This post is by contributing writer, Bethany Wright of WoodhavenPl.com. Find her KS posts here.
It’s no secret how much I love my Instant Pot.
I mean, I even made it all 5 of my New Year’s Resolutions, for goodness sake.
But if you asked me to name my favorite thing to make in the Instant Pot, I think I would have a hard time narrowing that down.
I love making baked sweet potatoes, because they are lightening fast compared to the oven. I love making bone broth because it doesn’t make my house smell funky. And don’t even get me started about freezer meals.
But honest confession time. My favorite thing to EAT definitely has to be dessert.
And the Instant Pot is downright phenomenal at making them. Cheesecake? Flan? Rice Pudding? Mug Cakes?
The Instant Pot can do it all.
Make your Instant Pot work for you!
The Instant Pot has gotten a lot of hype over the last couple years – for good reason. It really can do just about anything.
Although it can seem a bit daunting to use at first, it really becomes quite simple once you give it a try.
Use the techniques, tips and simple recipes from the Instant Pot Guidebook to get started, and before you know it, your Instant Pot will become indispensable!
Warm, roasted fruit is certainly my most beloved dessert. But I rarely make it because I don’t have time to labor over the stove (simmering fruit for what feels like forever) — and I definitely don’t want to wait around an hour for the oven.
So when I learned that I could make fruit compote IN FOUR MINUTES in my Instant Pot, I was SOLD.
Instant Pot Paleo/AIP Cherry Compote
Don’t tell anyone, but right now I’m sitting at the computer inhaling a bowl of this Cherry Compote while I write. It’s the perfect blend of tart and sweet — and it’s ridiculously easy to make.
We enjoy it straight from the bowl, but I can only imagine how yummy it would taste served over your favorite vanilla (or chocolate!) ice cream, or with a brownie.
Pardon me while I go grab some seconds…
- 4 cups cherries, frozen or fresh
- 1 cup apples, shredded or finely diced
- 2 Tbs. maple syrup
- 1 Tbs. coconut oil (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) or butter
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 cup water
- 3 Tbs. arrowroot powder (preferred) or cornstarch
- Add cherries, apples, maple syrup, salt, coconut oil, and water to the Instant Pot bowl. Stir well to combine. DO NOT add the arrow root powder!
- Check the sealing ring, close the lid, and set the pressure valve to sealing.
- Select MANUAL for 4 minutes.
- Once the program has completed, quickly release pressure (do not quick release if you have doubled the recipe or you risk spewing fruit out of your pressure valve!).
- Stir the compote well -- it will be very liquidy.
- Select SAUTE, and stir in arrow root powder. Stir well until arrow root powder is combined and compote begins to boil.
- Cancel SAUTE. Serve warm or chilled. Compote will continue to thicken as it cools.
- If you're looking to increase nutrition, consider adding a tablespoon or two of collagen to your compote before cooking.
Trouble Getting Healthy Food on the Table Every Day?
Enter Real Plans
Real Plans is an online meal planning software & app that is probably smarter than I am.
It works with all food restrictions to help families find the perfect meal, generate a shopping list, scale it up if needed, and you’re totally in control. Use your own fav recipes, skip a suggestion and tell Real Plans all the foods you don’t like/can’t eat, and it will still do half the work of meal planning (or more) for you.
Real Plans takes the stress out of meal planning and puts the nourishing food BACK on your table. There’s a plan for every diet type, including GAPS, Paleo, AIP, Whole30, vegetarian and more!
Looking For Other Desserts?
If you enjoyed the speed and ease of making Cherry Compote, you’ll have to check out these other IP desserts which have quickly become a favorite in our home!
- Instant Pot Paleo Mug Cakes (4 Varieties) from WoodhavenPL
- Instant Pot Paleo Peach Crisp from Wild Acres
- Instant Pot Apple Chutney (Paleo, AIP) from WoodhavenPL
- Pumpkin Cutie Pies from Hip Pressure Cooking
- Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding from Traditional Cooking School
- Pina Colada (Dairy Free!) Rice Pudding from Pressure Cooking Today
- Allergy Friendly Chocolate Cake from Traditional Cooking School
- Instant Pot Maple Flan from Traditional Cooking School
- Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake from This Old Gal
- Orange and Dark Chocolate Cheesecake from Traditional Cooking School
Find all the Kitchen Stewardship Instant Pot tips and recipes HERE
My dear friend Wardee at Traditional Cooking School can do just about anything with her Instant Pot – cakes, bread, main dishes, veggies, even “stacking” multiple kinds of food at once!
She’s offering a free sourdough cornbread Instant Pot recipe!
This cornbread is delicious, nutritious, super easy to make, and it only needs 12 minutes of cook time.
Other Instant Pot Tutorials:
- Pros and Cons of the Instant Pot
- How to Use the Instant Pot in a Hotel Room
- 10 Basic Techniques for your Instant Pot
- How to Make Squash in the Instant Pot
- How to Cook Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot FAST
- Can You Make Slow Cooker Recipes in the Instant Pot?
MamaV says
I have made some very popular cheesecakes, but no fruit desserts yet. I am excited!
Angela B. says
Can you use gelatin instead of collagen (does it cook the same, or would it cause a problem/thickening issue)?
Laura Snell says
Hi Angela,
Collagen and gelatin do not act the same in recipes and aren’t generally interchangeable. Collagen will provide no gelling effect at all, and if you use gelatin instead it would provide quite a bit of gel. I’ve seen gelatin used as a thickener in all sorts of recipes, so if you decide to play with the recipe it’s possible you may be able to use a bit a gelatin instead of most of all of the arrowroot powder. I’ve never tried this myself, but if you decide to give it a shot let us know what your results are!
Laura @ Kitchen Stewardship
IthacaNancy says
I used coconut oil, but I would have preferred it with butter. I wasn’t wild about it. I added chia seeds and mixed it with coconut cream and it was much improved. This used my entire stock of sour cherries, so it was a disappointment that it didn’t knock my socks off. However, it was reasonably tasty – I had no trouble finishing it once I’d adapted it a bit . . .