So by now you either have an Instant Pot and love it, have one and have not taken it out of the box or want one because everyone and their dog has one and they can’t stop talking about it.

Or you have no idea what I am talking about because you live under a rock!

I love mine and use it several times a week.  I get asked a lot what I make in it. So I thought I would give you my top 9 favorite things I make using my Instant Pot.

But first let’s review some basics.

Why would you want to use an Instant Pot?

1. It’s FAST!  Pressure cooking is about twice as fast as conventional cooking, sometimes faster.
2. It’s HEALTHY!  Pressure cooking preserves 90-95% of the vitamins in our foods making it one of the healthiest cooking methods.
3. It’s GREEN!  Pressure cooking needs less energy to operate.  Less heat and time translate to a 70% energy savings over conventional cooking.
4. It’s EASY!  Remember the Set it and Forget it infomercials.  You simply add your ingredients, set the cooking program, go about your day, release pressure and eat!
5. It’s CLEAN!  Maybe my favorite reason.  You only have one pot to use and therefore one pot to clean, plus no spill overs or splatters to wipe up.
6. It’s SAFE!  Modern pressure cookers have redundant safety systems.  If one fails the other one kicks in.

The only part that I found confusing when I first started was the different releases.  Here is a quick cheat sheet based on my research and possibly based on me releasing bean juice all over my cabinets once…

Quick Release– Release pressure instantly by pressing cancel and then twisting the steam release handle to “Venting”.  This is best used when cooking eggs, vegetables or things you don’t want to over cook.

Natural Release– This method continues cooking using the cookers residual heat and steam.  You will press cancel and then let the steam come down on it’s own (about 20 minutes).  This is best used when cooking steal cut oats, soups, pasta, beans and meats (it lets the meats sit the way you would normally let it sit after grilling or cooking on the stove top, making it more tender)

10-Minute Natural Release– Let the cooker count down 10 minutes then press cancel and twist the release handle to “Venting”.  This gives you some of the benefits of the natural release but saves you time.

Now that we have covered the basics here are a few of my favorite things to make in my Instant Pot

Quinoa

I will make this plain or as a breakfast quinoa.  The method is the same.

• 1 cup of quinoa (rinse well)
• 1 1/2 cups of liquid (I use water for plain and almond or coconut milk for my breakfast version)
• dash of cinnamon (for breakfast version)
• vanilla or almond extract (for breakfast version)

Place quinoa and liquid (along with cinnamon and extract for breakfast version) into your pot.  Use MANUAL and cook for 1 minute.  I will use the 10 Minute Natural Release for this.

Brown Rice

I will make this plain or add some olive oil and lime juice for our version of Chipotle rice.

• 2 cups of brown rice
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• add the juice of 1 lime and about 1 Tbsp of olive oil for “Chipotle” rice.

Put rice, water and seasoning into your pot.  Use MANUAL and cook for 22 minutes.  I will use the 10 Minute Natural Release for this.

Steel Cut Oats

You can add all sorts of different things to your oats for flavor.  I have added apples, bananas and peanut butter to name a few.  Once you get the basic recipe down feel free to embellish!

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of non-dairy milk (almond, coconut, soy, etc)
• 1 cup of steel cut oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Put liquid, oats, cinnamon and vanilla extract into your pot.  Use MANUAL and cook for 3 minutes.  For best results I use the Natural Release.

Hard Boiled Eggs

I would consider my Instant Pot worth it just for making perfect hard boiled eggs!  The eggs, regardless of how new or old they are, peel perfectly every time!

• 6-12 eggs
• 1 cup of water

Place water on bottom of your pot.  Use a steamer basket or the trivet that comes with your pot (that is what I use).  Place eggs in the basket or on top the trivet.  Use MANUAL and cook from 6-8 minutes, depending on how well you want your eggs done.  I find that 7 minutes is perfect.  I will use the Quick Release for this.  Then put the eggs into an ice water bath. They peel perfectly every single time.

Beans

This is a close second to the hard boiled eggs for my favorite thing to make in my Instant Pot.  I have successfully made black bean, kidney beans and garbanzo beans.  The best part- no need to soak overnight!!!

• beans
• water

Place your rinsed beans into your pot.  Fill up the water to about 6 cups making sure that all the beans are covered in the water.  Use MANUAL and cook for 20-25 minutes for black beans, 35-40 minute for garbanzo beans and 25-30 for kidney beans.  Use the Natural Release for this, or you may end up with bean juice all over your kitchen!  😉

Shredded chicken

I love to make shredded chicken on Sunday to have for wraps, salads, etc all week long. This is by far my favorite method for getting perfect shredded chicken every time.

• 3-4 chicken breast
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• Salt and pepper

Put chicken, broth salt and pepper into your pot.  Using the POULTRY setting.  Do 25 minutes for frozen and 15 minute for fresh.  I do Natural Release for this.  Once the pressure is down take the chicken out and shred with 2 forks.  This is great to add to homemade chicken noodle soup.  I will add BBQ sauce for pulled chicken sandwiches or wraps.  It’s great with teriyaki sauce, brown rice and steamed broccoli.  I also use it to make my favorite chicken salad.

Sweet Potatoes

I just love making a couple sweet potatoes in my Instant Pot for dinner or as meal prep on Sundays for the week ahead.

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 cup of water

Place the trivet on the bottom of your pot with 1 cup of water.  Place sweet potatoes into pot.  Use STEAM and cook for 10 minutes.  Use Natural Release for these.

Roasted Red Potatoes

This is a great way to make roasted baby potatoes for a quick side dish.

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 garlic glove, minced
• 2 pounds baby red potatoes (cut in half)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth

Use SAUTE and warm your pot.  Add Olive Oil, minced garlic and potatoes.  Stir for a few minutes coating the potatoes.  Add broth.  Use MANUAL and cook for 5 minutes.  Use Quick Release for this recipe.

Spaghetti Squash

I have made spaghetti squash in the oven, crock pot and now in my Instant Pot and this is by far my favorite method.

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 cup of water

Place the trivet on the bottom of your pot with 1 cup of water.  Cut the squash in half width wise.  Scoop out the seeds.  Use STEAM and cook for 10 minute.  You can Quick Release, but I prefer the 10 Minute Natural Release because it lets it cook a little longer.  It just depends on how al dente you want your “noodles”.

There you have it, 9 easy recipes that I make in my Instant Pot all the time.

Enjoy!