16 Instant Pot Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What size Instant Pot are most recipes for? ›

Benefits of a 6-quart Instant Pot: The 6-quart (and new 6.5-quart variation) Instant Pot is the most popular size for home cooks, as most recipes are written for that size. Generally, a meal cooked in a 6-quart model feeds three to six people.

In fact, there are a handful of foods that just shouldn't be pressure-cooked. Among them are dairy and fried foods, as well as burgers and steaks.

The 6-quart size is the most popular size and we recommend buying either a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot. Either size will accommodate (most) any recipe you want to cook and will easily serve four to six people. If you're a fan of meal prepping, you might find a larger, 8-quart model to be more helpful.

Without sufficient liquid, pressure won't build — and you'll likely get the dreaded “burn” error. Unless otherwise specified in the recipe, you'll need just enough liquid (usually water or broth) to bring the cooker to pressure. The Instant Pot manual suggests 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups, depending on the size of the cooker.

Whole meal recipes for one or two persons can usually be accommodated in a 4-quart pressure cooker. 6-QUART: The most popular size for many families with two or more persons. 8-QUART: Popular for larger families.

Mostly we boil potatoes in a pressure cooker, but like rice, potatoes also contain a lot of starch. This is the reason why boiling or cooking in this pressure cooker is not considered good for health. If you still plan to use cooker for the same, add a lot of water and wash them thoroughly post cooking.

You can still pressure cook leaner pieces – like eye of round and top sirloin – but these work best if they've been stuffed, shredded or rolled (with other ingredients). Best cuts of beef to use: Chuck steak, Round Roast, Shoulder, Pot roast, Ribs, Brisket, Oxtail.

The Instant Pot's burn message simply means that your Instant Pot has detected that its inner pot has gotten too hot. There may be a slight amount of burned food at the bottom of your pot, but not enough to ruin whatever you're cooking.

Yes, you can cook just a half a cup of rice in a rice cooker. However, the amount of water used to cook the rice may need to be adjusted. Generally, the ratio of water to rice is 1 cup of water to 1 cup of uncooked rice. For a half a cup of uncooked rice, you would use half a cup of water.

When you use a pressure cooker, you need to have enough liquid in the pot for it to come up to pressure and cook the food properly. The rule of liquids in pressure cooking is to always add at least 1 cup of liquid unless the recipe states otherwise. The liquid will help create enough steam to cook the meal. 3.

What is the minimum amount of water in a pressure cooker? ›

Add Liquid

“Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup. Put food in the cooker first, then add water. When learning how to use a pressure cooker, make sure the unit is never more than two-thirds full of liquid, so the steam has enough space to accumulate.