20+ Instant Recipes from Your Pressure Cooker

Not much can top the juicy tenderness of pulled pork made in a pressure cooker. Pile the pork on pita rounds topped with a homemade tzatziki sauce, onion, and feta for a fresh twist on your usual gyro recipe. Before pressure cooker recipes took off, it took 5 hours to slow-cook the pork shoulder; now it takes only one.

This easy pressure cooker recipe got this response during tasting in the Test Kitchen: “Pressure cooker deviled eggs are perfect!” Try them yourself and see what we are so excited about. Pressure cooker eggs may become your go-to method of cooking.

Buy It: Instant Pot Duo ($90, Target)

Instant Pot ribs are crazy-popular, but you can make this saucy rib recipe in whatever pressure cooker you own. The entire recipe takes just over an hour, and that’s including the 15 minutes of prep. Pork ribs smothered in a sticky-sweet sauce of ketchup, molasses, and chipotle peppers make a pressure cooker appetizer that can’t be beat.

Traditional restaurant quality pho takes upward of 12 hours just to simmer the broth. Our Instant Pot beef recipe can be in your bowl in less than 2 hours, including prep time! Beef brisket and beef soup bones flavor the broth along with authentic ingredients like cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cardamom for a truly flavorful pho.

Low Country boils gained popularity when a National Guardsman cooked a version of his family recipe for more than 100 soldiers, naming it Frogmore Stew after his local community in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The name changed to Beaufort Stew before becoming commonly known as a Low Country boil, but the traditional ingredients have remained the same. Our electric pressure cooker recipe cooks in one minute (no joke!) and is loaded with fresh shrimp, smoked sausage, red potatoes, and sweet corn stewed in.

This Indian-inspired pressure cooker chicken recipe is a Test Kitchen favorite, and we have no doubt it will be a favorite on your weekly menu soon. Although the sauce comes together quickly in the pressure cooker, the complex flavors of turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, ginger, and garam masala steep beautifully in a gravy-like mixture of butter, tomatoes, and heavy cream. Browning the chicken first will enhance the flavor of the sauce, but you can skip this step to save time.

Related: Easy Indian-Inspired Recipes That Are Layered with Flavor

Just like any good breakfast casserole, this Instant Pot breakfast recipe is loaded with bacon, eggs, cheese, and potatoes—all the must-have breakfast staples. Change up the cheese depending on what’s in your fridge. The cook time is only 5 minutes.

You can’t argue with Instant Pot recipes (especially meat loaf) requiring only slightly more than 20 minutes of cooking time! This turkey meat loaf initially bakes in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes, but then gets briefly broiled for pretty browning before serving. Because you’re using turkey as the meat, this recipe is only 318 calories per serving.

Buy It: T-Fal Broiler Pan ($35, Bed Bath & Beyond)

If you love the flavor of dulce de leche, it’s time you try it in cheesecake form. A crust of vanilla wafers and toasted almonds deliciously holds the creamy filling. Drizzle this Instant Pot cheesecake with more dulce de leche and some bittersweet chocolate to top it off.

Buy It: Nestle Dulce de Leche ($3, Target)

This Instant Pot recipe proves that great gumbo doesn’t need to take tons of time; it just needs a pressure cooker. Green peppers, onions, and okra simmer along with thick cuts of andouille sausage and chunks of chicken for just 8 minutes in this fool-proof gumbo. For added heat, toss in a few drops of hot pepper sauce, such as this pressure cooker smoky habanero hot sauce.

This indulgent pressure cooker breakfast recipe has “brunch worthy” written all over it. It’s also a great way to use up leftover bread, as the first ingredient called for is thick, dried slices of crusty Italian bread. Pressure-cooking this casserole frees you to whip up a tasty lemon mascarpone cream for a sweet and tangy topping.

Why not speed up your party prep by including a few easy Instant Pot recipes on the menu? Nothing says “party” like a hot dip, and this pressure cooker appetizer is no exception. Creamy, cheesy, and salty, it has everything necessary to keep guests coming back for seconds (and thirds).

The name of this recipe sounds so indulgent, you’d never guess it’s under 200 calories per serving. Of course, that’s assuming you stop at one serving. With bittersweet chocolate, dried tart cherries, and a creamy yogurt sauce, this Instant Pot dessert recipe keeps tempting us to come back for more.

It’s a breakfast/brunch/brinner recipe with a trifecta of trendiness! Shakshuka? Check. Butternut squash? Check. Pressure cooker? Check.  There’s no way you can go wrong with this Instant Pot recipe for beginners topped with eggs and feta cheese. We also provide slow cooker directions for this dish. Whether you want it fast or slow, this recipe is for you.

We know pleasing all the palates at your table can be tricky, but if picky eaters pass on this vegan Instant Pot recipe, that leaves more for you. This delicious side dish recipe uses coconut milk for smooth, creamy mashed sweet potatoes. Add in fresh jalapeño and a dash of curry powder and this bold sweet potato recipe will quickly become part of your permanent rotation.

This meaty version of a classic poutine elevates the pub food staple into a full-on pressure cooker dinner recipe. The French fries and cheese curds are there, but we’ve added pressure-cooked oxtail and topped it with crumbles of thick-cut bacon to bulk it up even more. Waffle-cut fries hold up well beneath this hearty poutine, but feel free to swap for air-fried stick-cut potatoes if you don’t mind a messier meal.

Yep, your pressure cooker can do Italian dishes too. Juicy chicken thighs and tender noodles certainly help make this Instant Pot dinner recipe a winner, but there's a lot more to get excited about. Traditional cacciatore veggies—in this case, meaty mushrooms, tomatoes, and bell peppers—help knock this one out of the park.

Seeking a kid-friendly pressure cooker recipe? Ta-da! Here’s the one. We combined the much-loved flavor of chili with macaroni and cheese for a comfort food recipe the whole family will love. We encourage serving this Instant Pot dinner recipe with lettuce and tomatoes to amp up the nutrition.

Related: Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

If you love desserts with a gooey center (and who doesn't?), this is the dessert recipe for you! An indulgent batter of dessert basics like chocolate, butter, flour, and sugar are complemented by a dose of orange liqueur for a flavor twist on a molten cake recipe. We're willing to bet that anyone who tries it will never guess it's an Instant Pot recipe.

Related: Gooey Chocolate Lava Cake Recipes

Brussels sprouts with bacon is a classic combination, and this pressure cooker side dish recipe adds in sweet notes of maple and tangy Dijon mustard to balance out the flavors. Our easy pressure cooker recipe cooks in just 3 minutes, with the maple syrup and mustard blend tossed in just before serving. We love this recipe with steak, but it works with so many main courses.

This twist on a take-out classic is easily one of our favorites in the Test Kitchen. Tender cuts of steak (we use flank steak) and loads of fresh broccoli take on the flavors of the homemade sauce. Serve over a bed of rice or rice noodles for the full “take-out” experience … sans paper boxes.

Fresh snow peas and carrots make a bright and fresh topper for juicy chicken seasoned with hoisin, soy, ginger, and garlic. We love Instant Pot chicken recipes because of how speedy and tasty they are, and this recipe is no exception. Serve this recipe inside slider buns or turn it into the filling for lettuce wraps.

Use these pressure cooker lettuce wraps as a party appetizer or a light dinner recipe that tastes better than restaurant versions. You’ll probably be able to cook this electric pressure cooker recipe faster than your favorite restaurant too. Serve with soy sauce for dunking because food is more fun when it’s dunked.

No paella pan? No problem. This simplified pressure cooker paella comes together in your versatile pressure cooker. This rich seafood dish pressure-cooks in just 10 minutes, and clean-up is simple too!

Pescatarian Instant Pot recipes are tasty enough to please everyone. This Sicilian-inspired Instant Pot recipe uses canned tuna and two types of Italian cheeses to give each artichoke a savory filling. Pressure-cook the artichokes to tender perfection in just 8 minutes, then simply serve in shallow bowls and sprinkle with pine nuts.

This North African-inspired recipe cooks for just 12 minutes in an electric pressure cooker. Tender cauliflower and moist chicken thighs sop up the flavors of crushed tomatoes and delicate spices. Canned chickpeas help keep the prep time minimal, and instant rice or couscous makes this easy Instant Pot recipe even easier.

This flavor-packed lentil recipe makes one delicious vegetarian main dish with 23 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber. There’s no way you can finish a serving without feeling satisfied. Even the meat-lovers will ask for seconds of this Instant Pot dinner recipe. No pressure cooker? No problem—you can make this lentil recipe in the slow cooker too.

Fill your dinner bowl with succulent pork and thick-cut veggies for an all-in-one meal from your pressure cooker. This meal in a bowl gets its flavor from fresh garlic, dried thyme, and homemade gremolata. Serve this healthy Instant Pot recipe over hot cooked orzo.

Related: Best-Ever Meals in a Bowl (That Are Not Soup)