Instant Pot Camping Recipes

Make Instant Pot Camping Recipes when you want a hearty meal in less time by using a stress-free cooking process.

Instant Pot Camping Recipes by CampingForFoodies features a collage of six images including an Instant Pot pressure cooker sitting on a table outside at an RV park with rows of RV campers parked along a street lined with palm trees, plates of food including chicken fajita pasta, tortilla soup, beef and broccoli, pork mole and creamy oatmeal.

High pressure cooking is the perfect way to prepare camping food when you’re RV camping or car camping with access to electricity.

  • This cooking method requires minimal effort and time.
  • The meal preparation is quick and has reduced cooking time, especially compared to slow cooker recipes.
  • Best of all, easy instant pot meals create less mess because you can use the sauté setting to soften aromatics and brown meat in the pot, then dump in the rest of your ingredients to cook under high pressure and get a delicious home-cooked meal in a short amount of time and you’ll only have one dirty dish to wash afterwards!

High Altitude Cooking

Remember you will have to adjust the time required to cook your instant pot recipes if you are camping at an elevation over 2,000 feet above sea level. The general rule of thumb is to Increase cooking time by 5 percent for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet of elevation. Here’s a quick chart to help you do the calculation.

Cooking ElevationIncrease Cooking TimeMultiply By
3,000 feet (900 meters)5%1.05
4,000 feet (1,200 meters)10%1.10
5,000 feet (1,500 meters)15%1.15
6,000 feet (1,800 meters)20%1.20
7,000 feet (2,100 meters)25%1.25
8,000 feet (2,400 meters)30%1.30
9,000 feet (2,700 meters)35%1.35
10,000 feet (3,000 meters)40%1.40

Easy Instant Pot Camping Meals

Most recipes are designed for using the most popular sized electric pressure cooker. Unless the recipe states otherwise, these easy meals are made using a 6 quart Instant Pot.

1. Chicken Fajita Pasta

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta by CampingForFoodies features a blue camping plate filled with tender macaroni pasta and chicken tossed in a Mexican sauce.

An Instant Pot is a great way to cook pasta dishes when you want to make them as a one-pot meal. The mild Mexican flavors in this chicken and pasta dish appeal to kids and adults.


2. Instant Pot Mac & Cheese

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese features a bowl of creamy pasta shells covered in cheesy sauce topped with cracked black pepper.

It’s hard to believe you can make this delicious meal in such a short period of time. This mac & cheese uses only 5 ingredients, and is finished from start-to-finish in less than 20 minutes.


3. Outback Chicken Tortilla Soup

Outback Chicken Tortilla Soup features a bowl of soup in a brownish-red broth. Yellow corn, red tomatoes and green cilantro are in the soup and topped with crunchy yellow and blue corn tortilla strips.

There’s no need to find the nearest Outback restaurant when you’re craving their hearty soup. Make this copycat version on your next camping trip.


4. Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Whole Chicken features a platter filled with golden brown pieces of chicken garnished with a half lemon and rosemary sprigs.

Try this great meal when you want a classic Sunday dinner. The chicken skin and bones creates rich flavors that can’t be achieved from skinless, boneless meat. You will have to finish off the recipe by putting the chicken under a broiler to get crispy skin.


5. Beef and Broccoli

Beef And Broccoli features a plate filled with golden brown charred steak strips and bright green broccoli florets.

One of the best things about using a pressure cooker is the sauté mode. In this Asian dish, you’ll get a nice sear on the meat to lock in all the flavors and produce a great texture.


6. Salmon Chowder

Salmon Chowder features a bowl of creamy soup filled with pieces of carrots, celery, onion, corn, potatoes and salmon.

This creamy soup uses leftover salmon. It’s a great base recipe for any fish, just swap out the salmon with any type of fish you have on hand and enjoy a lovely bowl of chowder.


7. Beef Pot Roast With Gravy

Beef Pot Roast features a serving dish filled with tender beef chucks, potatoes, carrots and a brown gravy.

Bring grandma on your camping trip and treat her to an old fashioned pot roast made with new technology. She will love every bite!


8. Pork Mole

Pork Mole features a bowl of sliced pork in a brownish-red colored sauce and garnished with a lime slice.

The blend of spices in this mole turns an ordinary pork tenderloin into a flavorful feast.


9. Breakfast Potatoes

Breakfast Potatoes features a bowl of cubed red-skinned potatoes with diced green peppers and sprinkles with parsley.

Bacon, onion, bell peppers and potatoes are combined to make this yummy classic. The recipe uses a standard Instant Pot but gives you the option to use an Instant Pot air frying lid to make them extra crispy.


10. Firecracker Chicken

Firecracker Chicken features cubed chicken in an orange sauce topped with sliced green onions and set on a bed of white rice.

This sweet and spicy chicken is covered in a yummy glaze then served over rice and topped with green onions. You won’t miss your takeout restaurant when you can make this while you’re in the great outdoors.


11. Chicken Stew

Chicken Stew features a large serving pot filled with broth and chunks of chicken, potatoes, peas and carrots.

The fresh ingredients make a huge splash with this chicken stew. It uses dry white wine to add an extra depth of flavor, but can be omitted if you don’t like cooking with alcohol.

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12. Hard or Soft Boiled Eggs

Hard and Soft Eggs features a plate filled with soft boiled eggs and hearty artisan sliced bread.

It’s not difficult to make hard-boiled eggs, but slightly soft or perfectly soft eggs are not so simple. This recipe explains how to get the perfect consistency using your Instant Pot.


13. Chili Mac

Chili Mac features a bowl filled with pasta and hamburger in a tomato sauce.

One Pot Chili Mac is one of my favorite things to make on a cold night. I typically make it using a Dutch oven over an open flame of a warm campfire. But, when you can’t have an open fire because of campfire restrictions, you have to transition to a camp stove, RV stove or Instant Pot.


14. Steel Cut Oats

Steel Cut Oats features a bowl of creamy oatmeal and topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.

This set-it & forget-it method of making creamy oatmeal is one of those easy camping recipes you’ll appreciate on busy mornings.


15. Ham and Potato Soup

Ham and Potato Soup features a bowl of creamy soup with ham and corn.

This thick and creamy soup is ready in under 30 minutes, and that includes the time to pressure up!


16. Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Instant Pot Tortilla Soup features a bowl filled with soup that contains beans, corn and topped with shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno peppers and yellow corn tortilla strips.

Most tortilla soup is made with chicken but this version is meatless. The vegetarians and meat-eaters will enjoy it, especially when topped with creamy cheese and crunchy tortilla chips.


FREE Printable Menu Planner

Meal Planning

YouTube video

Use my camping menu planner to stay organized when planning meals for your next trip. It’s FREE and you’ll get it delivered instantly to your inbox!

Camping Menu Template Meal Planner Free Printable by CampingForFoodies features a collage of free camping printables including a camping menu planner template, a campfire stew recipe card and a healthy no cook camping salad with text over the image that reads free camping menu template, tips and recipe ideas.

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