20 Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes (2024)

These 20 Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes are super easy to make and promise to be delicious!

Are you doing a Whole30 this month? If so, your Instant Pot might just become your new best friend. I love it because it’s really simple to use, yields delicious results, and cooks everything in a fraction of the time. I go more into detail in this post about the basics of the Instant Pot, and why I love mine so much.

What Instant Pot model should I get?

I personally have the 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Evo Plusand gift it to my favorite people. This iteration of the trusty Instant Pot is a combination of my second two favorite models (The Ultra and Duo Plus) and it’s a definite upgrade!

Here are the reasons why this Instant Pot model is the best:

• • Improved venting for quick pressure release!
  • The inner pot now has stay-cool handles to make it easier to remove!
  • The inner pot has a flat bottom for better browning AND you can use it on other cooktops!
  • An easier interface for programming the Instant Pot and a digital display!

I find that the 6-quart size is perfect for me and my family of four. You can easily cook five pounds of stew meat at a time, which means you’ll have dinner plus plenty of leftovers. If you need a bigger Instant Pot, grab another 6-quart Duo Evo Plus when there’s a sale!

Instant Pot Meals Are Great For Leftovers

A simple and great way to get you through your Whole30 is to have leftovers ready and available in your freezer for those days that you just don’t feel like cooking, or don’t have the time to cook.

The best recipes to make in an Instant Pot are hearty stews, braises, and soups and all of them freeze and reheat well. I always make sure to freeze portioned-out servings in containers so I can easily dump ’em back into the Instant Pot to reheat. For most stews and soups, I can plop them in the Instant Pot while still frozen, and then cook under high pressure for 3 to 5 minutes to reheat. (Note: It does take longer to reach high pressure when cooking from frozen, but you can set it and walk away.)

You can also reconstitute the stew and make it into a soup by adding extra broth into the Instant Pot and some veggies to make it a complete meal. There’s no waste in this household, people!

You Can Use a Variety of Meat Cuts in Your Stews

A great thing about the Instant Pot is how versatile it is for cooking meat. You can pressure cook chicken thighs, whole chickens, pork butt, chuck roast, … the possibilities are endless! Even if you’re a novice at cooking meat, my tried and true step-by-step Instant Pot recipes will ensure a delicious meal with little fuss.

Even better? The cheaper tougher cuts (e.g., brisket, pork shoulder, ribs) turn meltingly tender when cooked under pressure. You’ll save money and be well fed—a win-win!

Let’s start pressure cooking!

20 Easy and Healthy Instant Pot Whole30 Recipes

Instant Pot Whole30 Chicken Recipes

Instant Pot Summer Italian Chicken

It’s a quick blast of summer, with tender chicken, juicy cherry tomatoes, fragrant fresh herbs, and buttery, briny green olives.

Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

Yep: you can cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, and make an amazing Paleo-friendly gravy at the same time.

Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

Perfect for taco night, this 2-ingredient recipe is a cinch to make!

Instant Pot Lemongrass and Coconut Chicken

Here’s a 30 minute meal that’s bursting with great flavor! Not sure what lemongrass is or how to use it? I made a whole post about it here!

Instant Pot Whole30 Beef Recipes

Instant Pot Meat Sauce

A simplified Sunday Gravy meat sauce is easy to make in an Instant Pot with just a few paleo pantry staples. This Whole30-, paleo-, and keto-friendly meat sauce recipe is a fantastic make-ahead dish, and perfect for serving over vegetable noodles.

Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew

Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew is an easy and flavor-packed stew that combines beef chuck roast,All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce, and tender daikon and carrots. If you don’t have these veggies on hand, you can substitute with what’s in your crisper drawer!

Instant Pot Ground Beef Chili

Perfect for the cold weather, my ground beef chili is the ultimate comfort meal!

Instant Pot Thai Beef Curry

If you’re craving takeout, make this Thai beef curry instead! Just make sure the curry paste you use is Whole30-friendly. I particularly like Aroyo-D and Mae Ploy brands.

Instant Pot Mexican Beef

You probably already have the ingredients on hand to make this recipe. I love to top it with cilantro and radishes in a butter lettuce wrap!

Instant Pot Whole30 Pork Recipes

Instant Pot Cheater Pork Stew

This super easy stew makes use of inexpensive pantry-staples. It almost feels like you’re cheating in the kitchen!

Instant Pot Magic Pork

This simple magical pork stew has a high flavor to effort ratio! You can make it ahead and freeze the leftovers for future taco nights, stir-fries, omelets, or hearty soups!

Instant Pot Vietnamese Pork Stew

This easy Vietnamese Pork Stew is a streamlined version of the classic braised dish, thit ko tàu, caramelized pork belly cooked in coconut water. It’s one of my favorite umami-packed stews!

Instant Pot Carnitas

I’ve perfected a Carnitas recipe that will rival what you’d order at your favorite taqueria! I love to make leftover makeovers by crisping up the pork and adding it to tacos, soups, salads, and frittatas.

Instant Pot Kalua Pig

With just a handful of ingredients, you can make a Nomster favorite: my Instant Pot Kalua Pig!

Instant Pot Whole30 Soup Recipes

Instant Pot Cream of Mushroom Soup

If you’re an umami evangelist like me, you’ll love this recipe for Instant Pot Cream of Mushroom Soup!

Instant Pot Pork and Napa Cabbage Soup

This one-pot, 30 minute recipe is a complete meal that’s perfect for any weeknight!

Instant Pot Chicken Pho

Believe it or not, I found a Paleo-friendly, Whole30-compliant, and most importantly, authentic chicken pho recipe that you can make in a pressure cooker!

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup

This perfect winter recipe is super easy to make and promises to delivery on deliciousness! Top it with aged balsamic vinegar and crispy bacon bits to really pump up the flavor.

Instant Pot Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup

Another wintertime favorite, this soup is creamy and delicious without any dairy! Top it with some leftover, crisped Kalua Pig to make it a complete meal.

Instant Pot Carrot Cardamom Soup

Pairing carrot, ginger, and cardamom magically transform these simple ingredients into something greater than it’s individual parts!

Want more Instant Pot recipes?

Check out this ever-growing epic roundup of all my Instant Pot and pressure cooker recipes!

Other Whole30 Tips

Completing a Whole30 doesn’t have to be hard. That’s why I’ll be posting Whole30-friendly recipes to my Facebook page all month long to keep you inspired! I’ll also be popping in frequently to my personal Nomster’s Facebook group to answer any questions. Don’t forget about my cookbooks that have paleo and Whole30-friendly meals as well as my iOS app!

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).