The Most Underrated Foods You’re Not Making With Your Instant Pot

Instant Pot fans know there are certain ingredients that go into the pressure cooker and come out tasting delicious, from chicken and rice to pulled pork. But if you make the same things over and over, you’ll miss out on some major opportunities for culinary invention.

That’s why we asked a handful of the internet’s finest Instant Pot recipe developers for the meals they think don’t get enough love. You’re going to be using that “yogurt” button to make everything from skyr (Icelandic-style yogurt) to burrata, and the “steam” button to make veggies that taste amazing. These are the most underrated dishes you should start making with your Instant Pot.

Coffee concentrate

If you’re making a coffee run every morning, we don’t blame you ― there are plenty of delicious fall drinks out there. But did you know you can make everyone’s favorite legal pick-me-up in your Instant Pot?

“Coffee concentrate gives you a stronger flavor than a brewed cup of coffee,” said Carla Bushey of the food blog Adventures of a Nurse. Her recipe for Instant Pot coffee concentrate yields 18 servings at one time. And because you have so many servings to experiment with, you can try everything from plain iced coffee to seasonally appropriate flavorings like pumpkin spice.

Yogurt and cheese

You may have used your Instant Pot hundreds of times and never pressed the “yogurt” button. (Guilty!) But recipe developer Marci Buttars of the food blog Tidbits is giving people plenty of reasons to branch out. “I actually did a series all about the yogurt button and what it can do!” she said.

If you love Icelandic-style yogurt but hate how expensive it can be, Buttars has whipped up a skyr recipe. You can also use the yogurt button to make homemade mozzarella. “It’s fun to make and tastes fresher than store-bought,” she said. When mozzarella alone doesn’t satisfy your craving for cheese, you can also give her burrata recipe a try. 

Perfectly cooked vegetables

If you have an aversion to steamed vegetables, it’s completely understandable. “Not many people use the Instant Pot for steaming veggies,” said Meeta Arora of Piping Pot Curry. “Even though it sounds like the most basic thing, they are afraid of the mushy, overcooked veggies that they grew up eating (mostly from a can).”

Arora said the “steam” function has just the cure for those unappetizing vegetables from your past: “If you use it correctly, you can get perfectly crunchy, freshly steamed veggies from the Instant Pot.” Start with her helpful guide to steaming vegetables. Once you get in the habit of using the steam button, you can use it to make her vegan-friendly Indian khaman dhokla (savory chickpea flour cakes).

Pasta

Cooking rice in an Instant Pot is a no-brainer. But pasta? That makes people wary. “Most people are afraid of making pasta in their Instant Pot,” said Corrie Duffy of Corrie Cooks. “They think it’ll become soggy and they’ll end up throwing the dish away.”

Duffy noted that while experimenting with pasta in an Instant Pot can yield poor results, there’s an easy solution. “If you follow a recipe as is, and don’t try to change cooking times or ingredients, you can get a perfect one-pot meal of noodles each and every time,” he said.

Delicious pasta dishes are plentiful (like Duffy’s chicken Alfredo), but for a creative take on the Italian staple, you can also try his taco pasta.

Fudge

The Instant Pot achieved widespread adoption because it helps make preparing lunch and dinner a snap. But it’s also a secret weapon for dessert! “I love making homemade fudge in my Instant Pot because of how easy and simple it is to make,” said Ashley Thomas of My Heart Beets. “There’s no need for a candy thermometer, and you don’t have to stand by the stovetop stirring a pot or wait by the microwave cooking chocolate at different intervals.”

In fact, Thomas said it’s as simple as pouring in a few ingredients, pressure cooking and mixing. At the end of that very easy process (the hardest part is waiting a couple hours while it sets in the fridge), you can end up with cookies & cream fudge. 

Lasagna

The oven is central to any kitchen, but it’s also a staple of another era of cooking. Why would you turn on an oven these days when you have modern kitchen appliances like the air fryer and the Instant Pot? Now you don’t have to, at least if you want to make this magnificent Italian dish.

“Everyone loves a comforting lasagna, but you don’t need an oven to make a great one!” said Nisha Vora of the blog Rainbow Plant Life. “This Instant Pot vegan lasagna is perfect if you’re cooking for just a few people and don’t want leftovers, or if you have limited oven space, like around the holidays.”

Deviled eggs

There are some people who think deviled eggs are disgusting. There are other people who love them, and those people are correct. “Deviled eggs are my go-to appetizer when I’m asked to bring something to a party or potluck,” said Mike Vrobel of Dad Cooks Dinner. “They’re quick and easy in the Instant Pot using the 5-5-5 method (five minutes at high pressure, five minutes natural release and five minutes in ice or under cold running water).” Vrobel said he isn’t a purist when it comes to this dish, which is clear enough from his “sushi-inspired” Wasabi Deviled Eggs.

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