Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Copycat Recipes

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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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

Slow Cooker Cafe Rio Black Beans

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

Can an Instant Pot slow cook like a crockpot? ›

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.

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What is the equivalent of 4 hours in the slow cooker in the 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. While volume doesn't matter, density does.

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What is healthier, a slow cooker or an Instant Pot? ›

When it comes to preserving nutrients, the Instant Pot's high-pressure cooking generally wins the battle. If you're looking for quick, healthy meals with minimal nutrient loss, the Instant Pot is your go-to. For rich, complex flavors and fall-off-the-bone tenderness, the slow cooker takes the crown.

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Does pressure cooking do the same as slow cooking? ›

Even though both can produce similar results, there is a main difference between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker. A slow cooker will cook food longer at a lower temperature, whereas a pressure cooker uses hot steam to cook food much quicker.

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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.

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Can you leave an Instant Pot on slow-cook overnight? ›

If you are slow cooking in the Instant Pot, you should be able to leave your dish cooking overnight for as long as the recipe dictates. Anything that calls for 8 hours cooking time should be sufficient as long as you make sure you're up in time to take it out of the slow cooker once it's finished.

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What is the disadvantage of Instant Pot? ›

Con– If you don't pay attention to setting the vent properly you will have to extend your cooking time. I can't tell you how many time I forgot to seal the pot and the steam was escaping rather than building up inside and cooking my food. Pro– Like I said earlier, you are not limited to soups and stews.

What is the difference between low and normal slow cook on Instant Pot? ›

Low on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is like the keep warm on a traditional slow cooker. The low setting reaches about 170 degrees F. Normal on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is equivalent to low heat on a traditional slow cooker. Normal reaches 200 degrees F.

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Is Instant Pot slow cooker worth it? ›

America's Test Kitchen tested different brands of electric pressure cookers and determined that Instant Pots perform poorly as slow cookers. Basically, the slow cook function on IP doesn't get as hot as a real slow cooker does. My gf found this out the hard way trying to do pulled pork.

What are the disadvantages of a slow cooker? ›

What are the disadvantages of a slow cooker? Slow cookers only apply heat to the bottom of the crock, which cuts down on their ability to reduce liquids and brown foods, and develop flavor the same way a Dutch oven or pressure cooker can.

Which makes meat more tender, slow cooker or pressure cooker? ›

Traditionally cheaper cuts of meat always slow cook better. Slow cooking breaks down the connective collagen in meat, which turns into unctuous gelatine. This creates that soft and tender mouth feel we all crave.

Is brisket better in slow cooker or pressure cooker? ›

Cooking brisket is pretty simple. All that it really needs is a long and slow cooking time. That's why I love to make it in my slow cooker. However, if you are short on time, you can also use your Instant Pot to make it, with pretty similar results.

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How do I substitute Instant Pot for slow cooker? ›

How to Use Your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker

Prep your food. Cut, chop, or season the ingredients according to the recipe.
Place the lid on the pot. ...
Press the Slow Cook button. ...
Set the temperature. ...
Set the time. ...
Cook.

Feb 9, 2024

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Is the Instant Pot Pro a good slow cooker? ›

We've long recommended the Instant Pot Pro as one of the best countertop multi-cookers and the slow cooker function works fairly well. Temperatures peaked at 205°F and stayed there after three hours, cooking the dried beans to a perfectly creamy and buttery consistency.

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Do I need to seal my Instant Pot when slow cooking? ›

When slow cooking in the Instant Pot, you can cover the pot using a tempered glass lid or the regular Instant Pot lid. If you are using the Instant Pot lid, you need to move the steam release valve to the "venting" position.

How to Slow Cook without a slow cooker? ›

Another option for slow cooking without a slow cooker is to utilise your oven. Choose an oven-safe dish with a lid or tightly cover a regular baking dish with foil. This method is excellent for roasts, casseroles, and baked dishes.

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