Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (2024)

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Part of what makes the Instant Pot so easy to rely on in the kitchen is meal prep! Whether you prep just breakfast, snacks, or all of your meals for the week, these healthy Instant Pot recipes are delicious, hearty (the can easily last 5-7 days in the fridge), and can be frozen easily.

Whether you are trying Instant Pot meal prep for weight loss goals, to save money, or to save time–these recipes can help.

Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (1)

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  3. Customize it!

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  4. Here’s how to make it yours:

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    -Find the collection you’d like to create a grocery list for and simply click what you’d like to do: add items, remove items, etc.
    -Click “Shopping List” and then Generate Shopping List.Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (3)

Let’s get prepping!

1. Choose a few of these easy sides to prep for the week

  • Instant Pot Brown Rice
  • Instant Pot White Rice
  • Instant Pot Quinoa
  • Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
  • Brown Rice and Quinoa

Additional Easy Recipes & Tips for prep day:

  • Chicken Stock and Turkey Stock
  • How long to cook vegetables in the Instant Pot
  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (but with cauliflower)
  • Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

2. Breakfasts – Choose one or two to prep for the entire week

If I choose two of these recipes, I always freeze some of it because two full recipes for breakfast is a bit much if I’m the only person eating it.

Bonus: These are all healthy breakfasts that include serving sizes and counts for both the 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers.

Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (4)
  • Chorizo and Eggs made with ground turkey
  • Starbucks Egg White Bites
  • Mini Frittatas
  • Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups
  • Amish Baked Oatmeal
  • Blueberry Lemon Zest Steel Cut Oats

Grocery List for these breakfast recipes:

Non-Instant Pot recipes to prep while your pot is in use:

Unless you have multiple pots, you’re going to have some down time while your recipes are cooking. I recommend using this time to cut veggies for snacking and make some non-Instant Pot recipes.

These recipes can be made in about 30 minutes and are perfect for snacking or as part of your lunch.

Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (5)
  • Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls
  • Just Crack an Egg Copycat Recipe
  • No Bake Coconut Bars
  • Healthy Buckeye Recipe
  • Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grocery list for these snack recipes:

If I step out of the kitchen while I’m prepping, even if I’m waiting for something to cook, I find that I lose my motivation to prep. The name of the game for me is “don’t leave the kitchen” ;)

3. Meal Prep Instant Pot Lunches and Dinners:

Most of these recipes can be made in the slow cooker as well! It’s a great way to get more done on your prep day.

There are a couple of ways you can plan these.

  1. Choose one recipe to eat all week for lunches, and choose three to make and freeze for busy weeknight dinners (I do leftovers for two days).
  2. Choose multiple recipes and plan on eating a recipe for dinner, then lunch the next day. This is an easy way to have meal prep lunches for the week without a ton of prep.

Instant Pot Lunch Recipes:

Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (6)
  • Rotisserie Chicken You can use this set of recipes to cook your chicken with any of these delicious flavors: Lemon & Parsley, Rosemary & Garlic, Mexican Citrus, Lemon Garlic, and hearty vegetable.
  • Healthy Hamburger Helper
  • Minestrone Soup
  • Instant Pot Meatballs This is a super versatile recipe that is great for heating up during the week.
  • Teriyaki Meatballs
  • Instant Pot Healthy Crack Chicken(dairy free version here) Eat this as a dip, lunch, used to stuff your veggies–there are so many things you can do with this delicious and versatile recipe!
  • Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
  • Instant Pot Buffalo Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese I don’t need to say more about this one. Buffalo chicken wins my heart every. time.

Grocery List for these recipes:

Instant Pot Dinner Recipes:

Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (7)
  • Instant Pot Risotto Add mushrooms, asparagus, or your other favorite vegetables!
  • Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo
  • Tuscan Chicken Pasta This is one of the most popular recipes on My Crazy Good Life–creamy and hearty but still healthy, and if you don’t have sun dried tomatoes you can use cherry tomatoes!
  • Swedish Meatballs
  • Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole Another variation of Crack Chicken, this is so delish! The frozen chicken and dry rice are perfect together in the Instant Pot.
  • Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
  • Instant Pot Beef Pho Not a simple or quick recipe–I’ll admit that right away. But it’s delicious and satisfying to make.
  • Orange Chicken
  • Instant Pot Spaghetti
  • Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl with frozen chicken, dry brown rice, and dry black beans
  • Instant Pot Turkey Breast

Grocery List for these recipes:

Looking for more awesome Instant Pot Recipes? I’ve got 100 healthy Instant Pot recipes here, and a ton of healthy Pressure Cooker Recipes here.

Recipe Tips:

  • You can easily use chicken breasts or chicken thighs in these recipes, they’re easy to swap and require no changes to the pressure cook time.
  • Use raw veggies for a last minute side dish
  • Most of these recipes are gluten free as is, but you can definitely swap regular pasta for gluten free!
  • These recipes use whole grain pasta, which requires different cooking times than regular white pasta. They can’t be swapped out in a recipe.

Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (8)

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. ;)

Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are instant pots good for meal prep? ›

They're super-versatile, so you can mix and match ingredients as you prep lunches and dinners throughout the week: salads, sandwiches, stir-fries, grain bowls, and so on.

Why buy Instant Pot? ›

It's not just a pressure cooker

First off, an Instant Pot isn't just an electric pressure cooker. As a true multicooker, it sears, browns and sautes food like a stove-top skillet. It also steams delicate items such as fish, eggs and vegetables. Instant Pots double as standalone electric rice cookers as well.

What are the functions of Instant Pot? ›

The Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker but also a slow cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker, big sauté pot, steamer, and more. We have the 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo which is what we use for all our Instant Pot recipes.

How do I make meal prep less stressful? ›

Meal Prep Tips That Reduce Stress
  1. What Is Meal Prepping? ...
  2. Choose Recipes You'll Actually Want to Eat. ...
  3. Decide Which Meals You Want to Prepare. ...
  4. Be Realistic with Portions. ...
  5. Dedicate Multiple Hours to Meal Prep. ...
  6. Make Versatile Ingredients Instead of Whole Meals. ...
  7. Plan for Your Eat-Out Meals. ...
  8. Expect a Learning Curve.

What is the best long lasting meal prep? ›

Soups, stews, and chili are the ideal meal prep because they last a little longer than most meals (up to five or six days) AND they're extremely freezer-friendly. If you're new to meal prep and are nervous about how foods taste after a few days, I recommend starting with a soup, stew, or chili.

What foods can you meal prep for a week? ›

If You're Stuck In A Meal Prep Rut, These 21 Meal Prep Ideas Are Guaranteed To Shake Things Up
  • Honey-Soy Sheet Pan Salmon. ...
  • Turkey Taco Bowls. ...
  • Easy Honey-Mustard Chicken Meal Prep. ...
  • Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos. ...
  • 20-Minute Beef and Broccoli Noodle Stir-Fry. ...
  • Weekday Meal-Prep Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry.
Nov 7, 2023

Why did Instapot go out of business? ›

“In particular, tightening of credit terms and higher interest rates impacted our liquidity levels and made our capital structure unsustainable,” Mr. Gadbois said. Instant Brands said in a statement on Wednesday that the new financing would allow the company to continue paying workers, vendors and suppliers.

Are Instant Pots healthy? ›

Cooking in an “instant pot” or pressure cooker is a great method for preparing your food on many levels — including the nutritional level, according to registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD. “Instant pot recipes are absolutely healthy as long as what you put in the recipe is healthy,” she says.

Are Instant Pots healthy to use? ›

Even though some studies suggest that pressure cooking isn't the best way to preserve nutrients in food, no research exists to suggest that pressure cookers of any model or brand pose health risks. If you're a fan of your Instant Pot, don't worry: You can continue to safely use your appliance without worry.

Are pressure cookers good for meal prep? ›

Instant Pot and other electric multi-cookers can make meal prepping and batch cooking faster and easier. If you're motivated to cook healthy whole foods for yourself and your family, this tool can really help support your efforts. Reason #1: Pressure cookers cook faster!

How long do Instant Pots usually last? ›

The average lifespan of an Instant Pot ranges from 2-5 years, but it can last longer depending on how often it's used and how well-maintained it is. So it's safe to say Instant Pots aren't commonly being replaced, and may even be a one-time purchase.

How reliable are Instant Pots? ›

Yes, the Instant Pot is widely considered an effective and versatile pressure cooker. Many users find it worth the price due to its convenience, time-saving features, and ability to perform various cooking functions in one appliance. Absolutely, an excellent kitchen appliance!

Can you use instant rice for meal prep? ›

Now you've tried these ideas, try mixing and matching your own favorite ingredients with Minute® Rice Cups and invent your own recipes. Note: If you like to meal prep, batch cook enough servings of our Instant Rice and use it to make quick meals throughout the week.

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