Instant Pot Cheat Sheet

Guys, I am OBSESSED with the instant pot! I use it almost every single day. I didn’t realize how many people have an Instant Pot, but rarely use it because of not knowing times and settings for certain foods.

Let me tell you. I felt the same way when I first got mine! Over time, I learned specifics that work best for some things I cook in it on a regular basis. I keep it SUPER simple so I think you will find this cheat sheet helpful to get you started.

This is the particular one that I have in case you’re curious. The mini is plenty big enough for me since I’m usually just cooking for myself. If you have a family to feed, you may want to go with a bigger size.

Jasmine Rice

Gooey, sticky rice makes my heart sing! If you love it as much as I do, you HAVE to try this first.

• Step 1: Add 1 cup of rice, 3 cups of water and salt to the pot
• Step 2: Close the lid and set to valve to it’s closed position
• Step 3: Press the “rice” setting and it will automatically set the timer itself
• Step 4: Once it beeps, turn the valve to release the heat. Then, let sit for 10-15 minutes and that’s it!

*I use the exact same process for quinoa too. The only difference is that I use 1 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of water. (I add extra water to the rice to make it stickier)

Shredded Chicken

• Step 1: Trim 2-3 chicken breasts, place in pot and season as you’d like
• Step 2: Add 1 cup of water
• Step 3: Close the lid and set valve to it’s closed position
• Step 4: Press “pressure cook” and set timer to 10 minutes on high
• Step 5: Once it beeps, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes. Then, open the valve to release the remaining pressure.
• Step 6: Let sit for an additional 10 minutes. Then remove and shred with a fork

Beets, Spaghetti Squash and Butternut Squash

I use the same setting for all of these. The only difference is the way I prepare them before adding them to the pot. For beets, I trim the top and bottom, then slice in about 1/8 inch slices. For the squashes, I cut them in half and scrape the seeds from the center.

• Step 1: Add beets or squash to the pot after its cut according to the suggestions above
• Step 2: Fill with 1-2 cups of water, add salt and season according to preference
• Step 3: Close the lid and set to valve to it’s closed position
• Step 4: Step 4: Press “pressure cook” and set timer to 7 minutes on high
• Step 5: Once it beeps, immediately open the valve to release pressure. (I noticed that if I leave them too long, they get too mushy)
• Step 6: Remove lid once all pressure is released and place beets or squash on a plate

Wrapping Up

I am honestly not a big recipe type of person. I keep my meals really simple by thinking in the context of selecting a carb, fat and protein. Then, I simply add herbs (like cilantro, garlic or onion for example) to that!

These are the most basic things I cook on a very regular basis, which helps a ton with prepping a larger quantity of food quickly to use throughout the week.

For more about beets and their health benefits, check out this blog.