These Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes are easy, delicious and quick! Not to mention that each breakfast, lunch and dinner recipe includes 21 Day Fix container counts!
Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I updated this post with some Q & A's about meal prepping, a How-To guide on how I use my Instant Pot for meal prep, and a few other fun tid-bits! I hope it's even MORE helpful than before!
Hey guys, happy New Year's Eve Eve! I don't know about you, but as much as I love this time of year (and all of that delish holiday grub), almost nothing feels better than getting back to my workouts and just detoxing from it all.
So in the spirit of getting back to bidness, I put together this HUGE, amazing, outstanding, saves-you-time AND calories list of healthy Instant Pot meal prep recipes. Did I oversell it? I'm gonna say no. 🙂
I've included a bunch of great basics, like brown rice and sweet potatoes, but then also some of the tastiest lunch and dinner meal prep ideas on the planet, like Teriyaki Chicken and Pulled Pork with Mustard BBQ Sauce. So print out some meal planning sheets, make a plan and get cooking!
Oh, and btw, every single recipe in this list has 21 Day Fix container counts listed (because I know you're serious about this whole New Year, New You situation). This is your year, my friends, get after it!
P.S. - If you want to see more great recipes from me, sign up here for my weekly emails and never miss a delicious post!
Meal Prep Q&A:
What's meal prep?
Meal prep is exactly what it sounds like, prepping your meals ahead! Now this doesn't mean you have to fully cook everything you plan on eating for the week (though you absolutely can!), it can even just mean chopping up all of the veggies you're going to use in your meals for the week.
Personally, I like to fully cook 1 breakfast and 1 lunch for the week, then I cut up any veggies for snacks, salads and dinners, and make any dressings I might want for the week (my fave dressings this crazy-good Caesar and this completely addicting Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette).
Why is meal prep important?
It's such a crazy time saver!! It's so nice to have a ton of the work of cooking done ahead, you'll be amazed at how much time it really does save you throughout the week.
It can also save you money! Having your meals prepped in advance gives you a lot less excuses for going out to dinner on the reg. I can't even tell you how much money we save by going out less (mostly because it would be embarrassing).
Can meal prep help with weight loss?
Absolutely! For one, like I mentioned above, it can save you from going out to eat and that alone is HUGE.
But if you pair meal-prepping with portion control (like the 21 Day Fix plan, Weight Watchers or even counting calories if you're so inclined) it can be a game-changer. It's a super helpful tool to keep you away from the grub you know in your heart you should be avoiding (I'm looking at you, Cheetos!).
How long does it take to meal prep for an entire week?
Meal prepping the way I do (1 fully cooked breakfast, 1 fully cooked lunch and chopped veggies for the week) usually takes me under an hour!
Btw, if you're interested in prepping and freezing all of your dinners for the week (and then cooking them in your Instant Pot each night) - here's a great Instant Pot Freezer Bootcamp from my friend, Nancylynn, that's meant to take only 2 hours (yes, for ALL of your dinners)!
Can these healthy Instant Pot meal prep recipes be frozen?
Absolutely! Every single recipe on this list freezes well!
Can Instant Pot meal prep last a week?
When you cook meals ahead, you can count on them to last 4-5 days (so not a whole week). However, I always just freeze what won't last and pull those out for the last 2 or 3 days of the week.
As far as other prepped items, I can usually get a full week out of prepped veggies, creamy dressings and hard-boiled eggs. Prepped vinaigrettes last forevah!
Where to buy meal prep containers?
I always get mine from Amazon, though if I had a big-box store near me, I'd probably check there. Here is a list of my faves:
- 2 Compartment Meal Prep Containers BPA Free
- 2 Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers
- Snack and Sandwich Sized Reusable Storage bags
- Gallon-Sized Reusable Storage Bags
Now, on to the crazy-delicious healthy Instant Pot meal prep recipes! (that's a mouthful!)
Instant Pot Meal Prep Basics:
1. Spaghetti Squash - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
2. Quinoa - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
3. How Long to Steam Vegetables in the Instant Pot - My Crazy Good Life
4. Homemade Applesauce - Carrie Elle
5. Whole Rotisserie Chicken - A Pinch of Healthy
6. Sweet Potatoes - Pressure Cook Recipes
7. Instant Pot Yogurt - My Crazy Good Life
8. Brown Rice - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
9. Hard Boiled Eggs - My Crazy Good Life
10. Freezer Meal Bootcamp - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
11. How To Prep Chicken for the 21 Day Fix
21 Day Fix Instant Pot Meal Prep Breakfast Recipes:
1. Coconut & Lime Instant Pot Breakfast Quinoa - Carrie Elle
2. Instant Pot Quiche - Carrie Elle
3. Instant Pot Oatmeal Jars - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
4. Healthy Starbucks Egg Bites - My Crazy Good Life
5. Instant Pot Buttered Coconut Steel Cut Oats - Carrie Elle
21 Day Fix Instant Pot Meal Prep Lunch and Dinner Recipes:
1. 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
2. Healthy Instant Pot Baked Ziti - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
3. Instant Pot Roasted Bell Pepper Soup - Carrie Elle
4. White Chicken Chili - My Crazy Good Life
6. Instant Pot Jambalaya - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
7. Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Bowls - Carrie Elle
8. 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
9. Healthy Drunken Noodles - My Crazy Good Life
10. Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
11. Instant Pot Shredded Mexican Chicken - Carrie Elle
12. Chicken Marsala - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
13. Instant Pot Spaghetti - My Crazy Good Life
14. Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
15. Asian Pork Tenderloin - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
16. Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
17. Instant Pot Turkey Chili - Carrie Elle
18. Healthy Shepherd's Pie - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
19. Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta - My Crazy Good Life
20. Sausage and Lentil Soup - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
21. Instant Pot Orange Chicken - My Crazy Good Life
22. Instant Pot Chicken with Bruschetta Topping - Carrie Elle
23. Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup
24. Chicken Gyro Bowls with Homemade Tzatziki - My Crazy Good Life
25. Chipotle Pumpkin Turkey Chili
26. Beef and Broccoli - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
27. 21 Day Fix Southwestern Pulled Pork Tenderloin
28. Instant Pot Taco Soup - Carrie Elle
29. Instant Pot Shrimp and Spaghetti Squash Fra Diavolo
30. Teriyaki Meatballs - My Crazy Good Life
31. Healthy Pulled Pork with Mustard BBQ Sauce
32. Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
33. Instant Pot Split Pea Soup - Carrie Elle
34. Instant Pot Caprese Chicken - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
35. How to Make Healthy Instant Pot Turkey Taco Meat (From Frozen!)
36. Beef Fajita Bowl Recipe - My Crazy Good Life
37. Instant Pot Maple BBQ Chicken - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
38. Instant Pot BBQ Sloppy Joes
39. Pumpkin Pasta with Spicy Sausage - Confessions of a Fit Foodie
40. Instant Pot Spanish Rice with Chicken - My Crazy Good Life
41. Healthy Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
42. Bacon and Beer Cheese Soup
43. Chili Cheese Burrito Spaghetti Squash Bowls (Instant Pot)
Some non-Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes to Work on While Your Instant Pot is Cooking!
- Cranberry-Apple Pie Overnight Oats {21 Day Fix}
- Healthy, Make-Ahead Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
- 21 Day Fix Make-Ahead Southwestern Breakfast Casserole
- Whole Wheat Pancakes with Hawaiian Coconut Syrup {21 Day Fix}
- Waldorf Chicken Salad Pita Pocket
- Roasted Vegetable Chicken Chili with Avocado
- Avocado & Chicken Salad with Southwest Ranch Dressing
- 21 Day Fix French Onion Soup
- 21 Day Fix Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- Cilantro-Lime Flank Steak Sheet Pan Dinner with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Boats with Chicken & Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Don’t have an Instant Pot yet? Click here to check it out on Amazon! (affiliate link)
Need a little extra help? Check out my How-To below!
If you make any of these Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes be sure to snap a pic and tag me @thefoodieandthefix or use #thefoodieandthefix on Instagram so I can check it out! I love watching your stories! It makes me ridiculously happy to see what you guys are making 🙂
Don't forget to save these Healthy Instant Pot Meal Prep Recipes to Pinterest! ↓↓
How to Meal Prep with Your Instant Pot:
📖 Recipe
How To Meal Prep With Your Instant Pot
How to use your Instant Pot to save time meal prepping!
Materials
- Ingredients for all of the recipes that you'll be prepping
Tools
Instructions
- Meal Planning:
- - Choose your dinners for the week. You can fully prep these ahead if you like, the dinners on this list are all perfect for that, or you can just prep the ingredients for your dinners (that's what I do), it's up to you!
- - Choose a carb from the basics list that you can use throughout the week, something that takes no prep time to get into the IP (like brown rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes) so that you can get right to your other prepping while that's going.
- - Choose 1 breakfast and 1-2 lunches to make for the week, choosing one that is a non-IP recipe that you can have cooking while your IP is going. (check out the section of non-IP recipes that are perfect for this in this post)!
- Prepping:
- - First, cook the carb that you chose from the basics list in your Instant Pot.
- - While that's going, prep your next Instant Pot recipe, then you can immediately start cooking that in the IP after your carb is done cooking.
- - After you've finished prepping that Instant Pot recipe, you can prep and cook your non-IP recipe.
- - While those things are going, you can prep the ingredients for your dinners and cut up veggies for snacks and/or salads and you're done and prepped for the whole week!
Notes
If you also wanted to make your dinners ahead, you may want to freeze a few that you'll eat towards the end of the week (and maybe beyond depending on how much you make)! All of the recipes on this list are great for freezing!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Katerina says
What a great post, thanks Stephanie - got lots of inspiration from this! I especially love the look of the stroganoff, yum!
Stephanie says
Thank you!
Dawn says
Thank you for sharing these! I just got the Instant Pot - I have the Ninja Auto IQ multi cooker so I am behind with getting the Instant Pot lol! It was one of those things where I kept talking myself out of it since I already had lots of kitchen appliances. Anyway, I haven't got it out of the box yet so it is nice to have a list of recipes to start with. I am sure that once I figure it out, I will make some of my own recipes as well like I did my Ninja. But this is my first pressure cooker and I have no idea what I am doing with it yet 🙂
Stephanie says
I know exactly how you feel! I waited a long time before getting mine and then I was mad at myself that I didn't get it sooner!
Snacks says
Such great tips!! Thank you so much for sharing, I’m going to use all of them. Ohhh I need to get these for my family!! I would love the chocolate covered almonds!