7 Instant Pot Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Can Make at the Last Minute
We’re all about saving a little extra time when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, so we’ll definitely be serving up 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 relatively 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! Trust us: Having these Instant Pot ($80, Target) recipes will be a total lifesaver come Turkey Day.
Jason Donnelly
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 an extra kick, mix in 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
Carson Downing
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
Jason Donnelly
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 thanks to your Instant Pot ($80, Target). 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
Jason Donnelly
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
Jason Donnelly
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
Jason Donnelly
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 (we like this programmable Instant Pot, $120, Bed Bath & Beyond) 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
Andy Lyons
7. Pressure Cooker Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup
If you want to include soup among your Thanksgiving sides or as an appetizer, 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
