Easy Ways to Cook with your Instant Pot

You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for easy and delicious ways to cook with your Instant Pot. Check out this jackfruit-packed pork, pumpkin curry, and split pea soup recipe. Whether on a budget or looking for new recipes, you’ll find something you love! Read on for even more tips on how to cook with your Instant Pot. And don’t worry – there are many ways to make delicious and healthy meals without animal products!

What is Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot may be used as a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a yogurt maker, a rice cooker, a large sauté pan, a steamer, and more. We have the Instant Pot Duo 6-quart, which we utilize for all of our Instant Pot recipes. A 3-quart Instant Pot Mini and an 8-quart Instant Pot are also available.

Especially on busy nights, the Instant Pot is a game-changer. Most recipes are dump-and-cook, which means all you have to do is set it up and then walk away to watch TV, walk your dog, clean your house, have a dance party, etc.

BONUS: It also cooks food 70% faster (!) than conventional methods, and it all happens in one pot. Have you figured out why we adore this stuff yet?

If you’re still not convinced, the Instant Pot is ideal for meal prep and freezer dinners because it doesn’t need to be thawed. If you’re interested, you can find all our freezer meal Instant Pot recipes here (answer: you are).

We’ll state the obvious: it’s also a fantastic present for a certain holiday around the bend.

Let’s get this party started. Here are a few of our favourite ways to put this handy tool to use.

Different Recipes to Cook in Instant Pot

Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry

This pumpkin curry recipe is ideal for any time of the year, whether for a Thanksgiving dinner or just to kick off the fall season. It comes together quickly, gets better with age, and is naturally vegan and gluten-free. The curry’s smoky coconut flavour uses a little coconut oil and some everyday vegetables. In addition to the pumpkin, curry paste adds the signature flavours of Thailand. You can find red curry paste in the international section of your grocery store.

The ingredients for this curry are simple: canned pumpkin puree, drained chickpeas or lentils, apple cider vinegar, and curry paste. If you don’t have pumpkin puree, you can use a can of tomato paste. You can omit coconut milk if you prefer curry without dairy or eggs. If you’d prefer, you can add some kale or leafy greens to your meal to make it more nutritious.

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you should try this easy and delicious Split Pea Soup Recipe for the Instant Pot. This vegan soup is thick and satisfying and packed with nutrient-dense ingredients. The main ingredients are high-protein peas, carrots, celery, and garlic. After the vegetables have been cooked, add the seasonings. Add the green split peas and mix well. You can substitute water with vegetable broth if you cannot find split peas at your local grocery store.

Aside from being a complete protein, split peas are also good sources of fibre, making them an excellent source of iron. This recipe is vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and easy to make in the Instant Pot. To add flavour and appeal, you can also add herbs and spices and adjust the spices according to your taste. And, of course, you can omit the flour if you are a vegetarian or a vegan.

Instant Pot Apple Butter

Making your own vegan Instant Pot apple butter is easy! All you need is a few simple ingredients, and the Instant Pot will do the rest. The basic ingredients are sliced apples, water, apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla extract. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, and you’ll have homemade apple butter ready in no time! Just transfer it to a jar or Tupperware, and you’re done!

You’ll need five pounds of apples (each approximately one pound) peeled and cored to make this tasty treat. Choose soft apples if you’d like them to break down more quickly in the Instant Pot, such as Gala, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh. Firm, tart varieties, like Granny Smith, will require more cooking time. The combination of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg gives this delicious spread a full-flavoured, autumnal taste.

Instant Pot Jackfruit Pulled Pork

Look no further than jackfruit pulled pork if you’re looking for a meat alternative. The perfect texture and savoury flavour make jackfruit an excellent substitute. Serve with coleslaw or sauerkraut, and you’ll be surprised by how well it works as a sandwich. Even if you’re not a meat-eater, jackfruit can pass for pulled pork in most cases. Here’s how to make it:

Use unripe, green jackfruit, a mild, chewy flavour when cooking. Always remember to squeeze it dry before frying. If you use ripe jackfruit, it won’t be as flavorful or as savoury as green jackfruit. Jackfruit pulled pork is made by rinsing and shredding canned jackfruit and sauteing it with homemade BBQ sauce. Try this recipe from the Fresh & Healthiest Instant Pot Cookbook for a quick, healthy dinner.

In an Instant Pot, What can you Cook?

Animal proteins (such as beef and chicken), grains, beans and legumes, vegetables, yogurt, desserts, hard-boiled eggs, oats, stews, curries, casseroles, and more may be prepared nicely in an Instant Pot.

Many busy home chefs appreciate the Instant Pot because it substantially cuts the cooking time for foods that normally require a long simmering time, such as beef stew, pulled pork, bolognese sauce, chicken stock, and slow cooker chicken recipes. However, you can make almost any meal or meal prep component that you normally cook on the stovetop.

But keep in mind that pressure cooking is only one of the Instant Pot’s numerous features (at least six, depending on the model). Slow-cooking, sautéing, and steaming operations are equally versatile for creating great Instant Pot meals. At the same time, more specialty settings (such as rice and yogurt making and boiling eggs) make specific cooking jobs a breeze. Why do one thing when you can do all of them?

In an Instant Pot, What Should you Avoid Cooking?

While an Instant Pot can create many items, some components, such as pasta, dairy, and crispy foods, can’t tolerate the pressure properly.

Delicate pasta can easily overcook and crumble; dairy goods (such as creamy sauces) might curdle or separate, and crunchy ingredients (such as croutons and almonds) can get mushy. Frequently, you may avoid the problem by waiting to add particular components until the rest of the dish has finished cooking. For example, you can finish a soup with a hefty dollop of cream or crisp bacon in the sauté function, leave it aside, and return it to your meal.

Meanwhile, when cooking more delicate foods (such as fish) or vegetables (such as asparagus), take care not to turn them into completely overdone mush. You may usually achieve this by following the recipe’s time and setting directions.

Finally, some recipes aren’t ideal for the Instant Pot—anything that involves a lot of searing (like steak) or crisping (like fried chicken) is generally best done differently.

Is it Healthful to Cook Using an Instant Pot?

Cooking with an Instant Pot is no more or less nutritious than cooking with other methods. However, suppose the ease and convenience of Instant Pot recipes encourage you to create more homemade meals or experiment with a wider variety of foods. In that case, this equipment might be beneficial to your diet.

These quick and healthful Instant Pot recipes will help you do exactly that—mix it up in the kitchen and make more delicious meals without wasting time over the fire. There’s something for everyone from vegetarian to carnivore, side dish to main entrée, classic to unorthodox, and breakfast to dinner. You’ll also find basic Instant Pot recipes. Add a few to your Instant Pot rotation for some delectable, nutrient-dense, low-lift, and satisfying Instant Pot pleasure.

A word on the term “healthy”: We all know that being healthy is a difficult idea to grasp. It may imply different things to different individuals, but it’s also a loaded (and sometimes uncomfortable) term, thanks to the diet industry’s impact on our dietary attitudes. When discussing healthy eating at SELF, we refer to nutritional, filling, and enjoyable foods. However, we’re talking about foods that help you connect with your culture, generate joy, and taste great. Some of the foods may fit into traditional definitions of “healthy.” Others, though, may not. We chose these recipes with all of that in mind while also attempting to cater to a wide range of dietary needs.

What to Serve with Cooked Cabbage in the Instant Pot?

Corned beef and cabbage are classic combinations that never go out of style, and a tasty corned beef sandwich could even benefit some cabbages. Aside from that, cabbage goes well with a variety of cuisines. My favourite ingredient is smoked sausage, which I use in pig, turkey, and chicken meals.

If you’re only feeding a few people or need to keep the leaves whole for a recipe, peel the leaves off individually, remove what you need, and keep the rest of the cabbages covered in the fridge. The leaves can be used whole or shredded, depending on the situation.

Half or quarter the cabbage (put it cut-side down on a board, then chop or shred the leaves) to serve a bigger crowd. For tougher cabbages, such as red or white cabbages, you can chop out the rough piece of the stem or core first.

How to Cook Cabbage in the Instant Pot?

To achieve perfection in your cuisine, follow these steps:

Step 1: Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core. After that, set it away.

Step 2: In the instant pot, melt one tablespoon of butter and put it into a sautee. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onion, is transparent, after adding the minced garlic and sliced onion. Be careful not to burn what you’re cooking in the pressure cooker because it cooks quickly.

Step 3: Layer the chopped cabbage on the vegetable broth and residual butter in the instant pot.

Step 4: Close the instant pot lid and turn it on. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. After canceling, do a fast release.

Step 5: Once the pin has dropped, carefully remove the lid from the instant pot and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. After stirring, serve with a slotted spoon.

Conclusion

Like the microwave and the electric kettle, the Instant Pot has become a kitchen necessity. This multi-functional pressure cooker may replace various countertop gadgets, including rice cookers and slow cookers. It has introduced a new generation to pressure cooking and demonstrated how quickly. can prepare a healthy dinner

This article is for anyone who owns an Instant Pot, whether it’s brand new or sitting in a cupboard for a long time. As a long-time Instant Pot owner, I’ll walk you through the basics, including how to use those weird buttons and some basic recipes.