Side dishes don’t have to be boring! Pressure cooker side dishes are the answer! They don’t take up space on the stove when you’re cooking for a crowd, heat up the house on a hot summer’s day OR take hours to make! Instant Pot Side Side Dishes are quick, easy and delicious!
Everyone is looking for dinner to be quick and easy, right? We also want to serve a nutritious meal and one that we’re proud of!
However… we don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen! That’s why the pressure cooker has become a kitchen appliance I’ve really grown to love.
And if you haven’t embraced it yet or have one and it’s sitting in the pantry still, please sign up for my Instant Pot Challenge!
Don’t let the word challenge scare you! It’s really just a quick series of emails that will give you all the tools you need to get it out of the pantry and onto the counter top.
Using your pressure cooker will save you time in the kitchen!
Why use a pressuer cooker?
When you’re cooking on the stove top, water’s boiling point is about 200 degrees. With an Instant
When should you use a pressure cooker?
When you’re cooking something that is wet. It’s perfect for soups, stews, makes tender pork ribs and it’s perfect for steaming vegetables.
Does cooking in pressure cooker destroy nutrients?
The process of cooking reduces nutrients any time you’re cooking. However, the quick cooking process preserves more nutrients.
Instant Pot Side Dishes Steamed Vegetables
The pressure cooker is great for cooking vegetables. It can cut the cooking time in half, sometimes even more!
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob – 2 ingredients, 2 minutes it doesn’t get any easier than this!
- Pressure Cooker Beets – love this recipe (I also love beets!), now they are easy to make with your Instant Pot!
- Baked Potatoes (in the pressure cooker of course!) – I make these all the time. Such an easy side!
- Steamed Broccoli – just a little effort and completely delicious!
- Green Beans with garlic, butter and sesame – light and easy to make!
- Brown Sugar Steamed Carrots – sweet and easy this is yummy veg!
- Drunken Peas in a Pressure Cooker – green, al dente and delicious!!
- Steamed Asparagus – one of my favorite vegetables!
Beans and Rice Instant Pot Side Dishes
Using your pressure cooker is perfect for beans and rice! Cutting the cooking time in half, you’ll have easy side dishes on the table in minutes!
- Black Beans – delicious, easy and economical side dish!
- Charro Beans – big flavor, Mexican cowboy beans!
- 4 Ingredient Tomatillo Rice – fluffy, never sticking Mexican Rice recipe!
- Instant Pot Sesame Ginger Rice – only 4 ingredients, flavorful – no more plain rice!
- Instant Pot Sticky Maple Ginger Rice Noodles – Slightly sticky and sweet, quick and easy to make!
- Fried Rice – great step-by-step directions here with photos, looks amazing!
- Instant Pot Risotto – is the stirring even necessary?
- Pinto Beans – no soaking required!
- Instant Pot Dirty Rice – you’ll never miss the meat in this vegan classic!
- Instant Pot Baked Beans – these are loaded baby!!!
Do you have to add water to a pressure cooker?
Yes, the pressure cooker cooks with steam. To make steam you need liquid!
How much liquid should be in a pressure cooker?
You will need at least one cup of clear liquid in your pressure cooker.
BBQ or spaghetti sauce is too thick. If your recipe calls for using a sauce, I recommend cutting with water: 1 cup sauce with 1 cup water or sauce.
Instant Pot Side Dishes – Summer Salads
- Easy Orzo Salad – refreshing flavors, this is a light salad, great for summer parties and potlucks!
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad – this one had me at loaded, yum!!
- Amish Macaroni Salad – pasta salad in the IP? YES! Delish!!
- Instant Pot Potato Salad – easy and delicious!!!
- Easy Italian Pasta Salad – packed full of all the add-ins, this Pasta Salad is sure to be a hit!
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad – simple traditional Hawaiian pasta salad!
Are you looking for more information? Click here to check out my Instant Pot Resource Page – these resources will help simplify your Instant Pot cooking experience.
Pressure Cooker Side Dish – Potatoes
Potatoes deserve their own category, don’t you agree? Creamy or baked always delicious, potatoes in the pressure cooker i an easy way to make a classic favorite!
- Baked Potatoes – made in the Instant Pot they are light and fluffy!
- Mashed Potatoes AND Homemade Gravy all made in the pressure cooker! No need to dirty several dishes, this is an easy side dish!
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes – these only take minutes to make!
- Ham, Green Beans
and Potatoes – a classic Southern side dish! - Sweet Potatoes – a little butter, some cinnamon sugar – perfection!
- Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes – garlic and creamy a classic side!
Have you found a new side dish to make in your pressure cooker? I hope so!
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- Instant Pot Duo 6 qt. 7 in 1 – this is the pressure cooker I have, I highly recommend it!
- Instant Pot Accessories – this is a great bundle and will save you $ instead of buying them separately.
- Replacement parts – after I lost the valve down my garbage disposal… this was the first thing I bought for my IP.
If you post a photo, please tag me! I’d love to see your pictures! You can tag me with #bowlmeover or if you’re on Instagram use @bowl_me_over I can’t wait to see how yummy this turned out for you!
Please leave a comment below, because I’d love to hear what your favorite pressure cooker side dish is!
Instant Pot Steamed Carrots
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby carrots cleaned and rinsed
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Add one cup water into the stainless steel container.
- Place steamer basket in pressure cooker. Add cleaned carrots to steamer basket.
- Set pressure cooker on high, time on manual for 2 minutes quick release at the end.
- Toss with butter, salt and pepper – serve and enjoy!
michele says
I finally broke down and got my own pressure cooker. I kept coming back to all of these tips and couldn’t resist trying it out. WHY DID I WAIT So long… I can tell we are going to have a lot of meals from the IP at our house… thanks for all the very useful info and for this easy veggie recipe! I loved them!
Bowl Me Over says
That’s great!! I’m glad you’ve found it helpful to have all that information in one spot!!
debi at Life Currents says
I’m still trying to get used to my IP. I’ve made a couple of things in it, so I’m getting there. This is a very useful post for me! Thanks!
Bowl Me Over says
Wonderful, I’m glad you found it helpful – that’s great Debi!
Liza says
Wow! This recipe is so quick and easy! Genius! Thank you!
Bowl Me Over says
You’re welcome Liza!
Angela says
This is a perfectly delicious collection of recipes!! I don’t use my pressure cooker nearly enough and now I need to change that! These all look so good- where to start!
Michelle says
I finally bought an InstantPot about 6 months ago and I have yet to use it. I am not sure what I am waiting for! Ridiculous, I know! But I see some things I’d like to try here!
Michaela Kenkel says
What a wealth of instant pot pressure cooking information!! I use my IP on occasion, but now I have so many ideas running through my head. THANK YOU!!
Sandra Shaffer says
I have a handful of recipes that I’ve made using my IP and we love them! The food is perfectly cooked and it comes together so quick! Now I have lots of new options to expand my menu!
Nikki says
Love this collection of IP recipes! Love mine and cannot wait to try some of thews side dishes. The carrots were delish and so easy to make!
Julie Menghini says
I love this post! It has so many recipes that I can’t wait to try. I’m loving my instant pot and it’s perfect in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the house using the stove.
Amy says
This collection of instant pot inspiration has been such a huge help to me! I’ll admit that I have struggled to love my IP and find that I lack motivation to pull it out and try it, but seeing all this deliciousness really made me want to give it another shot!