Mac & cheese, lasagna, pot pie — all keto. Warm Up →
The Instant Pot gets used more than almost anything else in my kitchen. Soups, chili, tough cuts of beef, whole chickens — it handles everything faster than you'd expect, and the results taste like you actually put in the effort. These 25 recipes are what I actually cook, not what I thought I'd cook when I bought the thing.
Pressure does something to soups that hours on the stove barely replicates. The flavors get concentrated and the whole thing tastes like you started it at noon.
My most-made Instant Pot recipe by a significant margin. Creamy, a little spicy, loaded with green chiles and shredded chicken. I usually double it because a single batch disappears faster than I'd like.
This is genuinely a dump-and-walk-away situation. Toss everything in, set the timer, and 20 minutes later you have taco night in a bowl. I top mine with sour cream, cheese, and crushed pork rinds for crunch.
Thick, beefy, no-bean chili that tastes like it's been on the stove all afternoon. The Instant Pot cuts that time down to about 35 minutes. I almost always stash leftovers for lunch the next day.
All the cheesy, meaty appeal of lasagna in soup form. Done in 20 minutes, which is faster than most delivery estimates. One of those dishes that sounds wrong until you taste it.
A deep, aromatic broth with star anise, ginger, and tender beef that would take most of a day on the stove. The Instant Pot gets it done in under an hour. This is what I make when I feel a cold coming on.
The Instant Pot is my most consistent way to cook chicken. It comes out tender enough to shred with a fork, which means it works in about fifteen different meals.
Ranch, cream cheese, and shredded chicken all in one pot. Good on its own, better in lettuce wraps or piled over cauliflower rice. Deceptively simple and the pot comes out basically clean.
Restaurant-quality butter chicken in 15 minutes of pressure cooking. The sauce is creamy and warmly spiced, and I won't pretend I don't miss naan a little. Just a little.
The dumplings are fluffy, the broth is rich, and people are usually skeptical that this is keto until they've had a bowl. I make it when I want something that tastes like my mom's cooking.
Homemade teriyaki sauce that's sweet, sticky, and nearly carb-free. The chicken cooks right in it and soaks up all the flavor. Faster than any drive-through option I'm aware of.
My answer to a Panda Express craving. Tender chicken in a sweet sesame glaze, done in about 20 minutes. Serve it over cauliflower rice and you have a full takeout-style dinner without leaving the house.
Tougher cuts that would normally need hours in the oven become fork-tender in under an hour under pressure. This is what the Instant Pot does best.
Tender beef in a thick, savory gravy. No babysitting a Dutch oven for hours. Pure cold-weather comfort that the Instant Pot makes genuinely doable on a weeknight.
My Italian version of classic beef stew with tomatoes, herbs, and a richer broth. It fills the kitchen with a smell that gets everyone asking when dinner is ready.
Fork-tender pulled pork in about an hour. I use a simple dry rub, seal the pot, and shred everything right in the insert. We eat this at cookouts more than anything slow-cooker-made.
An old-fashioned recipe my grandmother used to make. The steak braises until fork-tender in a tomato-based gravy. Comfort food that feels like it comes with a history.
The marinade does most of the work. Mix it, coat the pork, and the Instant Pot handles everything from there. Tender, flavorful, and very little actual effort required.
Dump everything in and walk away. Most of these are five ingredients, and none of them require you to be paying attention.
Two ingredients: chicken and a jar of salsa. Pressure cook, shred with forks, done. This is my go-to on nights when I have zero energy but still need to feed people.
Steak tips in a quick marinara, done in under 15 minutes. I make this when I want something that feels like a real dinner but I'm short on time and patience.
A complete meal from one pot: spicy chicken over cauliflower rice with all the fixings. This reheats better than most Instant Pot recipes, which is why I bring it for lunch.
Not glamorous, but probably the most useful recipe on this page. Plain shredded chicken in bulk. I make a batch on Sundays and it ends up in salads, wraps, and bowls all week long.
Mini sausages in a sweet, tangy sauce. Five minutes of prep and then the pot handles everything else. I bring these to game day gatherings and the pot always comes home clean.
The Instant Pot handles more than dinner. Egg bites, donuts, yogurt, and a whole rotisserie-style chicken all work better than you'd expect.
These taste like the Starbucks egg bites but at a fraction of the cost. I make a batch on Sunday and grab two every morning. Sixty seconds in the microwave and breakfast is done.
Fluffy, soft donuts made in an Instant Pot. My kids have strong opinions about who gets to glaze them. Not something I would have believed possible until I made them the first time.
Thick, creamy homemade yogurt with far fewer carbs than store-bought. The Instant Pot maintains the right temperature throughout so you don't have to watch it. I stir in berries and a little sweetener.
The Instant Pot makes hard-cooked eggs that peel cleanly, and the pesto filling is a genuinely nice change from the standard mustard version. Quick appetizer or afternoon snack.
A whole chicken seasoned with lemon and herbs, cooked hands-off. The meat comes out juicy and there are always leftovers worth looking forward to.