In my opinion, the Instant Pot is a magical piece of kitchen equipment. It can cook fast, it can cook slow, it can sauté, cook the best rice ever and even make yogurt (on certain models). If you’re not convinced you can check out my last article, Is the Instant Pot Worth It? 9 Reasons Why the Answer is Hell Yea!
Today I’m going to gather up 11 perfect plant-based Instant Pot recipes from Pinterest (don’t you love alliteration?) and we’re going to put our pots to use.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Gimme Those Plant-Based Instant Pot Recipes!
Listen, I’m going to make a confession here. In my last post on the Instant Pot, one of the things I said wouldn’t cook well in there was pasta.
Some of these recipes have pasta. I think if we follow the recipes as noted, we will be ok. We just have to be careful about overcooking so the pasta doesn’t become mushy. Let’s have an open mind on the pasta, OK? These recipes are too good not to give a try.
#1 – Instant Pot Thai Spicy Noodle Bowl
You had me at Thai and Noodles. Who doesn’t love a nice, spicy, zingy Thai-inspired bowl of noodles? If you’re vegan, you can add some tofu for extra protein. If you’re not vegan, you can add a little chicken or shrimp.
What I love about this recipe is that it uses a lot of ingredients you likely already have in your house. Things like peanut butter, spaghetti noodles (you can use rice noodles, but really be careful not to overcook them because they cook faster than spaghetti), red pepper slices and a few other pantry staples.
#2 – Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken
There’s something about a creamy, spiced Indian-style dish. It’s comforting, warm, filling and makes your tastebuds dance. This Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken is no exception. This recipe uses coconut milk for the creaminess, a blend of spices for the curry and soy curls for the protein. (There is a note in the recipe about how to substitute soy curls for canned chickpeas.)
This dish would be best served with a side of rice, as shown in the pin. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry all of a sudden!
#3 – Vegan Dirty Rice
Instead of meat, this vegan dirty rice uses mushrooms. Everyone in the plant-based community knows that mushrooms are the meat of the plant world. (Er, fungi world.) They have a meaty texture and a whole host of health benefits, so they are a perfect substitution for a meat-based meal.
This is another meal where you’ll likely already have most of your ingredients on hand. Rice, mushrooms, a few veggies, and veggie broth are the main components of this dish. These are mixed with a cajun seasoning, which you can find at the store, or here on Amazon.
#4 – Vegan Lasagna Soup
If you’ve been in the plant-based or vegan world for some time, you likely have heard of Vegan Richa. Whew-whee, girl can COOK. She’s a whiz in the kitchen, and therefore, I would absolutely whip up this Instant Pot vegan lasagna soup of hers.
This recipe uses a lot of the same staples as traditional lasagna, such as onion, garlic, tomatoes, Italian seasoning and, of course, lasagna noodles. It adds in a few extras you won’t see in those traditional recipes like red lentils, carrots, peppers, and zucchini.
I love that after cooking this soup, you can fancy it up by adding a dollop of vegan ricotta, mozzarella and/or pesto. Doesn’t that just sound perfect?
#5 – Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Why heat up your entire oven when you can make baked potatoes right in your Instant Pot?
That’s right. You can scrub your russets, poke them with a fork a few times so they don’t explode, place them on a trivet in your Instant Pot, add water and “bake” them for about 14 minutes (plus the time it takes to come to pressure).
You’ll have fluffy baked potatoes just like they came out of the oven! (Although, the author does say that the skins won’t be crispy like they came out of the oven. She has a good solution for that on her recipe page.)
#6 – Vegan Beef Stew
Maybe you’re someone who used to love a good beef stew before going plant-based and you’d love to recreate a healthier, plant-based version. Look no further! We have a hearty, healthy, vegan version of beef stew that contains no beef, only plants!
This stew uses Yukon gold potatoes to “beef up” the recipe (pardon the pun). It uses lentils for protein. The spice combination of Italian seasoning, crushed rosemary, sage, and sweet paprika is to die for.
#7 – Instant Pot Orange Lime Chili Jackfruit
You probably have heard of jackfruit by now, but if not, it’s basically a fruit that shreds like a meat and can be used in recipes like tacos. Weird, but true! This orange lime chili jackfruit sounds like the perfect plant-based taco or burrito filling!
You can find canned jackfruit in most grocery stores these days, and I know that Trader Joe’s carries it, if you have TJ’s near you. You may have to look in the Asian aisle to find it. If you can’t find it, then don’t worry. As usual, Amazon has you covered. Make sure to get jackfruit that’s in brine – not syrup!
#8 – Vegan Minestrone
Minestrone soup is another one of those hearty meals that warms you up from the inside out. It’s a tomato-based soup with vegetables and noodles. It’s the perfect combination of foods all in one bowl.
This particular minestrone is filled with delicious ingredients like carrots, lentils, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, white beans and so much more. While the ingredient list is on the long side, it’s worth it to take the time to add all of these delicious flavor combinations.
#9 – Fast & Easy Instant Pot Vegan Chili
I know that traditionally chili is all meat and doesn’t have any sort of beans or plants in it. But, hey, the plant-based community is full of innovators who can take the flavors of the traditional dishes and make a healthier plant-based version of it. And THANK YOU for that!
I’m officially declaring plant-based chili as a winter staple. Do I have the authority to do that? No, but let’s pretend, OK? Don’t burst my bubble! 🙂
You’ll find this Instant Pot chili to be a spicy, savory, hearty delight. And it’s quick and easy too!
#10 – Instant Pot Enchilada Rice
I don’t know about you, but I have a thing for rice. And then when you add a spicy, Mexican flare to it, I’m ALL IN. When I saw this Instant Pot enchilada rice recipe, I think I immediately started drooling. It looks so good, doesn’t it?
The original recipe is vegetarian and does call for cheese, but if you are totally vegan, that’s an easy enough fix. You either skip the cheese or replace it with a plant-based cheese. Easy peasy.
You could eat this rice topped with avocado (as pictured) and salsa, or add it to a burrito or tacos. The sky’s the limit with this rice!
#11 – Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
I said that rice is my favorite. But, I don’t know. Potatoes are right up there in the favorite category too. (I love me some carbs!) The good thing is, we don’t really have to choose. We can have our cake and eat it too! Er, we can have our rice and our potatoes and eat them too? (That doesn’t have the same ring to it, but you get what I mean.)
Besides rice, one of my favorite things to cook in the Instant Pot is mashed potatoes. It’s so easy to cook the potatoes right in the pot, add the rest of the ingredients and mash it all up.
I don’t know about you, but I prefer easy.
Here’s an easy recipe that just uses Yukon gold potatoes, soy milk, and vegetable broth.
Simply perfect.
Want More Plant-Based Instant Pot Recipes?
Maybe 11 plant-based Instant Pot recipes just aren’t enough. (Honestly, they aren’t.) There are so many more incredible recipes to be had, but I didn’t want this post to take you 3 hours to go through.
Instead, you can check out my plant-based Instant Pot recipe board on Pinterest. I did all the hard work of finding recipes and pinning them for you. (It was soooo hard to look at delicious food…)
You can also check out these awesome plant-based Instant Pot cookbooks on Amazon. (Don’t you love that Amazon has absolutely everything we need?)
Conclusion
If you were thinking, “What’s for dinner?”, then I hope these 11 perfect plant-based Instant Pot recipes from Pinterest has answered that for you.
There’s a variety of options for you to choose from. You can have soup, stew, jackfruit tacos and even baked potatoes, all from right inside your Instant Pot!
Is there anything the Instant Pot can’t do? It can pretty much do everything except clean your kitchen for you. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, but were considering it, you can read my article about why it’s worth getting here.
If you’re already convinced and want to grab one so you can start making some of these recipes, I recommend checking out the full lineup of options on Amazon. My only recommendation is to opt for a bigger quart size versus a smaller one. You won’t regret it!
