16 Instant Pot Appetizers for the Easiest Party Ever

Instant Pot Chicken Wings — The Spruce/Diana Rattray

If you own an Instant Pot, you already know it's a magical kitchen appliance that dramatically cuts down on typical cooking times. When party time rolls around, use this handy appliance to cook up tasty appetizers for your guests. Whether you're welcoming friends and family to your home, contributing to a potluck, or hosting a game day event, these Instant Pot appetizer recipes are ones you will make again and again.

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01 of 16

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Wings

Diana Rattray

Spicy, crispy, and saucy all at once, Buffalo chicken wings are always a hit at football-watching parties, and other cozy gatherings. Cook up a big platter for a hungry crowd with this easy recipe. The wings cook quickly in the Instant Pot, before being briefly broiled to golden-brown perfection. Serve with carrot and celery sticks, and tangy blue cheese dip on the side.
02 of 16

Instant Pot Carnitas

Diana Rattray

Carnitas (literally "little meats") is the name for ultra-tender, slow-cooked, shredded pork that is then fried to give it crispy edges. This clever recipe uses the Instant Pot, and your oven's broiler, to make insanely delicious, Mexican-style carnitas that are ready in an hour, not days. Serve them as an appetizer in small corn tortillas, and watch them disappear quickly.
03 of 16

Instant Pot Deli-Style Roast Beef for Crostini

Diana Rattray

Need a cocktail party canape for meat-lovers? Use thinly-sliced roast beef as a topping for crostini spread with cream cheese, and scattered with fresh snipped chives. Your Instant Pot handles cooking the roast beef to perfection in less than an hour, infusing the meat with an ultra-flavorful beer-and-mustard marinade.
04 of 16

Lettuce Cups With Instant Pot Korean Beef

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Sweet and spicy Korean BBQ beef packs loads of flavor, and makes a fabulous party appetizer when loaded onto crisp, sweet Romaine leaves. This time-saving Instant Pot recipe makes it easy to prepare in less than an hour. To assemble at party time, lay lettuce leaves on a serving tray, and top with diced cooked beef. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

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05 of 16

Instant Pot Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings

The Spruce Eats / Diana Rattray

Parmesan garlic chicken wings put a fresh spin on a favorite appetizer. The unflavored wings are first cooked in the Instant Pot, then tossed with garlic butter and finished in the broiler. To finish up, toss them with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. It's a simple and delicious starter for pasta dishes, as well as spring and summer meals.

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06 of 16

Instant Pot French Onion Soup

Diana Rattray

Treat guests to the iconic bistro taste of French onion soup. With perfectly-caramelized onions, beefy broth, crusty baguette slices, fresh thyme sprigs, and melted Gruyere cheese, it makes an elegant, warming dinner party first course or appetizer. The Instant Pot recipe requires little hands-on attention, besides some assembly at the end, using your oven broiler.
07 of 16

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

The Spruce Eats / Diana Rattray

Use your Instant Pot to make your favorite deviled egg recipe incredibly easy. Instead of waiting for water to boil and hoping they turn out right, the pot will make perfect hard boiled eggs every time. You can cook up to a dozen eggs at once in about 15 minutes, including the time needed to build and release pressure. The eggs peel easily and are perfectly smooth.
08 of 16

Instant Pot Pizza

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Instant Pot pizza made with convenient refrigerated pizza dough is just the right size for slicing up as a game day nosh, or a quick after-school snack. It is super-easy to prepare with just a handful of ingredients, including pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and olives, but feel free to tweak the toppings to taste.

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09 of 16

Instant Pot Ribs

Diana Rattray

Juicy, tender, falling-apart pork ribs are a thing of beauty, and great for sharing at parties. Use your Instant Pot to cook ribs to melt-in-your-mouth perfection in only 30 minutes. You could make a homemade sauce to finish the ribs, but your favorite jarred barbecue sauce will work just as well.
10 of 16

Instant Pot Cornbread

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Cornbread cooked in the Instant Pot is tasty and moist, with a wonderful, firm texture. This recipe is for a typical Southern cornbread, with buttermilk and just a hint of sugar. It makes a yummy appetizer on its own, or a classic side dish for chili, barbecue, and bean dishes.
11 of 16

Instant Pot French Dip Sliders

Diana Rattray

Appetizer-sized French dip sandwiches packed with savory shredded beef, and topped with gooey melted cheese, are a great alternative to traditional beef sliders at cocktail parties. Use your Instant Pot to pressure cook the beef and onions in about an hour, for serving on slider buns. Extra sauce can be offered on the side, for dipping.
12 of 16

Instant Pot Chicken Wings

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

A buttery garlic and Parmesan sauce topping makes these chicken wings perfect for a dinner party appetizer or cocktail hour. Start them in your Instant Pot, cooking the seasoned chicken pieces until well-browned. Then toss with sauce ingredients, transfer to a baking sheet, and finish in the oven.

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13 of 16

Instant Pot Brisket

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Juicy beef brisket basted in a mouthwatering barbecue sauce, and cooked until meltingly tender, typically takes all day. That's where the magic of the Instant Pot comes in. The appliance takes a fraction of the time to achieve what braising takes hours to do, and yields an ultra-moist, savory dish. Use it to make mouth-watering brisket bruschetta, piling the meat on toasted baguette slices, and topping with sour cream and sliced scallions.
14 of 16

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs for Deviled Eggs

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Whether the eggs in your fridge are fresh or several days old, you can use your Instant Pot to transform them into perfectly-cooked hard-boiled eggs that are easy to peel. This means the eggs will come out nice and smooth — a necessity when you're making deviled eggs for a party. Just allow peeled eggs to cool, before mashing the yolks with mayo, lemon juice, salt, and any spices you desire.

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15 of 16

Instant Pot Barbacoa

Diana Rattray

Tangy Mexican beef barbacoa cooked with chipotle peppers and adobo sauce makes an outstanding taco filling, or an insanely indulgent topping for nachos. Make it in about an hour with this clever Instant Pot recipe that seriously shortens the usual cooking time, and yields highly-seasoned, tender, juicy, shreddable meat.
16 of 16

Instant Pot Pork Shoulder for Twice-Baked Potatoes

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Shredded, melt-in-your-mouth pork makes an inspired topping for twice-baked potato appetizers. With the Instant Pot, the meat cooks in just over an hour. Use the time to bake whole Yukon potatoes, allowing them to cool before scooping out the flesh and mashing with some butter, cheddar, and sour cream. Add the filling back into tater shells, pile on cooked shredded pork, and broil briefly, to serve piping hot.

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