40 Dump-and-Go Recipes for the Instant Pot
With these super simple Instant Pot Dump-and-Go recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can set and forget your ingredients and come back to a delicious one-pot meal.

We love any recipe that requires just one pot. And even better if you can add all of the ingredients to your Instant Pot, set it to cook, then come back to a fully prepared dish.
These are all of our favorite dump-and-go recipes for breakfast, soups and stews, and dinner with chicken, beef, and pastas. If you’re looking for the simplest dinner solution, you’ll find it in this list!
What is a Dump and Go Recipe?
There’s a great deal of variation on what a “dump and go recipe” is—some people define it as using only ready-made ingredients, while others consider it more like a one-pot meal where all the cooking is done in a single pot.
We tend to fall somewhere in the middle. For us, a dump-and-go meal means there’s a short prep time (for instance, dicing an onion or measuring spices) and little additional work.
Note: A few of the recipes we’ve included here have an optional sauté step that you can skip to make it a true dump-and-go meal.
The EASIEST Dump-and-Go Instant Pot Recipes
These delicious dinners, breakfasts, and lunches couldn't be easier to make. Simply add all of the ingredients to your Instant Pot, set it to cook, and walk away. You'll have a complete meal in minutes.
Dump-and-Go Pasta Recipes
Macaroni in a Lemon Cream Sauce
Instant Pot Lemon Pasta is a creamy, cheesy pasta with a subtle lemon flavor.
Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
When you need to get dinner on the table quick, you can skip the sauté step for the onions and peppers without much impact to the finished dish.
Instant Pot Shrimp Alfredo Pasta
This dump-and-go meal features juicy, sweet shrimp are the perfect topping to ultra-creamy alfredo-draped pasta.
One-Pot Tortellini
Easy One-Pot Tortellini in the Instant Pot is a fast and flavorful weeknight pasta dinner with tomato sauce and cheese-filled pasta perfect for Meatless Monday.
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Creamy, fast, and easy, this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is one of the best Instant Pot weeknight dinners, and it’s 100% kid and grown-up approved!
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is a quick and easy 15-minute pressure cooker dinner with frozen meatballs, your favorite spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Skip the saute step for a true dump-and-go meal.
Dump-and-Go Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Pressure Cooker Spicy Chicken Soup
If you like a bit of heat, try this gently spiced soup that's full of tender shredded chicken, beans, and vegetables.
Frozen Ground Beef Chili
This is the easiest Instant Pot Ground Beef Chili, made using frozen ground beef, beef broth, dried spices, and canned tomatoes for a weeknight meal you'll love!
Tomatillo Soup with Hominy
This is a spin on pozole soup, with chewy hominy, pulled chicken, and a flavor-packed broth.
Italian Wedding Soup
This 5-Ingredient Wedding Soup is made with frozen meatballs for a super fast and easy dump-and-go weeknight dinner.
Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Black Beans
Pumpkin adds natural creaminess and sweetness to this fully-loaded black bean soup. You break up the meat in the pot after the pressure is released.
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili with tender, juicy chicken in a spicy green chili sauce is one of the best pressure cooking soup recipes—great any time of year!
Instant Pot Quick & Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup
This quick and easy Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup is a delicious dump-everything, one-pot recipe that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
One-Pot Chicken Recipes
Instant Pot BBQ Shredded Chicken
This Shredded Barbecue Chicken recipe is great for sandwiches and salads and can start with frozen chicken breasts.
Bacon Chicken Ranch (aka crack chicken)
This Instant Pot Ranch Bacon Chicken recipe has a rich, creamy cheese sauce and smoky bacon for sandwiches, salads, and more easy dinners. Note that there are a few ingredients to stir in after cooking so the cheese sauce is smooth.
How to Pressure Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts
Yes, you can cook your chicken from frozen! Use this strategy next time you forget to defrost the chicken for dinner.
Easy Chicken Fajitas
This Instant Pot Chicken Fajita recipe is a quick dinner made with chicken breasts, bell peppers, and onion loaded onto flour tortillas. Feel free to skip the saute step for greater time savings.
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Instant Pot Salsa Lime Chicken is a fast dump-and-go dinner recipe you can cook from frozen. Plus, it's topped with melty cheese.
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Filling
This Instant Pot chicken taco filling is great for taco salads, and burritos. Just a minute or two in your stand mixer will have it nicely shredded and meal-ready.
Dump-and-Go Beef and Pork Recipes
Three-Ingredient Pot Roast
This is the easiest, most savory Instant Pot pot roast recipe around. And the best part is that you start with frozen meat! (Note that this one has a longer cook time since it cooks from frozen. But it's relatively hands-off.)
Instant Pot Grape Jelly BBQ Meatballs
These easy-to-make Instant Pot Sweet BBQ Meatballs are a popular, classic party appetizer made with grape jelly, BBQ sauce, and a 5 minute cook time!
Easy Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
If you have BBQ sauce and pork shoulder, you can make this awesome Easy Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork! Fall-apart tender pork is served on a bun with a smoky-sweet barbecue sauce.
Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches in the Pressure Cooker
This Instant Pot Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches recipe makes a big batch of tender pulled pork in a sweet root beer–barbecue sauce.
Instant Pot Meatball Sandwiches
These quick and easy Instant Pot Meatball Sandwiches are made with frozen meatballs and homemade marinara, served on toasted sub rolls with melted cheese.
Teri’s Pressure Cooker Sausage and Peppers
This Instant Pot Sausage and Peppers recipe comes together in about 45 minutes and is packed with flavor from tomato sauce and bell peppers.
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Pork Stroganoff
Pork makes a great protein in stroganoff, coated n a creamy and super savory mushroom gravy.
Shortcut Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Boneless Pork Chops
These boneless pork chops are cooked until they're fork-tender in an easy tomato-mushroom gravy—made pressure-cooker quick using onion soup mix, mushrooms, and tomato paste.
Pork Carnitas in the Pressure Cooker
This makes a great burrito, taco, or enchilada filling. The pork is crisp on the edges and soft and tender in the center.
Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy
Instant Pot Pork Chops in creamy mushroom gravy are juicy, tender, and perfect with mashed potatoes for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
Instant Pot Ground Beef Tacos
These easy Instant Pot Ground Beef Tacos can use fresh or frozen ground beef for this foolproof recipe. (Note that this one requires a few minutes after pressure cooking to thicken the cooking liquid into a sauce.)
Easy Sloppy Joes
This Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe has a mustard-spiked sauce and are made with chicken gumbo soup for a quick weeknight recipe.
Dump-and-Go Breakfast Recipes
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
Creamy Instant Pot steel cut oats are an easy breakfast. We like to saute them in butter, but you can skip this step with little change to the finished flavor.
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Spice Steel Cut Oats
Adding pumpkin to your morning meal is a great way to add nutrients and that signature fall flavor.
Pressure Cooker Lemon Cranberry Breakfast Farro
Farro is great for breakfast too. It's full of whole grain health benefits, and in this recipe, it gets sweetened up with dried cranberries and fresh lemon.
Pressure Cooker Cinnamon Roll Steel Cut Oats
This healthier version of a cinnamon roll has all of the flavor you're looking for without the sugar crash.
Pressure Cooker Vanilla Latte Steel Cut Oats
Drink your latte and eat it too! This oatmeal recipe is gently sweetened and flavored with plenty of vanilla goodness.
Pressure Cooker Almond Joy Steel Cut Oats
If you love the classic candy bar, this breakfast recipe is about to become your new go-to.
Pressure Cooker Lemon Blueberry Steel Cut Oats
This one-pot oatmeal recipe is topped with fresh berries and a touch of lemon for brightness.
Pressure Cooker Carrot Cake Oatmeal
This creamy oatmeal is delicious on a chilly morning and tastes just like dessert, but is packed with fiber and protein.
Oatmeal for One | Instant Pot recipe
This is the easiest breakfast of Instant Pot Oatmeal for One with old-fashioned oats and your favorite toppings. Best of all, you cook it pot-in-pot in the bowl you'll eat it in.
Did you try these recipes?
Leave us a comment to tell us what you loved!
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What size instant pot are you using for these recipes?
Hi Rae – our recipes are created using a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Oh My: The hardest thing about these recipes is deciding which do I want to try first……they all sound so very good. I’ve got to thank you for the Pressure Cooking book as I have made so many and they ALL have been just so “yummy”. My very favorite ??? I’d have a hard time picking. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Love this site.
Thanks so much Verna – enjoy!
THANK YOU! I just pulled recipes for my entire week off this page. What a time saver all around. And I know they will be delicious.
How fun – thanks Stefanie!