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Best pressure cooker recipe

Which pressure cooker recipes are best? 

A pressure cooker can make in minutes what normally takes hours of slow cooking, but no flavor is lost in the process. Pressurized steam thoroughly yet gently cooks food all the way through, leaving you with delicious pot roasts, potatoes perfect for mashing, delicious pasta, and even desserts like pies or breakfast foods like oats. Normally, you have to spend a lot of time preparing and slowly heating those foods in order for them to have the right flavor and texture, but a pressure cooker’s steam transfers heat much better than roasting.

If you have a pressure cooker, then read on for simple and delicious recipes. If you still haven’t found a recipe you like, check out this recipe book for more ideas.

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Advantages of pressure cooker recipes

Pressure-cooker recipes always make deliciously tender food that takes no time at all. All of the work is preparation, at which point you just let the pot do the work and you’re free to go off and take care of work or relax while the food cooks.

The ease and convenience are great, but thanks to the way the pressurized steam breaks down proteins and fat, even the toughest meats fall apart. You can get all kinds of ultra-high-quality protein straight from the farm with Farm to table butchery.

Where to buy: Farm to table butchery

 

The versatility of a pressure cooker is second to none, allowing you to make any sort of food you’d like, especially if you take the time to purchase a set of pressure cooker accessories. Just remember that a large portion of time pressure cooking is spent letting the steam build-up and release, so don’t rush to open your pressure cooker as soon as it’s done cooking.

Where to buy: Sold by Amazon

The four best pressure cooker recipes

Instant pot roast

For this recipe, you’ll need these ingredients:

  • 2 pounds chuck roast
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 cut up onions
  • 1 cup of unsalted chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 white mushrooms
  • 2 cut-up carrots
  • 3 chopped potatoes
  • 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Begin by getting the pressure cooker ready and set the temperature to hot. 

Season your chuck roast with salt and pepper to your preference. 

Use the olive oil to coat a pan and then sautee the roast for about 10 minutes per side. 

Once that’s nice and brown, use the same pan to cook the onions, garlic and mushrooms you’ve cut for 2 minutes and then season with salt and pepper.

Add a splash of the red wine vinegar to the pan and cook until the veggies have nice caramelization. 

Add your chicken stock, soy sauce, fish sauce and bay leaves to your instant pot, along with the chuck roast. 

Close the lid and seal the vent knob. Cook it for 45 minutes and then let the steam release naturally.

Now take care of your veggies. If you put them in with the roast they will turn to mush. Pressure cook the veggies for 4 minutes with a quick release. Once you remove the veggies, add cornstarch and water to the sauce in the pot until it thickens and becomes gravy.

Osso bucco

For this recipe, you’ll need these ingredients:

  • 0.5 cup flour
  • .75 teaspoon salt
  • .5 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 beef shanks
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • .5 cup white wine
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1.5 cups beef broth
  • 2 chopped carrots
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 chopped piece of celery
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • .25 cup cold water

Directions: 

Combine the flour, salt and pepper and coat the beef shanks in it. 

Set your pressure cooker to sautee and add your butter and oil. 

Brown the shanks and then remove them. 

Pour wine into the pot and stir while adding the tomatoes, broth, veggies, and spices.

Set the cooker to high and let it work for 40 minutes then let the steam release naturally. 

Once it’s finished, remove the shanks and skim through the pot to remove the bay leaves.

Add water and cornstarch to the sauce and bring it to a boil.

Stir until the sauce has thickened and then use it to pour over the shanks.

Instant pot oatmeal

For this recipe, you’ll need these ingredients:

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1 cup steel-cut oats
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • A pinch of kosher salt
  • Fruit or yogurt of choice

Directions:

Add the oats, water, and almond milk to the pot along with the cinnamon stick.

If you want, you could even add some bits of chocolate or a dash of vanilla to really make the sweetness pop.

Close the lid and set the instant pot to a high temperature.

Allow the oats to cook for 3 minutes. Once the time’s up, let the oats be in the cooker for 20 minutes as the steam naturally releases.

Add the fruit or yogurt to your bowl of oats and enjoy this delicious, healthy breakfast that tastes almost like dessert.

The best part about this recipe is that the oats will last for almost a week in the fridge, meaning you just need to make it twice a week to enjoy a daily breakfast.

Instant pumpkin pie

For this recipe, you’ll need these ingredients:

  • 1.25 cups graham cracker
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 can pumpkin
  • .5 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • .5 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • .75 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • .5 teaspoon ground ginger
  • .25 teaspoon ground cloves
  • A dash of nutmeg
  • .5 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • .5 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Use a 7-inch springform pan and spray the inside with nonstick spray.

In a bowl, mix crushed graham crackers with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Press the mixture down firmly into the bottom of the springform pan. Make sure that the mixture is also pressed up against the sides of the pan.

Wrap the pan in aluminum foil and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

In a different bowl, use an electric mixer to blend together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the crust and then fill the bottom of your instant pot with 1 cup of water and place the pie inside on top of a trivet.

Set the temp to high and let it cook for 38 minutes. Allow a natural release of the steam.

Take the pie out, and, once it’s cooled completely, wrap it with plastic and refrigerate for three hours. The result is a super-fluffy pumpkin pie that’s almost like cheesecake.

 

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Sam Bramlett writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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