And if you want more than 90 incredible vegan Instant Pot recipes, be sure to order my 5-star-rated cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
If you have an Instant Pot but aren’t sure how to use it or where to get started, I highly recommend checking out the video over on Youtube because I go through some basics on how to use this ostensibly confusing electric pressure cooker. I say “ostensibly” because once you understand the main function keys, it’s actually quite easy to use and will simplify your cooking routine! If you’re already a pro at the Instant Pot, good for you! Just head to the recipes and enjoy them :)
All of these recipes are nourishing and are packed with fiber, protein, and antioxidants. They’re also vegan (of course), gluten-free, and sugar-free.
1. Lentil and Potato Soup
This soup is quite thick and chunky, so it’s more like a stew (a stewp? a stoup?), which means it’s extra hearty and satisfying. The leftovers will stay good for at least four days in an airtight container in your fridge. I recommend serving it alongside a hunk of crusty bread (obviously).
Lentil and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, finely diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pound baby potatoes, quartered (peel left on)
- 1 1/2 cups French green lentils (Puy lentils)
- Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves + a few sprigs each of Italian flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, oregano, and thyme, tied tightly together with kitchen twine (video instructions at 02:40)
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard or coarse brown mustard
- 2 teaspoons high-quality balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and after a few minutes, add the olive oil. Once the oil has heated up, add the onion. Cook until the onion is browned and completely soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the carrots and garlic along with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Cook until the carrots are just starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, lentils, potatoes, bouquet garni, and and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and stir gently. Then pour the crushed tomatoes on top, but don’t stir (the tomatoes will get incorporated during the pressure cooking). Select the Cancel setting.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing (not Venting). Select the Pressure Cook setting (or Manual setting on older models) at high pressure and set the cook time to 12 minutes.
- Once the 12-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release.
- Open the pot and remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar and taste. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
2. Miso Butter Cauliflower Mash
Think of this as a healthier but equally decadent spin on mashed potatoes. It’s so creamy and rich that no one will ever know they’re eating cauliflower (unless you tell them, of course). This mash is great to have on hand as a side dish for your favorite protein or as a bed to serve underneath your main course, and will stay fresh in the fridge for four to five days.
Miso Butter Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed, and diced
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large head of cauliflower (2 1/2 – 3 pounds), cut into florets
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided + more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and after a few minutes, add the olive oil. Once the oil has heated up, add the leeks. Cook until starting to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the cauliflower florets, thyme sprigs, 3/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Pour the vegetable broth on top and stir.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing (not Venting). Select the Pressure Cook setting (or Manual setting on older models) at high pressure and set the cook time to 4 minutes.
- Once the 4-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a quick pressure release by switching the valve from Sealing to Venting.
- While the cauliflower is pressure cooking, make the miso butter. Combine the 2 tablespoons of miso paste with the 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Gently heat together and stir for 1-2 minutes until the ingredients are combined together.
- Open the Instant Pot and add in the miso butter, nutritional yeast, and remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Using an immersion blender, blend all of the ingredients together until you have a smooth texture. Alternatively, transfer all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.
3. Pear and Date Spiced Oatmeal
If you’re like me, you likely don’t have time to cook breakfast most mornings, so this delicious Pear and Date Spiced Oatmeal will be a lifesaver. The steel-cut oats give this oatmeal a nice bite and help keep the leftovers tasting chewy instead of soggy (which is usually the case with leftover oatmeal made from rolled oats or quick oats). This recipe makes a huge batch of oatmeal so you can enjoy it throughout the week (mine still tasted great after six days!)
Instant Pot Pear and Date Spiced Oatmeal
Ingredients
- Coconut oil or cooking spray
- 1 ½ cups steel-cut oats
- 4 cups oat milk or other nondairy milk
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted
- 2 large pears, peeled and diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Lightly coat the inner pot of the Instant Pot with coconut oil or cooking spray to avoid sticking.
- Add all of the ingredients to the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing (not Venting). Select the Pressure Cook setting (or Manual setting on older models) at high pressure and set the cook time to 12 minutes.
- Once the 12-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release for 20 minutes; then switch the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
- Open the pot and stir the oatmeal thoroughly. There may be some liquid and foam on top, but once you stir it, the liquid will incorporate into the oatmeal and thicken up.
If you use old fashioned oats instead of steel cut oats, would you use the same amount of liquid?
This spiced oatmeal recipe is delicious! I tried twice to use the IP and both times got a “burn” error. I tried adding more liquid the second time but that didn’t help so I ended up pouring it into a baking dish and throwing it into the oven! Any troubleshooting ideas?
Hi Julie! Did you get the burn error when making the pear and date spiced oatmeal? I am not entirely sure why that would happen – I’ve tried this recipe several times with different plant milks, including oat milk and almond milk. The only thing I can think of is that you perhaps you didn’t spray the bottom with cooking spray or oil (that could cause bits to get stuck to the bottom)? The "burn" error shows up when the heat sensor is blocked, and usually that happens when food is stuck to the bottom of the pot.
What did you do when the Instant Pot displayed "burn"? Sometimes if you open the pot, scrape up everything on the bottom, give it a stir, and try pressure cooking again, it works just fine.