Guide for 15 Easy Instant Pot Pantry and Freezer Recipes with most ingredients found in pantry or freezer. Most recipes have substitution ideas in case some ingredients aren’t available. Everything from bread to main courses to breakfasts to desserts.
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Instant Pot is a great kitchen tool. Its best advantage isn’t speed but in fact – convenience! It is super convenient to add all the ingredients to an electric pressure cooker and leave the kitchen.
Cooking in Instant Pot is really helpful if you need to do some chores around the house or take care of your children. You don’t need to stand at the stove and watch pots and pans.
Besides using Instant Pot for regular meals made with fresh produce and other fresh ingredients, it is also great for meals that you can make with ingredients from your pantry or freezer.
In this guide, I show you 15 easy Instant Pot pantry and freezer recipes. I will also make suggestions for some substitutions in case if fresh ingredients, such as milk or eggs aren’t available.
Tips for cooking from pantry and freezer
- Eggs
- Eggs can often be omitted in bread baking although texture and flavour will change.
- Eggs can often be substituted with mashed banana or applesauce in cakes, pancakes, waffles, and muffins.
- Fresh or carton egg whites freeze well.
- Cheese
- Many vacuum sealed cheeses have very long fridge life if unopened, some have it for 12-18 months, so check the expiry date.
- Cheese can be frozen if you want to use it in other recipes.
- Milk
- Milk can often be substituted with water or half milk and half water in bread baking although texture and flavour will change.
- There are shelf-stable milk packets available in some stores. I know Costco sells individual shelf-stable milk boxes for kids. Funny note, growing up in Russia shelf-stable milk was much more common than regular refrigerator milk.
- Shelf-stable plant-based milk can be used in many recipes including sweet or savoury ones, just remember to buy unsweetened plant-based milk.
- Canned milk such as evaporated milk or coconut milk can be used for many recipes calling regular milk.
- Powdered milk can also be a substitute for some recipes.
- Bread
- Bread can easily be frozen and then defrosted when needed without much change to flavour or texture.
- Dough can also be frozen.
- Produce
- Fresh herbs can be frozen: wash and dry really well, herbs must be completely dry, spread in a layer on a sheet pan and freeze, once frozen, transfer to a ziploc bag or a container.
- Potatoes: if stored properly in a cool and dry place can last for 2-3 months.
- Onions: can be stored for many weeks if stored properly. Also can be diced up and frozen.
- In Russia we commonly used old nylon tights for storing onion and garlic but you can also buy special mesh storage bags for produce on amazon.
- Apples: can last for quite a few weeks in the fridge.
15 Easy Instant Pot Pantry and Freezer Recipes
Bread
Instant Pot No Knead Dinner Rolls
Bread is easy to make and it usually doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. In this particular recipe you can substitute milk, cream and butter with water and oil. Also, omit the egg. This way you can use up your pantry staples without needing to do a grocery run.
Instant Pot No Knead Dinner Rolls
Soups
Lemon Lentil Soup (Instant Pot or Stove)
This soup uses dried lentils and a few spices. Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest can easily be substituted with bottled lemon juice. Perfect pantry staple soup.
Lemon Lentil Soup
Easy Corn Soup (Instant Pot or Stove)
Corn soup uses frozen corn and a few other ingredients. Potatoes can keep for 2-3 months if stored properly in a cool place. You can read information on how to store potatoes. Cream can easily be omitted in this recipe or you could use shelf-stable coconut milk or other plant-based milk instead.
Easy Corn Soup
Instant Pot Tomato Orzo Soup
This particular recipe uses a few different types of canned tomatoes, orzo, and lots of spices as its base. You can omit the milk and use extra broth instead or use shelf-stable milk of choice. Parmesan cheese lasts for a very long time in the fridge or even freezer but if you don’t have access to it, then omit as well.
Instant Pot Tomato Orzo Soup
Main Courses
Instant Pot Chili
This chili uses a lot of nutritious and convenient canned goods, such as various beans and diced tomatoes. You can very easily use any frozen ground meat without defrosting for the recipe. If you don’t have access to ground meat, then omit it. Chili won’t be as filling but it’ll still be delicious! You can also omit onions if necessary.
Instant Pot Chili
Instant Pot Lemon Pea Risotto
Risotto is a delicious and filling meal and can usually be cooked with a few pantry ingredients. In this recipe from Carmyy.com you can use frozen peas. Omit parmesan and use bottled lemon juice if you don’t have access to the fresh ingredients.
Instant Pot Lemon Pea Risotto
Instant Pot Sausage and Sauerkraut
This particular recipe uses potatoes and green beans but you can omit them if necessary. Sausages can easily be stored in the freezer and sauerkraut is a great pantry staple to have on hand.
Instant Pot Sausage and Sauerkraut
Instant Pot Poached Salmon
You may not have access to fresh salmon but if you have frozen salmon then you can easily poach it in Instant Pot and then use for various meals or salads. You can omit the herbs and fresh lemon and use dried herbs and bottled lemon juice if necessary.
Instant Pot Poached Salmon (fresh or frozen)
Side dishes
Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa
Quinoa is a filling and healthy side dish. You can omit lemon altogether or use bottled lemon for flavour. Use it with Instant Pot Poached Salmon or canned tuna for a quick and healthy pantry meal.
Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes have a very long storage life if stored properly so they are great to have on hand for various situations. You can read information on how to store potatoes. In this particular recipe whipping cream is used for extra decadent and creamy mashed potatoes. You can omit the cream and use regular milk or even reconstituted dry milk or evaporated milk.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Fail-proof Instant Pot Beans
Whether you want beans for salad or soup, this guide for Fail-proof Instant Pot Beans from Lorena at Green Healthy Cooking has you covered! It’s great if you have a lot of various dried beans lying around and no canned beans.
Fail-proof Instant Pot Beans
Breakfasts
Instant Pot Gingerbread Steel-Cut Oats
This is a great breakfast recipe that can easily be adjusted. Use plant-based milk or even water if you don’t have regular milk. Adjust the spices to your liking. Double or triple the ingredients (keep the cooking time the same) for bigger portions.
Instant Pot Gingerbread Steel-Cut Oats for One
Check out this recipe
Creamy Instant Pot Millet Porridge
Millet porridge is a great alternative to the more common oatmeal porridge. You can use plant-based milk or evaporated milk instead of regular milk if this is all you have on hand.
Instant Pot Millet Porridge
Desserts
Instant Pot Almond Cherry Cake
Egg whites in cartons are often easy to find in stores even when fresh eggs aren’t available. More importantly, egg whites in cartons can actually be frozen! This cake uses almond flour which is a great pantry staple to have and frozen berries which can also be omitted.
Instant Pot Almond Cherry Cake
3-ingredient Instant Pot Nutella Cake Bites
Yes, these cake bites use fresh eggs but only a few and the rest of the ingredients can easily be found in a pantry and they last for a very long time.
3 Ingredient Instant Pot Nutella Cake Bites
So, here you have it 15 Easy Instant Pot Pantry and Freezer recipes with ideas for changes and substitutions if fresh ingredients aren’t available. If you have a well-stocked pantry and a freezer, you can enjoy delicious and healthy meals for a long time.
If you’d like to see some other recipes, you can check my Instant Pot Recipes or even my new site, dedicated specifically to all things Instant Pot, called Instantlicious. Here’s also a round of Easy Instant Pot Recipes to Try from a few of my food blogger friends.
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Join my Real Ingredients Instant Pot Recipes Facebook Group!!! It’s a fun and safe place to share your own Instant Pot recipes made with Real Ingredients.
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