Favorite Summer Side Dishes for the Pressure Cooker

Summer is a great time to use your pressure cooker! The pressure cooker makes short work of side dishes, and you can get a warm dish on the table without heating up your house using the oven. These Favorite Summer Side Dishes for the Pressure Cooker are sure to be a hit at your 4th of July BBQ, neighborhood potluck, or family reunion!

SUMMER NIGHTS ARE HERE! In Utah, we’re lucky enough to live at a high altitude so things generally cool off in the evenings. There’s few things I look forward to more than having the family over for a summer barbecue, and no barbecue is anticipated more than our annual 4th of July celebration. Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite summer side dishes to make for a big BBQ get-together.

To make it easy for you, I’ve paired some of these sides with my three favorite grilling recipes. Be sure and stop by Barbara Bakes to check them out!

Favorite Summer Side Dishes for the Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)

Grilled Baby Back Ribs & Potato Salad

At our house, we celebrate the 4th of July with parades and activities in the morning, and then all the kids and their families come over for a big batch of my Make-Ahead Baby Back Ribs. At this point, for my family, it’s not the 4th without the ribs! And I love that I can pressure cook them in advance and finish them on the grill at dinner time. When I serve up ribs, I like to serve them with a spread of fresh fruit, rolls, a tossed green salad, and, of course, a big batch of my potato salad.

My Quick & Easy Pressure Cooker Potato Salad recipe is a classic potato salad recipe that only takes 4 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker—and it cooks the eggs and potatoes at the same time. If you love potato salad, you’ll love this recipe!

Pork Tenderloin & Cilantro Lime Rice

This Spicy Grilled Pork Tenderloin is a crowd-pleaser! I love serving pork tenderloin because it cooks up quick and easy, and is so tender, juicy and delicious.. The secret is a not-too-hot blend of spices that you rub on the meat before grilling. It’s great paired with a Mexican Corn Salad, chips and fresh salsa, and my pressure cooker Cilantro Lime Rice.

Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice is a perfect side dish! The lime and cilantro give this rice a bright, fresh flavor. It’s easily doubled or tripled with no change in the cook time!

Grilled Steak Kabobs, Baked Beans & Cornbread

I love making steak kabobs when I’m feeding a crowd because they cook up quick, and I can stretch the meat a little farther. (I typically get 8 kabobs out of 6 steaks.) Pair them with my pressure cooker baked beans and cornbread to help sop up the last of the syrupy beans.

My Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Baked Beans are the perfect addition to a summer BBQ. The sticky-sweet navy beans and bacon are a barbeque classic!

Did you know you can “bake” cornbread in the pressure cooker? This Pressure Cooker Cornbread is a great option in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the house using the oven.

Other Favorite Summer Side Dish Recipes

This Amish Macaroni Salad features creamy mayonnaise and a sweet/sour base provided by the sugar and vinegar. It’s easy, and you can make it the night before to free up time and space in your pressure cooker.

I can’t think of many things better than fresh cherries in the summer. They’re a hit in this surprising, fresh-tasting Pressure Cooker Farro Cherry Salad. (And it doesn’t hurt that it looks beautiful on the table!)

I serve Lemon Rice whenever I’m grilling Greek Pork Souvlaki. For my daughter, souvlaki just isn’t complete without the lemon rice. We like it extra lemony at our house, so we frequently add lemon zest and extra lemon juice.

Saffron Almond Rice Pilaf is rice pilaf dressed up with sliced almonds and a pinch of saffron. It features a beautiful color and great contrasting textures. It’s perfect with a grilled pork chop or steak and fresh veggies. This side dish makes a weekly appearance at our house in the summer.

While this Spicy Brown Rice Black Bean Salad can stand on its own, it also makes a great side or appetizer! When I serve it with these Southwest Chipotle Sliders, I’ll serve it hot and sub the tabasco sauce for the same amount of the adobo sauce we use in the sliders.

Easy-to-make Rice Pilaf with Carrots, Peas and Parsley is a colorful addition to any meal.

If you’re in the mood for a twist on a classic, try this fun BLT Potato Salad with bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and parsley.

Sometimes your family just wants a warm side-dish. (My daughter’s a little funny about cold food.) These saucy-cheesy potatoes au gratin are her very favorite side to any meat.

So these are all of my family’s favorite summer side dishes! What’s your favorite summer side dish?