Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes for a Faster, Easier Whole30

One of the biggest hesitations many people have about beginning a Whole30 is the time commitment.

We lead busy lives—imagining how much time you’ll be spending on cooking, prepping, and shopping can be daunting.

One of our favorite ways to streamline this process and make it way more approachable is with our trusty Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker). This cuts your cook-time for many hearty, Whole30 meals in half (or often even more!) and can make dinnertime way less stressful.

Grab your Instant Pot, check out our recipe roundup, and get to cooking!

Section 1: Protein Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes

1. Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock

Let’s start with basics. Chicken stock is a staple on Whole30, and nothing quite tastes as good as homemade. This Serious Eats recipe uses the not-so-glamorous cuts from a chicken, veggie scraps and herbs for an economical and highly flavorful stock. Use this as a base for other soups, sauces and stews!

2. Fall-Off-The-Bone Pressure Cooker Chicken

This recipe from Healing Gourmet shows you how to cook an entire chicken with garlic, lemon and herbs in less than 30 minutes. This is an awesome recipe to keep on hand for meal prepping or for family dinner when you have lots of mouths to feed. Half an hour sounds like magic, right? That’s the Instant Pot for you!

3. Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

Thanks to The Real Food Dieticians, we can make our own baby back ribs in a much more reasonable amount of time. Grab your favorite Whole30 compliant barbecue sauce and a bunch of spices and have flavorful ribs ready in less than an hour!

4. Instant Pot Kalua Pig

Nom Nom Paleo has this succulent Hawaiian pork recipe down, and it couldn’t be easier to recreate! Bacon, pork shoulder, garlic, and some really good quality salt is all you really need. In about two hours, you’ll feel like you’re at a luau.

5. Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

Animal protein not really your thing? This Prairie Homestead recipe takes the guesswork out of the often-mysterious technique behind the perfect hardboiled egg. Get your protein in by throwing some eggs in salads or as a quick afternoon snack with some veggies!

Section 2: Starch & Veggie Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes

6. Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

This recipe from Add a Pinch teaches you how to cook sweet potatoes the easy (and ridiculously fast) way with your Instant Pot. Ten minutes of cook time is all you need to get your yams from rock hard to soft and ready-to-eat! Top them with some almond butter and cinnamon for a sweet snack or scoop out the flesh and use them in your favorite Whole30-approved casserole recipe.

7. Pressure Cooker Crispy Potatoes

Another amazing Nom Nom Paleo recipe gets you crispy potatoes with minimum time commitment. Yukon gold potatoes are gussied up with some lemon and parsley to make perfect, hearty side to go with your protein main.

8. Quick Cauliflower Rice in the Instant Pot

Need a side to soak up some curry or a bed for a tasty pot roast? Cauliflower rice to the rescue! Thanks to this post from Kitchen Stewardship, we can now have this Whole30 staple in no time.

9. Instant Pot Saag

My Heart Beets brings us a creamy-without-the-cream recipe that is a paleo-ified version of an Indian classic. Featuring spinach, mustard greens, ghee, and plenty of zingy spices, this dish would go beautifully next to a chicken curry.

Section 3: Whole30 Instant Pot Meals

10. One Pot Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce

Skinnytaste’s recipe for this one-pot meal is simple and so satisfying. It makes enough for six so be ready to share, pack extras up in the fridge, or freeze the leftovers. Don’t forget to omit the cheese as the recipe instructs to keep it Whole30-approved!

11. Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe from Wholesomelicious would go perfectly with some cauliflower rice and a side of saag! Make this as spicy or as mild as you’d like or garnish with some fresh herbs to give this dish a bit of a fresh twist.

12. Mom’s Beef Stew

I Heart Umami does Asian-inspired paleo cuisine and this instant pot version of an old family recipe definitely lives up to the name in the umami-department. Mushrooms, 5-spice powder and coconut aminos paired with beef and broth make this the perfect stick-to-your-bones cool weather meal. Zucchini noodles make a great addition here!

13. Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma 

The spices in this Mediterranean chicken shawarma from Little Bits Of pack in some amazing flavor! Drizzle with some tahini sauce and wrap in lettuce or place on crispy slices of sweet potato for a delicious and filling lunch or dinner.

14. Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

Is there anything cozier than pot roast? Pair a chuck roast with some broth (use your homemade stock from the recipe above!), carrots, potatoes and mushrooms for a quick and easy dinner from The Domestic Man that makes for great leftovers.

15. Turkey and Cabbage Soup

Soup is a great thing to have on hand—it’s comforting, simple, and a whole meal in one bowl. This turkey and cabbage soup from Healthy Vittles and Bits is no exception! Make sure you’re using a Whole30-friendly marinara sauce in this recipe (look out for sugar!), but otherwise you’re good to go.

That concludes our list of easy-peasy Whole30 Instant Pot recipes! Also make sure to check out our collection of Whole30 slow cooker recipes for more easy compliant cooking.

What are your favorite Instant Pot recipes? How do you use your pressure cooker to make your Whole30 run smoothly? Tell us in the comments!