10 Easy Instant Pot Recipes to Save Money

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Looking for ways to save money in food costs and electricity bills? We got our first Instant Pot, and we are already noticing a huge savings in our food and energy bills. We thought we’d share our experience with the Instant Pot so far and share our favorite 10 easy Instant Pot recipes. We’ll also include some money saving tips when it comes to using the Instant Pot.

easy instant pot recipes to save money on dinner

You know I’m all about saving money. And when it comes to making dinners at home, I’m always debating about whether to turn the oven on to cook, especially in the hot summer months.

I used to resort to the slow cooker or our counter top toaster oven to help conserve energy. But then my brother-in-law gifted us with an Instant Pot for Christmas, and within a week, I became a huge fan.

Not only did we notice a huge savings in our grocery bill, but almost immediately we appreciated how quickly it cooked our food. I really love the fact that I can take a few pieces of frozen chicken or fish out of the freezer and have a cooked dinner in less than 15 minutes!

If you are looking into getting your own Instant Pot, I recommend checking out the one we ended up with: Instant Pot 6 Qt. 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker and Warmer.

Money Saving Tips with Easy Instapot Recipes

Food can be one of the biggest expenses for a family. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average American family spends more than $7,700 per year on groceries and eating out!

That means for many families, food is their second or third biggest line item on their house-hold budget, just behind housing and transportation.

Related:
Get the ABC Budget Worksheet to Declutter Your Finances Here
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My husband and I noticed a huge savings in our budget when we started meal planning. We were able to create cheap dinners and save money on food within a very short period of time. We even did a 30 day eat-at-home challenge where we just made budget friendly dinners at home for a whole month.

Here are some of the things we learned when we incorporated meal planning with some budget friendly Instant Pot recipes.

Buy frozen meat in bulk

You can buy prepackaged meat in individual packets from Costco or a discount grocery store. Then when you need to make an easy Instant Pot recipe, simply take out however many packets you need and place them in your Instant Pot.

Buy veggies on sale

Generally, if vegetables are in season, they are more likely to be discounted. You can also grab vegetables in bulk from your local discount grocery store. Vegetables also tend to be the cheapest part of dinner. So if you can add them into your easy Instant Pot recipes, even better.

Meal plan to save money on food

Meal planning and prepping ahead of time has been a game changer in our monthly expenses. If you are looking to save money on your monthly grocery bill, use easy Instant Pot recipes to meal plan. Plan out what you will need for about 2 weeks of dinners. Then buy in bulk from the grocery and chop and store food items in food storage containers. When you need to cook dinner, pull out a container and a few pieces of frozen meat, place in the Instant Pot and voila!

Note: If you are looking for a way to meal plan easily, I recommend $5 Meal Plan. The meal planning service with $5 meal plan sends you budget recipes along with a shopping list every month for just $5.