13 Delicious Pressure Cooker Recipes That Save Money and Time

Pressure cookers have long been a favorite in American kitchens, and sales are on the upswing again, due in no small part to the Instant Pot craze. Pressure cookers cut cooking time exponentially, making dishes that would normally take hours of cooking on the stove top in mere minutes. Like slow cookers, pressure cookers have the added benefit of reducing cleanup time, with just one pot to wash. Pressure cookers' ability to infuse flavors and break down tough meats and veggies allows cooks to select inexpensive cuts of meat to make delicious and tender meals, leading to extra savings. Save time and money with these 13 pressure cooker recipes.

Risotto is typically made by laboring over a stove, slowly adding ladlefuls of hot stock to a pot of rice that must be stirred continuously. But with the help of a pressure cooker, risotto becomes a convenience food -- simply add the ingredients to the container and lock the lid. This recipe is ready in less than 20 minutes and comes with some useful tips on how to ensure the right consistency. Recipe: The Kitchn

A simple homemade veggie broth can be made with saved scraps that would otherwise be thrown out, such as onion heads, extra garlic cloves, and ends of celery and carrots. But steer clear of cruciferous vegetables with high sulfur content, such as kale and cauliflower, which will produce a stinky soup. Scraps saved in a freezer bag for a week or two should be plenty to make a nice broth (of course, whole vegetables work too). Add the veggies to the pressure cooker, cover with water, and cook for 12 minutes. Increase cooking time for broths made from animal bones to allow the flavor and collagen to seep out of the bones.

Curried goat is a tasty Caribbean staple that traditionally takes long hours of cooking to break down the tough fibers of the rich but gamey meat. This recipe cuts cooking time by three-fourths with the help of a pressure cooker, which also helps to infuse flavors. This method is especially good for traditional recipes that use bone-in goat, since cooking under pressure draws out flavor locked deep inside the bones. Recipe: CaribbeanPot.com 

The main goal of beef stew is to end up with chunks of tender beef. When using cheap cuts of meat, hours of slow cooking over low heat is typically required to make the meat juicy and tender. This version offers a quick and easy dish that requires just 15 minutes of active cooking time and is ready to enjoy in less than two hours. Recipe: Pressure Cook Recipes 

Packed with healthy vegetables and lots of garlic, this tasty and tangy dish is ready in just minutes and can be served warm right out of the pressure cooker, at room temperature, or chilled. It also takes the guesswork out of how long to cook potatoes and beans, which would likely require more than one pot and could result in a mushy mess. Recipe: Cooking Light

Baking a cake in a pressure cooker might sound like an advanced technique, but it's actually easy once you try it out. Follow the step-by-step guide that features a simple recipe and which offers tips that help ensure the right texture and cooking time, including preheating the pot and removing the rubber gasket. Recipe: Edible Garden  

This delightful vegan recipe offers a new twist on a classic beet salad. Rather than cook and peel the beets ahead of time, toss them skin-on, along with the other ingredients, into a pressure cooker. This method of cooking beets eliminates the need to peel them, and the vitamin-rich skin adds nutrition to the meal. Still, it's best to opt for young beets with thinner skins. Recipe: The Veggie Queen

This Thai-inspired green curry keeps the focus on the spices, including ginger, garlic, chilies, coriander, cumin, and green curry paste, most of which can be found at the average supermarket. Sweet kabocha squash and eggplant add texture as the ingredients break down into the sauce. Eliminating the chicken would result in a still-tasty dish suitable for vegetarians. Recipe: Serious Eats 

Applesauce isn't difficult to prepare, but making it in a pressure cooker simplifies the process even more. This no-fuss recipe is an ideal place to start when getting a feel for pressure cooking or breaking in a new model. Simply core and peel the apples and add them to the pot with some water, lemon juice, and sweetener. Recipe: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

The way the pressure cookers make beans creamy without long hours of cooking makes a soup that is even better than a typical stove-top recipe or one that uses canned beans. This versatile and easily adaptable recipe provides the base and suggested aromatics such as bacon and cumin. Using dried beans rather than canned beans also reduces the price of the final dish, adding up to extra savings on an already inexpensive ingredient. Recipe: Outpost Natural Foods

Chili comes in many forms, and this traditional chile con carne recipe makes good use of the pressure cooker to reduce the bulk of the cooking time to 20 minutes, rather than hours. The natural release method used in the recipe allows the contents to continue cooking even after the unit is turned off. Recipe: This Old Gal

Making homemade condiments is a breeze with a pressure cooker. Try an easy berry jam, which is similar to stove-top jam recipes but with the benefit of considerably reduced cooking time. What's more, chefs can focus their attention on other menu items while the jam cooks. Recipe: Australia's Pressure Cooker Centre

A spicy combination of vegetables, sausage, and rice, this one-pot meal produces perfectly cooked rice granules in a saucy blend of spices. The chicken livers in this recipe give the dish a distinct, authentic flavor, although they can be omitted. To ensure proper cooking time, be sure to use long-grain rice, which holds up better than short-grain varieties. Recipe: Hip Pressure Cooking