned goods.
#5: Rice
One of the very first things I made in my Instant Pot was brown rice. Brown rice on the stove has never worked great for me. I would always get the ratio wrong or the water would boil over. With the Instant Pot brown rice turns out perfect every single time!
You can make any type of rice in the Instant Pot! Here is a little cheat sheet for you…
Note: Some people have gotten the BURN notice while making rice in the Instant Pot. If you’re not making a large batch of rice (at least 1 1/2 cups or water or more) then I suggest making pot in pot rice instead.
#6: Potatoes
I make mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, potato salad and more potato dishes ALL the time in the Instant Pot. They cook up so fast! Sweet potatoes also turn out well in the Instant Pot. They do cook quicker than Russet potatoes though, so be careful not to overcook.
Instant Pot Cheesy Potatoes and Sausage
Instant Pot Mashed Ranch Potatoes
#7: Melting Chocolate
Although you don’t use the pressure cook function for this recipe the Instant Pot is a handy vessel to melt chocolate for dipping. Just read what 365 Days reader Marcia said! “When I saw this recipe, I thought to myself that this would work for dipping my truffles and buckeyes, which it did. I dipped 8 dozen oreo truffles (in white choc) and 16 dozen buckeyes (in milk choc) with very little effort. My chocolate stayed at the perfect temp and as I started getting low in the bowl, I just added a handful of chocolate and it melted quickly. No scorched chocolate. No constant stirring. Perfect in every way. I used my 3 quart Instant Pot which is shorter (on the counter) and it was easier to find a bowl to fit it.”
And Sharon said, ” This new way is so much easier than melting it in the microwave and then keeping it warm on the warming element on the stove. I won’t use the old way of preparing it again now that this is so much easier.”
#8: Cheesecake
The Instant Pot makes the perfect cheesecake! The reason? It uses steam surrounding the cake pan to bake the cheesecake. The moist air around the cheesecake cooks it in minutes with no cracks on the top of the cake!
Note: You will need a springform pan that is small enough to fit inside your Instant Pot. I use this 7 inch pan to make cheesecake* in the Instant Pot.
#9: Mac and Cheese
There are a billion recipes to make macaroni and cheese in the Instant Pot out there. Why? Isn’t mac and cheese super easy and fast to just make on the stove? The answer is yes it is. However, the Instant Pot make the whole process hands off. I love throwing the ingredients into the Instant Pot and walking away. I love not having to worry about the water boiling over on the stove. The other thing is that the Instant Pot can keep the mac and cheese warm until you’re ready to eat. This makes it perfect for potlucks.
#10: Frozen Chicken
I am a procrastinator. I’ll start working on that personality flaw…tomorrow. So the fact that I don’t have to thaw my chicken when using the Instant Pot makes me so very happy! I have so many great recipes that use frozen chicken. Here are some of them…
Also, I have a video tutorial that talks about how long to cook chicken whether it’s fresh or frozen!
Thanks for reading about my personal opinions on what the best things to cook with an Instant Pot are! What are your personal best things to cook with an Instant Pot? I’d love to know! Comment below and tell me what I missed 🙂
What Pressure Cooker Do You Use?
Typically I used a 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
Want tried and true Instant Pot recipes?
Sign up for my Instant Pot emails and you’ll receive a recipe or tip every day! You can also join the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes Facebook group which is run by my husband Greg and myself. If you’re a visual learner consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share Instant Pot stuff with you weekly.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Hi Karen, my daughter is lactose intolerant, so I buy Fair Life milk for her & the rest of the family. She likes Greek yogurt. I have a Insta Pot Duo Nova that has a yogurt button. But, can I make Greek yogurt for her with Fairlife milk ?
I haven’t done that myself but I am pretty sure I’ve see how to do it here: https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-ultrafiltered-yogurt/
Hey Jane
I use fairlife alll the time to make Greek yougurt. I use the cold method. Basically put the Fairlife in pot, add
2T greek yougurt, set yougurt button to 9 hours. Works great for me and I don’t have to cook it. I do not think you can use regular milk with this method.
Fair Life Milk , Lactose Free, will make yogurt just fine. Plant base and nut milks however do not make good yogurt by the same method. You can buy commercial plant base and nut milk yogurts, but I haven’t found a way to make it at home.
Applesauce and fruit jams and compote to go over the yogurt. No more stirring over hot pot.
Thanks for the post.
Hi Karen. I would love to try frozen chicken recipes in the instant pot, but I buy my meats from a meat company and they don’t come frozen in separate pieces but more like two chicken breasts intertwined like a blob or like 4 chicken thighs in a frozen blob. I haven’t had the courage to try it but would it cause the chicken not to get cooked properly from the start of it?
It would take longer to cook…however you could always pressure cook for 1 minute and then remove lid and pry the chicken apart and then follow the recipe from there on out.
Now, why didn’t I think of that?? Thanks so much, Karen. I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE AND EMAILS!!!
Just read your article about 10 best things to do in Instant Pot. I recently bought one and love it for soups etc. tonight made spaghetti sauce, still learning! Love to cook!
So glad you are learning about it! It is a fun appliance!!
Hi. Love, love your site!!! Great recipes & tips. Most of the time I make 7 cups of long grain white rice on the stovetop with 7 cups of rice & 7 1/2 cups of water. Can you please let me know the ratio for 7 cups of long grain white rice in the Instant Pot? Thanks in advance & take care.
I use 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water ratio. You could probably cut it down to 1 cup to 1.25 cups and still be okay. So for 7 cups rice I would use 8 3/4 to 10 1/2 cups water.
I’m so grateful for all your recipes. I’m as damaging as a tornado in the kitchen, and I don’t really enjoy cooking, but your recipes and ideas have been so helpful and I can even say I’ve made some tasty dinners!
Thank you for all you do!
Ahhh, thanks Kim! You are a good tornado, I’m sure 😂
I have watching you on YouTube
So interesting
I am from Belgium,and not use instapot a lot
Thank for sharing
Ilse
How cool! Thanks for being here.
I enjoy you recipes. Thank you.
I’ve been looking for a Mushroom Soup recipe that uses riced cauliflower, crimini and gourmet mushrooms, and other non-calorie stuff. Can you point me to it? I think it was in one of your recent emails.
Thanks and keep up the good work.
Hi Bill, although that soup sounds so good it’s not one of mine! I should make one like that though 🙂
Made the beef dinner, family loved it
Feb 4 is my birthday
glad you liked it and happy birthday!
Egg loaf = mind blown!!! 🤯 I never would have thought of that! I would have just spent time peeling eggs that was to be chopped up anyway. Thank you!!
I know right?! It’s so cool 🙂
HI Karen – still loving my IP & all your great tips/recipes. I really like your IP Cooking Rice Cheat Sheet. Do you have something similar for Pasta?? Although I love all your recipes that I’ve tried, sometimes I just want to make pasta to do my own thing with. There are varying instructions online. I need Pasta to Water to Time Cooking ratios. AND hopefully Natural Release times to go with these. I try to avoid Quick Release as much as possible to avoid the mess. Thanks!! Joyce
I haven’t done this myself but here is a reputable website that has a great post on pasta: https://tidbits-marci.com/perfect-pressure-cooker-pasta/
I originally bought the instant pot to cook fresh or frozen chicken to make fresh food for my dogs! You’d be amazed how quickly the Instant Pot paid for itself – buying and cooking the chicken in the Instant Pot is SO much less expensive than buying canned or ‘deli roll’ dog food. It only took using it once or twice for my husband to start using it to cook dinner – awesome!! Thanks for the recipes!
GREAT idea! Glad that the IP is an asset to you!
I make chicken for my dog also. My black lab had tummy issues and that was why I started. Still cook it for my other lab Macie. My black lab passed April 2020. I also put dried beans with the chicken when I cook it. then cook rice, green beans, peas, carrots then when that is done I mix it all together. My princess will not eat regular dog food…
“My princess will not eat regular dog food.” Elaine, frankly your girl is choosing to eat what a carnivore should (cooked aside)! Smart dog and clever you for making the choice to feed her like the “developmentally delayed” house-wolf that a dog is 👍. How great that the Instant Pot helps you 😀
Love your recipes for everyday use. I have the 6 quart and have really never had anything turn out badly if I followed your directions. I have made the 15 bean soup and the family loves it. Thank you for all the tips.
Donnalee, this is so nice to read. Thank you for taking the time to tell me about your experiences with my recipes 🙂
Karen, I just want to thank you for this site!
Also, I wish you a Happy New Year.
Sharon
Thank you for being here Sharon! I hope your 2020 is your best year yet!
Thanks for the help Karen love the instant pot 😃
You’re welcome Kevin! Thanks for being here 🙂
Do you have receipts for instant pot air fryer
I don’t have an Instant Pot air fryer yet. I do have the Mealthy CrispLid. But not too many recipes yet. Here are the recipes I have so far: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/recipes/?fwp_method=crisplid-or-air-fryer
Hi Karen,
can the recipes you have be used in a regular air fryer? I got and IP for Christmas 2019 and I love it. I use it also for making chicken and rice and veggies for my dog Macie. My other dog Gromit had tummy issues so I made the chicken for him. So Macie will not eat dog food now.
Love your recipes.
Do you have a cookbook or are all your recipes online?
Have a great and blessed day.
Yes I believe that would work. I don’t have many air fryer recipes honestly though.
Good work on creating awesome food for your dogs!
My recipes are online but I am working on a cookbook. you can sign up here to receive emails about it: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/order-your-cookbook-now/
Thanks! Look forward to learning more instant pot yummy stuff!
Glad you are here BJ!