Have you wondered if an Instant Pot would be worth the investment for you? For most people, cooking with a pressure cooker can be a little intimidating. But, if you’re looking for ways to simplify food prep, learning to work with an Instant Pot can be incredibly helpful.
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Some of my favorite Instant Pot recipes are the basics that save me time and money. I got tired of always fumbling around and looking for instructions on how to cook staples like hard boiled eggs, frozen chicken, and baked potatoes.
So, I made a free cheat sheet that you can download, print, and keep in your kitchen to have handy the next time you need to remember a “recipe.”
Click here to get your Instant Pot Cheat Sheet
10 Incredible Ways You Should Be Using Your Instant Pot
- Make PERFECT Hard-Boiled Eggs – I’ve always had trouble peeling hard-boiled eggs, and I’m pretty sure I’ve tried all of the “tricks” out there. Hard-boiled eggs made in the Instant Pot are easy to peel, and it didn’t take much longer to cook them than if I would have cooked them on the stove. Here’s the recipe I used.
- Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in an Hour – Am I the only one that forgets to thaw meat? Here’s instructions on how to cook up some dinner-worthy chicken breasts, even if they’re coming straight from the freezer.
- Make Your Own Yogurt – If you’ve ever tried to make your own yogurt, you know it’s a process! Many Instant Pots come with a Yogurt function, which means you can save time and money by making your own yogurt at home. Making yogurt in an Instant Pot is much simpler, and you control the ingredients.
- Use it As a Slow Cooker – Need to set it and forget it? Instant Pots have a slow cooker function that will allow you to cook a meal just like you would in a crockpot. I haven’t gotten rid of my slow cooker yet, but the next time the ceramic crock cracks, I’m not replacing it!
- Use it As A Rice Cooker – Here’s my favorite recipe for cooking brown rice. Our rice cooker pot has a Teflon lining, which kind of scares me. From now on I’ll be using the Instant Pot instead since it’s made out of stainless steel.
- Use it to Cook Dried Beans – Save money and time by cooking your own beans in the Instant Pot. When you cook the beans yourself, you can avoid the BPA that’s in the lining of many cans. Plus, it’s so much cheaper to buy dried beans!
- Make Tomato Sauce – You control the ingredients! Click here to see video instructions.
- Cook One Pot Meals – Here are a ton of tested ideas. You’ll wash fewer dishes too!
- Make Broth – Another way to save money and control ingredients. Here’s how to do it.
- Make a Chocolate Cake – Because…why not?! Here’s the how-to.
- Looking for healthy dinner ideas? Here’s some delicious, Whole 30 compliant Instant Pot recipes that are great – even when you’re not following a specific eating plan!
- Need Instant Pot recipe ideas for chicken? Look at these easy, yummy chicken recipes.
Even after reading the instructions, I was nervous about using my Instant Pot when I first got it. Watching You Tube videos about how to use it really helped me feel more comfortable.
One of my favorite resources for using the Instant Pot is the Electric Pressure Cooking 101 course. It will teach you how to safely use your Instant Pot so you don’t have to be afraid of it any more!
Some Things That Made Using My Instant Pot Easier
Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer (Packaging May Vary)
Genuine Instant Pot Sealing Ring 2-Pack – 6 Quart Red/BlueGenuine Instant Pot Tempered Glass lid, Clear – 9 in. (23 cm) – 6 QuartSilicone Lid Cover for Inner Pot 6 Quart – Fits Instant Pot DUO60 LUX60 Ultra (Mint)Genuine Instant Pot Stainless Steel Inner Cooking Pot – 6 QuartStack N’ Cook – Stackable Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Steamer Insert Pans with Sling – Instant Pot in Pot Accessories – Food Steamer for Cooking – Two Interchangeable Lids Included
- Extra silicone rings (because I goofed and made my original ring smell like salsa – forever).
- A glass lid for when I use the Instant Pot as a slow cooker. I like to be able to see inside the pot while things are cooking!
- My Instant Pot Cheat Sheet. Saves me a ton of time! Get your own free Instant Pot Cheat Sheet here.
Want to see which Instant Pot I purchased? Here’s my Instant Pot on Amazon.
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I use the steam option to reheat (grilled) meat, pasta, and rice. I first put the food in a dish that fits in the pot, on the rack, then add a cup of water to the bottom of the Instant pot and steam for a few minutes.
I love that idea! Thanks, Victoria!
Thanks for featuring my chicken breast recipe! I’m in LOVE with my instant pot lately. Great list!
Well, thank you for publishing it! 🙂 It’s made many a yummy meal for our family in the past couple of weeks.
I just placed an order for an Instant Pot. My programmable slow cooker is only 3 years old, but I can see a multitude of uses for the Instant Pot (for instance, I’ve been wanting to try to make my own yogurt, I like to make my own broth …). I had been thinking about it for a while, but I decided to buy the IP for myself for my birthday. Black Friday works out quite nicely for that!
Thanks for all the great ideas for using this appliance. Can’t wait to start using it!
It was such a good price for Black Friday! The Hip Pressure Cooking site has really good instructions for making yogurt. I just followed along with her video when I made ours for the first time. Have fun with your new Instant Pot!
Is the slower cooker a high or low temp?
I’m not sure. Does anyone else know?
It has both settings. 😀
My Instant Pot has both high and low settings.
Mine actually has high, med & low (less, normal, & more)
Love the cheat sheet, thank you! I like using me instant pot for slow cooking even better than my crock pot because of the sauté function & being able to brown in it.
I’m glad you like the cheat sheet! 🙂 Yes, doing the sauté function before slow cooking is so convenient! I just did that the other night when I made spaghetti sauce. Only one pot to clean afterwards!
Hi there,
I really wanted to watch your video but it seems the audio stops working after a few seconds. 🙁
Ah, technology!! I’m not sure what’s going on. Here’s a link to my video on Facebook – maybe it will work better there: https://www.facebook.com/organizingmoms/videos/1839124909668242/
Thanks for sharing at our last Slow Cooker Instant Pot link up party. I hope you join us tomorrow 5/17/17 and link up again. Great post!