Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking (2024)

Looking for the best Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes on the web? I’ve got 23 copycat recipes that you can make at home in your own kitchen.

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Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking (1)

Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes

Do you love eating out but don’t love what it does to your budget? You can eat well at home! And it doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. These copycat recipes can be made in your Instant Pot or slow cooker and taste pretty close to the real thing.

Cafe Rio Instant Pot Recipes

Café Rio Chicken–this shredded chicken is perfect to serve with your Mexican dinners on salads, in burritos, in enchiladas or over rice.

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Chicken

Slow Cooker Cafe Rio Chicken

Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice–this quickly cooked seasoned rice made in you pressure cooker is just like Cafe Rio’s and it makes the perfect addition to any Mexican dish for dinner.

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing–This Cafe Rio-style dressing is so addictive and tastes awesome for up to a week!

Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

Smothered Green Sauce Enchiladas–homemade Cafe Rio style mild tomatillo sauce is simmered in your electric pressure cooker along with chicken breasts to create the base of your enchiladas.

Smothered Enchiladas

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork—make your favorite restaurant’s sweet pork at home with just a handful of ingredients. This pulled pork is perfect over salad, rice, tacos, burritos, quesadillas or on a toasted bun.

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Slow Cooker Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Cafe Rio Black Beans–These black beans will be a hit at your next Mexican dinner.

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Black Beans

Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking (7)

Olive Garden Instant Pot Recipes

Zuppa Toscana–It tastes better than the restaurant and is really fast and easy to make.

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana

Pasta E fa*gioli Soup–your favorite soup from Olive Garden made quickly at home in your pressure cooker or slow cooker. White and red beans, ground beef, tomatoes and pasta in a savory broth.

Instant Pot Pasta E fa*gioli Soup

Slow Cooker Pasta E fa*gioli Soup

Chicken Gnocchi Soup–A cream based soup with tender, moist bites of chicken, bacon crumbles, bright green leafy kale and dumpling-like gnocchi. This soup is a 10 out of 10 at my house.

Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup

More Copycat Recipes…

Instant Pot Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup—A hearty split pea soup with barley, carrots, onions, savory herbs and green onions. This is a copycat recipe of the popular vegan soup sold at California Pizza Kitchen.

Instant Pot Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup

Slow Cooker Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup

Instant Pot Skyline Chili Cheese Coneys–a hot dog in a steamed bun with mustard, covered with copy cat Skyline chili, diced onions and a mound of shredded cheddar cheese.

Instant Pot Skyline Chili Cheese Coneys

Instant Pot Runzas—a Nebraska favorite, Runzas are a cross between a hot pocket and a burger. Ground beef, onions and cabbage are wrapped in a yeast dough and baked, resulting in a savory pastry.

Instant Pot Runzas

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich from the Brown Hotel in Louisville is an open faced turkey sandwich on Texas toast drizzled with a Romano cheese sauce and topped with crispy bacon. Your Instant Pot cooks a frozen turkey breast in an expedited manner to use for this addicting sandwich.

Instant Pot Hot Brown

Homemade Rice-A-Roni–Do you love “the San Francisco treat” but want to make it from scratch? Make this super easy version of Rice-A-Roni in your slow cooker or pressure cooker!

Instant Pot Rice-A-Roni

Slow Cooker Rice-A-Roni

Homemade Hamburger Helper–with just a little more effort than making a boxed meal you can have a homemade creamy tomato basil beef pasta meal. And with the help of your Instant Pot it takes just a few minutes.

Instant Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper

Panera Bread’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup–reminiscent of Panera Bread’s broccoli cheddar soup this pressure cooker or slow cooker version has chopped broccoli, shredded carrots and celery simmered in a velvety smooth cheese sauce. I believe this version is just as good or better than you could order at any restaurant! Try it for dinner this week.

Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Instant Pot Maid-Rite Sandwiches from Maid Rite restaurants in Iowa are seasoned, simmered flavorful loose ground beef sandwiches served with mustard and a pickle.

Instant Pot Maid Rites

Zupa’s Cafe Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup–A creamy, cheesy, crockpot cauliflower soup that is similar to the version served at Cafe Zupas.
This soup is best when served with crumbled bacon on top!

Slow Cooker Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps–Ground chicken, mushrooms, green onion, water chestnuts and crispy rice sticks all rolled up into crisp leaves of lettuce.

Slow Cooker Lettuce Wraps

Starbucks Instant Pot Egg Bites—crust-less quiche-like bites of eggs, cheese and whatever mix-ins you want. They’re protein packed and a perfect portable breakfast.

Instant Pot Egg Bites

Panda Express Instant Pot Fried Rice–easy recipe for fried rice made quickly in your Instant Pot. Just like what you’d order at Panda Express!

Instant Pot Fried Rice

Panda Express Orange Chicken–tender bites of chicken in a flavorful orange sauce.

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Instant Pot Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich—thinly sliced seasoned roast beef piled onto a bun with flavorful juices and some pickled vegetables. An amazing sandwich with tons of flavor!

Instant Pot Chicago Italian Beef

And here are some copycat recipes from other bloggers that you may like…

Instant Pot Copycat Taco Bell Beef from The Salty Pot

Instant Pot Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings from A Little Moore

Instant Pot Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa Beef from 12 Tomatoes

Instant Pot Artichoke and Spinach Dip Applebees Copycat from Adventures of a Nurse

Slow Cooker Copycat Chili’s Queso Dip from The Food Charlatan

Slow Cooker Wendy’s Chili from Runs for Cookies

What’s missing? Tell me! Is there a dish from a restaurant that you’d love to make at home? Maybe I could create it in my slow cooker or Instant Pot. Good fits are soups, braised dishes, some desserts, pasta dishes, etc.

Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Why not to use Instant Pot as slow cooker? ›

The Instant Pot is an amazing electric pressure cooker, but it was not designed to be a slow cooker and is nowhere near as efficient as a Crock Pot when it comes to playing the long game. If you already have one, keep using your slow cooker and stick to fast efficient recipes with the Instant Pot.

How long is 8 hours in a slow cooker to Instant Pot? ›

Generally, if your slow cooker meat, soup, or stew recipe calls for 8 hours on the low setting or about 4 hours on the high setting, it should be fully cooked in about 25 to 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. For chicken or turkey, use the 15-minute poultry button.

What is the difference between Instant Pot pressure cooker and slow cooker? ›

Just remember that all Instant Pots are multi-cookers, which means they slow cook and pressure cook, and Crock-Pots are usually only slow cookers. If you only care about slow cooking, then go for a stand-alone slow cooker like a Crock-Pot.

Do you leave the vent open on an Instant Pot when slow cooking? ›

Another tip, taken from an Instant Pot Facebook group, is to open the valve all the way on your Instant Pot lid when slow cooking. This allows some moisture and steam to release and keeps the Instant Pot from overcooking your slow cooker recipes.

Which is better, a Crockpot or a slow cooker? ›

If you're planning to cook your meals mostly when you're not home or overnight, then sticking to a Crockpot might be a better choice, since the heat distribution is more even and there is no need to stir at all.

Is 8 hours too long in a slow cooker? ›

Stick to the cook time indicated on your recipe

Most slow cooker meals take 8-12 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high, but there are also recipes for slow-cooked meat that take up to 24 hours. If you want to avoid overcooking your dish, follow the given guidelines as closely as possible.

Can I switch from slow cook to pressure cook? ›

As long as you keep a few basic rules in mind – like how much liquid to use and how to adjust the cooking time – turning your favorite all-day slow cooker recipe into a 30-minute pressure cooker special is straightforward and simple.

Is slow cooking better than pressure cooking? ›

If you enjoy prepping your meal in the morning and letting it cook all day so that it's ready by dinner time, go with a slow cooker. Conversely, a pressure cooker might be the better option if you want an easy way to make healthy meals without much planning.

Does slow cooker taste better than pressure cooker? ›

If you like the vegetables incredibly soft and fall-apart tender and with more flavor of the broth from absorbing the liquid while cooking, the slow cooker is the way to go. If you prefer your potatoes and carrots to be more like a steamed “side” that happened to cook with the meat, the Instant Pot is the way to go!

Do Instant Pots work well as slow cookers? ›

Touted as the do-it-all appliance for good reason, an Instant Pot is a multi-function pressure cooker that easily doubles as a slow cooker. The difference between pressure cooking and slow cooking is substantial, so we love that one appliance can do both, along with a slew of other cooking methods.

Are Instant Pots still popular? ›

Recently though, things have gone off the boil. Sales for multicookers such as the Instant Pot fell by more than half in 2022 compared with 2020, The Associated Press reported.

What temperature is low on a slow cooker? ›

What temperature is 'Low' on a slow cooker? Most slow cookers have two slow cooker temperature settings. The 'Low' cook setting reaches temperatures between 164-182°F (reaching a peak of around 205°F after 4 hours).

What is the Instant Pot's equivalent cooking time? ›

3. Try this Instant Pot cheat sheet.
StovetopPressure CookerSlow Cooker (on High Heat)
1 hour or more30 to 45 minutes4 to 6 hours
30 to 45 minutes10 to 15 minutes2 to 3 hours
20 to 30 minutes5 to 10 minutes2 hours
15 minutes or under0 minutesNA
Jun 16, 2023

How do I convert a slow cooker time from low to high? ›

According to the Crock-Pot website, Crock-Pot low temp to high conversion times are: Twelve hours on low equals eight hours on high.

How much longer does a slow cooker take? ›

How to use a slow cooker
Oven or stovetopSlow cooker (high)Slow cooker (low)
15 – 30 minutes1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours4 – 6 hours
30 – 45 minutes2 – 3 hours6 – 8 hours
45 minutes to 3 hours4 – 6 hours8 – 12 hours

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