11 Plant-Based Recipes You Can Make in Your Pressure Cooker

Cassoulet—that classic southern-French dish of beans and meat is the very definition of a hearty fall stew. It can also take days to make. We took a lot of the fuss out, and then went ahead and made it into a decadent vegetarian main dish.

Eating black-eyed peas and greens is a New Year’s Day tradition that’s said to bring good luck for the coming year. Just a little bit of bacon adds a big hit of flavor to the greens and the peas. And when you cook dried black-eyed peas in a multicooker, you can skip the soaking step.

The flavors of the vegetables meld together during cooking and, along with the fresh herbs and red wine vinegar, create a well-seasoned, hearty side dish.

Using the multicooker for grits is ideal—no splatters, constant stirring, or burned grits at the bottom of the pan. The spinach stirred into the perfectly creamy grits at the end adds color, flavor, and a load of nutrients.

This fall-flavored soup tastes lush and creamy, but has no heavy cream whatsoever. 

Keep this homemade tomato sauce on hand to serve with your favorite pasta or use in any recipe that calls for canned tomato sauce.

Why pay for precooked beets when the Instant Pot can cook them for you in a flash? These are delicious on their own as a veggie side or to add to salad.  

This simple side of cauliflower dressed in a vinaigrette may be just the ticket to get you past your childhood aversion to this veggie. The dijon-cider vinaigrette really seals the deal. For variation, try this recipe with broccoli rather than cauliflower.

Preparing spaghetti squash in your Instant Pot yields a perfectly cooked squash—not mushy, but tender and holding its shape. Here we dress it with a touch of olive oil and seasonings to ever-so-slightly enhance its flavor. But spaghetti squash is also a perfect base for so many sauces, or just a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese as a side dish. At the store, look for squash that are about 3 lbs. Too much larger than that and they get “woody.”

If you’re looking for a fun fall way to use your Instant Pot, look no further: Nothing is tastier than a homemade applesauce using seasonally fresh ingredients. You can leave it a little chunky (perfect for spooning over top waffles) or process it with an immersion blender, for a smoother taste.

Cooking cabbage soup in your Instant Pot helps to maintain a bit of texture in the ingredients, though not too much crunch. Veggie-packed, yet still bright and fresh-tasting, the flavors in this ultra-healthy soup don’t get muddy as vegetable soups sometimes do.