7 healthy vegetarian recipes to make in your Instant Pot

Whether you are trying to minimize your meat consumption through Meatless Mondays or adhere to a vegetarian diet full-time, it’s easy to cycle through the same handful of meat-free recipes. (Yes, it is definitely possible to get sick of veggie burgers.)

The key to keeping things fresh while still getting dinner on the table in a timely manner: your Instant Pot. Food experimenting is safe with the IP because it’s virtually fool-proof. And if you’re a vegetarian, it cooks meatless staples like dried beans and grains in a fraction of the time it would on the stovetop. Brilliant. But still, it helps to have something to go off of, right? That’s where these recipes come in. Keep reading for a whole arsenal of vegetarian Instant Pot recipes to try.

Keep reading for seven vegetarian meals you can make in your Instant Pot.

1. Moroccan stew

If you have a lot of mouths to feed, this recipe from Paint The Kitchen Red is a lifesaver. Chickpeas serve as the protein in this meal, but the starring ingredient is really the butternut squash, which gets perfectly tender in the Instant Pot. Get ready to be poking around in your spice rack quite a bit, too; it’s what makes this dinner so flavor-packed.

2. Pad Thai stir fry

Most pad Thai recipes will instruct you to cook the noodles in boiling water, chop up the veggies and stir fry them up, and make the sauce in another, smaller pot. Do yourself a favor and throw everything in your Instant Pot instead à la Hummusapien. Wayyyy fewer dishes to deal with.

3. Chili with summer vegetables

Put your farmers’ market haul to good use with this summer chili recipe from She Likes Food. Corn, zucchini, red pepper, yellow squash, tomatoes…it’s all in here. Add in your fave bean—pinto, black, or kidney will all work just fine—to cook right with the veggies.

4. Lentil tacos

If you’ve never tried lentils as your protein filler for taco night, your life is about to be changed. The Instant Pot gives lentils the same tender texture as traditional slow cooked meat fillings, and still delivers on the protein front. Add some lettuce, tomato, and avocado (duh) and voilà—dinner, done.

5. Sweet potatoes with Thai peanut butter sauce

The name of this recipe alone is enough to start salivating: sweet potatoes and Thai peanut butter sauce? Um, yes. The Instant Pot cooks the tubers so quickly that they’ll be ready by the time you’re done making the sauce and ‘slaw. Good thing too because waiting to dig in would be torturous.

6. Cacciatore with white beans

This vegetarian Instant Pot recipe hits all the flavor notes of the classic Italian dish while subbing white beans in for the chicken. Serve this dish on top of polenta, mashed potatoes, pasta, or eat it on its own. The comfort food will leave your belly full and satisfied.

7. Pho

Hallelujah, you can even make pho in your IP—no meat or bone broth required. This recipe from The Viet Vegan calls for a mushroom broth instead, and mushrooms and tofu are added in to give the meaty texture. It also includes ginger and star anise, which are both known for their gut-healing properties.

BTW, these are the best meat substitutes for vegetarians, ranked. Plus, how to stick to the Mediterranean diet without eating meat.