Side dishes don't have to be boring! Pressure cooker side dishes are the answer! It's a game changer - It doesn'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 a great way to enjoy delicious recipes!
There's a great collection of Holiday Side Dishes to check out as well!
Why use a pressure cooker
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! Click here for 10 GREAT Instant Pot Main Dishes you'll find a new favorite easy recipe!
However... we don't want to spend all day in the kitchen! That's why the electric pressure cooker has become a kitchen appliance I've really grown to love.
If you're short on oven space and it's time for Sunday Supper, Thanksgiving Dinner or your next holiday meal the Instant Pot is the way to go for easy side dishes to round out your meal!
Using your pressure cooker will save you time in the kitchen with easy clean up as well.
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Instant Pot Side Dish Recipes - Steamed Vegetables
The pressure cooker is great for cooking vegetables. It can cut the cooking time in half, sometimes even more! You'll find your quick side dish here!
- 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!
- 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!
- Easy Instant Pot Brussels Sprout Recipe - seasoned with garlic lemon and parmesan cheese, these are so flavorful and take just minutes to make!
Beans and Rice Instant Pot Side Dishes
Pressure cooker recipes - Cutting the cooking time in half, you'll have a delicious side dish on the table in minutes!
- Black Beans Recipe - delicious, easy and economical side dish!
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice - simple ingredients, super tasty and better than Chipotle!
- 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!!!
FAQ's
Yes, the pressure cooker cooks with steam. To make steam you need liquid!
You will need at least one cup of clear liquid in your pressure cooker.
Less time of course! When you're cooking on the stove top, water's boiling point is about 200 degrees. With an Instant
When you're cooking something that uses liquid or steam for cooking. It's perfect for soups, stews, makes tender pork ribs and it's perfect for steaming vegetables.
The process of cooking reduces nutrients any time you're cooking. However, the quick cooking process preserves more nutrients.
Instant Pot Sides - Salads
Looking for a simple side dish recipe?
- 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 pressure cooker 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 is an easy way to make a classic favorite!
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes - made in the Instant Pot they are light and fluffy!
- Creamy Instant Pot 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!
Instant Pot fruit recipes
- Instant Pot Apple Butter - easy to make and delicious on toast, bagels, and more!
- Make the most of apple picking with Instant Pot Applesauce - yum!
Equipment
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Instant Pot - this is the pressure cooker I have and I've used it for years.
Instant Pot Accessories - you'll find a variety of accessories here.
Instant Pot Steamed Carrots
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby carrots cleaned and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
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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!
Nutrition
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Don't worry, we'll never share your email.First published June 16, 2019 - Last updated December 27, 2021
Healthy World Cuisine
So many delicious ideas and so little time. Great overview post with lots of great content. We have no idea what we even did before our instant pot. It really is a game changer.
Bowl Me Over
Isn't it though? I completely agree! Thank you for stopping by!
Amy
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!
Julie Menghini
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.
Nikki
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!
Sandra Shaffer
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!
Michaela Kenkel
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!!
Michelle
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!
Angela
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!
Liza
Wow! This recipe is so quick and easy! Genius! Thank you!
Bowl Me Over
You're welcome Liza!
debi at Life Currents
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
Wonderful, I'm glad you found it helpful - that's great Debi!
michele
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
That's great!! I'm glad you've found it helpful to have all that information in one spot!!