Home / Food and Recipes / Favorite Super Short, Easy, Inexpensive Instant Pot Recipes!
Instant Pot

Favorite Super Short, Easy, Inexpensive Instant Pot Recipes!

/Updated /10 Comments/in /by Mary Hunt

I have loved my Instant Pot since the moment it arrived on my front porch in 2016. I’ll admit to being slightly intimidated in the first few days, but that was short-lived. Thanks to a few tips, tricks, and these ridiculously simple recipes, in no time, I was making dinners in 30 minutes or less—start to finish.

Instant Pot

Meals from my Instant Pot are as good (often better) than slow-cooked meals that I have to think about early in the day with only one pot to clean at the end.

While there are plenty of recipes for electric pressure cookers, I find myself returning to my tried and true, no-brainer recipes that are as simple as the gadget itself.

All you need to pull this off in your kitchen is an Instant Pot, a few awesome, albeit simple, recipes plus a general knowledge of how it works. Here are the basic terms, which may vary slightly depending on your Instant Pot model:

 

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart
    $109.99
    Buy on Amazon

    Sauté: Set it to Sauté mode on High heat and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes until things start to soften and brown a bit.

    Manual: Set an exact cook time and pressure level (both indicated in the recipes).

    Quick-release: Activate the pressure-release valve as soon as the cooking time is up.

    Natural release: Wait for the pressure to release naturally until the safety valve deactivates and you can open the lid (typically 10 to 20 minutes).

    Here are some of my quick, go-to recipes, in shorthand style. None of these require precise measurements and are nearly impossible to mess up. Instant Pot is so forgiving and makes just about anything turn out fabulously.

     

    Instant Pot Soy Sauce Chicken

    Rinse one whole chicken inside and out, and then pat dry.

    Set Instant Pot to “Saute.”

    1. Brown the chicken on all sides in a couple of tablespoons of oil.

    2. Add:

    • 4 whole cloves garlic
    • 2 star anise
    • 1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tspn ground cinnamon
    • 2 inches of ginger sliced or 1 tspn ground ginger
    • ½ cup soy sauce
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • 4 cups water

    3. Manual, high pressure, 25 minutes, quick-release pressure

    4. Suggestion: Serve with rice and vegetable like broccoli or asparagus

     

    Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetables

    Sauté (or just add to the pot if you’re short on time) about 4 cups fresh vegetables cut to roughly equal-sized chunks together with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions, and garlic are all good options.

    Layer about 4 pounds of chicken parts (leg quarters, thighs, breasts—with or without bones) and more salt and pepper on each layer.

    Add a cup of chicken broth plus an optional bay leaf or other herbs if you’d like.

    Manual, high pressure, 20 minutes (15 minutes if using boneless chicken). Natural release until it opens on its own (about 20 minutes). Optional: Garnish with chopped parsley.

    • Variation 1: Instant Pot Chicken and Rice: Add 2 cups of rice and about 2 cups of chicken stock or other liquid (make 1 cup of it cream if you like it creamy).
    • Variation 2: Instant Pot Coq Au Vin: Make the main recipe but add about 4 slices of bacon, chopped, to your sauté mix. Add a few glugs of red wine. Follow the same pressure instructions.

     

    Instant Pot Tomato Soup

    • 6 cloves garlic
    • 1 onion
    • 1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes with liquid
    • dry oregano to taste
    • thyme to taste
    • salt
    • pepper

    Sauté about 6 cloves of smashed garlic and roughly chopped onion in a couple of tablespoons of oil. Add a 28 oz. can (or two 14-oz. cans) whole tomatoes and their liquid together with oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Manual, high pressure, 10 minutes. Quick or natural release. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add fresh herbs and adjust salt, and pepper to taste.

     

    Instant Pot Beef Stew

    • 2 lbs beef, chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
    • 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
    • 2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally into thick pieces
    • 6 carrots, sliced diagonally in thick pieces
    • 1/2 cup tomato juice
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 tablespoon sugar

    Place everything in the Instant Pot. Select the stew/meat setting; 35 minutes, high pressure. After it’s done, let everything mellow out for about 10 minutes before using quick release. Technically at this point, it’s done. But I recommend placing stew in a casserole or other serving dish and finishing with a quick browning session in the oven, giving it about 10-20 minutes in a hot oven (400-ish F.), uncovered, before serving. It gets the meat caramelized on top and helps thicken the gravy.

     

    Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart
    Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart
      $109.99
      Buy on Amazon

      Everyday Cheapskate is reader-supported. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thanks!

      Print Friendly, PDF & Email

      More from Everyday Cheapskate

      ratatouille recipe served over white rice

      End-of-Summer Ratatouille (Uses Everything From the Garden)

      frozen bags of produce strawberries raspberries peas peppers

      Freeze Summer Produce Now to Taste It All Winter Long

      slow cooker hot weather meals salads plus pico de gallo recipes

      3 Slow Cooker Summer Salads for Hot Weather Dinners

      a woman holding a crate of cucumbers

      Cucumbers Galore? Here’s What to Do With Every Single One

      what to pack for kids lunchboxes young boy and girl eating a banana and a sandwich

      Back-to-School Lunch Ideas for a Week (No Boring Sandwiches)

      refreshing glasses of iced tea with fresh lemon slices and ice best way to make tea

      The Best Way to Make Iced Tea? Depends What You’re After

      creamy whipped frozen coffee drink on balcony with whipped cream

      I Stopped Buying $7 Frappuccinos. Here’s What I Make Now

      a lit sparkler with an american flag in the background 4th of july hacks tips and recipes

      34 Fourth of July Recipes and DIY Hacks for a Stress-Free Holiday

      Grilled Peaches with Balsamic and Blue Cheese

      Summer Grilled Peaches with Balsamic and Blue Cheese



      Please keep your comments positive, encouraging, helpful, brief,
      and on-topic in keeping with EC Commenting Guidelines



      Last update on 2026-07-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

      Caught yourself reading all the way 'til the end? Why not share with a friend.

      10 replies
      2. Polly says:

        I make pot roast in my pressure cooker, and when the meat is done, I take it out and use sauté feature to make the broth into gravy with a slurry of flour or cornstarch & water. Quick and easy. Thanks for all your good info!
        The chicken and veggies sound good, but I think it probably needs a cup of liquid to cook properly. When I didn’t have enough liquid in another recipe, it wouldn’t go into pressure mode.

        Reply
      3. Linda says:

        Mary, please check your IP User Manual under the heading, “Getting Started” and also toward the back of the manual under the heading, “Cooking and Safety Tips”. Both places state that at least 18 oz. of liquids must be added to create enough steam to cook under pressure. I have had two scary blowout experiences with mine when using recipes with only one cup of water. I don’t like having to use so much liquid and then having to reduce it with the saute feature to get the proper dilution for best flavor, so I don’t use my IP much. Hip Pressure Cooking discusses this water issue, so I believe it is necessary. FYI my IP is the IP DUO60 V3. Please do some research and let us know if there is a way to use less liquid safely. Thanks!

        Reply
        • Jacqueline in Atlanta says:

          I found that pretty useless, too. I just go to the internet and google instant pot plus whatever I am trying to cook, e.g. boil eggs. Also, on Facebook there are discussion boards dedicated to instant pot and those are very helpful when you first get an IP. When I find a recipe that works well, I print it off and add it to the binder I have started just for IP recipes. Others use an ipad/kindle type device in the kitchen and bookmark IP recipes. I like paper recipes. I know where to find them. It doesn’t cost me to store them. No one will accidentally erase them. It doesn’t require electricity to view and use them. But whatever works for each person is perfect for him or her! Good luck.

          Reply
        • Shila says:

          hipressurecooking.com has times, pressures, etc., for electric & stove pressure cookers. Best spot I’ve found for quick reference on almost everything

          Reply

      Leave a Reply

      Want to join the discussion?
      Feel free to contribute!

      Leave a Reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      How to Get Yellow-Stained Bed Pillows White Againwhite pillowsareal view of beach with 2021 written in the sandThe 10 Most Popular Everyday Cheapskate Posts of 2021