20 Must Have Instant Pot Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is best cooked in an Instant Pot? ›

Benefits of a 3-quart Instant Pot: Last but not least, the 3-quart Instant Pot (a.k.a. the Mini), is a top pick when cooking for one or two people or if you have an especially small kitchen. Every model is available in the 6-quart size, but not all models are available in the 3- and 8-quart sizes.

Best Cuts for Your Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot

You can cook any cut in a multi-cooker, but we recommend those from the chuck and round. These beef cuts typically take hours to prepare using braising and roasting methods.

“Instant pot recipes are absolutely healthy as long as what you put in the recipe is healthy,” she says. The shorter cooking time may also result in the greater preservation of vitamins and minerals when compared to other longer types of cooking.

Not good for cooking everything: Just like no one method is great for cooking everything, the Instant Pot isn't build to do it all. If you are not a fan of like stews and saucy things then pressure cooking might not be for you.

They are most commonly used in industrial settings to quickly prepare meat or stocks. However, in most scenarios, Elite Chefs avoid using pressure cookers because they provide less control over the final dish. Chefs often prefer slow cooking techniques that accentuate and pull out the flavors of the food.

The 6-quart Instant Pot (in any series) is the most popular size by far, and it's the one we recommend for most folks. It offers plenty of capacity for weeknight dinners, soups and stews, a pot of beans, or even a whole chicken, yet it doesn't take up a crazy amount of counter or shelf space.

This depends on how many people you plan on regularly serving. Instant Pots come in 3-, 6-, 8-, and 10-quart sizes. 3-quart Instant Pots work best for singles or couples, the 5-quart serves three to five people, and the 8-quart will easily cook for six or more.

How full is too full for Instant Pot? ›

Also, an overly-full Instant Pot can lead to a clogged pressure release knob, because food and liquid can get sucked up inside. To stay on the safe side, don't fill your pot over that two-thirds line, and stay below half full for foods that expand while cooking, such as beans and lentils.

Is it worth buying an Instant Pot? Yes, we do think an Instant Pot is worth it, particularly for pressure cooking. There's a reason it's one of the most popular kitchen appliances out there.

Pressure cookers are designed to make short work of slow cook dishes. They're economical both in the amount of power they use and are also ideal for tenderising cheaper cuts of meat.

In fact, it's water that helps generate the high-pressure environment that makes your food cook faster. Most pressure cooker instructions state a minimum amount of water required for pressure cooking even a tiny amount of food.

Dried beans, stock, and rice are all great places to start since they only use the pressure setting, while the other recipes in this list are easy enough for beginners and will open your eyes to the possibilities of the Instant Pot.

If you're a tech-savvy home chef looking for versatility and convenience, the Instant Pot might be your ideal match. However, if you value time-tested reliability, durability, and a focus on the art of pressure cooking, a classic pressure cooker could be your perfect culinary companion.

It's not just a pressure cooker

First off, an Instant Pot isn't just an electric pressure cooker. As a true multicooker, it sears, browns and sautes food like a stove-top skillet. It also steams delicate items such as fish, eggs and vegetables. Instant Pots double as standalone electric rice cookers as well.

In the case of grains and legumes, although the vitamins and heat-sensitive vitamins and phytonutrients are vulnerable to deterioration, the net result of pressure-cooking is a positive nutritional gain-from the increased digestibility of the macronutrients (protein, fiber and starch) and the increased bioavailability ...