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Using canned food in an Instant Pot is a wonderful way to clear out your pantry and make delicious meals in no time at all.

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The Instant Pot brings so many benefits. Families love it because it’s easy to cook big, healthy meals. People with hectic schedules love it because it cuts down so much on cooking time.

​Plus, there’s a lot less clean-up when you’re only working with one pot! And who doesn’t love that?

But if you really want to find a way to chop down cooking times, the secret ingredient is canned food. These tips and recipes are perfect for when you’re working with whatever is left over in your pantry. So here are 7 ways you can use canned ingredients in your Instant Pot along with some amazing recipes from CorrieCooks:

Beans are such a great addition to so many meals. They help to bulk up sauces, dips, and lots more. Plus, adding the canned variety is a whole lot more efficient than soaking the dried version overnight, which is what many recipes call for.

And who doesn’t have a can or two of beans in the pantry at any given time?

Here’s a perfect way to use canned beans in your Instant Pot with this recipe for quick chili:

You’ll need:

-450g of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

-2 cans of white beans (rinse and drain)

-1 can of green chilies (diced)

-1 chopped onion

-2 minced cloves of garlic

-4 cups of chicken stock

-1 teaspoon of oregano (dried)

-1 teaspoon of cumin (ground)

-0.5 teaspoon of chili powder

-0.5 cup of nacho chips

-Salt & black pepper for seasoning

Put all ingredients into the Instant Pot before mixing together. Then, seal the lid in place before cooking under the Manual/Pressure setting at high pressure for around 13 minutes.

​Hit the Cancel button and use a quick pressure release. Remove the chick thighs into a bowl and use two forks to shred the chicken. Return your chicken to the pot and stir everything back together. Serve by topping off the chili with your nacho chips!

Using recipes with fruit can be a little time-consuming. Fruit often has to be peeled, sliced, and cores and pits removed before you can even get to the rest of the ingredients. But with canned fruit, there’s a lot less fuss.

​There are a ton of ways for using canned food in an Instant Pot, but have you tried to make dessert using canned food? This instant pot recipe using canned peaches is simple and delicious.

Take this recipe for Instant Pot peach cobbler:

You’ll need:

-0.5 can of canned peach slices (drained)

-1 cup of water

-0.5 cup of plain flour

-0.25 cup of caster sugar

-0.25 cup of butter

-Ground nutmeg

-Ground cinnamon

Mix the butter, sugar, and flower in a bowl until the mixture forms a dough. Place the peach slices into a dish that fits into the Instant Pot and add the dough on top before covering with foil.

​Add the water to the Instant Pot before placing your trivet inside and placing the dish on top of the trivet. Cook under the Manual/Pressure setting for 10 minutes on high pressure. Use a natural pressure release method. Sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon to serve.

It’s easy to feel like fresh is always best. But sometimes, speed and whatever you have to hand is best. That’s why it’s so great to use canned goods in the Instant Pot. For canned chilies, try this delicious taco soup recipe.

You’ll need:

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-350g of ground beef

-1 chopped onion

-1 tablespoon of taco seasoning mix

-3 cups of stock (beef)

-400g of red beans

-115g of canned chopped chilies

-400g of canned crushed tomatoes

-1 teaspoon of onion powder

Add the oil and beef to the Instant Pot and use the Saute function to cook for 6 minutes before adding the spices and chilies and cooking for 2 more minutes, stirring continuously.

Stir in the tomatoes and beef stock before sealing the lid and cooking for 6 minutes on high pressure. Then do a quick pressure release before stirring in the beans. Cook for 5 more minutes on the Saute function and serve!

​Using canned food in the instant pot is an easy way to make taco soup, but if you're looking for a recipe with extreme flavors, try this delicious recipe for traditional taco soup.

It’s not always possible to add fresh vegetables to your recipes, and the canned variety still offer plenty of nutrition as long as they are not overly salted or use a ton of preservatives. So when fresh vegetables aren’t an option, try adding canned versions to your Instant Pot recipes, such as this beef & green beans soup.

You’ll need:

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-450g of ground beef

-1 chopped onion

-1 tablespoon of minced garlic

-2 teaspoons of crushed dried thyme

-1 teaspoon of cumin

-3 cups of tomatoes finely chopped

-225g of canned green beans (chopped)

-2 bay leaves

-4 cups of beef stock

-Salt & pepper to season

Put the oil in the pot and hit Saute before adding the beef and cooking until completely browned. Throw in the onion, thyme, garlic, and cumin. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Hit Cancel before stirring in the green beans, tomatoes, stock, and bay leaves before sealing the lid and cooking on low pressure for 30 minutes. Then hit Cancel and use a quick pressure release before removing the bay leaves and seasoning with salt and pepper.

​If beef recipes like this are your thing, don’t forget to check out this Instant pot beef & broccoli recipe by Corriecooks.

Condensed milk is used in lots of desserts that require a creamy texture or caramel based sauce. It’s always handy to have a few cans lying around, especially for Instant Pot recipes like this creamy vermicelli.

You’ll need:

-5 cups of whole fat milk

-1 can of condensed milk

-0.75 cups of roasted vermicelli

-0.75 cups of caster sugar

-3 green cardamom

-1 tablespoon of ghee

-0.25 cups of chopped nuts (cashews and almonds)

Use the saute function on the milk and condensed milk for 2-3 minutes, continuously stirring the mixture.

Hit Cancel before mixing in the vermicelli, cardamoms and sugar. Then seal the lid and hit the Slow Cooker function before setting to Medium. Cook for around 2 hours 30 minutes before hitting Cancel and using a natural pressure release.

Melt the ghee in a separate pan over medium heat, add the chopped nuts and saute for around 2 minutes.

​Remove the Instant Pot lid and garnish the creamy vermicelli with the nuts before serving.

If you have some canned coconut milk lying around that you’re not sure what to do with, try this Instant Pot coconut rice. Using canned food in Instant Pot is an easy way to make a meal fast, but you probably haven't tried to make coconut rice in your Instant Pot.

​It goes great with a ton of curries and other dishes and is so simple to make.

You’ll need:

-1 cup of canned coconut milk

-2 cups of jasmine rice

-0.5 cup of chicken stock (unsalted)

-Salt (added to taste)

Put the jasmine rice inside the inner pot. Add the coconut milk, chick stock, and salt into a separate jug and mix together before pouring over the jasmine rice and stirring together.

​Seal the lid and cook for 25 minutes using the Manual/Pressure function. Use a quick pressure release before taking the rice out and serving with whatever dish you choose.

Canned tomatoes are a staple for all types of cooking, not just in the Instant Pot. But using them in your Instant Pot cooking means creating your favorite tomato-based dishes in half the time - just like this Instant Pot marinara sauce!

You’ll need:

-800g of canned crushed tomatoes

-1 chopped onion

-1 roughly chopped medium carrot

-4 chopped garlic cloves

-3 tablespoons of fresh basil

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-0.5 teaspoon of:

     Thyme
     Oregano
     Red pepper flakes

-1 tablespoon of sugar

-Salt and pepper to season




Add the oil before hitting Saute and cooking the garlic and onion together until soft. Throw in the tomatoes, carrots, thyme, basil, oregano and pepper flakes before sealing the lid and cooking for 30 minutes at high pressure.

Use a natural pressure release before removing the carrots and stirring in the sugar, salt, and pepper.

Get cooking!

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