Easy Instant Pot Side Dishes

Ninja Foodi Side Dishes

They’re not just great for the holidays though. During Christmas and Thanksgiving they’re a must because there’s never room in your oven for every single thing! Pressure cooking is the trick to getting everything done at the same time y’all. 😉

You can use a Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi to make any and all of these too. Most of them use the high pressure function and they all have that.

Instant Pot Side Dish Recipes

Whip out your favorite electric pressure cooker and try our Instant Pot potato salad where the potatoes and eggs are cooked together!

• Pressure cooker baked potatoes are simple.
• Instant Pot mashed potatoes loaded with bacon and sour cream are a must. OR go for Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes for a twist.
• Serve Instant Pot enchilada rice with chicken.
• Our Instant Pot cheesy potatoes are always a hit but for a lower carb idea, try Instant Pot cauliflower curry.

Yes there are many easy potato recipe ideas out there, but using your Instant Pot makes everything easier. Ok, so air fryer multi colored potatoes are the bomb too if you have one of those.

Pressure Cooker Side Dishes

If you want to try something new, make this lemon Instant Pot rice instead of brown rice. Instant Pot macaroni salad can be a great pressure cooker side dish too with burgers.

• The most popular in our house is this fluffy Instant Pot white rice recipe.
• Italian Diced Instant Pot potatoes are simple
• This is how to make pressure cooker quinoa
• Fluffy Instant Pot cornbread
• Instant Pot cream corn and Instant Pot corn casserole bundt cake is yummy.

Need a favorite Instant Pot kids recipe? Whip up a batch of Instant Pot macaroni and cheese for them.

If you’ve never made a batch of Instant Pot risotto it is easier than you might think.

On a healthier note, you can make Instant Pot butternut squash too. Or our red lentils Instant Pot recipe here. These are great Thanksgiving Instant Pot recipes for sure.

Instant Pot vegetable side dish recipes

• Homemade Instant Pot cranberry sauce is a great Thanksgiving side dish for sure.
• Instant Pot sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is yummy.
• Creamy Instant Pot scalloped potatoes.
• Did you know you can make Instant Pot stuffing too?
• Instant Pot green bean casserole is great.

Vegetables are always a big deal, especially in my house. My girls would honestly rather eat a plate full of asparagus rather than a steak!

• Instant Pot brussel sprouts with bacon are just amazing. You can then transition them to a pan and make them creamy cast iron brussel sprouts once they’re steamed.
• This creamy and cheesy Instant Pot cauliflower is keto and tastes like a low carb macaroni and cheese!
  • 1 minute Instant Pot broccoli is something we make year round.
• We have a lot of Instant Pot cabbage recipes and pressure cooker green beans you can try.
  • you can even make slow cooker cabbage if you want to use that machine too
• Simple Instant Pot corn on the cob is probably the cheapest side dish.

Love Instant Pot beets? If you haven’t tried it this way it’s a game changer.

Don’t have an Instant Pot pressure cooker? Is yours a Mealthy, Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi? NO Problem!! Any of these will work the same, just follow these instructions.

• That’s what’s great about all the great easy Instant Pot recipes out there. They are interchangeable. 
• All of these will pressure cook on high and saute. Some may say brown/saute on the button but it is the same function.
• Quick release by flipping the steam valve open, or allow it to naturally release the steam. That means you don’t touch it at all. It will come out on it’s own it about 15 minutes.

Easy Instant Pot Sides

Collard greens are a Southern favorite for many, and healthy depending on what you add to it. This pinto bean chard risotto sounds good too.

• Pressure cooker cabbage and noodles is a vegetarian choice.
• Combine a few vegetables and make a potato and carrot medley to mix things up a bit.
• Okra isn’t one of my favorites but some people MUST have it often, so here are instructions.
• You can even caramelize onions in the Instant Pot to be served on meatloaf and more.
• Try some sweet and/or savory Instant Pot carrots or Instant Pot potatoes and carrots. They’re my girls’ favorite veggies.

Of course feel free to add other ingredients like a bit of brown sugar to these for sweetness, or bacon bits for a savory dish.

How long does it take to pressure cook vegetables?

That depends on what you’re making. There is also a difference depending whether you’re purely steaming them, or if they’re in the pot with other ingredients.

Typically though from fresh: cook for 3-4 minutes on high pressure and perform a quick release. From frozen: cook for 4-5 minutes on high pressure and perform a quick release.

• Some things like broccoli and cauliflower florets only take 1 minute though!
• Use our Instant Pot vegetables cook times printable for accurate numbers like perfectly cooked Instant Pot mushrooms.

We even have an Instant Pot cooking times for beans if you want to make homemade Instant Pot refried beans as a side. There is NO soaking required if you do it this way!

That means more homemade recipes on the table this year for your family. I love that because it helps us to heat healthier year round.