8 Kid Friendly Instant Pot Recipes

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These family-friendly Instant Pot meals are a complete dinner hero on a busy weeknight! Pop a few healthy ingredients in and a pressure cooker meal will feed your hungry kids in a pinch.

8 must-have family friendly Instant Pot meals your kids will love

Were you one of the hoards of people who picked up an Instant Pot during Amazon's Black Friday madness last fall? I got such a good deal on mine, I couldn't resist testing it out.

I'm always looking for ways to get dinner to the table a little bit faster. I've been playing around with it on and off for the last several months with mixed success. I'm always surprised when I hear about people who are still too scared to even turn theirs on!

A couple of weeks ago we tried out another new Instant Pot recipe and it was such an enormous hit, I figured it was time to finally share our very favorite family-friendly Instant Pot meals with you.

Don't miss the list of the 8 pressure cooker recipes below, but let's start with the winning recipe first!

Handyman Tim and I both love Thai and Chinese food, but Indian food is something we've been a little shy to dig into. The spices are just so much more intense than what we normally use, it feels like a shock to the system.

Why is butter chicken the perfect first recipe to make in your Instant Pot?

This butter chicken recipe highlights everything that is magical about the Instant Pot:

  1. You mostly just dump all the ingredients into the Instant Pot to cook. It only takes minutes to get it started
  2. The boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook to the most-perfect tender texture. They nearly fall apart in the pot. 
  3. If you haven't tried butter chicken, it's a great exotic dish to introduce your kids to something new. I was blown away by how much my family LOVED it.

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Little Pea loved this dinner so much she declared she wanted it for her birthday. Tim gave it two thumbs up and said to keep it on our meal rotation for sure.

Over the years since I first published this recipe, we have made it once a month or so. 

Kid Friendly Instant Pot Recipes

Got a new Instant Pot? Don't miss these kid-friendly recipes to use to test out your new appliance.

Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken

This instant pot butter chicken recipe is the best example of why an Instant Pot is so amazing. The chicken thighs cook up so perfectly tender in just 15 minutes.

The rich and creamy but spicy tomato sauce is a huge hit with my whole family.

Soon you'll want a second Instant Pot to make the jasmine rice at the same time!

easy instant pot butter chicken

Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken
This rich and spicy butter chicken recipe makes it worth buying an Instant Pot! This easy weeknight dinner is always a hit with the family. Serve it over even easier Instant Pot jasmine rice with fresh cilantro and warm naan breads for dunking.
GET THE RECIPE
A dinner bowl has a serving of butter chicken spooned over jasmine rice. Fresh cilantro is sprinkled over the top.

Instant Pot Ground Turkey Soup

This light and healthy Instant Pot ground turkey soup is a guilt-free soup to serve on a busy weeknight.

You can add the yummy pasta to it and cook it right in the Instant Pot or stir in your favorite rice.

instant pot ground turkey soup

Instant Pot Ground Turkey Soup
This rich and hearty ground turkey soup is filled with tender vegetables and tastes like it has been slowcooked all day but takes less than an hour with your Instant Pot. Serve with fresh bread.
4.92 from 49 votes
GET THE RECIPE
The finished ground turkey soup is ready to be served from the Instant Pot.

The Best Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos

My kids LOVE this easy "green chicken" for tacos. With just three ingredients and almost no time, you'll have the tastiest taco filling in a pinch.

instant pot shredded chicken tacos

Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
This easy Mexican shredded chicken taco recipe is so ridiculously easy to make, even your kids could cook it! Dump everything in the Instant Pot (or slow cooker / crockpot) and you're ready to go. Leftovers freeze well, so be sure to make a big batch.
4.67 from 3 votes
GET THE RECIPE
A bowl full of shredded chicken with a spoon. There's a bowl of red tomatoes, a green napkin, and a bottle of hot sauce sitting nearby.

Barbacoa Beef  

Not in the mood for chicken? How about this spicy barbacoa beef for homemade burrito bowls?

barbacoa beef

Barbacoa Beef
If you like cumin and spicy food, then you’ll love Barbacoa Beef. Spicy shredded beef braised in a blend of chipotle adobo, cumin, cloves, garlic and oregano.
GET THE RECIPE
Barbacoa Beef

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef   

Make your own takeout with this delicious instant pot mongolian beef right at home.?

instant pot mongolian beef

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe is your answer to “take-out” at home! Much better than the restaurant version, easy, tender, and ready in minutes!
GET THE RECIPE
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

Instant Pot Lemon Chicken  

This buttery instant pot lemon chicken is a perfect pick for cooking an easy dinner for kids.

instant pot lemon chicken  

Delicious Instant Pot Buttery Lemon Chicken
This recipe has been downloaded over 500k times! Try this delicious and easy Instant Pot buttery lemon chicken over rice, pasta or a side of vegetables.
GET THE RECIPE
Delicious Instant Pot Buttery Lemon Chicken

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs   

Making instant pot hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot is so easy, even my husband loves to do it. We always have a container of hard boiled eggs in the fridge ready for a snack or topping a salad.

instant pot hard boiled eggs   

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
The easiest way to make hard boiled eggs is in the Instant Pot using this method! Not only do you have perfect eggs in just a few minutes, but they also peel easy every time!
GET THE RECIPE

Easy Recipes for Families

Looking for more delicious dinner ideas? Here are some easy strategies for getting dinner to the table fast:

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