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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    -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? ›

I love the Instant Pot for its ability to quickly cook weeknight dinners and because it's great for batch cooking. This Power Hour takes advantage of both by using the Instant Pot to prep breakfast and lunch options while you prep dinners that will be cooked in the Instant Pot later in the week.

Are Instant Pot meals healthy? ›

Instant pot recipes are absolutely healthy as long as what you put in the recipe is healthy,” she says. The shorter cooking time may also result in the greater preservation of vitamins and minerals when compared to other longer types of cooking.

Is air fryer or Instant Pot better for meal prep? ›

Although both can take the fuss out of cooking some meals, these two appliances have many differences. Air fryers help crisp up food that you may otherwise cook in a deep fryer, while Instant Pots cook meals that need a liquid element like stews, soups and rice.

How healthy is meal prep? ›

Some benefits of meal prep:
  • Can help save money.
  • Can ultimately save time.
  • Can help with weight control, as you decide the ingredients and portions served.
  • Can contribute to an overall more nutritionally balanced diet.
  • Can reduce stress as you avoid last minute decisions about what to eat, or rushed preparation.

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.

Are Instapots better than crockpots? ›

If you are interested primarily in slow cooking, you should buy a dedicated slow cooker. They're more reliable with a range of slow-cooker recipes than an Instant Pot. We found Instant Pot multicookers specifically could not successfully slow-cook dense, high-volume recipes such as beef stew or pot roast.

What foods should not be cooked in an Instant Pot? ›

6 Things You Should Never Cook in an Instant Pot
  1. Creamy Sauces. If there's one food group you should avoid in the Instant Pot, it's dairy. ...
  2. Fried Chicken. The best fried chicken is crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and perfectly golden brown. ...
  3. Cookies. ...
  4. Burgers. ...
  5. Pie. ...
  6. Steak.

What is the disadvantage of Instant Pot? ›

Not good for cooking everything: Just like no one method is great for cooking everything, the Instant Pot isn't build to do it all. If you are not a fan of like stews and saucy things then pressure cooking might not be for you.

Does Instant Pot cooking destroy nutrients? ›

In the case of grains and legumes, although the vitamins and heat-sensitive vitamins and phytonutrients are vulnerable to deterioration, the net result of pressure-cooking is a positive nutritional gain-from the increased digestibility of the macronutrients (protein, fiber and starch) and the increased bioavailability ...

What size Instant Pot is best for meal prep? ›

Generally, a meal cooked in a 6-quart model feeds three to six people. Benefits of an 8-quart Instant Pot: The 8-quart models, on the other hand, are ideal when you're feeding a large family, cooking for a party, or cooking in batches for your weekly meal prep.

Do chefs use Instant Pots? ›

They are most commonly used in industrial settings to quickly prepare meat or stocks. However, in most scenarios, Elite Chefs avoid using pressure cookers because they provide less control over the final dish. Chefs often prefer slow cooking techniques that accentuate and pull out the flavors of the food.

Is it better to meal prep or cook everyday? ›

Meal prepping can be beneficial for a number of reasons, including: It can save time on daily cooking. It gives you access to healthy, homemade meals every day. It allows you to ensure all your meals are nutritious and enables you to monitor your portion control.

What are the downsides of meal prepping? ›

Possibly Time-consuming: Meal prepping may involve a time commitment, especially if prepped meals need refrigeration or freezing. Potentially Expensive: Buying the necessary ingredients in bulk can make meal prepping expensive.

Is it okay to meal prep for 5 days? ›

However, it's important to meal prep safely and store the food in a proper way. When it comes to batch food storage, you have a few options. You can store meal prep food in the fridge for up to four days. Or, you can store prepped food in the freezer for a longer period of time.

Will I lose weight if I meal prep? ›

Meal prep can help you lose weight by setting you up for success. When you have a healthy plan in place, you're less likely to grab takeout and processed foods on the run.

Are Instant Pots safe to eat from? ›

Yes, electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot are generally safe and easy to use.

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.

What's the big deal about Instant Pots? ›

The Instant Pot hits food with a one-two punch of high pressure and heat. The result: Things that usually take all day to cook are done in hours. We're talking about tough cuts of meat like pork ribs, beef brisket and pork shoulder. The same goes for soups and stews, plus beans and grains.

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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