I know, I know. The Instant Pot. Old news. But it’s still sparking joy for us and helping us stay on track to eat healthy and cut down on time preparing meals. For those of you who don’t know, the Instant Pot is a programmable pressure cooker that can also be used as a slow cooker and much, much more. This thing cooks food up to 70% faster than your average slow cooker meal. We’re talking minutes (10-15) for that slow cooked meal instead of 4-8 hours. It’s essentially magic.

Because our founder Natalie is obsessed with her Instant Pot (in case you haven’t seen our Instagram feed), she wanted to share her favorite healthy recipes you can make in your Instant Pot. If you don’t have the pleasure of (yet) owning one, you can most likely tweak the following recipes to use in your slow cooker/Crock Pot.

Natalie: Hi guys! It’s true. I received an Instant Pot last Christmas (2017) and I haven’t looked back ever since. At first I was a little intimidated by all the buttons and the fact that it was a pressure cooker—i.e. is my house going to blow up?! Not to mention the “releasing the pressure” thing practically had my heart shooting through the roof the first time I did it (and our dog, #annabellewoof still runs upstairs when she hears the IP noises…poor pup. Noises are scawy). I also had to realize that the quick cook times were after it came to pressure and then it had to come back down. You either “quick release”, meaning you manually release the lever, or let it naturally release, which takes 10-15 mins too. All in all it is still MUCH quicker than a Crock Pot, but just be sure you’re patient with those pressure times too. Once you get the hang of this little thing, you will love it too. This is the IP I have, and it’s about $100 on Amazon. Ok, so here are my favorite recipes I like to use with my IP:

Salsa Verde Pulled Chicken Breast. I don’t even feel like you can call this a recipe, as you just throw fresh raw chicken, spices and salsa in, cook it for 15 mins and then you have perfect chicken for tacos!

Italian Meatballs. SO good.

Instant Pot Asian Salmon. I was shocked how perfectly cooked and tasty the salmon was. ALL heart eyes for this one.

Paleo Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry. So much flavor and so good for you. Serve with quinoa or rice—both of which you can quickly cook in the IP before the main course. I just made this for a new mama friend and I think it hit the spot. It’s super comforting too!

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. The creamy sauce that you make to go on top is out of this world. I also ended up using the chicken on top of leafy grains as I tend to get a little Sweet P’d out.

Whole30/Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala. This is a real crowd pleaser! Goes great with rice (actual or caulirice), zoodles, tacos & more.

Beef & Broccoli. OMG. Go make this NOW.

Butternut Squash Soup. A winter classic at our household! Just add a nice & crusty loaf of bread.

Coconut Tandoori Chicken. We posted about this one on our IG recently. This is super flavorful and very versatile. We like ours with basmati rice and roasted Brussels sprouts or really any vegetable, or in tacos or on top of a salad.

Instant Pot Mac n Cheese. Ok, this is one I have not tried but really want to. I think it would make a great Saturday night stay-in kind of meal…