12 Trader Joes Instant Pot Recipes to Save You Time & Money Every Week!

Working full time as a recipe blogger, some nights I just don’t have the time to bust out every pot and pan in the house! Between engaging with reader comments, writing these posts, and raising my 6 children, I turn to my trusty instant pot every week to save me valuable time in the kitchen. But, there’s a knack to working with this handy kitchen appliance, and it can take time to learn which recipes are worth your time. That’s why I’ve vetted these 12 instant pot recipes. Choose any one of these for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

12 Trader Joes Instant Pot Recipes to Save You Time & Money Every Week!

I recently told Shelly that there are only two people I on earth I would leave her for. Chris Hemsworth, and the creator of the Instant Pot! 😍 Gone are the days of recipes with endless steps, standing over a boiling hot stovetop, and begging my son Toby to wash a goddamn dish. Now, I can have dinner in… well, an Instant!

Here’s the thing about me. I love a time saving hack. In fact, the reason I was able to reverse my chronic heart condition was because Trader Joes made healthy cooking less time consuming for myself and my family. Whether I’m utilizing their many delicious frozen options, or tossing a “dump and go” meal into my Instant Pot, I try to keep my dinner prep time to a minimum.

In this post, not only will I share my favorite instant pot recipes- I’m going to show you how you can make them even quicker and cheaper with the help of my favorite grocery store. No slaving over the stove, no endless dishes, and no time wasted. Let’s get into it.

How I Fell In Love With The Instant Pot

Growing up, my mom did everything the hard way. We didn’t have a washer or dryer, so she used a wash board and hung up our clothes to line dry. She painstakingly chopped every ingredient for each recipes. And during our time living in Guyana, she even grew the food we ate herself!

She taught us that hard work would make us stronger, and more well rounded people. Well, I’ve got to call bull on that one! Cooking without shortcuts is what lead to my bad takeout habit, and sent me down the path to morbid obesity. Luckily, my next door neighbor recently introduced me to one of the greatest hacks in cooking- the Instant Pot!

One evening, he had Shelly and I over for dinner and served us some delicious Mongolian Beef! When I asked how he made it, he told me that he simply dumped the ingredients into something called an “Instant Pot,” and then it just cooked on its own. I was amazed, and had to check it out for myself. He showed me the different cooking modes, how to release the pressure once the meal was cooked, and how to clean it. He even seemed to be experimenting with improving the design of the pot. One time I caught him tinkering away and placing a bunch of nails into the basin. Now that would sure make for an interesting recipe!

But I assure you, none of these recipes contain metal. They are full of delicious Trader Joes flavor that is sure to blow your mind! 😉

Why YOU Will Love The Instant Pot

You’ll love the instant pot because it gives you restaurant quality meals in just minutes.

It’s quick.

It’s easy.

And best of all, you won’t have to bend over the sink for an hour after dinner scraping burnt bits off your stainless steel pan that you begged for for Christmas only to find that you’d rather just ingest the chemicals of nonstick cookware.

How the Instant Pot Saves You Money

Cooking with your instant pot can save you a ton. The average cost of a takeout meal is $15-25 (more if you’re tacking on a delivery fee) while the average home cooked meal price sits at about $4 per serving. However, you can stretch this even further with the instant pot. Here’s how.

Many instant pot recipes use shelf stable pantry items as the main staple of the meal. That’s because you can add a ton of flavor to these ingredients by cooking everything together in the instant pot! This kitchen item helps you turn a can of beans into a delectable chili, some rice into restaurant quality asian delicacies, or frozen veggies into an incredible stew.

In these recipes, you’ll find that cheap items are often the star of the show. Frozen veggies and meats, canned beans and corn, and grains like rice, and quinoa make up a bulk of the shopping you’ll need to do.

And remember, you can save even more money when you shop at Trader Joe’s!

How to Save Even More Time.

The Instant Pot is a time saving kitchen tool on its own, but you can save even more time if you use these tips!

Purchase pre-chopped veggies: Trader Joes offers a ton of pre chopped and prepped vegetables, like their mirepoix mix and their asian vegetable stir fry mix!

Utilize Frozen Items: Did you know that frozen vegetables are actually more nutritious than fresh? That’s because they are frozen right after picking!

Dump and Go!: These recipes don’t require much prep. Where as some recipes require you to sear the meat beforehand, these are mainly dump and go meals!

Get Your Kids Involved: If your kids are keen on helping around the house, lucky you! I’m pretty sure Toby is incapable of frying an egg. Ask your kids to throw the ingredients into the instant pot when they get home from school to save even more time.