Often, the main entree steals the spotlight but the sides are what really complete a meal. After all, is it a true feast without them? Side dishes don’t have to be complicated and we found a way to prepare them more quickly and effortlessly! Que the Instant Pot.
The Instant Pot is well known for its capabilities to cook food fast and hands-off! I don’t know about you, but any time that I don’t have to babysit the stovetop is a win for me! Besides, the oven is often prime real estate when it comes to big dinners so go ahead and prepare your main entree’s in the oven and cook your delicious sides in the Instant Pot using these 20 delicious recipes! Preparing family meals, and holiday feasts have never been easier!
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You can never go wrong with veggies as a side dish. Step up your game this year and serve a delicious side of brown sugar-glazed carrots.
These carrots are quickly cooked using the Instant Pot and you’ll need just a few ingredients to provide an irresistibly sweet flavor. Since you’ll be using baby carrots there is no peeling or chopping required – phew!
https://deliciouslysprinkled.com/instant-pot-glazed-carrots/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=486051136_17066002_262081 PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: DELICIOUSLY SPRINKLED
Green bean casserole is traditionally enjoyed at Thanksgiving. However, with the Instant Pot, you can enjoy it for any meal because it makes preparing this side dish easy!
Our recipe uses frozen beans, salty bacon, and an insanely creamy and delicious sauce! In this recipe, you’ll be using the saute function (to cook the bacon), as well as pressure cooking to cook the whole casserole. Once it’s complete transfer to your favorite serving dish and top with addictive fried onions.
http://www.forkly.com/recipes/insanely-delicious-instant-pot-green-bean-casserole/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: FORKLY
Brussels sprouts don’t win the popularity award when it comes to veggies, however, no one will be able to resist this side dish! This Instant pot brussels sprout recipe is savory, creamy and oh so cheesy!
These brussels sprouts cook on the steam mode for just 2 minutes – that is impressive! The creamy dish is finished with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and crispy pre-cooked bacon bits – yum!
https://www.eatwell101.com/instant-pot-brussels-sprouts-recipe PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: EAT WELL 101
Rice is another excellent side dish especially if you add in delicious and unique flavors. This copycat Rice A Roni is just as easy (if not easier) than the boxed version!
The rice is deliciously seasoned with ingredients you’ll most likely already have in your pantry. Ditch the sodium and make this healthier version for your next family meal.
https://www.myforkinglife.com/copycat-rice-a-roni-2/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: MY FORKING LIFE
Sweet potatoes are nature’s candy. They’re naturally sweet and are certainly healthy! Add a pop of color and sweet flavor to your table by cooking sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot.
Roasting sweet potatoes in the oven can take quite a while so we had to try cooking them in the Instant Pot. The result was insanely impressive. The skin was quite literally falling off and the potato inside was lusciously creamy and perfect. Cook them for 20 minutes to achieve super soft potatoes or reduce the time to 18 minutes if you prefer a firmer texture.
http://www.forkly.com/recipes/instant-pot-hack-how-to-cook-sweet-potatoes/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: FORKLY
Mashed potatoes are a crowd favorite, and these too can be prepared effortlessly in the Instant Pot. Mashed potatoes can be quite a laborious side dish especially because they require peeling, chopping, boiling, and mashing not to mention if you’re cooking for a crowd!
Forget the nonsense, and try cooking potatoes in the Instant Pot. Simply chop the potatoes, toss into the pot along with broth, garlic, and milk and pressure cook. In about 15 minutes you’ll have garlicky soft potatoes that are ready to be mashed and served!
http://www.forkly.com/recipes/instant-pot-garlic-mashed-potatoes/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: FORKLY
There are so many great ways to enjoy potatoes as a side dish. If you want to try something different than classic mashed potatoes then give these Instant Pot scalloped potatoes a try.
Scalloped potatoes are quite thick and creamy and that is how we like them best, right? However, due to this, you’ll need to use the pot-in-pot method. This essentially means you’ll place the scalloped potatoes in a baking pan and then place the pan inside the pot to cook. This ensures you don’t get the dreaded burn notice, and that you end up with perfectly delicious scalloped potatoes every time!
https://www.eazypeazymealz.com/instant-pot-au-gratin-potatoes/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: EAZY PEAZY MEALZ
Are you following a low-carb diet or perhaps just trying to cut back on carbs? Give this recipe a try! This cauliflower mashed side dish is life-changing and with it, you won’t be missing your beloved carbs!
The cauliflower will only need 3 minutes to pressure cook and the florets will be infused with chicken broth and fragrant garlic cloves. Once cooked, blend the cauliflower with sour cream and butter. The result is creamy and delicious!
https://diethood.com/instant-pot-mashed-cauliflower/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=486119732_17244420_104135 PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: DIETHOOD
Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? It’s a crowd favorite so there is no question as to why it should be on your table.
Our instant pot recipe is insanely easy and requires ingredients you’ll most likely already have on hand. It’s so rich and flavorful that you’ll never want to go back to the boxed variety again.
http://www.forkly.com/recipes/quick-easy-instant-pot-macaroni-and-cheese/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: FORKLY
Enjoy a cheesy risotto with your main course. Delicious risotto can cook in just 6 minutes when using the Instant Pot!
There are several fragrant ingredients that really infuse the flavor of this risotto. Some of these are white wine, butter, cheddar cheese, and fresh sage. It may taste gourmet but it requires next to no effort to create.
https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/instant-pot-cheddar-risotto-with-fresh-sage/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: THE VIEW FROM GREAT ISLAND
Make the best of squash season by serving up a side of delicious butternut squash. The most popular cooking method is to roast it in the oven. Unfortunately, this does take quite a while.
The instant pot cooks the squash not only quickly but wonderfully too – the skin basically peels itself! Aside from the time the pot needs to come to pressure, the quash requires just 12 minutes to cook! Serve it with a dollop of butter or your favorite seasonings.
http://www.forkly.com/recipes/instant-pot-hack-how-to-cook-butternut-squash/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: FORKLY
Creamed corn doesn’t stand a chance next to this delicious side dish! Instead of canned cream corn, consider making this easy Instant Pot corn casserole.
It is made with creamed corn, corn, corn muffin mix, cheddar cheese, and a few other exciting ingredients. To create the casserole you’ll be using the pot-in-pot method which means you’ll need a bundt pan that fits comfortably inside your Instant Pot.
https://temeculablogs.com/instant-pot-corn-casserole-recipe/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: THE TYPICAL MOM
You could serve steamed green beans or you could serve up a platter of these delicious green beans and bacon and blow everyone away! All you need is green beans, bacon, and a few seasonings.
This is a true one-pot recipe because you’ll be cooking the bacon first and then all the ingredients together right after. To cook the bacon use the saute function and then pressure cook the remaining ingredients together for 4 minutes.
https://twosleevers.com/pressure-cooker-green-beans-bacon/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: TWO SLEEVERS
Keep it simple and serve up a bowl of crisp steamed broccoli. It can be little tricky steaming veggies in the Instant Pot without turning them into mush but this recipe proves that it can be done effortlessly.
For this recipe, you’ll want to ensure that the broccoli is placed in a steaming basket inside the Instant Pot. This prevents the broccoli from sitting in the water and in turn, doesn’t result in soggy broccoli. Additionally, the broccoli only cooks for 0-1 minutes on HIGH pressure, however, keep in mind that doesn’t account for the time the pot needs to come to pressure.
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-broccoli/?utm_source=socialshare&utm_campaign=pinterest PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: PRESSURE COOK RECIPES
This awesome recipe proves that it’s easy to dress up a simple veggie like potatoes and transform them into an exciting side dish! These cheesy bacon and ranch potatoes will surely capture everyone’s attention.
Tender potatoes pieces are cooked in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes. They’re soaked in chicken broth, sprinkled with powdered ranch dressing, and topped with pre-cooked bacon bits. Once cooked, top the dish with parmesan cheese and grated cheddar cheese.
https://temeculablogs.com/instant-pot-cheesy-bacon-ranch-potatoes/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: THE TYPICAL MOM
This Instant pot recipe was inspired by a southern classic. These collard greens are far from boring and are paired with bacon and ham and drizzled with the cooking liquid to provide loads of flavor.
This two-step recipe requires that you saute the bacon and the ham first. Then, you’ll add the remaining seasonings, broth, and collard greens and pressure cook together for just 4 minutes!
https://www.mysequinedlife.com/southern-instant-pot-collard-greens/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: MY SEQUINED LIFE
This delicious Mexican is another great side dish idea. If you don’t love Rice A Roni, you’ll surely love these fiesta flavors.
Basmati rice is cooked with authentic Mexican flavors such as cumin and loads of other exciting ingredients. This side dish serves well along with tacos, burritos, chicken, and so much more! Find more great rice side dishes here.
https://www.cookwithmanali.com/instant-pot-mexican-rice/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: COOK WITH MANALI
Corn on the cob is a summer must-have! They’re harvested in late summer so enjoy them fresh while you can. Traditionally, corn is cooked on the stove-top but nobody wants a hot kitchen in the summer! This is where the Instant Pot comes to the rescue.
In a 6-quart pot, you should be able to fit about 5-6 ears of corn. If they’re not fitting well consider cutting them in half! In no time you will have delicious corn on the cob to go along with your favorite meal.
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/instant-pot-corn-on-the-cob/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: TASTES BETTER FROM SCRATCH
Buckel up beet fans and prepare to be blown away! The Instant Pot not only cooks beets incredibly quickly but creates less mess in the kitchen.
You’ll need to cook the beets on HIGH pressure for 8 minutes and then give them a cold water bath and then you’ll watch the skin slide right off. Serve them on their own, with your favorite seasonings, or add them into a salad!
https://www.emilyenchanted.com/instant-pot-beets/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: EMILY ENCHANTED
Artichokes are another not so popular vegetable. If you’re looking to try something new give these lovely steamed artichokes a try.
They cook in less than 10 minutes using the Instant Pot and are paired with a delicious Mediterranean Aioli. This tender and flavorful side dish is perfect for any family or holiday meal.
https://www.cottercrunch.com/instant-pot-steamed-artichokes-mediterranean/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: COTTER CRUNCH
