7 Instant Pot Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Can Make at the Last Minute

Better Homes & Gardens

We’re all about saving a little extra time when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, so we’ll definitely be serving up these Instant Pot Thanksgiving side dishes this year! These pressure cooker Thanksgiving recipes will save you both time and oven space, so Thanksgiving dinner can be a stress-free affair. We have seven easy Thanksgiving pressure cooker recipes to choose from, so you can make 'em all or choose the ones that fit best into your Thanksgiving dinner menu. Instant Pot sides are about to become your new favorite Thanksgiving dishes!

Save yourself a lot of time spent boiling potatoes this year by serving up these Instant Pot mashed potatoes instead.
Save yourself a lot of time spent boiling potatoes this year by serving up these Instant Pot mashed potatoes instead.

1. Pressure Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes

We’re willing to bet mashed potatoes are going to make an appearance at your Thanksgiving feast anyway, so why not make them a little easier to throw together? Instead of boiling sweet potatoes until they’re tender, just give them a quick steam (only five minutes!), and they’ll be ready to mash. To add extra kick, mix in a chopped jalapeño pepper and a sprinkle of curry powder along with coconut milk so your sweet potatoes are a tasty mix of spicy and creamy.

Get the recipe: Pressure Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Fill out the rest of your menu with our favorite Thanksgiving recipes!

This delicious, easy Instant Pot Thanksgiving side dish will add a bright pop of your color to your dinner table. No one will be able to resist a spoonful!
This delicious, easy Instant Pot Thanksgiving side dish will add a bright pop of your color to your dinner table. No one will be able to resist a spoonful!

2. Pressure Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage

Serve up a side dish that’s sweet and sour this Thanksgiving by making this easy pressure cooker cabbage. Chopped apples and a few pinches of brown sugar bring on the sweetness, while a splash of cider vinegar makes it a little sour, too. If that’s not enough to convince you, the fact that it pressure-cooks in just 2 minutes should be enough for this veggie side dish to earn a spot on your Thanksgiving menu. Plus, just look at that gorgeous purple color. Who could resist a second helping?

Get the recipe: Pressure Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage

We can't think of anything better to pair with roasted turkey than braised carrots and onions. Save time on this Thanksgiving side-dish recipe by making it in your Instant Pot!
We can't think of anything better to pair with roasted turkey than braised carrots and onions. Save time on this Thanksgiving side-dish recipe by making it in your Instant Pot!

3. Pressure Cooker Braised Carrots and Pearl Onions

Start to finish, this healthy Thanksgiving side dish takes less than 15 minutes, so that should be reason enough to make it this year. In almost less time than it takes to open up a can of cranberry sauce, you can whip up a quick batch of braised carrots and onions. Flavored with garlic, cumin seeds, and a squeeze of lemon juice, a scoop of these tasty veggies will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving plate.

Get the recipe: Pressure Cooker Braised Carrots and Onions

Brussels sprouts are at their peak in fall, making them a great addition to this year's Thanksgiving dinner menu.
Brussels sprouts are at their peak in fall, making them a great addition to this year's Thanksgiving dinner menu.

4. Pressure Cooker Maple-Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Even if you’re hosting a few picky eaters for Thanksgiving dinner, they won’t be able to resist these maple-bacon Brussels sprouts. Bacon would make this Thanksgiving side-dish recipe tempting enough on its own, but we also dressed up the Brussels sprouts with maple syrup and Dijon-style mustard. Ready to move from your Instant Pot to your dinner table in less than a half hour, this veggie side dish is one that won’t keep your guests waiting.

Get the recipe: Pressure Cooker Maple-Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Making Instant Pot potatoes is one of the easiest ways to speed up your prep work in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. Plus they're super tasty, too!
Making Instant Pot potatoes is one of the easiest ways to speed up your prep work in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. Plus they're super tasty, too!

5. Pressure Cooker Potatoes with Tarragon Butter

Instead of full-on mashed potatoes, minimize the amount of work you have to do even more by serving smashed potatoes! Quick-cook the potatoes in your pressure cooker until they’re nice and tender, then lightly smash the potatoes just until the skins burst. When you serve them with tarragon butter and Parmesan cheese, this easy Thanksgiving side dish will taste just like mashed potatoes but with a lot less time and effort.

Get the recipe: Pressure Cooker Potatoes with Tarragon Butter

Try some of our best Thanksgiving side dishes!

While the turkey is roasting in the oven, you can pressure-cook the beets for this yummy fall salad in your Instant Pot instead of waiting for the turkey to finish.
While the turkey is roasting in the oven, you can pressure-cook the beets for this yummy fall salad in your Instant Pot instead of waiting for the turkey to finish.

6. Pressure Cooker Beet and Feta Salad

Obviously, you can’t make this whole salad in your pressure cooker, but you can use your Instant Pot to cook the beets much faster than usual. While they’re pressure-cooking, you can multitask by shaking together the homemade dressing and prepping your other veggies, which takes just 18 minutes. Or, if you want to get ahead of the game, you can pressure-cook the beets up to two days in advance! Just store them in the fridge until it’s time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Get the recipe: Pressure Cooker Beet and Feta Salad

Serve this Instant Pot soup recipe as a side dish or as an easy Thanksgiving appetizer. Either way, it'll be a yummy addition to your holiday meal.
Serve this Instant Pot soup recipe as a side dish or as an easy Thanksgiving appetizer. Either way, it'll be a yummy addition to your holiday meal.

7. Pressure Cooker Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

If you want to include a soup among your Thanksgiving sides, make it this pressure cooker recipe. You can whip up this deliciously creamy fall soup recipe, filled with good-for-you ingredients like cauliflower and sweet potatoes, in less than 30 minutes. Though this Instant Pot soup recipe won’t take you much time to throw together on Thanksgiving Day, you can make and freeze it up to two months in advance. That’s definitely our idea of an easy Thanksgiving side dish!

Get the recipe: Pressure Cooker Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

Check out these other make-ahead Thanksgiving appetizers!