But… there are a few tips and tricks to success, and here are my best tips for how to cook from frozen in your Instant Pot … without the fails!
One of the big weeknight wins that the Instant Pot has is that it can cook that dinner you forgot to defrost, in no time.
Ok, it’s not Instant, but it’s certainly faster and much more hands off than other methods. I will also preface by saying that it is ALWAYS my preference to cook thawed foods, but sometimes you just forget and have some chicken breasts, or stew meat in the freezer and just need that dinna!
I have been playing around with my Instant Pot and cooking from frozen and this post lays out my tips and tricks for how to cook from frozen in your Instant Pot.
It is safe to cook frozen food in a pressure cooker because it uses pressure to move food through the “Danger Zone” quickly. As a result, you don’t run into the issues that you would find by cooking frozen food in a slow cooker, where it can stay too long in the Danger Zone and could become unsafe.
Be mindful of the size and shape of your food when you freeze it.
For example, cut racks of ribs into 3 piece chunks. A whole rack won’t fit in your instant pot frozen solid. Same with thinks like Pork Shoulder. I often cut them into 4 chunks to ensure even cooking. Also easier to shred this way.
Same goes for things like chicken breasts. Don’t freeze the whole package in one big block. If you can freeze them (or buy them frozen) as individual breasts, that is best.
Plan for the time to “pressure up” to increase
The frozen pieces will make things colder, longer and cause the pot to take longer to create steam, and thus pressure.
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.
BEST HACK EVER: Cooking Frozen Meat in the Instant Pot
FAQ
How long do you add frozen meat to Instant Pot?
How do you cook frozen freezer meals in the Instant Pot?
Can I put frozen chicken in my Instant Pot?
Can you cook frozen food in an Instant Pot?
Cooking frozen food in your Instant Pot will make it take longer to come up to pressure. The extra time does start cooking your food though, so you only need to add a few extra minutes to your cook time. For ground meat or chopped veggies, add 1-2 extra minutes to your cook time. For chicken breasts, add about 3 extra minutes.
Can you cook frozen meat in an Instant Pot?
Talk about a weeknight win! Here are our Instant Pot Do’s and Don’ts to keep in mind the next time you want to cook a well-balanced meal straight from your freezer! Do Expect Cook Times to Vary: A frozen piece of meat will not only take longer to cook, but it will also take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
Can you put frozen soup in 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.
Can you put frozen chicken in Instant Pot?
Imagine putting a whole frozen chicken in Instant Pot and having tasty rotisserie-style chicken in under an hour. Just rinse frozen chicken so oil and then spices will stick to it. Wash sink after rinsing. When your done cooking the chicken you will have flavorful golden liquid broth at the bottom to make soup! Recipe from iFood Real.