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Recreating your favorite restaurant meals at home holds a distinct satisfaction, particularly when you can do it with the ease of an Instant Pot. These kitchen wonders not only conserve time, but also encapsulate an array of intricate flavors, transporting the restaurant ambiance right to your dining table.
The Instant Pot significantly reduces the effort required to make both the rich, hearty stews from your neighborhood bistro and the famous creamy pastas from the Italian chain.
Picture yourself preparing a perfect imitation of your favorite takeout dish in less time than it takes for delivery. Armed with these duplicate recipes, you’ll be able to savor all of your favorite dishes, with the added knowledge of exactly what ingredients they contain.
Moreover, there’s a significant sense of achievement derived from perfecting these dishes by yourself—transforming your kitchen into a center of gastronomic innovation.
These Instant Pot copycat recipes, ranging from hearty soups to lavish desserts, will elevate your homemade cooking experience. Regardless of your culinary expertise or familiarity with your Instant Pot, these recipes are simple to follow and guarantee a gratifying result.
Explore and learn how simple it is to replicate the tastes you adore from your preferred restaurants at your own dining table.
Copycat Instant Pot Recipes
15. PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef from The Kitchen Magpie
This item demonstrates how to create tender, smoky barbacoa meat inspired by Chipotle’s signature flavor using simple ingredients and common kitchen tools like an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or Dutch oven.
The recipe combines chipotle peppers in adobo, spices, and aromatics to develop a rich, savory sauce that infuses the beef with deep, layered flavors.
Users will experience a straightforward cooking process that includes browning the meat, blending a flavorful sauce, and slow-cooking to achieve melt-in-your-mouth texture. The finished barbacoa can be shredded and served in tortillas or used as a versatile topping for dishes like nachos, allowing for customizable meals at home.
14. Chipotle’s Barbacoa Beef from Sweet C’s Designs
This item provides a flavorful recipe for making tender, smoky barbacoa meat inspired by Chipotle’s signature dish. It uses a blend of chipotle peppers, spices, and aromatics to create a rich sauce that infuses the beef with deep, savory flavors.
The recipe offers multiple cooking methods, including Instant Pot, slow cooker, and Dutch oven, to suit different kitchen setups. After cooking, the meat is shredded and can be used in burritos, tacos, or as a topping for nachos, allowing for versatile meal options.
13. Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken from Mama Needs Cake
This recipe demonstrates how to make a flavorful orange chicken dish using an Instant Pot, replicating the taste of a popular restaurant favorite. It combines sautéing and pressure cooking to create chicken that is crispy on the outside and tender inside, all in a fraction of the usual cooking time.
The process involves coating chicken pieces in a seasoned mixture, browning them in the pot, and then cooking them with a tangy orange sauce made from fresh ingredients.
The final step thickens the sauce to a sticky glaze, perfect for serving immediately to maintain its texture and flavor.
12. Chipotle Pork Carnitas from Culinary Hill
This item reveals how to make tender, flavorful carnitas that closely mimic the taste of Chipotle’s version using simple ingredients like pork shoulder, juniper berries, thyme, and bay leaves.
The pork is cooked slowly in a slow cooker or Instant Pot until it becomes easy to shred, allowing the spices to infuse deeply for an authentic Tex-Mex flavor.
The recipe also offers techniques for achieving crispy edges by browning the shredded pork after cooking, adding a satisfying texture contrast. It provides options for serving the carnitas in tacos, burritos, bowls, or salads, making it versatile for various meals and easy meal prep.
11. PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Cooking with Karli
This recipe recreates P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps using either an Instant Pot or stovetop method. It features ground chicken cooked with water chestnuts, green onions, and a savory sauce made from soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil.
The Instant Pot method includes pressure cooking the chicken first, which makes the process hands-off and reduces grease easily. The finished filling is served wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves for a low-carb, flavorful meal that appeals to both adults and kids.
10. Skyline Chili from Yellow Bliss Road
This item features a recipe for Cincinnati-style chili made quickly in an Instant Pot. It combines lean ground beef with a blend of spices and cocoa powder to create a rich, thick meat sauce served over spaghetti noodles.
The recipe offers traditional serving options topped with cheddar cheese, onions, and beans, capturing the unique flavor of Skyline Chili. It also includes tips for storing, freezing, and reheating leftovers to enjoy the dish anytime.
9. Chipotle Chicken and Rice Bowls from Simply Recipes
This item demonstrates how to prepare flavorful chipotle chicken and rice bowls using an Instant Pot with the pot-in-pot cooking method. It combines boneless chicken thighs cooked in a smoky chipotle sauce with rice infused with jalapeño, cilantro, and green onions, all cooked simultaneously for convenience.
The recipe offers options to adjust the spice level by substituting chipotle peppers with smoked paprika and omitting jalapeños. After cooking, the dish is served with toppings like sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, and crumbled cotija cheese for added zest and texture.
8. Copycat Hamburger Helper from 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
This recipe creates a creamy, tomato basil beef pasta dish using an Instant Pot, combining ground beef, pasta, diced tomatoes, and seasonings for a homemade alternative to boxed Hamburger Helper.
The meal comes together quickly, with just a few minutes of pressure cooking and simple steps to brown the meat and add ingredients.
After cooking, sour cream and mozzarella cheese are stirred in to add richness and creaminess, making the dish reminiscent of lasagna but much easier to prepare.
It can be customized with different meats or gluten-free pasta, and the sauce can be thickened with a cornstarch slurry if desired.
7. Taco Bell Beef from The Salty Pot
This recipe demonstrates how to make tender, flavorful taco meat that closely mimics the taste and texture of Taco Bell’s signature beef using an Instant Pot.
It includes instructions for cooking both frozen and fresh ground beef, along with seasoning tips to achieve the classic savory flavor.
The process involves cooking the beef in two phases under pressure, then sautéing off excess liquid to concentrate the taste. The recipe also offers options for adjusting spice levels and suggests freezing portions for convenient future meals.
6. Cafe Rio Chicken from 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
This recipe creates tender, flavorful shredded chicken cooked quickly in an Instant Pot using just a handful of ingredients like Italian dressing, chicken broth, and spices.
The chicken, a mix of breasts and thighs, cooks under pressure for about 17 minutes, then is shredded and mixed back into the juices for added moisture and taste.
The dish pairs well with Mexican-inspired sides such as cilantro lime rice, black beans, and tomatillo dressing, making it versatile for salads, burritos, or enchiladas. It can be prepared from frozen chicken and adjusted for different Instant Pot sizes, offering a convenient option for busy cooks seeking a homemade Café Rio-style meal.
5. Better Than Take-Out Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken from Adventures of a Nurse
This item demonstrates how to prepare General Tso Chicken using an Instant Pot or slow cooker, combining tender chicken with a balanced sweet and spicy sauce.
The recipe includes steps for sautéing chicken, mixing a flavorful sauce, pressure cooking, and thickening the sauce before serving.
It also offers options for using frozen or fresh chicken and suggests serving the dish over jasmine rice for a complete meal. Garnishes like sesame seeds and green onions add a finishing touch to enhance both taste and presentation.
4. Olive Garden’s Italian Chicken from The Tasty Travelers
This recipe creates a flavorful chicken dish using Olive Garden Italian dressing and parmesan cheese cooked quickly in an Instant Pot. The chicken absorbs the tangy dressing, resulting in a juicy and savory meal that pairs well with pasta or vegetables.
The method involves pressure cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts with the dressing, which tenderizes the meat while infusing it with rich flavor. Leftover sauce can be poured over the finished dish for an extra burst of taste.
3. Taco Time’s White Chicken Chili from Awe Filled Homemaker
This item features a recipe for a hearty white chicken chili made in an Instant Pot, inspired by the flavors of a popular fast-food chain. It combines chicken, beans, corn, and spices to create a warm, comforting dish that cooks quickly while locking in rich, blended flavors.
The recipe emphasizes convenience by using a single pot, reducing prep and cleanup time for busy cooks. It offers a budget-friendly alternative to dining out, making it ideal for families seeking a nutritious, protein-packed meal with minimal effort.
2. P.F. Chang’s Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Tidbits
These Instant Pot Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps combine tender ground chicken with fresh vegetables and a tangy, flavorful sauce. The recipe uses the pressure cooker to quickly prepare a savory filling that is both light and satisfying.
The wraps are served in crisp lettuce leaves, providing a refreshing crunch that complements the savory meat mixture. This dish offers a homemade alternative to takeout, making it easy to enjoy a healthy, delicious meal in minutes.
1. Honey Baked Ham from A Mind”full” Mom
A spiral sliced ham is cooked quickly and evenly in an Instant Pot, resulting in tender, juicy meat infused with a sweet honey glaze. The ham is wrapped in foil and placed on a trivet, allowing the glaze to penetrate deeply while preventing burning during pressure cooking.
The glaze combines pineapple juice, honey, and brown sugar for a balanced sweet and savory flavor that enhances the ham’s natural taste. Cooking times vary based on the ham’s size and whether it is sliced, ensuring perfectly heated meat ready to serve for any meal.