Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Tammy Overhoff

Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (1)I’m so excited to introduce you to Steph from Confessions of a Meal Plan Addict! I found her on Instagram a few months ago and absolutely LOVED her meal prep posts! You can read more about her on the OYS Team Page. I know you’re going to love what she brings to Organize Yourself Skinny. You can find Steph on her blog, Facebook, and Instagram.

If you haven’t incorporated an Instant Pot into your once a week meal prep habit, you are late to the game!

I mean, the cheesecakes that everyone is making in the instant pot these days are cool too… but, I didn’t meal prep myself skinny with cheesecakes! I did however, meal prep myself skinny and I use the Instant Pot as part of my successful meal prep habit.

Just like the appeal of the traditional slow cooker, the instant pot is a counter top kitchen tool (programmable pressure cooker to be exact), where you dump in all of your ingredients, walk away, and then return to a cooked meal.

But, with the Instant Pot, your meal is ready in under one hour, instead of after 4-6 hours.

I have incorporated the instant pot into my once a week meal prep routine because I have been able to find recipes that meet my recipe criteria:

A recipe must be able to be prepped ahead either raw for quick weeknight dinner cooking, or cooked in a large amount to be used in multiple meals throughout the week.

A recipe must be healthy – for me this means limited starchy carbs, sugar, fat, and additives. Bonus points if it is a lean protein.

Quick to cook – limited steps and pretty much dump and go.

After rigorous testing (that’s a lie – just lots of eating), here are the top 5 ways I use the Instant Pot for my once a week meal prep habit:

#1. Whole Chicken.

A typical whole chicken is between 3-5 pounds which means it has a pressure cook time of about 25 minutes. The official formula is # pounds X 6 +2 = minutes of pressure cook time – but I find 25 minutes is a good rule of thumb.

Oh, your chicken is frozen solid? No problem, unlike slow cooking, you can cook directly from frozen in an instant pot. A whole frozen chicken takes 50- 60 minutes.

For prep ahead, add your seasonings of choice (garlic is encouraged), and store in a freezer ziplock bag, or use a foodsaver system. At your local bulk grocer you can get a 3 pack of chicken, season them, and seal them in under 10 minutes. That means you prepped 3 dinners in 10 minutes. Or… cook one on Sunday and set yourself up with shredded chicken for the week.

To cook, add chicken and 1 cup of chicken broth to your instant pot and set for 25 minutes.

Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (2)

#2. Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin has a 20 minute cook time in the instant pot and the sauce options are endless. Same simple prep applies to these. Pick up a multi pack from your local bulk grocer, put each one in a ziplock baggie, or foodsaver bag and toss with ingredients. When looking for pork tenderloin recipes for the instant pot, make sure there is at least 1 cup of liquid in the recipe so that the pot can come to pressure).

#3. Instant Pot Sandwich (or Salad Topper) Meat

I am always looking for make ahead lean proteins – and this is a weekly go to for me. When I am prepping my veggies on Sunday, I will pop a turkey breast into the instant pot while I chop. At the end, I have meat for OYS No Bread Roll Ups, salad topper protein, or regular old sandwiches (a husband go to!).

This is a great recipe to cook once on Sunday and then have a lean protein to add to meals throughout the week.

Full recipe here.

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#4. Single Serve Freezer Soups

Soups are a great way to use your instant pot, and single serve freezer soups are one of my go to ways to prep lunch once and eat it for MONTHS!

With the instant pot, you get the flavour of all day simmering, in a fraction of the time. This means you can run through multiple recipes in a prep day and stock your freezer with lunch soups. If you get social, you can team up with a couple of friends that have instant pots, and get a couple going at once and divide up the fruits of your labour.

I did this with friends once and had lunch soups that lasted us all many months (because you likely won’t eat it everyday).

Here are the soups we did in the instant pot and how we did this in an afternoon.

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#5. All the Veggies!

I have to admit that the Instant Pot isn’t the solution for all of my veggie cooking needs. Veggies that already have a quick steam time in my microwave steamer (broccoli and carrots) are not great instant pot veggies as there isn’t really any time or quality savings using it. But, there are a few veggies in my life that only get made in the instant pot now. Those are:

Sweet Potatoes

Spaghetti Squash (in 7 minutes!)

Butternut squash

Beets (because Beet Blueberry muffins are breakfast life)!

The quicker cook times let me prep a whole heap of veggies in one afternoon and be ready for the week – or get veggies on the table after work in no time.

So, have I convinced you to jump on board with using your instant pot for once a week meal prep yet? Good. Wait until you see how to use the instant pot for FREEZER meal prep!

What are your instant pot questions?

Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (5)

About Tammy Overhoff

Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating recipes to meal prep, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. Check out my online shop Reset & Flourish for all of my eBooks, Guides, and Bundles!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie says

    I would like to know what the soups are ?

    Reply

  2. Vanessa says

    Thanks for sharing! I love the soup idea! Are there any that work particularly well in the insta?

    Reply

  3. Amy says

    How do you cook spaghetti squash in an instant pot?

    Reply

  4. Meaghan says

    Can you link to your recipes for the chicken in the picture (Greek, Tex Mex, and smokewood)? I searched your site and can’t find them. They all sound delicious, so I would love to try them. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Carleen Rhodes says

      Some of the info and photos Tammy uses are from MealPlanAddict.com, which she mentions at the beginning of her post. I found the article here that references the seasoning Steph uses for the chicken in the photos.

      https://mealplanaddict.com/2017/01/how-to-prep-freeze-instant-pot-suppers-plus-recipes/

      Reply

      • Tammy Kresge says

        Steph from Meal Plan Addict actually wrote this post for me. Thank you for the link.

  5. kris says

    how did freezing soup in a glass mason jar work for you? I’ve tried to freeze broth in mason jars in the fridge and every single one of them broke 🙁

    Reply

  6. Mandy says

    I couldn’t persuade a friend to summon up her courage and actually takes her IP out of the box until she saw me peeling hard boiled eggs practically with one hand. That was all she needed to get started! She and her husband hadn’t enjoyed deviled eggs in years because they were such a pain to make. Now she’s emailing ME Instant Pot tips.

    Reply

  7. Kevin says

    You keep saying the cook time, but how are we to know what pressure to cook at?

    Reply

  8. Jeanne says

    How do you use the Instant Pot to process garden vegetables such as tomatoes, relishes, and jams and jellies?

    Reply

    • JMartin says

      there’s all kinds of recipes on Pinterest to try ! :))

      Reply

    • Valerie says

      Hi Jeanne! An instant pot is a pressure cooker, not a pressure canner, so I’m afraid processing isn’t an option. I believe it has to do with USDA standards for psi… Electric pressure cookers have a lower psi than stove top. I hope this helps.

      Reply

  9. Lynda says

    I have read several meal prep articles and this one has some of the best suggestions on how to include a favorite kitchen tool. Thank you. I look forward to reading more of your blog.

    Reply

  10. Chrystal says

    Silly question – but how do you reheat the frozen soups? Thanks! -Chrystal

    Reply

    • Nikki J says

      Probably just thaw in the fridge overnight and then microwave the next day. 🙂

      Reply

  11. Melissa says

    I love my Instant Pot for meal prep! Some of my favorite uses that you haven’t already mentioned:

    – hardboiled eggs (to eat plain with breakfast or to add to a mason jar salad)
    – brown rice (perfect for lunchtime tofu/veggie/rice bowls and as a dinner side dish)
    – oatmeal (make a big batch that lasts the whole week)

    Also, I am in love with this marinara sauce that contains hidden lentils and veggies: http://eatwithinyourmeans.com/pressure-cooker-marinara-sauce/ I use it as a pizza sauce and in lasagna.

    Reply

  12. Sabrina Hartley says

    does the instant pot brown your meet at all?

    Reply

    • Melissa says

      You can set the pot to sauté. Add some butter or oil of choice and sear the meat. Then set to pressure cook for the rest of the cook time. Can also set to sauté to cook onion and garlic too.

      Reply

  13. Jennifer says

    This article will be useful for pregnant women after birth. I also used it to lose weight after giving birth baby. Awesome article. Thanks

    Reply

  14. Erin says

    What size do you need to cook a whole chicken?

    Reply

    • Leah Pickle says

      I have a 6QT and it works great.

      Reply

  15. Ronda says

    I love my Instant Pot! When I meal prep for chicken recipes, I put about 6 chicken breast in and in total of 20 minutes they are done. While they are cooking I do the rest of the meal preps. It’s a life saver! I work 45 – 50 minutes from home so I use it a lot when I get home.

    Reply

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Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are Instant Pots good for meal prep? ›

They're super-versatile, so you can mix and match ingredients as you prep lunches and dinners throughout the week: salads, sandwiches, stir-fries, grain bowls, and so on.

Can you make everything in an Instant Pot? ›

Instant Pots are terrific for some dishes. Others are a big no-no. If you own an Instant Pot, you know how convenient it is when it comes to cutting down the time it takes to cook food, all through the magic of heat and steam. But while your Instant Pot has kitchen prowess, it can't cook everything safely.

Why do Instant Pot recipes say do not stir? ›

As explained by Kitchn, stirring the pasta with the liquid before locking the appliance and setting it to pressure cook will cause the dish to go sticky and gummy as it cooks, due to the way pasta releases starch under pressure.

How much food can you put in an Instant Pot? ›

Maximum When pressure cooking, do not fill the inner pot higher than the PC MAX — 2/3 line as indicated on the inner pot. When cooking foods that expand (e.g., rice, beans, pasta) do not fill the inner pot higher than the — 1/2 line as indicated on the inner pot.

What is the best long lasting meal prep? ›

Soups, stews, and chili are the ideal meal prep because they last a little longer than most meals (up to five or six days) AND they're extremely freezer-friendly. If you're new to meal prep and are nervous about how foods taste after a few days, I recommend starting with a soup, stew, or chili.

How long do Instant Pots usually last? ›

The average lifespan of an Instant Pot ranges from 2-5 years, but it can last longer depending on how often it's used and how well-maintained it is. So it's safe to say Instant Pots aren't commonly being replaced, and may even be a one-time purchase.

Is cooking in a pressure cooker unhealthy? ›

Yes, cooking in a pressure cooker is healthy as it uses steam to cook food, the insulated and sealed body does not allow the water to evaporate thus preserving the nutrients in the food. Pressure cookers do not require oil to cook making them even healthier.

What is the best meat to cook in a pressure cooker? ›

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.

What happens if Instapot is too full? ›

Overfilling your Instant Pot can affect the pressure that builds up inside, so you might end up with a mushy meal, or one that doesn't cook properly.

Are instant pots safe to eat from? ›

Are electric pressure cookers safe? Yes, electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot are generally safe and easy to use. The Instant Pot has so many safety mechanisms (PDF) built in that it's hard to make a catastrophic mistake. In general, if you follow the safety instructions, you should be good.

Can you use instant rice for meal prep? ›

Now you've tried these ideas, try mixing and matching your own favorite ingredients with Minute® Rice Cups and invent your own recipes. Note: If you like to meal prep, batch cook enough servings of our Instant Rice and use it to make quick meals throughout the week.

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