28 Pressure Cooker Recipes for Faster, Easier Dinners

Comforting Meals in a Flash

Written by
Cathy Jacobs
A freelance journalist and avid home cook, Cathy Jacobs has more than 10 years of food writing experience, with a focus on curating approachable menus and recipe collections.
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Cathy Jacobs
Updated 06/24/20
Pressure Cooker Round Steak and Vegetables

The Spruce 

The pressure cooker is such a great kitchen appliance for those with little time to cook. The raised pressure and temperature not only cooks food more rapidly—it also seals in moisture and prevents the loss of precious nutrients in meat and vegetables that can happen with overcooking, making this a healthy way to prepare your favorite meals. If you've never used one of these appliances before, you'll be amazed at the wide variety of pressure cooker recipes. We've rounded up our favorites here, from hearty pot roasts and stews to comforting chicken and rice dishes and so much more.

  • 01 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Chicken Stew With Potatoes

    Chicken Stew With Potatoes

    Devin Hart/Photodisc/Getty Images

    A great chicken stew is a recipe that every home cook should have in their back pocket. This comforting pressure cooker chicken stew with potatoes is prepared in a pressure cooker or slow cooker for a quick and simple meal that really delivers on flavor. With potatoes, corn, onion soup mix, and tomato sauce, it uses simple ingredients to create a warming dish.

  • 02 of 28

    Beer Braised Chipotle Chicken Taco Filling

    Beer Braised Chipotle Chicken Taco Filling
    Diana Rattray.

    If you love Tex-Mex tacos, you're going to flip over this beer braised chipotle chicken taco filling. Use a pressure cooker to make the filling, which uses flavors chicken thighs with salsa, beer, and finely chopped chipotle peppers. Serve in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

  • 03 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Chicken and Mushrooms

    Pressure Cooker Chicken and Mushrooms

    Philippe Desnerck/Photolibrary/Getty Images

    This rich pressure cooker chicken and mushrooms dish cooks in minutes so you can enjoy it sooner rather than later. There's something so wonderfully comforting about the flavor combination of juicy chicken and earthy, tender mushrooms. This is one of those go-to recipes that you can serve to your family on weeknights or proudly offer to company.

  • 04 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

    Pressure Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

    Cultura RM/Brett Stevens/Getty Images

     

    Pressure cooker chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian-American dish that makes a great family dinner. This pressure cooker version has an amazingly rich flavor and it's done in just 10 minutes, making it great for busy weeknights.

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  • 05 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

    Savory Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

    Annabelle Breakey/Digital Vision/Getty Images

     

    Homestyle pot roast in under an hour? Yes, it's possible! This pressure cooker pot roast is seasoned simply with salt and smoked paprika, but you can add other spices and herbs to if you want to customize it. The roast makes a terrific holiday main or a great special-occasion dinner when you want to impress guests.

  • 06 of 28

    Brisket With Vegetables and Balsamic Jus

    Brisket With Vegetables and Balsamic Jus

    Kirbylng/E+/Getty Images

    This brisket with vegetables and balsamic jus is about as easy as cooking dinner gets. Just combine all the ingredients in the pressure cooker and set it for an hour. Return in 60 minutes to find fork-tender and juicy meat simmering aside potatoes, carrots, and pearl onions.

  • 07 of 28

    Easy Oxtail Ragout

    Easy Oxtail Ragout

    Thorsten Suedfels / Getty Images

     

    When you're craving a meal that will really stick to your ribs, try this easy oxtail ragout ladled over hot pasta. Onions, garlic, turnips, carrots, herbs, spices, and stout come together to add tremendous flavor to chunky meat.

  • 08 of 28

    North Indian Rice Pilaf

    Indian Rice Pilaf - Pulao Rice

    Zohaib Hussein/Getty Images

     

    Called pulao, this North Indian rice pilaf is cooked in meat stock to create a rich intensity of flavor. Toss the ingredients in your pressure cooker and return to a side dish that pairs wonderfully with curries and stews. Add a dollop of plain yogurt on top to add soothing creaminess.

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  • 09 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

    Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

    Bill Boch/Photographers Choice RF/Getty Images

     

    There's true depth of flavor in this fabulously easy pressure cooker beef stew, even though it's ready in just 20 minutes (no one will be able to tell, we promise!). Like a slow cooker, the pressure cooker holds in all the flavors as the food cooks, creating a hearty meal that's absolutely mouthwatering.

  • 10 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Tex-Mex Brisket

    Pressure Cooker Tex Mex Brisket

    Vico Collective/Michael Shay/Blend Images/Getty Images

    Pressure cooker Tex-Mex brisket is a main that's welcome at Passover dinner, Easter celebrations, and other occasions when families gather. A pressure cooker infuses the flavors of the Southwest into tender slips of beef in just under an hour. Serve with mashed potatoes or polenta to soak up all of the irresistible sauce.

  • 11 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Pork Roast

    Pressure Cooker Pork Roast Recipe

    Thomas Barwick/The Image Bank/Getty Images

     

    Here's a delicious pork roast that you can serve at Christmas and other holiday parties or whenever you want to treat friends and family to a special meal. Unlike traditional roasts, this pressure cooker pork roast only takes an hour to make, but your secret's safe with us!

  • 12 of 28

    Caribbean Beef Soup

    Caribbean Beef Soup

    Cynthia Nelson

     

    Beef soup is a Caribbean tradition and this pressure cooker version brings a taste of the island into your own home. Ready in just over an hour, you'll find the flavor combination of tender meat, vegetables, spices, and dumplings hard to resist in this Caribbean beef soup.

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  • 13 of 28

    Instant Pot Ribs

    Instant Pot pork ribs.
    Diana Rattray

    The pressure cooker is a great way to cook up tender and flavorful ribs. These pork ribs are rubbed in spices, pressure cooked, and slathered in barbecue sauce before being broiled until sticky.

  • 14 of 28

    Cream of Asparagus Soup

    Cream of Asparagus Soup

    GMVozd/Getty Images

     

    A pressure cooker is the perfect tool for cooking the veggies in this cream of asparagus soup. Combined with butter, cream, and vegetable stock, the mild flavor of asparagus shines through in each velvety-smooth bowl.

  • 15 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Artichokes

    Pressure Cooker Artichokes

    Brian Hagiwara/Photolibrary/Getty Images

     

    Have you always put off cooking artichokes because they take so long to steam? Learn how to make these pressure cooker artichokes and you'll be able to get a plate on the table in a fraction of the time.

  • 16 of 28

    Instant Pot Barbacoa

    Barbacoa tacos with fixings.
    Diana Rattray

    Tender and flavorful beef barbacoa is ready in half the time in a pressure cooker. This recipe is written for the Instant Pot electric cooker but will work in any pressure cooker. Serve shredded on warm tortillas.

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  • 17 of 28

    Spanish Beef Stew

    spanish beef stew

    The Spruce Eats 

    This easy Spanish beef stew is a fabulous one-pot meal that's ready in just about 20 minutes. Sweet green and red peppers, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables are simmered with beef chunks, tomatoes and aromatics to create a comforting dinner.

  • 18 of 28

    Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce

    Pappardelle with Bolognese sauce.
    Diana Rattray

    Bolognese typically bubbles away for hours on the stove, but thanks to pressure cooking the cook time is shorter and hands-off. Use this meat sauce to top pasta or layer into lasagna.

  • 19 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Round Steak and Vegetables

    Pressure Cooker Round Steak and Vegetables

    The Spruce 

    This pressure cooker round steak and vegetables is a great way to cook a round steak, which has less fat than many other cuts of beef. Using the quick-cook appliance retains much more moisture inside this particular cut for melt-in-your-mouth results.

  • 20 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

    Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

    TailorTang/Moment/Open-Getty Images

     

    Want a reliable spaghetti sauce that you can get together quickly on busy evenings? This satisfying pressure cooker recipe is incredibly easy to make and truly tastes like it's been simmering for hours.

    Continue to 21 of 28 below.
  • 21 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Risotto

    Pressure Cooker Risotto

    Carlo Speranza/EyeEm/Getty Images

     

    Have a creamy risotto ready in just half an hour with no stirring at the stove top—this genius recipe lets you do just that. Cooking risotto in your pressure cooker is easy and creates the perfect texture.

  • 22 of 28

    Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

    Instant Pot tikka masala and extra long-grain basmati rice.
    Diana Rattray

    Tikka masala is a fragrant Indian dish with meat bathed in a spiced tomato, yogurt, and cream sauce. This recipe uses chicken breasts and cooks in just moments in the Instant Pot. Any pressure cooker will work just fine.

  • 23 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

    Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork

    Diana Rattray

     

    This pressure cooker pulled pork tastes like it's been cooked low and slow all day, even though it's ready in a little over an hour. Whether you enjoy it in a sandwich, in tacos, as a pizza topping, or on top of macaroni and cheese, the saucy shredded pork is sure to become a family favorite.

  • 24 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Beef Short Ribs

    Pressure Cooker Beef Short Ribs

    Diana Rattray

     

    It's hard to believe you can have a complete meal with tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef in less than an hour and a half. Thankfully, your pressure cooker handles that task with ease. Meaty saucy short ribs make a great meal of pressure cooker beef short ribs served over rice or with boiled or mashed potatoes on the side.

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  • 25 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Jambalaya

    Pressure Cooker Jambalaya

    Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images

     

    Cajun-spiced pressure cooker jambalaya is a one-pot meal you'll want to make again and again. After you've browned a few ingredients, the whole recipe finishes in just minutes.

  • 26 of 28

    Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup

    Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup

    Liza McCorkle/E+/Getty Images

     

    This rich and filling pressure cooker split pea soup incorporates orzo pasta for a fabulous and warming meal on cooler days. Serve with crackers or bread sticks for crumbling and dipping.

  • 27 of 28

    Moroccan Lamb and Cabbage Tagine

    Moroccan Lamb and Cabbage Tagine

    Christine Benlafquih

     

    Sweet shredded cabbage adds something special to this flavorful Moroccan lamb and cabbage tagine. Combine the vegetable with lamb, fragrant spices, preserved lemons and olives to form a tangy, meaty stew that's great for warming your stomach on cooler days.

  • 28 of 28

    Caramel Custard

    Caramel Custard

    Flickr-CC BY-SA 2.0

    Easy to make, but hard to resist—that's this caramel custard. Steaming it in the pressure cooker makes this velvety dessert a breeze to prepare, which is dangerous considering how quickly you'll finish one.