It’s easy to believe the Instant Pot is all hype – if you have a slow cooker, why bother? But what if you could make your favorite slow cooker recipes in the Instant Pot in 45 minutes and it wouldn’t be all mushy/dull? That’s one of the reasons I love my Instant Pot!
It’s actually really easy to take your old Crock Pot meals and make them in your new “electric pressure cooker” – almost all of them work!
You just need at least a cup of liquids, don’t overfill the pot, and figure out your best guess at timing. 😉
I have more extensive instructions for converting slow cooker meals to the Instant Pot, but for today, let’s just have fun with delicious, easy recipes!
My First 5 Slow Cooker Recipes in the Instant Pot
As pictured above, some of the early recipes that I knew worked in a slow cooker and hoped would work in my new and scary Instant Pot were:
- BBQ Chicken Thighs – so frugal!
- Instant Pot Country Style Ribs (from slow cooker recipes)
- Instant Pot BBQ Beef
- Any homemade chili – my recipe is in Better Than a Box
- Basic Beef Roast – something I’ve always done in my Crock Pot without a recipe. We demonstrate how in our Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Meals Kids Can Make videos!
Eventually we got a second Instant Pot, both to make bigger batches and because I kept wanting to make a main dish in one and also easy rice or a side dish in another! Did you know you can even quickly steam vegetables in the Instant Pot? I literally set it for zero minutes. 😉
Make your Instant Pot work for you!
I won’t tell if your Instant Pot is still in its box, pinky swear. 😉
I left mine abandoned in the basement for almost a YEAR because I have a new-thing-instructions phobia, but now I have TWO Instant Pots and they’re both in constant use!
Turns out it’s so easy, a kid can do it — I’ll send you a quick video of my children unboxing and setting it up when you grab your FREE download mini eBook:
Get the Instant Pot Guidebook for FREE!
What’s in the Guidebook?
You’ll love the simplicity of your Instant Pot, and the free downloadable guidebook will help you:
- Adapt your own favorite recipes from the slow cooker
- Cook FROZEN ground beef
- Hard boil eggs perfectly
- Cook squash, steam veggies, and make applesauce in your IP
- Make dry beans in an hour and perfect rice without boiling over
- Steam veggies al dente and make Paleo cauli rice in minutes
- Cook a whole chicken and make FAST bone broth
Whether yours is still in the box or you’ve used it a little but want to know more about those techniques, or if you’re still pining for an IP on your wish list, I can’t wait to give you these simple baby steps to success!
If you’re new to the IP, you can do this. Make it easy on yourself – I have an Instant Pot video of my kids unboxing the thing, it’s that easy!
Where to find a Pressure Cooker
This is the 6-quart Instant Pot I started out with. After a few years, we added an 8-quart partly because I knew I would use two at the same time often enough, partly because it was the Prime Day sale, and also because I wanted more space for certain recipes. Both are a pretty basic model and you don’t need more bells and whistles than that!
If you’re deciding on size, most people say it’s better to get a deal on the 6-quart and just have 2 rather than go big, BUT if your family has 5 or more people or you really like to batch cook or do more than a pound of beans, the 8-quart may be the best choice. You can even get a carrying case to travel with it!
If you really want an old school pressure cooker for the stovetop, you can browse them at Amazon – this is the set that I got for our wedding so very long ago. Mine is actually a 7L size (which is over 7 qts) and the one included here is only a 6-quart.
The best thing about these is that they have a glass lid for normal cooking, and they are the two pots we use MOST of all in the last 14 years! So if you have no extra space, just replace a big pot with a pressure cooker and you only need to store the lid additionally. I admit I’m not sure I ever used the pressure function with the smaller pot, but I love both sizes for normal cooking.
If I had to do it over, I’d get this set because it has an 8-quart pot and a larger steamer basket that could also do pasta or potatoes. The members of our Kids Cook Real Food eCourse often ask about how to help kids heft a heavy pot of water to the sink to drain, and this is the best solution – pulling out a basket insert rather than lifting boiling liquids around.
Find all the Kitchen Stewardship Instant Pot tips and recipes HERE.
Slow Cooker Recipes That are Easy to do in the Instant Pot
I asked other colleagues around the web to share their favorite Instant Pot recipes that came from a slow cooker, and they didn’t disappoint. Some of the recipes here are the slow cooker version, but remember to just use the adaptation instructions and you’ll easily be able to make them quickly in a pressure cooker.
- Beef Stroganoff (above)
- Chicken Taco Bowls
- Shredded Chicken Breast
- Beef Curry
- Spaghetti Squash
- Chicken Wings
- Beef Stew (Paleo)
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.
Recipes Made In the Slow Cooker but Could EASILY be Instant Pot
Just remember to add a cup of liquid if it’s not already in the recipe!
- Slow Cooker Irish Stew
- Slow Cooker Potato Cheddar Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
- Red Curry Chicken Wings (gluten-free)
- Paleo Vegan Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Chicken Soup – (Find the Spirializer here and here is the mini version)
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Vegetable Minestrone – (Shan Yao – an ingredient in the recipe)
- Sweet Sticky Paleo Ribs
- Paleo Beef Pumpkin Stew
- White Bean Chili (GAPS and gluten-free)
- BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pork Loin to make in the Instant Pot
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Hamburger Soup (helpful link to Kitchenstewardship’s ranch mix)
- Chicken and Cheese
- Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes (Here is my friend’s amazing cranberry sauce recipe that will go perfect with this.)
Other Instant Pot Tutorials:
- What is a Pressure Cooker (basics for the rookie cook)
- How to Set up a New Instant Pot (VIDEO)
- Pros and Cons of the Instant Pot
- How to Use the Instant Pot in a Hotel Room (save $$$ on dinner out!)
- 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
- Instructions to Convert Slow Cooker or Crock Pot Recipes to the Instant Pot (& favorite slow cooker recipes to make in the IP!)
- How to Pressure Cook Dry Beans (even without soaking!)
- Is a Pressure Cooker Still Healthy and Safe?
Other Instant Pot Recipes:
- Paleo & Whole30 BBQ Chicken – used thighs, so frugal!
- Gluten-free Chipotle Beef (chuck roast or stew beef)
- Instant Pot BBQ Beef
- Quick Cauliflower Rice in the Instant Pot (2 flavors)
- Instant Pot Quick Turmeric Rice Recipe
- Easy Mashed Potatoes (no drain!) in the Instant Pot
- Pressure Cooker Mexican Lentils and Rice (chicken or vegetarian)
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs (AIP & GAPS)
- Instant Pot Country Style Boneless Pork Ribs (that just fall apart!)
- Budget-Friendly Instant Pot Chipotle Beef
- Fast Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup
- Curried Lemon Coconut Chicken
- Italian Lentil One-pot Dinner
- Apple Cranberry Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- Easy Instant Pot One Pot Meals – that any beginner can make!
- Black-Eyed Pea and Beet Greens Soup
- Gluten-free Instant Pot Mac & Cheese
- Instant Pot Cherry Compote (and 10 Instant Pot Desserts)
Katie Kimball, CSME is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network.
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Certified Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.
Ryan says
These recipes are perfect for my newly bought instant pot! I can’t wait to try these. Thanks a lot for sharing!