How did we survive before the Instant Pot? Ah, the mysteries of life … Savvy home cooks, though, have long known that they can rely on the pressure cooker for much more than just chili, soup, or stew. Read on as we offer up a tour of decadent desserts created in the beloved kitchen gadget.
Related: 50 Simple, Cheap, and Delicious Instant Pot Recipes
Start with a truly indulgent Chocolate Pots de Crème recipe. Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate with a cup of heavy cream lead this preparation from Chop Secrets that yields three servings. So stock up, as you'll likely want to double (or triple) the recipe.
Recipe: Instant Pot Recipes
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"Simple, flavorful recipes" are the specialty of the website Little Spice Jar — though it neglects to mention "decadent." Billed as simpler than an oven version, this Instant Pot cheesecake features favorite ingredients such as cream cheese, sour cream, and graham crackers. The detailed instructions includes cooking tips plus serving suggestions.
Recipe: Little Spice Jar
Related: 20 Cheap and Easy Cheesecake Recipes
If you want to incorporate fruits into your dessert, this Southern classic offers the perfect starting point. Blueberry pie filling and lemon cake mix give this recipe an ease that is also sure to please.
Recipe: A Pressure Cooker
A stew isn't the only heartwarming dish you can create in the Instant Pot. This classic spin on the ever-popular fruit might seem to be a fall favorite, but is really a recipe for any time you want comfort. Raisins, hazelnuts, dates, and cinnamon are used in this "tender, buttery and rich in flavor" three-minute version (thanks to the Instant Pot) that screams out to be topped by whipped or ice cream.
Recipe: I Wash You Dry
There's something about a fruit-focused dessert that makes you feel virtuous. This one adds a dose of decadence and seems designed to impress. Starting with just pears, honey, and cinnamon, the recipe invites you to go wild with additional toppings. The blogger who shares this summed it up: "Wow. Wow. And one more wow."
Recipe: A Lily Love Affair
This recipe is a gluten-free spin on dessert that's also paleo and dairy-free. Featuring ingredients including coconut milk, almond flour, and coconut or maple sugar — plus semisweet chocolate chips — it's said to be "divine."
Recipe: Thriving On Paleo
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Lemon seems to be having a moment, if the iconic fruit's sudden surge in all things home décor is any indication. Jump into the trend with this paleo and gluten-free dessert that's topped with a "sweet, homemade lemon curd" for extra zest.
Recipe: My Heart Beets
This recipe brings exotic flavors to low-carb and keto cooking with a custard designed for the Instant Pot. If you're unsure about using pandan (a Southeast Asian flavor drawn from a fragrant tropical plant), the recipe creator notes you can substitute vanilla extract.
Recipe: Two Sleevers
Sourced originally from "The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook" by Archana Mundhe, this recipe offers a "luxurious treat" combining the textures and tastes of fig and walnut with a few extra ingredients, including cardamom. It's gluten-free.
Recipe: Instant Pot Recipes
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Thinking ahead for Memorial Day or Fourth of July? The suggestion of decorating this vanilla mousse with blueberries and strawberries would add a patriotic spin to a rich dessert that's low-carb and keto.
Recipe: My Life Cookbook
Related: 20 Easy, Patriotic Foods to Bring to a Fourth of July Party
Create this Instant Pot classic with the berries of your choosing and you'll have it on hand when you need to come up with a quick dessert. Sourced from "The Ultimate Instant Pot CB for Two" by Janet Zimmerman, it's a perfect topper for any store-bought cake or ice cream, but can also be added to yogurt for a refreshing end to a heavy meal.
Recipe: Instant Pot Recipes
We're all in with the mention of a dessert that's "made with fresh, juicy peaches, and topped with crisp, crunchy oatmeal streusel."
Recipe: Paint the Kitchen Red
The flavor of pumpkin, as we have all learned, is no longer relegated to the autumn months. You can create this spiced cake from Chop Secrets any day. With its pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and white chocolate chips, it will be loved by pumpkin-flavor fanatics.
Recipe: Instant Pot Recipes
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Likened to French toast, the flavors of this bread pudding have us salivating: It includes brioche or challah bread, raisins, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with a sauce featuring heavy cream, vanilla, and dark rum. Those who prefer can substitute rum extract flavoring for an alcohol-free version.
Recipe: Simply Happy Foodie
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Bread-pudding devotees never seem to tire of trying different incarnations of their beloved dessert. This version, from "The Rootitoot Cookbook" by Ruth McCusker, features brown sugar, maple syrup, and nutmeg with optional additions including raisins, chocolate chips, or "whatever strikes your fancy."
Recipe: Instant Pot Recipes
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No need to turn the oven on — yet you'll still get a moist dessert complete with a cinnamon sugar crust with this recipe. Sure, it may be called a bread, but add a dollop of whipped cream and a few sliced fresh bananas and who's going to argue?
Recipe: Shugary Sweets
There are only five ingredients to create this classic French dessert. It might seem like overselling, but the recipe creators call this interpretation everything from "melt in your mouth" to "heavenly smooth, divinely rich" and "so dangerously good."
Recipe: Amy + Jacky Pressure Cook Recipes
Like pumpkin flavor, cranberry is a taste that's welcome all year. Sure, it adds a touch of tradition to the holiday table — but you can be sure this pie will be welcome no matter the season. Fresh cranberries, pecans, and a touch of almond flavor add up to something memorable.
Recipe: Margin Making Mom
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We do love a cranberry. Add some orange flavor (here, orange juice and orange zest are used), and we're sold. This elegant-looking dessert can be made vegan, as the recipe notes.
Recipe: Belly Rules the Mind
Molasses, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, pecans, maple syrup … we were captivated immediately. This is a dessert that's filled with flavor, and topped with even more.
Recipe: A Pressure Cooker
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Take a spin to South America with this recipe, known as sagu de vinho in Brazil. Red wine, sugar, and spices add to its punch. Naturally gluten- and dairy-free, the dish's serving suggestions include pairing with crème anglaise or vanilla ice cream. (P.S. It's said to be an aphrodisiac.)
Recipe: Easy and Delish
For those craving pineapple upside down cake, this version offers the retro favorite in bite-size portions. Canned pineapple chunks plus pineapple juice pump up the signature flavor with maraschino cherries adding sweetness and that finishing pop of color.
Recipe: Sparkles to Sprinkles
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"You need this instant pot cherry cobbler in your life!" At least, that's what the blogger behind this recipe tells us, calling it as pleasing at a holiday dinner as on "an ordinary Friday night." Cherry pie filling adds the sweet-tart base, with a chewy cobbler topping taking the dessert to another level.
Recipe: Aileen Cooks
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Black Forest Cake is one of those desserts you never make at home. Those who love the chocolate-cherry combination can bring that flavor into the kitchen with this super-simple dessert that's reminiscent of the bakery favorite.
Recipe: Chop Secrets
Flan is pure indulgence, with its silky custard texture and understated yet sweet taste. The Instant Pot version for the dish, also known as crème caramel, relies on classic ingredients including sugar, eggs, and heavy cream.
Recipe: The Fork Bite
For a lighter dessert that still offers impressive flavor, perhaps you might consider homemade applesauce. This version, created with Granny Smith apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon is simplicity at its best (and tastiest).
Recipe: Delish
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Creamy and indulgent, rice pudding is a classic comfort food that's got a love it/hate it reputation. For those who love it, this version taps into a bit of the gourmet, using Arborio rice (the one that gives risotto its signature creaminess).
Recipe: Pressure Cooking Today
Related: 20 Cheap and Easy Ways to Use Rice
The steaming that comes with an Instant Pot turns these brownies into a "gooey and super fudgy" treat. The box mix you start with makes for easy prep. The result? "The texture is as if chocolate brownies and molten lava cake had a baby."
Recipe: Spice Cravings
If you want to create a cheesecake that's a bit beyond the basic, this is a creamy version topped with caramel sauce and flaked sea salt. It just might rival your favorite restaurant's signature dessert.
Recipe: Cookies & Cups
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Doesn't Key lime pie remind you of vacation? This recipe was indeed inspired by its creator's memories of visiting Florida. Bring your own good memories back to life with this pie that boasts a "tart, sweet, creamy citrus filling."
This recipe is said to be ideal for the family when entertaining "or just about any day you need some coconut goodness." Unsweetened coconut milk, coconut extract, and sweetened flaked coconut combine for a burst of the featured flavor.
Recipe: One Happy Housewife
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Is candy a dessert? It can be if you put out a plate of this creamy fudge and serve it with a strong side of coffee. Created with everyday ingredients — including butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter — it'll mix things up a bit.
Recipe: Monday is Meatloaf
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If you are cooking for someone who's not a huge chocolate fan, this sophisticated cake makes an elegant dessert option. Frozen pitted cherries, almond extract, and almond flour (it's a gluten-free recipe to boot) head up the ingredient list.
Recipe: Instantlicious
Indulge your inner child, or perhaps feed an actual children by making doughnuts in the Instant Pot — or, more accurately, doughnut holes. With just three ingredients and countless variations for toppings, this is a recipe that encourages creativity.
Recipe: The Typical Mom
This recipe offers a "double boiler hack" — using the Instant Pot to melt chocolate — to create that romantic cliché known as chocolate-covered strawberries.
Recipe: Confessions of a Fit Foodie
You can always fool yourself by saying carrot cake is healthy … after all, it includes carrots. But this version gives our argument a little weight, as it also features whole wheat flour (for added texture). We're also intrigued by the addition of orange zest, said to elevate the cream cheese frosting.
Recipe: The Steamy Cooker
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