How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (2024)

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (1)

If you have read my post about Freezer Dinner Startersyou know I am not a fan of filling my freezer with fully prepped meals. To me, it feels a lot like eating leftovers – so I don’t do a whole lot of freezer meal prep in the traditional sense– and the same logic holds true for my instant pot prep. I like to prep everything raw and freeze. Prep day is easy (no cooking!) and food doesn’t feel like leftovers. On the cook day, it goes into the instant potwhile I chat with my husband and small human about their day.

The instant pot has become an essential tool in my regular meal prep adventures. I use it for once a week meal prep (here’s how), and now it is being incorporated into my freezermeal prep too.

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (2)

Why wouldn’t I just use a slow cooker for these?

  • I don’t want to wait 6- 8 hours to cook these during the week. I want to put them in my pot when I walk in the door and have dinner within the next hour – frozen or not.
  • As much as I meal plan, sometimes I do forget to actually take the dinner out of the freezer and with the instant pot, we can still have that frozen dinner that night and it is nice to have the option to cook directly from frozen (which is not recommended with slow cooking).

I think that all of these recipes could be prepared in a slow cooker, but slow cooking is just not an option for me for weeknights. I am out of my house at least 10 hours and anything cooked for 10 hours is just not very good – in my experience. I do use my slow cooker on the weekends and when I am cooking for a crowd!

How & Why do I freeze them in circular containers?

  • If I don’t pull out a meal to thaw, and have to cook it from frozen, it needs to be in a shape that fits in the instant pot.And, the packs store well like this – upright until frozen = no leaks!
  • When deciding on a mould shape, place the container into the instant pot to make sure it fits for both diameter and height.
  • I have found that the 6 cup round ziplock containers work well, as do 1L disposable plastic containers. Once frozen overnight in the containers, you can remove the containers and stack the meals to save space.

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (3)

  • The biggest challenge to these freezer packs is getting as much air as possible out. Using the foodsaver is a challenge because as the air is sucked out, the shape of the bag changes. BUT – you can transfer to a foodsaver for longer term storage once it is frozen. But- that is an extra step. I did it with one recipe as the contents were a bit much to have the ziplock close tightly.

Which tools are needed?

  • 6 cup capacity ziplock plastic containers, or1L plastic disposable containers.
  • Freezer labels (freezerlabels.net) and a sharpie. You could also write directly on the bag and skip the labels, but it is much harder to read the contents.
  • Ziploc Freezer Bags (gallon size)- not all ziplock bags are created equal. Ensure you buy the freezer specific bags.
  • Optional Foodsaver system.

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (4)

How to Store them?

  • I am a fan of the plastic container and ziplock system for a few reasons.
    1. you can put the ziplock baggie into the container and just dump ingredients in as you go – no mixing bowls required.
    2. you can freeze these upright – less leaking issues.
    3. they store easily in bins in your freezer this way without any bulky containers.
  • On prep day, put all of the ingredients into the ziplock bag (that is inserted into a plastic container). Freeze overnight so the meal becomes the shape of the container.

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (5)

  • Next day – you can slide the ziplock out – remove air and seal the bag. I use bag clips from IKEA to clamp as close to the frozen meal as I can.

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (6)

  • If you are storing long term, now that the meal is a frozen block you could transfer to a foodsaver bag. This is an extra step and added cost as you are now using ziplock bags and foodsaver bags, but it is up to you. One of my meals ended up being too full in a ziplock bag so I opted to transfer to a food saver bag.

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (7)

So, what are some prep ahead freezer friendly instant pot recipes?

Not all recipes are created to be prepped ahead and frozen. Recipes with multiple steps in the instant pot, or contain ingredients with differing cook times are not great for prep ahead and freeze. I also avoid vegetables for this. The biggest reason is that if you put cut up veggies in with your meat, you will end up with veggie mush as the cook times are so significantly different than meat.

If you select recipes that require steps after cooking (adding dairy or cornstarch for example, make sure you write that on the label.

Here are some IP recipes that are great for prep and freeze that I have done:

Korean Ribs *I wouldn’t recommend cooking this recipe directly from frozen. The ribs cook unevenly* But, the flavour of these is AMAZING, and the pressure cooker makes the ribs really tender!

Honey Bourbon Chicken– be aware that honey doesn’t freeze so this pack will always be a bit squishy – and high risk for leaking if you don’t keep it upright.

Spicy Orange Beef– For this one, remember to add the cornstarch slurry after it is cooked and not into the prep bag. Write a reminder on your label about this. I also skip the browning/saute for this recipe.

Thai Chicken Thighs– if your peanut butter is really thick for this one, you may need to add a bit of broth on your cook day to make sure there is enough liquid to come to pressure.

Chili Lime Chicken– This recipe doesn’t call for liquid. I do add a splash of broth at cook time – but many have done this recipe without the broth and it has worked.

Putting all of these together took me under two hours – and I am pretty sure it took me longer to write this post and take picture of these creations than it did to prep the meals. #foodbloggerproblems.

3 Whole Chickens – no recipe required. Here is how to cook a whole chicken in the instant pot.

  • For each chicken, I cut the skin on the breast side and stuffed it with garlic cloves. I also seasoned with seasonings I had in my pantry – I used ClubHouse Greek, Applewood Smoked, and Tex Mex seasonings. I have done whole chickens from frozen and thawed and they taste awesome either way. My only cautionary note is that if you plan to cook from frozen make sure your chicken is small enough to fit as an ice block! My favourite storage method for these is the foodsaver system.

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (8)

To Thaw or Not to Thaw?

While you can easily cook these meals right from frozen, and I will do that when I am in a bind, I typically still thaw the meals before I cook them. The main reason is that if you are putting a giant ice chunk in your pressure cooker it takes extra time for the block to melt and for the pot to reach pressure, and the cook times are increased.

If you are going to be cooking from frozen often – here is a great resource on cooking frozen foods in the pressure cooker.

One last note, that cook times from frozen will depend on the final shape of your meal. Always ensure your meat is cooked to the correct internal temperatures.

This week (January 16th 2017) , I will post pictures as I cook my way through these during the week – after work! Come follow along @mealplanaddict.

So, there you have it, ANOTHER easy way to fill your freezer so you can do better things with your after work hours!

How to Prep & Freeze Instant Pot Suppers (plus recipes) (2024)

FAQs

How to freeze meals to fit in an Instant Pot? ›

Freezing: Place the bag with the ingredients inside the Instant Pot insert and freeze. Freezing in the shape of the cooking vessel means that the frozen ingredients fit easily back into the pot when it is time to cook.

How do you adjust Instant Pot recipes for frozen meat? ›

The frozen pieces will make things colder, longer and cause the pot to take longer to create steam, and thus pressure. What is this? Bargain for at least 10 extra minutes for the pot to come to pressure when using frozen meats. Sometimes up to 40 extra minutes, depending on what you are making.

How do you freeze meal prep dinners? ›

To prepare a meal for the freezer, you'll want to fully prepare it ahead of time. Be sure to let it cool fully, and then transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag. Date it, pop it in the freezer, and it'll be ready to go in a pinch! Most freezer meals keep for around 2 months.

Can I put a frozen piece of meat in an Instant Pot? ›

Yes, it is safe to cook frozen food in a pressure cooker or an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. However, if you only have the slow cooker version of the Instant Pot, then it is not safe to cook frozen food in it.

How do you freeze meal portions? ›

Freeze in Airtight Bags or Containers. Using an airtight container or bag to freeze your food will help increase the quality of your frozen food for a longer period of time because it will limit the food's exposure to air.

What dinners freeze well? ›

Choose from dozens of delicious freezer meals including casseroles, baked pasta dishes, gumbo, pot roast, slow-cooker soups and stews, and more. You guests will never guess that you just popped that Turkey-Noodle-Poppy Seed Casserole out of the freezer.

What food is not suitable for freezing? ›

"Generally speaking, anything that has dairy, or a very high water content, is not going to do well when frozen," says Palak Patel, a chef at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Can you freeze cooked spaghetti? ›

You don't want to go with a high heat or you'll scorch the sauce and overcook the pasta. Can you freeze spaghetti that hasn't been tossed in sauce? Yes! Freezing fresh or cooked pasta by itself is the best way to do it.

Can I put frozen chicken in my Instant Pot? ›

Meat, like chicken or salmon, can go straight from the freezer into the Instant Pot. The reason? A pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, quickly brings food to a safe temperature. This is different from a slow cooker, which can allow frozen foods to sit at an unsafe temperature for prolonged periods of time.

Can you put frozen broth in an Instant Pot? ›

Frozen Soup and Broth

Use the pressure-cooker function and a frozen block of soup or broth will be ready to eat in no time. Add frozen soup straight into the Instant Pot insert, set the timer to high pressure for five minutes, and then release the pressure using the quick release method.

What meats can be cooked from frozen? ›

Certain cuts are easier than others to cook frozen – pork chops, lamb chops, and steaks are all pretty simple. Ground beef takes patience, but it's possible for a meat sauce. Something like stir-fry beef is tricky. And use any tools you have available.

How do you freeze fully cooked meals? ›

To ensure food stays safe, cool cooked dishes quickly before freezing. Freezing hot dishes will increase the temperature of the freezer and may cause other foods to start defrosting. Can you cook chicken then freeze it? Yes, cooked plain chicken can be frozen for up to 4 months.

How do you freeze meals in containers? ›

Individually-sized meals should be frozen in airtight lidded plastic containers to limit the amount of outside oxygen flowing into the dish. It's also wise to double-wrap your plastic containers in a layer of freezer-proof plastic wrap if you're planning on storing the dish for more than a week.

How do you reheat frozen food in an Instant Pot? ›

You may have to run the container under warm water to make it easy to transfer the contents to the Instant Pot, but from there, it's pretty easy: Slide the Instant Pot lid to lock, set the timer to high pressure for 6 minutes, and then, when the time is up, release the pressure with the quick-release method.

How do you layer food in Instant Pot? ›

Layer Your Ingredients – The best way to avoid the burn with an Instant Pot is to layer your ingredients properly. Add in all the liquid ingredients first and the more dense ingredients to the top. This allows steam to build without scorching things on the bottom. We know it sounds crazy, but never ever stir!

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