14 Vegan Instant Pot Recipes That Make Weeknight Cooking a Breeze (2024)

FAQs

Is an Instant Pot good for vegan cooking? ›

From plumping up dried beans to baking a cake, Instant Pots can handle a whole range of tasks that will drastically simplify your weekly meal prep. We've rounded up our favorite vegan Instant Pot recipes that are 100% oil-free and totally delicious so you'll have plenty of fresh ideas for dinnertime.

Among them are dairy and fried foods, as well as burgers and steaks. These foods are not Instant-Pot-friendly for a multitude of reasons. And while Instant Pots are a useful tool when baking cheesecake, custard, or mousse, it's definitely not the best method for other types of desserts.

In general, Instant Pots do so much more than just pressure cooking and can be used as a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer yogurt maker, sauté pan, and a meal warmer.

Pressure cookers are amazingly useful kitchen appliances that can dramatically expand your vegan cooking possibilities. They let you cook any number of meals that would otherwise be prohibitively time-consuming. If you cook beans often, or live in a place with long winters, you should strongly consider purchasing one.

Foods containing dairy, like milk, cream, or yogurt, should not be pressure-cooked. The high heat and pressure can cause dairy products to curdle or separate, ruining the texture, taste and flavour of the dish. Cooking fried foods is a strict no no, when it comes to pressure cookers.

Just like in a slow cooker, most dairy products such as cheese, milk and sour cream will curdle in an Instant Pot, no matter if you use the pressure cooking setting or the slow cooking setting. Add these ingredients after the dish cooks or avoid making the recipe in the Instant Pot altogether.

Mostly we boil potatoes in a pressure cooker, but like rice, potatoes also contain a lot of starch. This is the reason why boiling or cooking in this pressure cooker is not considered good for health. If you still plan to use cooker for the same, add a lot of water and wash them thoroughly post cooking.

There is a whole lot of science to explain what makes coconut milk and dairy milk products curdle, but basically the sauce will break when it cooks too hot and too rapidly, so this can be especially troublesome when using a pressure cooker.

Besides, the higher fiber, antioxidants content, potassium content and lower saturated fat and sodium content in vegetarian diets can contribute to a lower body mass index and blood pressure readings [15,16,17].

Yes, an air fryer can be an excellent tool for vegan cooking. It offers a convenient and efficient way to prepare a wide range of vegan dishes. Air fryers can achieve a crispy texture on plant-based proteins, such as tofu, tempeh, or seitan, without the need for excessive oil.

Can bacteria survive a pressure cooker? ›

The pressure cookers used can inactivate up to 10¹⁰ CFU/mL bacteria and 10⁷ CFU/mL fungi.

Disadvantages of cooking food in a pressure cooker

However, starchy foods may form acrylamide, a harmful chemical, when pressure cooked. Consumption of this chemical on a regular basis may lead to health issues like cancer, infertility, and neurological disorders.

Energy Efficiency

The sealed environment traps heat and moisture, minimizing heat loss and preventing the need for prolonged cooking. By reducing cooking time and optimizing energy usage, pressure cookers can help save both time and money while promoting sustainability.

Electric pressure cooking provides a wide range of benefits, from reducing carbon emissions and personal exposure to harmful pollutants to lowering the burden of disease associated with household air pollution.

Pressure cooking, like slow cooking, will tenderize tough cuts of meat like beef brisket, beef chuck, pork shoulder and lots of other cheaper, tougher cuts. Pressure cooking (or slow cooking) is not the best approach for cooking expensive, tender steaks or rib roasts.