Home » Recipes » Dinner » Healthy Family Instant Pot Recipes
by Taesha Butler on Mar 31, 2020 (updated Apr 14, 2022)
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Getting a healthy dinner on the table is so quick and easy when you have a pressure cooker and a few amazing Family Instant Pot Recipes by your side! These recipes are not only fast, but kid-friendly and delicious!
Family Instant Pot Recipes
We are a busy family. School. Work. Schedules that need constant collaboration, shifting and reorganizing. Pets that need to be walked. Girl Scout patches that need to be sewed. And everything that falls in between.
Oh and then there are meals! Meals have to be made. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners and even snacks. Apparently this family of mine wants to be fed regularly (seriously?) and I have started to lean (hard) on my Instant Pot for making meals happen fast and minimize the dishes!
My slow cooker has been my kitchen wingman for years. I love the set-and-forget vibe of slow cooker recipes, since I could throw a recipe in before I left for work in the morning and come home to dinner done at the end of the day.
And while all of that is awesome, it also required me having my act together in the morning. Which didn’t always happen. And if I wasn’t thinking about our dinner plan at 7am, I often found myself scrambling to get dinner on the table.
So, when I found the glory of the Instant Pot, gosh…life changed and dinner time became infinity easier.
Table of contents
- Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
- Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Side Dishes
- Instant Pot Main Dishes
What is an Instant Pot?
Brace yourself, because if you don’t already know the glory of an Instant Pot…life is about to become magical. Instant Pots are basically the unicorn of kitchen gadgets, after all.
An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that cooks food up silly fast! Like, mindblowingly fast! And it also has a lovely sauté feature so that you can brown meats, sauté onions and simmer down soups without having to dirty any extra dishes. And clean up is SO easy!
So, while I still love using my slow cooker for dinners when I have the time and the sense to think ahead, I find myself more often then not reaching for my Instant Pot when making meals for my family that are easy, delicious and low on the mess-o-meter.
Handy tools and pantry staples for making healthy family Instant Pot recipes
- Instant Pot
- Immersion Blender
- Wooden Spoons
- Chef’s Knife
- Epicurean Cutting Board
- Canned Coconut Milk
- Chicken Broth
- Vegetable Broth
This post may contain affiliate links. All options are my own.
Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
Zucchini Carrot Instant Pot Oatmeal
Instant Pot oatmeal is the perfect easy breakfast! This pressure cooker oatmeal is made with hearty steel cut oats and has the added boost of zucchini and carrots. Filling, sweet, warm flavors and veggies— the perfect healthy breakfast recipe.
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Strawberry Beet Instant Pot Applesauce
This easy Strawberry Beet Instant Pot Applesauce is delicious, has no added sugar and gets its amazing color from beets! Kid-friendly and the perfect way to get veggies in at breakfast, lunch, snack or whenever!
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Instant Pot Soups
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Instant Pot Lentil Soup is hearty, delicious and like a hug in a bowl. This soup is easy to make and leaves you feeling so satisfied and good from the inside out. Full of veggies, your favorite broth and oh-so-good for you lentils, this dish is vegan, gluten free and your new best friend.
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Veggie-Loaded Instant Pot Tomato Soup
This veggie-loaded Instant Pot Tomato Soup is easy to make in minutes and packed with goodness! Kid-friendly and can easily be made dairy-free and vegan, this is the perfect healthy soup to make for your family!
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Instant Pot Black Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
This Instant Pot Black Bean Soup is the perfect healthy dinner to make any night of the week. Hearty, easy to whip up and is veggie-loaded with delicious butternut squash. Vegan and gluten free.
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Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili
This Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili is packed with flavor! Pumpkin, spices, vegetables and meat combine to make a hearty and satisfying meal. Gluten free, dairy-free and sure to be a hit with the family!
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Instant Pot Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
Instant Pot Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili is an easy, healthy and delicious dinner! This cozy soup is gluten free, vegan and family-friendly.
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Instant Pot Side Dishes
Mashed Instant Pot Potatoes with Cauliflower
TheseMashed Instant Pot Potatoes with Cauliflower are delicious, creamy and easy! You can get these mashed potatoes on the table in about 30 minutes! Plus, they’re a great way to get more cauliflower into your family's diet!
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Instant Pot Corn On The Cob
Instant Pot corn on the cob makes cooking and enjoying this summer garden goodie extra easy without heating up your kitchen! Plus, it tastes amazing and comes out perfect every time.
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35-Minute Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes (Whole Sweet Potatoes)
No peeling! No chopping! Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes are such an easy and quick way to cook-up whole sweet potatoes. Fork tender, delicious, simple, and done in about 30 minutes—the perfect healthy vegetable side dish to any dinner.
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The Easiest Instant Pot Beets
Cooking whole beets in the Instant Pot is the easiest way to prep this healthy veggie! Simple and quick, steaming beet sin your pressure cooker is perfect for having them on hand for salads, soups, sauces, smoothies, or however you love to eat them! Cooking times for different sized beets included.
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30-Minute Instant Pot Butternut Squash Risotto
This Instant Pot butternut squash arborio rice risotto is way faster to make compared to traditional stovetop risotto recipes. Ready within 30 minutes (start to finish), it’s an easy veggie-loaded side dish or enjoy the risotto as a vegetarian main meal. Fresh or frozen (but thawed) butternut squash can be used for cooking convenience. It’s creamy comfort in a bowl!
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Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Have you ever tried making baked potatoes in the Instant Pot? If not, you are missing out on my favorite perfect-every-time spuds method! Simple and done in less time than using the oven, making baked potatoes has never been easier!
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Instant Pot Main Dishes
Instant Pot Creamy Mushroom Chicken
This creamy mushroom chicken recipe is not only deliciously flavorful and creamy, but made entirely in your Instant Pot. Quick and easy. Plus, it is dairy-free, Paleo and Whole30.
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Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken is quick, easy and so delicious. Made with just 3 ingredients, it is veggie-loaded with some added spinach and cooks up in just minutes. This pressure cooker chicken is the perfect weeknight meal that is also family friendly and healthy!
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Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli is going to be a busy weeknight dinner game changer for you. Made with ease and speed, this dish is full of flavor and made with nothing but squeaky clean ingredients to fuel you on! Paleo, dairy-free, gluten free and even a Whole30 option.
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Slow Cooker + Instant Pot Butternut Squash Chicken Curry
Super fast to make, veggie-loaded and full of warm flavors, Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Butternut Squash Chicken Curry is the perfect dinner any night of the week! Heavenly over cauliflower rice, jasmine rice or completely on its own, this dinner will dazzle your tastebud while saving you time in the kitchen.
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Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Salmon (from frozen!)
ThisInstant Pot Lemon Garlic Salmonis going to rock your socks then! Wildly easy to throw together, super flavorful and cooked to perfections FROM FROZEN in your handy dandy IP….this going to be your new fast food!
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Other healthy recipes you are going to love…
- Veggie-Loaded Whole30 Recipes
- 15 Family-Friendly Whole30 Soup Recipes
- Kid-Friendly Vegetable Soup (+ how to serve it to picky eaters)
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
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Family Instant Pot Recipes: Instant Pot Butternut Squash Risotto
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 18 minutes mins
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Side Dish
Author: Taesha Butler
Perfect as a side to any weeknight dinner, this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Risotto is flavorful, easy, and is done cooking in about 20 minutes. Naturally vegetarian and gluten-free.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, sub extra olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onions, or shallots
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage, plus extra for garnish
- 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 pound peeled butternut squash , cut into ½-inch dice (about 4 cups)
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instant Pot
Instructions
Set Instant Pot (or other multi-cooker) to SAUTE function. Add the olive and butter. Once hot, add the onion or shallot and stir occasionally until golden brown around the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, sage, and salt. Cook for an additional minute. If the pot begins to brown too quickly, add a splash of water.
Add rice to the pot and stir for 2 minutes to lightly toast the rice. Stir in the vinegar and then the broth. Add the butternut squash. Cancel the SAUTE function.
Place lid on the Instant Pot then set to MANUAL high pressure for 5 minutes. It will take your Instant Pot about 6 minutes to get up to pressure.
Once time is up, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese and season with a few grinds of black pepper. Taste and add more salt or parmesan cheese if needed.
Let risotto sit in the Instant Pot for 5-10 minutes to thicken up and absorb more of the liquid. Serve risotto with a sprinkle of extra chopped sage and parmesan on top, if desired.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 340kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 466mg, Potassium: 370mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 8250IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 178mg, Iron: 3mg
Dinner Instant Pot Recipe Roundups
originally published on Mar 31, 2020 (last updated Apr 14, 2022)
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Helena —Reply
This is the most comprehensive collection of Instant Pot recipes that I’ve seen to date!
