GuideBookInstant Pot

N u t r i c i o u s l y ' s

IntroductionWelcome to the Instant Pot crew!

We’re super thrilled that you got this little guidebook that contains our

top insider tips for using this awesome kitchen device. Despite all it

has to offer, the Instant Pot does come with a little learning curve that

we want to smoothly guide you through.

Rest assured that it’s a pretty safe device after all, despite some minor

issues to look out for – the people behind Instant Pot are always busy

working on improving their products and constantly get awesome

reviews for them.

Some of the following mistakes we’ve made ourselves, others are tips

that we learned along the way. The 5 recipes we added are for super

basic dishes that could literally be your first-ever use of the Instant

Pot! They have become our staples of the years.

Finally, we’ve attached a table with the exact cooking times for many

foods you’d prepare in your Instant Pot.

Let’s get right into it, enjoy our little tour!

11 thIngs

Startedto KnoW

before you get

When your cooking is on autopilot or your kitchen just

happens to be a bit chaotic, you might accidentally throw

your ingredients right into the Instant Pot without looking.

Please make sure to insert your inner pot, would be a bummer

to have to throw away the food and maybe even ruin your

device! For a little reminder, place a wooden spoon or a

cutting board on top of the Instant Pot so you know that you

have to insert the inner pot first.

01Use the inner pot

Not every country has the same rules when it comes to

electricity. Stay safe by checking the voltage first before

buying the Instant Pot from another country or if you’re

traveling abroad. There are basically versions you can use in

North America (110-120v) and those you can use in Europe or

Australia (220-240v).

02Look out for different voltages

Otherwise, you won’t be able to program it. This is actually

a great safety mechanism! Put the lid on the body of the

Instant Pot and turn it clockwise. You’ll hear a noise once it’s

closed properly and it can then start pressurizing. But before

the Pot actually starts cooking, check that your valve is in

the right position, too. Otherwise, you’ll hear steam being

released for a very long time when the pressure is building up

– nothing dangerous, it just won’t get into the actual cooking

state that way.

03Close the lid & valve correctly

Step away when using the quick release method by manually

moving the valve! Just quickly use your finger (or even a

towel) to let the steam come out. Make sure your (and

everyone else’s) skin is at least a few inches away from the

valve after that. We personally haven’t hurt ourselves during

this step but still wanted to mention it.

04Watch out for the steam!

Please keep in mind that some food actually expands while

being cooked or shortly after cooking. As a rule of thumb, fill

½ of your pot at a maximum when cooking beans or grains

because they easily double and create lots of foam. You

should also use the natural steam release method here. For

everything else, like vegetables, soups, and stock, you can fill

up 2/3 of your pot. It’s better to err on the side of caution

if you’re not sure and only go for “pot half full”. There’s also

a line inside the inner pot indicating the maximum capacity.

Overfilling can result in liquid coming out the steam valve

during cooking.

05Don’t put too much food in it

The cooking times can be a bit misleading. No recipe is truly

“instant”, even if it’s just a one-minute veggie steam. It will

always take a couple of minutes for the Instant Pot to build

up the pressure, which then again needs to come back down

after the cooking time is over. This also depends on how full

your pot is.

06Cooking times may vary

Just as you shouldn’t put too much in general into your

Instant Pot, you shouldn’t put in too little, either. As for your

liquids, always cook with at least 1 cup of water or broth –

otherwise, your food might burn to the bottom. As a new user

(and even after a couple of months), you need to learn how

much liquid is needed for a particular dish so you don’t end up

with a huge pile of mush. Follow the exact Instant Pot recipe

and user manual for best results.

07Keep an eye on the liquid

Right after you have received your Instant Pot and before

using it for cooking, perform a water test to make sure the

seal is working properly. In order to do so, pour 2 cups of

water into the inner pot, close the lid, and seal the valve.

Then, select 5 minutes of cooking time using the “manual”

button. Let the Instant Pot build up the pressure, see the

cooking time count down, and use the quick release method

(watching your skin!) once it’s done.

08Water test first

Depends on your dish! Quick Pressure Release is great for

quickly stopping the cooking process to prevent overcooking.

We mainly use it for vegetables or when we’re in a hurry

(though, depending on the dish, we might have to deal with

the mess that comes out of the valve then). The natural

pressure release method where you just let the Instant Pot sit

for around 10 minutes after cooking is great for foamy foods

like beans or grains as well as watery dishes like soup.

09Know which release method is best

The trivet is a useful accessory that comes with every Instant

Pot you buy. It can be used similarly to a steamer basket to

keep food (or heatproof containers) from touching the bottom

of the pot. You’ll mainly want to use it for steaming potatoes,

corn, or roughly chopped vegetables. Another use it to cook

two things at the same time without touching each other. You

might want to think about getting a trivet with taller legs for

some particular dishes, too. Similarly, the “pot in pot” method

keeps certain foods from touching the bottom – but it also

allows for pressure cooking cakes or lasagna, foods that don’t

contain any liquid. You can also reheat foods that way.

10Trivet and “pot in pot” uses

And by this, we don’t just mean that it looks pretty stylish…

Cooking during summer time or in hot countries can be a

real pain. Luckily, the Instant Pot doesn’t really heat up your

kitchen – especially when compared to an oven or a regular

stovetop. Small win but can make home cooking a lot more

pleasant! Plus, it's super quiet while operating after a little bit

of hissing in the beginning.

11Instant Pot keeps your kitchen cool

7 great

HacksInstant Pot

01. Speed up warming time Place your onion, garlic, or some veggies along with water or

vegetable broth in your inner pot and choose the “sauté” op-

tion. This won’t just make the food taste even slightly better,

but it also speeds up your “come to pressure” time.

02. Travel with your Instant Pot When you’re on vacation and not staying at a place with a

proper kitchen, you’re very likely to be eating out 3 times per

day. This can get pretty costly and expensive over time! How

about investing that money in an Instant Pot instead and have

some One-Pot Meals in the comfort of your hotel room, pos-

sibly even feeding your whole family delicious and healthy

meals every night?

03. Go for manual settings The most important thing to know is that the buttons are just

preset, suggested cooking times for specific items – the Instant

Pot cannot sense what you are actually cooking and doesn’t

know if the food is really done after that specific amount of

time. It doesn’t matter if you choose a preset 20 minutes when

pressing the “Multi Grain” button or manually choose the same

amount of time. We usually just go for manual, then using the

[+] and [-] buttons to change the cook time.

04. Have yummy food any time Using the timer function is a really cool feature, though to be

honest, this doesn’t work for every single dish. Some foods

that are perishable should be kept in the fridge, others will

soak up too much water. But steel cut oats, chickpea curry,

bean chili, or soups will work well here! Choose your cooking

time first, then press “Timer” and use the [+] and [-] buttons

to tell your Instant Pot when it should actually start cooking.

05. Get two inner pots & a seal Sometimes your dish requires a few different components that

need to be cooked separately in the Instant Pot or you have

some leftovers in one of your inner pots in the fridge. Having

an extra inner pot and inner seal is super useful, plus it doesn’t

really cost you much money to get them. Be aware that some

flavors might hang on to the insides (especially the seal), so

you could be looking at a garlicy dessert touch at some point

if you want to prepare both savory and sweet recipes.

06. Regulating the texture If your pressurized end result is too liquid, remove the lid and

use the Sauté function. It will quickly reduce, just don’t forget

to stir a few times during the process to prevent sticking. If

the recipe calls for using flour for thickening, do this after you

have pressure cooked it.

07. Make meals for the week You can do this by either cooking a couple of dinners each

week or 2 weeks which you then freeze and defrost when

needed (using the Instant Pot to re-heat totally works). What

we like to do is bulk or batch cooking – we put as much food

as possible and safe into the Instant Pot and cook for several

days ahead of time. Mainly whole grains and legumes, in this

case, because vegetables are cooked so quickly! But even veg-

gie stews or soups we’d cook in batches with it.

Your FIrst

InstaPotting

5 MeaLsfor

Use 1 cup of steel cut oats along with 3 cups of water and

choose a 3-minute cooking time, using the “manual” button.

Once the time is up, let the pressure release naturally before

removing the lid. Stir around and add some chopped banana

along with frozen berries, then let the mixture sit and soak for

a few minutes. Done!

s t e e L - c u t o a t M e a L

~ 0 1 ~

perfect breakfast / fiber rich / balances blood sugar

Let’s use some healthy brown rice here. Instead of just

following the package instruction for water to rice ratio,

go for 1 part rice to 1.25 parts water (or use a 1 : 1 ratio if

you rinse the rice first). Then, manually choose something

between 20 and 22 minutes – depending on how soft it

should turn out. Let it rest for about 10 minutes after cooking

is finished before releasing any remaining pressure manually.

Q u I c K r I c e

~ 0 2 ~

versatile / lasting energy / boosts metabolism

From beginning to end, this might not be much quicker than

just using a stovetop – but still, it’s a no-touch process, frees

up your stove, allows you to prepare this side without having

a stove at all, and you can use a timer for it. Start by washing

and cutting your veggies into equal-sized, rather large,

chunks. Place them into your steamer basket or trivet and

pour one cup water into the pot. Close the lid and manually

choose a cooking time of just one minute. Once the time

is up, quickly release the pressure and enjoy your flavorful

steamed veggies warm!

s t e a M e d V e g g I e s

~ 0 3 ~

super quick / rich in antioxidants / disease fighting

This is probably our most frequently made food using the

Instant Pot. We like to soak our beans overnight and then

rinse them for better digestion but you don’t need to do that.

Just take around 1 pound of dry beans and 8 cups of water,

place everything into your pot and close the lid, checking the

vent. Look at the cooking timetable to find the instructions

for the specific type of bean you’re using. Once the cooking

time is up, let the pressure release naturally for around 15-20

minutes to avoid liquid being sprayed. Then, open the lid and

start digging into your fresh beans.

B e a n s F r o M s c r a t c h

~ 0 4 ~

mineral rich / protein packages / promote longevity

Take around 6-8 washed and quartered apples along with

a cup of water for this recipe – you can use some older

apples here that could go wrinkly in a couple of days. Add

a teaspoon of cinnamon (or more if you like) and manually

choose a cooking time of 8 minutes. Again, check that the

valve is sealed. Once the cooking time is up, let the apples sit

for about 2-3 minutes before manually releasing the pressure.

Open the lid and mash the apples or use an electric mixer to

smooth it out. Eat warm or put in the fridge!

h e a L t h Y a P P L e s a u c e

~ 0 5 ~

vitamin rich / improves digestion / reduces cellular aging

cooKIng

Cheat SheetstIMe

F o o d Wat e r Q ua n t i t y r at i o G r a i n:Wat e r C o o k i n G t i m e i n m i n u t e s

Barley, pearl 1 : 2.5 20 – 22

Barley, pot 1 : 3 – 1 : 4 25 – 30

Congee, thick 1 : 4 – 1 : 5 15 – 20

Congee, thin 1 : 6 – 1 : 7 15 – 20

Couscous 1 : 2 2 – 3

Corn, dried / halved 1 : 3 5 – 6

Kamut, whole 1 : 2 10 – 12

Millet 1 : 1.75 10 – 12

Oats, quick cooking 1 : 2 2 – 3

Oats, steel-cut 1 : 3 3 – 5

Porridge, thin 1 : 6 – 1 : 7 5 – 7

Quinoa, quick cooking 1 : 1.25 1

Rice, Basmati 1 : 1 4

Rice, Brown 1 : 1 20 – 22

Rice, Jasmine 1 : 1 4

Rice, white 1 : 1 4

Rice, wild 1 : 2 20 – 25

Sorghum 1 : 3 20 – 25

Spelt berries (unsoaked) 1 : 1.5 25 – 30

Wheat berries (unsoaked) 1 : 3 25 – 30

Rice & Grains

F o o d d r y C o o k i n G t i m ei n m i n u t e ss o a k e d C o o k i n G t i m e

i n m i n u t e s

Azuki beans 16 – 20 4 – 6

Anasazi 20 – 25 5 – 7

Black beans 20 – 25 4 – 6

Black-eyed peas 6 – 7 4 – 5

Chickpeas 35 – 40 10 – 15

Cannellini beans 25 – 30 6 – 9

Great Northern beans 25 – 30 7 – 8

Kidney beans, red 15 – 20 7 – 8

Kidney beans, white 25 – 30 6 – 9

Lentils, green 4 – 6 n/a

Lentils, brown 4 – 6 n/a

Lentils, red, split 1 – 2 n/a

Lentils, yellow, split 1 – 2 n/a

Lima beans 12 – 14 3 – 6

Navy beans 20 – 25 7 – 8

Pinto beans 25 – 30 6 – 9

Peas 16 – 20 10 – 12

Scarlet runner 20 – 25 6 – 8

Soy beans 35 – 45 18 – 20

Legumes

F o o d F r e s h C o o k i n G t i m ei n m i n u t e sF r o z e n C o o k i n G t i m e

i n m i n u t e s

Artichoke, whole 9 – 11 11 – 13

Artichoke, hearts 4 – 5 5 – 6

Asparagus, whole or cut 1 – 2 2 – 3

Beans, green or yellow 1 – 2 2 – 3

Beetroot, small / whole 11 – 13 13 – 15

Beetroot, large / whole 20 – 25 25 – 30

Broccoli, florets 1 – 2 2 – 3

Broccoli, stalks 3 – 4 4 – 5

Brussel sprouts, whole 2 – 3 3 – 4

Cabbage, shredded 2 – 3 3 – 4

Cabbage, wedges 3 – 4 4 – 5

Carrots, sliced or shredded 2 – 3 3 – 4

Carrots, whole or chunked 6 – 8 7 – 9

Cauliflower florets 2 – 3 3 – 4

Celery, chunks 2 – 3 3 – 4

Collard Greens 4 – 5 5 – 6

Corn kernels 1 – 2 2 – 3

Corn (on the cob) 3 – 5 4 – 6

Eggplant (slices or chunks) 3 – 4 3 – 4

Endive 1 – 2 2 – 3

Green beans (whole) 2 – 3 3 – 4

Vegetables

F o o d F r e s h C o o k i n G t i m ei n m i n u t e sF r o z e n C o o k i n G t i m e

i n m i n u t e s

Greens (chopped) 4 – 5 5 – 6

Leeks 2 – 3 3 – 4

Mixed vegetables 3 – 4 4 – 6

Okra 2 – 3 3 – 4

Onions (sliced) 2 – 3 3 – 4

Parsnips (chunks) 3 – 4 4 – 5

Peas (in the pod) 1 – 2 2 – 3

Peas (green) 1 – 2 2 – 3

Potatoes (cubed) 3 – 4 4 – 5

Baby potatoes (whole) 8 – 10 12 – 14

Large potatoes (whole) 12 – 15 15 – 19

Pumpkin (small pieces) 4 – 5 6 – 7

Pumpkin (larges pieces) 8 – 10 10 – 14

Spinach 1 – 2 2 – 3

Acorn squash (slices) 3 – 4 4 – 6

Butternut squash (slices) 4 – 6 6 – 8

Sweet Potato (cubes) 2 – 4 4 – 6

Sweet Potato Large (whole) 12 – 15 15 – 19

Sweet Potato Small (whole) 10 – 12 12 – 14

Sweet Pepper (slices or chunks) 1 – 3 2 – 4

Tomatoes (quarters) 2 – 3 4 – 5

Vegetables

F o o d F r e s h C o o k i n G t i m ei n m i n u t e sF r o z e n C o o k i n G t i m e

i n m i n u t e s

Apples (slices or pieces) 1 – 2 2 – 3

Apples (whole) 3 – 4 4 – 6

Apricot (whole or halves) 2 – 3 3 – 4

Peaches 2 – 3 4 – 5

Pears (whole) 3 – 4 4 – 6

Pears (slices or halves) 2 – 3 4 – 5

Plums 2 – 3 4 – 5

Raisins n/a 4 – 5

Fruits

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