I’m always skeptical of new fads and when everyone jumped on the Instant Pot party bus, I stood back, making sure it didn’t get a flat tire. Just give it a year and this “miracle cooker” will become the next Blooming’ Onion maker. Well, I’m the first to admit I was wrong. After getting an Instant Pot for Christmas, I’ve already used it over a dozen times and each time, I’m still in awe at what the Instant Pot is capable of. In fact, knowing I hadn’t reached its full potential, I set out to discover the best Instant Pot hacks that can make your cooking even more amazing!
23 Instant Pot Hacks That Will Surprise You
1. Better hard boiled eggs than you’ve ever made before. Sick of your hard boiled egg shells not peeling away? Never know the correct way to cook them? Find out the best hack for cooking hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. You’ll never try stove-top eggs again.
Basically, place the cooking rack in the bottom of your Instant Pot (the rack comes with your Instant Pot) and pour 1 cup of water in the pot. Place 4-6 eggs on the rack, close the lid, and set for 5 minutes on high. (It takes 5 minutes to build up pressure, 5 minutes to cook, and 5 minutes to release pressure.) Perfectly boiled eggs every time!
2. Make your own applesauce that’s way better than store-bought. Oh wait, did I fail to mention you can do it in 3 minutes?
3. Get rid of the stinky ring smell. The one downfall of the Instant Pot that I’ve encountered is that the silicone sealing ring absorbs all the smells you are cooking. No one wants curry mixed with their applesauce. You can buy new ones, or just soak it in a combination of vinegar and hot water or baking soda and hot water.
4. Quick, homemade broth. You’ve probably heard all about the amazing health benefits of bone broth. If you’re cooking meat on the bone, just add water and turn it into homemade broth in minutes.
5. Freeze your leftovers in round containers.
Usually when you make a freezer meal or freeze soup, you use freezer bags and lay them flat. Instead, fill your freezer bag with your leftovers and then put the bag into a round container. The bag will freeze in a cylinder form which you can then slip into the Instant Pot and have a warm meal in minutes.
6. Plan for a longer cooking time than most online recipes claim. What most newbie Instant Pot users don’t understand at first is that the time claimed on recipes and the actual time from start to finished is a bit longer. On average, your Instant Pot takes about 5 -10 extra to warm up and cool down.
7. Saute away! Do not miss out on the saute feature of the Instant Pot…it is incredible! Simply add a little olive or coconut oil to the bottom of the pot, fill it with veggies or meat, and it sautés like any frying pan.
8. No-fuss homemade yogurt. If you’ve ever thought of making your own yogurt, the Instant Pot is the place to do it. It’s not even scary.
9. Replace your oven with the Instant Pot.
Pretty much anything you cook in the oven can be cooked in the Instant Pot (stuffed peppers are delicious!). Just cut the cooking time down to 1/3.
10. After you cook meats, use the “Saute” setting to reduce and simmer sauces or to make gravy.
11. Yep, pasta works in the pressure cooker! The noodles cook quicker than you can possibly imagine and you can even make one-pot pastas that rock.
12. You can even make bread. Ooh, this Instant Pot apple bread with salted caramel icing looks downright sinful! Or try this basic white savory bread recipe here.
13. Perfect cheesecake in the Instant Pot.
14. Kid pleasing mac and cheese in 10 minutes. And I’m not talking the powdered kind. This version is creamy, dreamy, and kid-approved.
15. Add 1/2 cup of water {almost} every time.
Your pressure cooker relies on steam and internal heat to cook your foods. Most foods require at least 1/2 cup of water, broth, or other liquid to adequately cook foods. Popcorn would be one exception (see #17 below).
16. Make your own delicious vanilla extract. Find the recipe here…yum!
17. Oh-my-kettle-corn in the Instant Pot. What can this machine not do? I’d never thought of popping popcorn in the Instant Pot, but you can! I bet you could even try our favorite kettle corn Instant Pot style too.
18. Who knew? You can even make hard lotion. What is hard lotion? It is a solid bar of lotion (not to be confused with soap) that stays solid at room temperature and can be applied to dry hands, feet, and body. Unlike liquid lotions, it’s all natural and yes siree, can be made in the Instant Pot!
19. That’s our jam.
This is crazy—you don’t even need pectin for this easy 2-ingredient blueberry jam! And it all happens in your handy little pot.
20. Instant Pot muffins. Okay, so they’re not as lofty and airy as their oven-baked counterparts, but these chocolate zucchini muffin bites showcase that with Instant Pot, nearly anything is possible.
21. Now this is awesome…make your own 100% natural cough syrup in the Instant Pot!
22. Replace your microwave. Give your microwave a break by using your Instant Pot. Use the “Slow Cook” or “Keep Warm” features.
23. Crazy but true…you can make dog food in your Instant Pot. Save money on the store-bought version of your furry friend’s favorite food and make your own. Here is a nice and healthy Instant Pot dog food recipe to try!
If you haven’t gotten your Instant Pot yet, GET ONE! It’s a total game changer in the kitchen! You can get one HERE!
Still looking for more instant pot inspiration? Try some of these great ideas:
3 Reasons why you should cook using an Instant Pot
10 Easy Recipes for Your New Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
carla says
Thanks for Linking to me 🙂 from Adventures of a Nurse 🙂
calvinmc says
I heardrum you can’t do canning with it according to nchfp
Lois says
Yes, actually if you can veggies or meat a pressure cooker is the method because of the higher temp they can reach. Jams and other fruit based products can also be done. If this pressure cooker reaches the same temps that traditional pressure cookers reach there is no reason it can’t be used. I have been canning in a pressure cooker for over 10 years and I am still here to tell you about it. lol
ghulett says
The only canning method that can ever be done is the water method. Never close the lid and pressure the unit.
Bette says
The IP is a pressure cooker! So thus it can be used to “pressure can” in it. Just , like a regular pressure cooker you have to know what you’re doing and do it properly.
Beth says
I was hesitant about buying one but when I found one on sale I initially bought it to replace my crockpot which had cracks in the liner. I’m now wondering what I ever did without one. I was able to cook pork chops with mushroom soup and potatoes at the same time. The pork chops were so tender. I can’t wait until winter is over and fruit is plentiful again for making my own jam. I finally made room on the counter as mine gets used on a weekly basis.
Charlotte Y Huffman says
I have an electric pressure cooker. Isn’t that basically the same as the Instant Pot?
Katie says
I’m not sure the difference. Maybe someone else does. Let us know if you find anything out. I’m curious!
Beverly says
I also have an electric pressure cooker (7 in 1) and I have been using the same recipes the instant pot does. Mine also makes yogurt, sautes, keeps warm, slow cooks and does all the others do. I love it.
E.F.P says
Heavens no, they aren’t the same. Yes..Instant Pot is a pressure cooker but it’s so much more. It slow cooks on 3 heat levels, Sautee on 3 heat levels, you can make yogert (it has a separate function for that) All of the functions can be timed and automatically switch to “keep warm” when done.
I use mine at least 4 times per week. Love it!!
Sarah says
I have the Pressure Cooker XL 8 qt and it does every single one of these features, canning, yogurt making, the different temperatures, sauté, etc. There is absolutely no difference between the two. The only reason I purchased the Pressure Cooker XL over the Instapot, was the price. I found it at Costco for $90. I use mine frequently and it quickly became a favorite appliance, replacing my gas top range. It offers one pot, easy clean up in a fraction of the time for a busy household. It’s a must have! 🙂
Tracy Hadfield says
Yes, an electric pressure cooker is an electric pressure cooker. Just Instant Pot has almost a “cult” following. Some of the other features make the Instant Pot different (like is stated above, although, I can brown and saute and it will switch to warm in the Cuisinart as well) than the others but still the pressure cooker part is the same…I have a Cuisinart and an Instant Pot and exactly the same as far as pressure cooking goes!!
ghulett says
yes instant pot is a pressure cooker but not all pressure cookers are instant pots.
Sherron says
How do you make the kettle corn with the Instant Pot? The instructions on the link only show how to do it on the stove top.
Sherron says
I just realized that the first link shows how to make popcorn- I’m guessing that I’d just add the sugar to the pot with the kernels (or with the oil?)
Young Meagher says
I got my instant pot 6 months ago. Never knew I could this much with my IP.
Thank you.
Gabe says
Would be great to learn more about how your reheat food in it instead of the microwave! I’m guessing you use the trivet, then add water, and sit pyrex container in with foil on top to keep water out (would plastic lid be ok).
Emma says
Please no plastic in the pressure cooker. The temperatures are much to high for that.
Sarah Shong says
I frequently use the Steam cycle for 4 minutes to reheat leftovers. While it’s working, I set the table or prep a salad.
Darlene says
Can you fix the link for the natural cough syrup. The link goes to the muffin recipe right now.
The popcorn one is also wrong. it just shows you how to make it …NOT in a PC.
Nicolette says
Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention! The link has been fixed:).
Gina Williams says
1st time I used Instant Pot I cooked a 4pound whole chicken…fine, but forgot to remove the neck package.
Re_cooked after removing the neck contents bag. Now I’m wondering. Could the plastic it contains somehow damage my Instant Pot??Hope
Gina Williams says
I COOKED a rice and its okay the chicken made some chicken typa e it is salad (saved cooked bones in freezer bag). indicate. I have to worry if I just cooked it again 2ndtime realizing have to indicate in recipes the removal neck stuff in plastic bag.
Paul Hickman says
This is surely a wonderful list of instant pot hacks. I just ordered mine a while ago and I am amazed to see that we can do all this with my little cooking machine. Definitely going to share these with my wife.
Bridget says
These are all great. But just FYI, microwaves don’t have radiation. They don’t hurt you, or your food. They are different than microwave radiation. Super different. You’re not a Ghostbuster. You don’t have a miniature nuclear reactor strapped to your back.
Kristen says
What’s the hard boiled egg hack. Didn’t see a link. Thanks
Cheryl Curtis says
I would like to know this as well. Thanks!!
Nicolette says
I don’t know how that link disappeared, but it’s back, along with a quick explanation of how to cook perfect hard boiled eggs in your Instant Pot! Thanks.
Robin says
My favorite IP trick is making refried beans in 35 minutes without presoaking the beans. I will never by canned again! They are that good!
K-town Mommy says
Recipe?
Nana says
I know that there are all sizes of the Insta pot, someone told me that most of the recipes for the 6 quart instant pot. I have the 8 quart. How do I know what to change for the recipes for the 8 quart. If I do the 6 quart recipe in my 8 quart Insta pot is that OK? I wish I had bought the 6 quart. It’s just me and my husband.
Sandra D says
It doesn’t matter if you use 6 qt recipes in your 8 qt. And you have room to double some recipes! I wish I had the 8 qt sometimes!
Connie says
I have a cosori 8 quart cooker. Want 5o do scalloped potatoes and ham. Looked thro booklet an thro recipes. Nothing. Not sure about liquids or cooking time. Anyone help?
Denise says
Thank you for these hacks. I have to applaud you, this is the first time I read a hack blog and actually learned some great tips.
Thank you
Penny says
I have a DUO60-03 which does not have a manual button. How do I change recipes to match my Insta Pot? Haven’t figured out my machine yet.
sarqa says
I find your blog and recipes very refreshing – thanks for the road less travelled
Lindy says
Just ordered my IP this week can’t wait!
Thanks for all the great ideas.
Hadi says
Thanks for the article. Is electric pressure cooker and Instant Pot the same thing?
Lory Chiao says
Amazing ! Glad to know thank you for sharing
Amarendranath dutta says
I’ve never had a dish like this before. It looks really good!