18 Easy Vegan Instant Pot Recipes for Weeknights (2024)

FAQs

Which Instant Pot is best for vegans? ›

The Instant Pot Duo is a fantastic choice that's packed with every conceivable feature. Go with a the three quart unit if you're just cooking for one or two people. If you have a larger family, buy either the six or eight quart model.

She's still on the fence about the Instant Pot, though. “I bought one but haven't used it,” she says. Garten says she isn't anti-gadgets or newfangled cooking appliances but that having high-quality sheet pans, knives, pots and pans is more essential in developing cooking skills.

While it might not be the best option out there for nutrient retention, you should never feel bad about making a home-cooked meal in your Instant Pot, as there is no "perfect" preparation method for food.

The Instant Pot Duo Plus 8-Quart Multi-Use Pressure Cooker, V4 had a nearly perfect score for easy use, and it didn't falter in any other category, either. The control panel was straightforward, with the preset buttons and status updates making it simple to get the cook we needed with the pot's guidance.

Foods containing dairy, like milk, cream, or yogurt, should not be pressure-cooked. The high heat and pressure can cause dairy products to curdle or separate, ruining the texture, taste and flavour of the dish. Cooking fried foods is a strict no no, when it comes to pressure cookers.

Con– The Instant Pot uses steam under pressure to cook food and not everything is meant to be cooked in the Instant Pot. I attempted a crustless quiche which turned out well but it was too wet and moist to my liking and I prefer to cook it in the oven with dry heat.

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.

In general, the Instant Pot Duo seems to be the most popular, because it offers excellent value — it's the most affordable model but still cooks seven ways and has basic, intuitive controls. The Duo also offers the Duo Crisp model that can also air fry.

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 an Instant Pot just a fancy pressure cooker? ›

Yes, while Instant Pots are technically multi-cookers - with functions including slow cooking, rice cooking, steaming, warming and sautéing - they're all pressure cookers.

Advantages of pressure cooking include reduced cooking times and retention of nutrients, plus it's a great way to make energy-efficient, one-pot meals. The downsides include problems with foods that have different cook times and not being able to check the progress of the food cooking.

Unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, there's no going back. You'll be left with a pile of dry, crunchy, tasteless fibers and no amount of additional pressure cooking is going to put that moisture back into the meat. Earlier, I explained how ingredient size affects the cooking time.

The short answer is no, but there are some factors to consider to make sure you're getting the most out of your bone broth. Using fresh bones, adjusting cooking times and pressure, adding acidic ingredients, and utilizing natural release can all help preserve collagen when pressure cooking.

This popular countertop appliance can handle everything from healthy meals to cozy soups with ease, making it our go-to for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And, while the Instant Pot might evoke images of beefy stews or meaty, pressure-cooked dishes, it's just as useful for vegetarian recipes.

Greger of NutritionFacts notes, “Without presoaking, it takes 45 minutes in a pressure cooker to get rid of all lectins, but an hour to make kidney beans edible. So basically… cooking beans to the point where they are considered edible is more than sufficient to destroy virtually all lectin activity.”

The Viva has all the same functions as the Duo, minus the Steam function, plus a few extra such as Cake, Egg, Sous Vide, and Sterilize. The Viva has a new EasySeal Lid that automatically sets to seal for pressure cooking, whereas the Duo lid is set manually. Both models come with the same accessories.

For those who are on the lookout for a cooker that is easy to use and quick to prepare food, an aluminium pressure cooker would be the best option. However, if you prefer getting healthier and heavy-duty kitchenware, there is no doubt that a stainless steel cooker will be the apt choice for you.