Can I gush about my pressure cooker for a second here?
OHMYGOSH! Little did I know the random Instant Pot my husband bought for my birthday last year would become the most beloved small appliance in my kitchen! If it came with a built-in toaster on the lid I’d basically consider marrying it!
It has revolutionized my meal prep game and shaves precious time off my soup making endeavors, yielding tasty homemade soups, stews, and chilis that taste like they’ve simmered on the stove for hours!
Many of the instant pot recipes I’ve made are dump-and-go style, in which you can walk away with ease like a slow cooker but come back in around 20-30 minutes to a hot meal that’s full of flavor! No more babysitting dishes on the stove or waiting 4-8 hours for a slow cooker to work it’s magic. This is totally my kind of fast food!
I also love using it for shredded/chopped chicken to add to salads, sandwiches, wraps, etc… and I’m in complete awe over how amazing it is for cooking sides like rice and beans. The magic it works on dried beans alone is totally worth it! No soaking or simmering; just set it and walk away. When the beans are done the IP switches itself to the warming feature so I don’t have to worry about rushing back into the kitchen like my pants are on fire.
I could wax poetic on this amazingness for hours but let’s get on to the recipes, yo!
8 Totally Awesome Instant Pot Recipes
:: pin it for later ::
1. Instant Pot Black Bean Dip
This Instant Pot Black Bean Dip is a total breeze to throw together! No cans needed! Simply grab a bag of dried beans and get ready for a party-perfect vegetarian dip that’s easy, make-ahead, and SO delicious. Since we’re all working with different dietary needs here, this recipe includes both a cheesy vegetarian version and a plant-based vegan version – WOOT!
2. Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup
This uber easy and crazy flavorful tortilla soup can be made in a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or on the stove (hooray options!) and is the most popular instant pot recipe here on Peas and Crayons. It’s one of those super flavorful comfort food favorites that everyone goes nuts over — even meat eaters have raved about it! Pile on the toppings and dive in!
3. Creamy Tomato Soup with Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas
This is one of my favorite instant pot recipes! The first time I tried oven roasted chickpeas as a soup topping I lost my mind over how good it was! Unconventional? Totally! Delicious? Heck yes! The filling protein and heart-healthy fiber in the chickpeas takes any soup you add them to from side dish status to mealtime powerhouse!
4. Smoky Chipotle Turkey + Sweet Potato Chili
This uber easy and crazy flavorful chili recipe quickly became a family favorite! I think it’s the kiss of chipotle pepper that really sets this bowl-o-comfort apart. The smoky chipotle flavor pairs great with turkey, fabulous with sweet potato, and when you simmer it all together in a big pot of saucy veggies pure magic happens.
5. Vegan Lentil Chili
This deliciously easy vegan lentil chili is sure to impress! With stove-top, pressure cooker, and slow cooker versions all in this post, you can whip it up any way you choose with minimal effort. Another crowd favorite, friends have been raving about the awesome texture of this meatless chili!
Looking for an even chunkier chili? My Lentil Quinoa Chili also come with Instant Pot instructions and is oh so tasty!
6. Butternut Cauliflower Soup
Grab your pressure cooker and throw together this tasty soup in record time. With minimal prep and tons of flavor, this Butternut Cauliflower Soup is sure to be a new cold weather favorite! Keep the toppings vegetarian or T-Rex it up with some crispy crumbled bacon.
7. Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Helloooooo veggies! This Pressure Cooker Creamy Cauliflower Soup is ready in record time and loaded with an array of tasty vegetables. It’s easy, cheesy comfort soup guaranteed to warm you up on a cold day!
8. Strawberry Trail Mix Oatmeal
This tasty Instant Pot Strawberry Trail Mix Oatmeal is swirled with dried fruit and nuts for a super speedy breakfast that’s a breeze to make!
This is a total game changer for my morning breakfast routine. With under 5 minutes of effort, I can toss everything in my IP, set it, and LEAVE THE KITCHEN! No babysitting a pot on the stove and no need to resort to powdery instant oats. I can set it and forget it and then finish getting myself and my 3 year old ready for work/school while my breakfast basically cooks itself. I also make a totally crave-worthy Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal <— try it MEOW!
I think it’s safe to say that my obsession with my Instant Pot runneth over!
As an awesome bonus, you can feed your IP addiction even further by whipping up a pot of Instant Pot chicken (meal prep style!) to add to the following recipes:
- Easy Chicken Gyros with Greek Feta Sauce
- Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Bowls
- Spicy Sriracha Lime Chicken Zoodle Soup
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Squash
- Chicken Parmesan Soup
It’s also great for making salsa shredded chicken for taco night and for making vegetarian fare such as soups, veggie chili, and rice dishes. Love it so!
Hope you love these tasty instant pot recipes and create something positively scrumptious this week!
Crazy about your IP?
What’s the best dish you’ve made in it? Leave a comment below!
* This post contains an affiliate link for the Instant Pot I own and use in my kitchen! If you have any questions about the IP or want links to even more recipes, feel free to ask a question below! I simply adore mine and love that my husband took the leap and got me one because I had no idea I needed it until I had it.
He also uses this logic to justify buying 5 pound bags of peanut butter M+M’s “I didn’t know I needed it until I saw it!” LOL!
We made the black bean dip. It was amazing!!!! We love black bean recipes and sometimes they aren’t that great. But this was so good. We will definitely make this again.
Thank you Kirsten! So glad you enjoyed the dip 🙂
Looking everywhere for the vegan quinoa chili but your recipe says “oops…” basically it is not here or never existed. Can you send me a link? Thank you!
Emailing you right now! xo
I just made the instant pot vegetarian quinoa chili and it was delicious! One question – you said to add one cup of quinoa. You mean cooked quinoa, correct? I added a cup of dried quinoa so my chili was very heavy on the quinoa! LOL!
I am excited to try your other recipes!
Hey Andrea, I’m so stoked for you to try more recipes – thank you! 🙂 I used dried quinoa for mine as well as I love the texture it gets from the full amount. It could also be made with less though if you prefer -it’s super duper flexible!
I needed this post SO badly – thank you, thank you, thank you for putting it together! I’ve been trying to find a lot of easy fall recipes I can throw into my Instant Pot for a quick and easy dinner, and I pretty much want to try everything on this list! That vegetarian lentil tortilla soup in particular looks ahhh-mazing – that is going first on my list of recipes to try!
And ps: your photos are seriously stunning with a capital S. The colors pop so beautifully off the screen, and everything is so crisp and clear – such an inspiration!
Shannon you’ve totally made my day! Thank you!!! For sure try the tortilla soup first – it’s my BFF!