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Sometimes the only meal you can make is one with ingredients from the pantry or freezer. With that in mind, I’ve pulled together a list of recipes that you can make with freezer and pantry staples.
If these Instant Pot pantry and freezer meals can easily be made without some ingredients, or using canned ingredients, I’ve noted that below. If you’re missing an ingredient for a recipe, check out to see if there is an easy ingredient substitute available.
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Table of contents
- Instant Pot Meals that don’t require fresh produce
- Instant Pot Breakfasts
- Instant Pot Lunches and Dinners
- Instant Pot Desserts
- Instant Pot Staples
- You can omit the yogurt in these recipes they’re still delicious
- If you have Greek yogurt, Cottage Cheese, or Ricotta
- If you have frozen vegetables
Table of Contents
Instant Pot meals that don’t require fresh produce
These meals don’t require fresh fruit and vegetables, and if they do I feel confident that you can make the recipe without them.
Of course removing an ingredient from a recipe alters the taste slightly. If you have any questions about adapting these recipes, leave a comment below and I’ll help you.
The recipes below are ones that I’ve chosen because the meal is still a filling and nutritious one without requiring fresh ingredients. They’re perfect when you’re in a pinch.
Most of these recipes also have stovetop/oven directions. I’ve also got ideas for 40 meals you can make without an Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Breakfasts:
In a pinch, use sweetened almond milk instead of unsweetened, another whole grain rice (black instead of brown, for example), or an egg replacement. For the baked oatmeal recipe, there are directions in the recipe for making a batch that serves 6-8 people.
Healthy Rice Pudding Recipe with Brown Rice
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How to Make Steel Cut Oats
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Instant Pot Baked Oatmeal | Apple Cinnamon Option
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Instant Pot Lunches and Dinners:
For the recipes below, leave out the onions or use frozen diced onions. Leave out frozen vegetables or replace them with whatever frozen vegetables you have on hand.
Instant Pot Burrito Bowl with Frozen Chicken
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Healthy Macaroni and Cheese with Greek Yogurt
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Buffalo Chicken Bites
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Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
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Instant Pot Lentil Tacos
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Spaghetti Squash Taco Bowls
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Quinoa Tacos | Vegan Tacos Recipe
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Pork Carnitas: Instant Pot and Crock Pot
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Healthy Slow Cooker Tuna Casserole
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The Best Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
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Instant Pot Desserts:
These are easy treats that use only the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator. You can use sweetened almond or coconut milk in a pinch, or even water.
Instant Pot Peanut Butter Lava Cake
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Healthy Instant Pot Lava Cake
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Instant Pot Pantry Staple Recipes:
These are my “most made recipes!” I make them in the pressure cooker and then freeze them for later. They freeze and reheat well.
How to Cook Brown Rice in the Instant Pot
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Brown Rice and Quinoa Recipe
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Instant Pot White Rice
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Homemade Healthy Bagels
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You can omit the yogurt in these recipes they’re still delicious:
For these recipes, you can leave the yogurt out if you don’t have it or want to save it for snacks. Can use canned green chiles and jalapeños when fresh is called for, and use frozen peppers and onions or completely omit them from the recipe.
Healthy White Chicken Chili
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Healthy Green Chili Chicken
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Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe
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Instant Pot Turkey Swedish Meatballs
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Healthy Beef Stroganoff Recipe
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Healthy Crack Chicken Casserole with Rice
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Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
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Healthy Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
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Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
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If you have Greek yogurt, Cottage Cheese, or Ricotta:
These recipes use creamy ingredients as their base. You can swap these three ingredients if you have one and not the others.
- If you’re using cottage cheese or ricotta, blend the chunks out of them first so they make your recipe creamy and not chunky.
- If you are using Greek yogurt, mix with blended ricotta or cottage cheese when you can. This ensures there is no “tang” in your meal.
- You may also substitute with sour cream or cream cheese, but I have not tested with these ingredients.
Cajun Chicken Alfredo | Healthy Alfredo Sauce Recipe
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Spicy Mexican Corn Dip
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Healthy Crack Chicken Recipe
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Healthy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
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Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
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If you have frozen vegetables:
I love stocking up on frozen vegetables to use in a pinch. These are filling and healthy recipes that you can use your frozen vegetables in.
Instant Pot Vegan Minestrone Soup
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Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup
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Instant Pot Brown Rice Risotto with Mushrooms
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Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice
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Low Carb Shepherd's Pie Bites
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Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
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Instant Pot Cauliflower Rice and Chicken
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Bonus recipes from my favorite bloggers
- Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Bowl Use rice, frozen chicken, and swap out the vegetables for whatever is available or in your freezer.
- Peanut Butter Steel Cut Oats Delicious for breakfast, and can be frozen for later.
- Thai Carrot Curry Soup Carrots are one of the vegetables I’ve heard many people being able to find in their stores right now. Use peanut butter or almond butter.
Becca Ludlum
Healthy recipe creator, self-confessed food snob, and certified Level 1 Precision Nutrition Coach. I create healthy recipes with minimally processed ingredients, but have never turned down a homemade brownie. ;)