My Top 10 Paleo Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot Recipes

After reading Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and joining the cult of KonMari, I was determined to dump or donate all of my kitchen appliances that no longer spark joy. I happily rounded up the bread machine, toaster, and panini maker that have been languishing in my appliance graveyard (a.k.a. our garage), and dropped them off at Goodwill. From now on, I’m keeping only those kitchen gadgets that I actually use on a regular basis. Believe it or not, there are only a handful that are making the cut—and even though I don’t like to play favorites, the one appliance that clearly deserves a permanent place on the counter (and in my heart) is my Instant Pot. My excuse is that it’s a 7-in-1 appliance, so it’s replacing a bunch of other appliances—but to be honest with you, I pretty much use my Instant Pot only for one thing—pressure cooking.

You’ve heard me say it before: pressure cooking is a gamechanger—especially for home cooks with hectic schedules like mine. When I’m pressed for time but craving foods that usually take forever to prepare (like bone broth, tough cuts of meat, braised winter vegetables), I turn to my pressure cooker. Plus, there’s the added bonus of saving money because I can turn cheaper braising cuts like brisket and shanks into simple weeknight meals. In fact, even when I do have enough time to use a slow cooker, I’ll whip out my Instant Pot ’cause when it’s done cooking, this smart little appliance naturally depressurizes and keeps my food warm until I’m ready to eat. No fuss, no muss!

Although I also own a stovetop pressure cooker, my electric Instant Pot gets the most use. It’s basically foolproof, and I never have to babysit it. Even if it’s sweltering hot, I can quickly whip together a savory stew without heating up my kitchen, which means it’s perfect for year-round cooking.

(One thing to note: The Instant Pot cooks at a slightly lower pressure (11.6 psi) than my stove top pressure cooker (15 psi), but that just means adding a few minutes to the cooking time. My general rule of thumb is to increase cooking times by 7 to 15% when using my Instant Pot for a pressure cooker recipe.)

My three favorite time-saving pressure cooker hacks:

1. When our family is about to sit down to dinner, I start cooking another meal—usually a stew—in the Instant Pot. By the time we’re done eating, the stew is finished cooking, which means I can store it in the fridge for later—and do the dishes just once.
2. Tired of waiting for bone broth to cook? Throw the ingredients for bone broth into your Instant Pot before heading off to bed. By the time you wake up, you can strain and store the broth for later. Bonus: no stink!
3. Before tossing it into your Instant Pot, make sure to cut your meat into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking. Also, it goes without saying that smaller cubes cook faster than bigger chunks (so I’m totally not going to say it).

Many of my readers have asked that I write an Instant Pot FAQ, but why re-invent the wheel? If you have questions about cooking times, turn to these charts by Hip Pressure Cooking. Got more questions about the Instant Pot? This helpful post on Dad Cooks Dinner should answer all of ’em.

Ready to start pressure cooking? Then roll up your sleeves and test drive my Top 10 Favorite Whole30-Friendly Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot recipes:

Pressure Cooker Braised Kale and Carrots: My kids happily eat this nutrient-packed veggie side dish without any complaints. ’Nuff said.

Pressure Cooker Crispy Potatoes: Now that potatoes are back on my plate (seriously: they’re even Whole30-compliant, people), this is my favorite and quickiest way to cook them!

Pressure Cooker Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs: If Indian curries are your jam, make these today!

Pressure Cooker Kalua Pig: Craving Kalua Pig? You can get it in your belly in just 2 hours using a pressure cooker. TWO HOURS. And I hate to say it, but I think it tastes even better than my slow cooker version. Really.

Pressure Cooker Lamb Shanks: This recipe is incredibly satisfying and comforting. The tender meat falls right off the bone. And I’m getting hungry just writing about this dish.

Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef: One of my all-time favorite beef stews!

Pressure Cooker Grass Fed Beef Back Ribs: Got beef back ribs? And a pressure cooker? Then make some tender, finger-lickin’ ribs in no time at all!

Pressure Cooker Mocha-Rubbed Pot Roast: My pal Steph Gaudreau is responsible for this fabulous recipe—I just made it quicker to get into your mouth.

Pressure Cooker Porcini and Tomato Beef Short Ribs: Mushrooms tomatoes short ribs = umami explosion. If you haven’t tried this recipe, what are you waiting for?

Quick Pressure Cooker Bone Broth: As soon as anyone in my family complains about feeling under the weather, I grab some frozen bones from the freezer and make a batch of pressure cooker bone broth—pronto. You can, too!

Psst! I’ve updated my Recipe Index to include special Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot and Slow Cooker categories! Remember to bookmark this master list, and check back, ’cause I update it whenever I post a new recipe.

Now, GO PRESSURE COOK SOMETHING!

Looking for more recipes? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPad® app, and in my cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel, December 2013).