These new, delicious Instant Pot freezer meals are easy to prepare and save time and money! Prep all together or simply choose your favorites to add to your weekly meal plan.
My husband and I use our Instant Pot for just about every meal and making freezer meals has been my saving grace. Since I just started my first full-time job as a nurse, I work really long 12-hour shifts and have so little motivation to cook when I get home. A bad fast-food habit crept into our marriage…and I just knew that we were wasting a lot of money and not eating healthily either! Luckily, I started doubling our meals and freezing the leftovers for later, which has inspired me to make these recipes! This is a compilation of my top 7 Instant Pot freezer meals, which we use nearly every week. This has saved an enormous amount of time and money and we have a lot fewer “what are we having for dinner tonight” conversations. That alone is worth it, haha!
Important Prep Information!
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- Each of these recipes is split into TWO freezer bags. The Instant Pot can hold a lot more than a freezer bag can. I use an Instant Pot Duo Mini (3 quarts), which is smaller than most, and I’m just cooking for 2, so I use half of the recipes. However, if yours is a 6 quart or bigger, there should be plenty of room for both bags.
- All meals must be slightly defrosted before adding to Instant Pot. One, because they are frozen solid and difficult to put in the pot in that shape, and two because the meals will burn if not enough liquid is present. If you do not want to take the time to defrost, you should add at least 1/2 a cup of water to the pot before cooking.
- If you are also cooking in a 3 quart Instant Pot, you will add just one bag and half the amount of water/other ingredients to the pot, with ½ cup liquid minimum! For example, if it says to add 1 cup of sour cream, just add ½ a cup. But never cook without at least ½ a cup of liquid in the Instant Pot or it will burn.
- I cook all of the ground beef while I’m labeling the bags, so that it’s already cooked when it goes in the freezer bags. This saves a TON of time later on. I promise you’ll thank me later. You can also precook all of the chicken in the Instant Pot, so it’s ready to go in. I usually don’t do this, because I think the chicken recipes taste better if cooked with all of the other ingredients.
- I chop all of the vegetables at once and rinse all of the beans, so it’s much easier to put everything together. Having one prep day, also means only one clean-up. It took me about two hours to prep everything and wash the dishes (by hand). Now every night that we use a meal, there are no extra dishes to wash, just our beloved Instant Pot.
- Ingredients like pasta or rice can be added later when you actually cook your meals if you want to save space in your freezer. Just make sure to make a note (in Sharpie) of what you need to remember to add in!
- Don’t forget to bookmark this page so you can easily pull up the instructions/extra ingredients when it’s time to cook them!
Click HERE to print the complete grocery list!
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
- 4 raw chicken breasts
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cans of kidney beans (or preferred bean), drained and rinsed
- 28 oz can diced tomato
- 3 carrots, chopped
- ¼ cup Frank’s hot sauce
- 4 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt to taste
After cooking:
- 4 oz cream cheese
- Tortilla chips, cilantro, lime (optional)
Prep: Add all ingredients to pre-labeled bag and freeze.
Cooking: Add to Instant Pot and add ½ cup of water. Cook 20 minutes on high pressure. Quick Release. Remove lid. Shred chicken and return to pot. Stir. Serve with tortilla chips, cilantro, and lime.
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs cooked ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 beef boullion cube
- 16 oz uncooked egg noodles*
After cooking: - 8 oz softened cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
Prep: Add all ingredients to pre-labeled bag and freeze.
Cooking: Add to Instant Pot with 4 cups of water. Cook for 2 minutes on high pressure**. Quick Release. Remove lid. Add cream cheese and sour cream and stir gently until fully blended with sauce. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
*I prefer to add the noodles when it’s time to cook, so it takes up less room in the freezer. Just make a note on the bag of how much to add.
**This does not include the time it takes to bring the pot up to pressure, so don’t worry, it cooks the noodles perfectly!
Wild Rice Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 raw chicken breasts
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 5 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cups wild rice
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 can sliced mushrooms, or raw sliced mushrooms
- 16 oz chicken broth
- 2 tbsp oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
After cooking: - 1 cup heavy cream
Prep: Add all ingredients to pre-labeled bag and freeze.
Cooking: Add to Instant Pot and add 12 cups of water. Cook 20 minutes on high pressure. Natural release for 10 minutes. Remove lid. Shred chicken and return to pot. Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream. Serve!
White Bean Chicken Chili Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 raw chicken breasts
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 14.5 oz chicken broth (can use up to 20 oz if you want it to be thinner)
- 2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 4 oz can mild diced green chilis
- 1 4 oz can hot diced green chilis
- 1 can Whole Kernel Corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- ¾ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
After cooking: - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup half and half
- 2 or 3 small jalapenos, diced (optional)
- Santa Fe style tortilla strips (optional)
Prep: Add all ingredients to pre-labeled bag and freeze.
Cooking: Add to Instant Pot and add ½ cup of water. Cook 16 minutes on high pressure. Quick Release. Remove lid. Shred chicken and add cream cheese and half and half. Let sit for a few minutes. Serve!
For a more detailed version of this recipe, click here.
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 lb cooked ground beef
- 13 oz Keilbasa sausage, chopped
- 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can tomato sauce*
- ½ bell pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning**
After cooking: - Rice
Prep: Add all ingredients to pre-labeled bag and freeze.
Cooking: Add to Instant Pot with half a cup of water. Cook 10 minutes on high pressure***. Quick Release. Remove lid and stir. Serve with rice.
*After dumping it in the bag, I usually refill it half full with water to get the leftover tomato sauce out!
**our favorite brand is Weber
***If it is too “liquidy” for your taste, turn on saute function and cook off water until desired consistency, stirring often.
Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients:
- 4 raw chicken breasts
- 1 bottle of teriyaki sauce, or carribean jerk chicken sauce
- 1 tsp of crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup of brown sugar
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ tsp minced ginger (optional)
After cooking: - Rice or stir-fry style veggies*
Prep: Add all ingredients to pre-labeled bag and freeze.
Cooking: Add to Instant Pot and add ½ cup of water. Cook 16 minutes on high pressure. Quick Release. Remove lid. (Shred chicken if desired.) Serve over rice or with side of stir fry-style vegetables*.
*Our favorite are the sugar snap pea mix from Walmart.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 tsp thyme
After cooking: - Cooked egg noodles
Prep: Add all ingredients to pre-labeled bag and freeze.
Cooking: Add to Instant Pot with 12 cups of water. Cook 16 minutes on high pressure. Quick Release. Remove lid. Shred chicken. Serve with cooked egg noodles.
Good luck with your newest (and tastiest) Instant Pot adventure! Tag us in your Instagram photos to be featured on @thisbluedress !
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