My pressure cooker has been a lifesaver on busy nights or on the weekend when we have been running around all day and I don’t have time (or energy) to spend an hour in the kitchen.
I always try to keep a few staples on hand so that even if there is no meal plan, I can have dinner on the table in less than a half hour. That way we are not tempted to order in a pizza, which saves us money and the food is better!
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Optional (but highly recommended) Accessories
- The Instant Pot is also available in 3-quart, 6-quart, and 8-quart to fit just about any size family.
- Mini Angel Food Cake Pans – These are great for making little angel food cakes in your pressure cooker or other baked goods – (monkey bread, bundt cake, etc).
- Steamer Basket – Available in 3, 6, and 8-quart sizes, can be used for any brand or pressure cooker. There is also a 3-piece divided basket where you can steam multiple types of veggies at once, which is also available in a 3, 6, or 8-quart.
- 9-Inch Glass Lid – This is for the 6-quart Instant Pot only. Make sure before you purchase, you check if your pressure cooker lid can be completely removed, otherwise, this accessory will not work for it.
- Silicone Lid – Now you don’t even have to worry about putting your leftovers in an extra bowl. Now you can keep everything fresh inside the inner pot and pop it back in the pressure cooker to warm it back up.
- Stainless Steel Trivet – This is essential for cooking things like ground chuck or making baked potatoes.
- Spring Form Pans – These are great for making things like cheesecake or other baked goods in your pressure cooker.
- Silicon Sealing Rings – The silicone sealing rings can wear over time, it’s always good to have a few extra on hand.
- Bread Proofing Basket – Want to try your hand at artisan bread making? Make sure you pick up one of these babies!
- Dutch Oven – Dutch ovens are great for making artisan bread! It provides that beautiful crusty outside.
Looking for an accessory kit, here is a good one that includes a steamer basket, springform pan, egg steamer tack, steamer trivet, tongs, mini silicon mitts, a cooking time guide, an egg bites mold, and a dish clip (for canning).
But before I move on to the recipes, make sure to bookmark this page! That way when you are looking for something easy and super quick to make in your pressure cooker, you can come back here whip up one of these quick and delicious recipes.
25 Quick & Easy Instant Pot Dinners for Busy Weeknights
These Instant Pot dinners are simple enough to whip up any day of the week. With a few staples you probably already have in your kitchen, you can have a full meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. Even if you forgot to thaw the chicken…
Entrees
Just because you are running kids all around to their after school activities doesn't mean that you should sacrifice having a hearty and wholesome meal. All of these entrees you can have on the table in under 30-minutes.
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These Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings are a great recipe to try if you are new to making chicken wings. The best part, you don’t even have to worry about thawing out the chicken first, which I am personally terrible at remembering to do...
Simply pop these in the oven under the broiler to get that crispy outside and juicy center. I love how quick and easy these are to make and can easily be paired with a simple side like easy keto garlic and chive cauliflower mash.
Mexican food is my second favorite (Italian is first!). What I love about Mexican recipes is the freshness and how you can pack a ton of beans and veggies into any meal.
It’s even better when you can just throw everything together in a bowl like this chicken, rice, and black bean bowl. Don’t forget to top with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime!
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The perfect, quick chicken meal that works so well with a variety of side options. You can serve this garlic sesame chicken over rice, riced or mashed cauliflower, mashed or roasted potatoes, or even noodles.
If you are a fan of sesame garlic chicken, you might also want to try these Instant Pot sesame garlic chicken wings!
I could eat pulled pork sandwiches like every day, they are my favorite! I never liked making them though because it always seemed so time intensive.
We recently made pulled pork for the first time in our Instant Pot for my son’s birthday. It only took about an hour and it was so amazing, I literally could not stop eating it!
Dr. Pepper in addition to this recipe gives it a little extra flavor kick!
I’ll admit, I’ve never been a fan of cabbage, but I totally eat this! This corned beef is so amazing and oh so juicy!
I make this Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s day for my family and even my kids (well most of them) ate all of it! The corned beef is salty but not overly and just melts in your mouth!
One of my son’s go-to meals is those frozen pot pies, so when I make this Instant Pot chicken pot pie casserole he goes nuts.
The only thing I do differently with this recipe is make some buttermilk biscuits and serve the casserole over the biscuits. So hearty and good!
I have a confession to make…I suck at grilling, so I generally avoid making anything that is traditionally grilled. I tried to make burgers once without my husband's assistance and they turned out terrible!
So I leave all grilled foods to him and I stick to the kitchen.
So when I want to make BBQ ribs without having to ask him to grill, it's the Instant Pot to the rescue! These ribs are SO good and I don’t even have to worry about planning 24 hours in advance to make them!
If you are following the keto diet but have been missing cozy and warm mashed potatoes, this is a great alternative!
Top off these buttery Instant Pot loaded mashed cauliflower with some shredded cheese and crumbled, crispy bacon and you won’t even miss those carbs in potatoes!
If you are looking for a diet-friendly version, check out the loaded keto cauliflower au gratin.
The perfect protein-packed, meatless meal! Chickpeas are such a versatile food, they are also loaded with fiber and contain complex carbs which can help to balance blood sugars. These Kung Pao chickpeas are not only delicious but healthy!
If you are looking for a few more meatless meals, then check out these six meatless meals that are not only delicious and healthy but will also save on your grocery budget!
This entire recipe is made in the Instant Pot and popped in the oven to finish off with a bubbly layer of cheese (which you could technically do in the Instant Pot as well).
These Instant Pot cheesy beef and potatoes are super simple with five main ingredients and some spices, this meal is sure to quickly become a family favorite.
Pasta
I feel like pasta can take so long to make on a weeknight when I am in a hurry. I love that I can make simple pasta dishes in the Instant Pot without having to worry about my water boiling over and the noodles being perfectly done.
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This isn’t your average mac and cheese, this is a flavor-packed, three-cheese delight! And the best part, it takes less than 10 minutes to get it on the table! Gourmet mac and cheese on a weeknight? Heck yes!
? So don't forget to pin this one for later! ?
This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is so simple to make, you can even whip it up right after the kids get home from school when they are all starving! This recipe also makes a great Instant Pot lunch recipe.
Pretty much anything labeled as pizza my kids will eat. I love this meal because it is so easy to make and the kids (and husband) eat it up and ask for seconds!
Serve up this Instant Pot pizza pasta recipe with some garlic bread and you are good to go!
You know they say “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” well my stroganoff (recipe to come soon) is what sealed the deal for my hubby.
I like to try different variations of recipes that I normally make because I love to experiment, this recipe is a close second to my stroganoff.
As far as the time it takes to make, I prefer this Instant Pot stroganoff as it is a little less labor-intensive and tastes pretty darn good!
If you aren’t already aware of the difference between spaghetti and bolognese sauce, bolognese always contains meat, whereas spaghetti sauce does not.
This spaghetti bolognese is melt in your mouth, silky texture is sure to make it onto your list of family favorites.
If you are in the mood for Thai food and don’t have the time to make anything complicated, then check out this easy bang bang shrimp pasta.
The spicy Thai chili sauce really kicks things up a notch but isn’t overpowering.
These Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs will quickly become a family favorite! This recipe is so simple, even one of the kids can throw it together with frozen meatballs, noodles, and condensed soup.
I love adding this to our meal plan for nights where I don't have a lot of time to cook but still want a hearty meal.
Channel your inner Gordon Ramsey with this amazingly delicious and simple to make lobster mac and cheese. Packed with creamy lobster and topped with a crumbly, salty crust.
Who says you can't have a gourmet meal on a weeknight!
Hamburger helper has been a staple in my life since I was a child, and I love it! It is such a quick and easy meal to whip up that everyone will eat. I don’t, however, like all the sodium that is in the boxed varieties.
This Instant Pot hamburger helper recipe is reminiscent of the box varieties I used to eat as a kid, without all the MSG and other junk in it!
If you love this, you might also love my almost homemade hamburger helper recipes, it's so cheesy?!
We make spaghetti at least two to three times per month. It’s cheap and feeds a family of 7 with leftovers, what more could I ask for?
Making it quicker! With this Instant Pot spaghetti, I can have dinner on the table in about 10 minutes without having a pile of dishes to clean up after!
To make things even easier, I batch cook my ground beef and freeze it so I don’t even have to worry about cooking that first.
Instant Pot Soups and Stews
I absolutely love making and eating warm soups and stews during the winter months. And here in Wisconsin, that is a big bulk of the year.
They are especially easy to make in the Instant Pot and I don't have to worry about planning 6 hours in advance to make dinner.
Read on to see some of the delicious soup and stew recipes that you can make in your Instant Pot.
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I love ham soups! This is a great soup to make if you have leftover ham from another meal or a ham bone with some extra meat on it.
This Instant Pot ham hock and bean soup is packed with flavor and loaded with delicious veggies! Perfect for a cool spring evening.
Wild rice is such an underrated grain! It’s packed full of nutrients and is a great addition to soups of all kinds.
Living in Wisconsin, we eat a lot of soup because it’s cold about 9 months out of the year, and this Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup is definitely on our family favorites list!
I am literally drooling looking at this Instant Pot beef and tomato stew! You know is recipe is going to be good when you can literally taste the meat melting in your mouth just by looking at the picture!
With tender beef and whole potatoes in a flavorful tomato sauce, this is the perfect dinner for a cold winter evening.
Every year my friend’s parents would have a chili cook-off, it was the highlight of the fall season. I find it simply amazing how many different kinds of chili you can make.
One of my favorites is made with sweet potatoes. There is a touch of sweetness and heartiness of the potatoes that makes this Instant Pot sweet potato chili so satisfying for those cold fall days.
We love cheeseburgers at our house, but they can be a pain to some sometimes. This Instant Pot cheeseburger soup is a great option for a busy weeknight.
Top off this soup with some lettuce, pickles, cheese, and tomatoes. Oh, I wonder how a fried egg would taste on here! YUM!!!
This Instant Pot split pea soup is such a great recipe to make on a chilly winter evening. The only thing that makes it better…bacon and ham!
Toss in some cooked bacon and or ham right after it finished cooking and you are good to go!
Creamy clam chowder served with a side of toasty, crusty bread, OMG! Even if you have never made clam chowder before, rest assured, this recipe will turn out perfect and will keep you coming back for more!
What better excuse to make this than to use up all those crushed pieces of tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag. Oh yeah, and because this Instant Pot vegetarian lentil tortilla soup is amazing!
Optional toppings include cheese, avocado, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.
The burrito bowl and the mac and cheese are on my to-do list for this week. We just got back from a trip and these are the only things in my pantry! Thank you so much for these ideas! I will be writing them down.
I’m officially starving after reading this! I’m not the cook of the house, my partner is, but luckily he was in the room with me while reading. I shouted out frequent suggestions to him, so hopefully, he picks up on my hints.
Thank you for sharing.