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These 30-Minute Thanksgiving Instant Pot Recipes Are Time & Sanity-Saving

by Kristina Johnson and Ashley Ziegler
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

It doesn't matter if you're a beginner in the kitchen, or practically a pro: cooking up a Thanksgiving feast is a huge challenge. The turkey takes hours to cook, hogging all your oven time and space. Then you need a big spread of sides, but you have only so many burners on your stove. It's not uncommon to find yourself in a jam on Thanksgiving, running out of time or kitchen space to get everything done. But if you've got an Instant Pot, you can pull it off without a hitch. There are many delicious 30-minute Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes that can totally save the day.

When you're trying to get dinner on the table at a certain time, the Instant Pot can be your best friend. You can prepare veggie dishes in just minutes, and even throw a whole ham in there to give it an amazing flavor boost. It can cook, steam, sauté, or even just keep your dishes warm until it's time to chow down. It's no wonder that everyone's obsessed with the Instant Pot or that so many stores are hoping to lure shoppers in with Black Friday Instant Pot deals.

Here are 20 super quick Instant Pot recipes to complete your Thanksgiving dinner.

1Ham

Most grocery store hams are pre-cooked, but it's up to you to add some amazing flavor. This Instant Pot ham recipe from Eating Richly will help you do just that, leaving all your guests to wonder why your ham is so much better than all the others they've tried.

2Potatoes

You can't have turkey day without a side of potatoes. These Instant Pot potatoes from Life's Ambrosia cook up way quicker than typical roasted potatoes.

3Mashed Cauliflower

Instant Pot mashed cauliflower is a great alternative or addition to mashed potatoes, especially if you're looking for something lighter and/or lower carb, and this recipe from Sweet Peas and Saffron looks delicious.

4Green Beans And Mushrooms

You've gotta eat your greens on Thanksgiving, and this recipe for Instant Pot green beans from Traditional Cooking School gives them a bacony twist. (Plus, it's a nice change from the same-old green bean casserole.)

5Brussels Sprouts

The Instant pot Brussels sprouts in this recipe from Imperfectly Happy take so little time to prepare (again, compared to typical Brussels sprouts), you might think they're magic.

6Stuffing

Why, why, why do we only eat stuffing on Thanksgiving? This Instant Pot stuffing recipe from Devour Dinner might inspire you to make it much more often.

7Mac & Cheese

Kids and grown-ups alike will go crazy for this Instant Pot mac & cheese from Janine Huldie.

8Sweet Potatoes

You can't get away with skipping sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving, but they can take quite a while to cook in the oven. This Instant Pot recipe from This Old Gal cuts the time significantly.

9Butternut Squash

Any dinner guests trying to stick to a lower carb diet will dig in to this Instant Pot butternut squash recipe from Clean Eating Kitchen.

10Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is so much better than canned, and it's almost as easy in this recipe from the Savory Tooth.

11Cinnamon Spiced Apples

Whether you want to use them as a side or a dessert is up to you, but these spiced apples from A Spicy Perspective will keep your family’s sweet tooth satisfied. The best part? They only take one minute to make in an instant pot. One minute! It doesn’t get much easier than that.

12Classic Mashed Potatoes

The prep work for these instant pot mashed potatoes is the hardest part of the recipe, and it’s not actually hard at all. Mike and Steph from I am a Food Blog recommend using Yukon or Russet potatoes and mixing them up with chicken stock, garlic, butter, milk, and salt. From start to finish, they take 30 min. at most.

13Chicken (or Turkey) Noodle Soup

For picky eaters, you can have the option of chicken noodle soup (or swap out the chicken for turkey to keep it on theme). That’s What Che Said has a delicious recipe that takes about 10 min. to prep and only 7 min. to cook in the instant pot.

14Buttery Instant Pot Green Beans & Potatoes

Combine your potato and veggie dishes into one with this delicious recipe for buttery green beans and potatoes from My Forking Life. In addition to the green beans and potatoes, you’ll need some garlic, onions, chicken broth, butter, and some seasonings. From prep to serve, the dish takes about 15 min. and comes out full of flavor and a Thanksgiving staple, butter.

15Butternut Squash Soup

If you like to add some seasonal soups to your Thanksgiving table, try this recipe for butternut squash soup from Damn Delicious. You’ll need about 25 min. to make it, and will want to serve it shortly after it’s done cooking, but it’s so tasty it will be worth the rush to get it to the table.

16Honey Cinnamon Carrots

For a sweet take on your vegetable side, try these honey cinnamon carrots from Five Heart Home. You’ll need some carrots, butter, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, plus some optional bourbon, if you so choose.

17Bread Pudding

You can serve up some bread pudding for dessert and still get a little taste of pumpkin, since it calls for some pumpkin spice for flavoring. The instant pot recipe, from DIY Candy, delivers a moist, sweet, delicious bread pudding in about 30 min. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or solo for a delightful Thanksgiving dessert.

18Pumpkin Mac & Cheese (Gluten & Dairy Free)

If you have guests with special diets, or you just want a new take on traditional mac and cheese, try this vegan pumpkin mac and cheese from My Heart Beets. The recipe calls for gluten free elbow noodles, coconut milk, and no milk, making it both gluten and dairy free. The best part? It only takes four minutes in the instant pot.

19Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes are a pretty common dish on Thanksgiving, but there are a lot of different ways to serve them up, like with cheese. Corey, from Family Fresh Meals, came up with a delicious recipe for scalloped potatoes, and it only takes about 20 min. to make. Fair warning, guests will want seconds, so make extra.

20Apple Dump Cake

Another way to shake up Thanksgiving dessert is with this apple dump cake recipe from Simply Lakita. It’s super easy, calling for store-bought apple pie filling, yellow cake mix, butter, and water. It takes about 25-30 min. start to finish, and delivers a dessert your family will love.

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