The Essential Instant Pot® Keto Cookbook

KETO BASICS

The keto diet has been rapidly increasing in popularity over the last few years. In fact, Cosmopolitan and Forbes have deemed it the most popular weight-loss trend. According to Google, currently more than one million people search for the term “keto diet” every month. This previously obscure dietary approach leaves out almost all carbohydrates and sugar and retrains your body and brain to run off dietary and stored fat, not carbs and sugar. Some scientific research (most notably from the New England Journal of Medicine and Harvard University) has even shown that a keto approach may be associated with health benefits like slower aging, sustained and better weight loss, a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and a longer lifespan. From a nutrition standpoint, a keto approach is particularly beneficial because it lowers your daily intake of sugar and trains your body to burn fat, rather than glucose.

A keto approach is also noteworthy for its improved hormonal response, compared to the Standard American Diet (SAD). One of the biggest culprits in this equation is insulin. Sugar intake (especially in excess) causes insulin to spike, then to fall rapidly. You likely know this phenomenon as a “sugar crash.” But insulin is a big problem when it comes to weight loss, and the more insulin we are releasing, the less fat we are burning. Therefore, to oversimplify just a bit, the more carbs and sugar you are consuming, the less likely your body is to burn off its stored fat. There are exceptions to this rule—ironman athletes, marathon runners, etc.—but they are exceedingly rare. For the large majority of us, too many carbs and too much sugar is a direct recipe for weight gain.

A keto approach fixes all of this, as instead of slamming down carb-heavy favorites, we instead take in large amounts of healthy fats. These fats let our bodies and brains run smoothly and efficiently via ketone bodies, instead of using glucose. Ketone bodies are produced by our liver when our carbohydrate intake drops low, and our body starts shifting to fat as its preferred fuel source. When our carbohydrate intake drops to less than 100 grams per day (and often less than 50, or even 20 grams), we enter a metabolic state called ketosis. This is a great place to be if your goal is to lose weight and body fat.

With a keto approach, protein intake is kept at moderate levels, as too much protein can actually kick us out of ketosis. Sometimes you can also pair a keto approach with intermittent fasting, which is another dietary approach that has been rapidly increasing in popularity in recent years. With intermittent fasting, by not eating for prolonged periods of time, we are actually increasing our insulin sensitivity.

Keto recipes are filled with flavor, which is a big relief, as when most of my clients first hear that they are going to be eliminating almost all carbs and sugar, they go into a mini panic. But inside this cookbook you will find delicious recipes for keto donuts, keto ice cream, keto mac and cheese—and even keto fudge. Just because you might be eliminating carbs, does not mean you will be eliminating flavor.

The first few days shifting from the Standard American Diet (which is extremely heavy on carbohydrates) to a very low-carb keto diet, may be fairly tough. The difficulty of this “keto flu” period is directly proportional to how many carbs you were taking in before you made the switch. The more carbs and sugar you were taking in, the more pronounced the keto flu will feel. But do not worry—this period does not last long.

Luckily, there are also a few ways to combat the keto flu. You may want to try a variety of things, like getting more sleep, exercising lightly, drinking plenty of water, making sure you are still getting enough carbs, ramping up your fat intake, being mindful of your electrolytes, and possibly even taking supplements (usually electrolyte or ketone supplements work best).

Once you shift into fat-burning ketosis, you will find that your body starts to burn fat more efficiently and is running on ketones. This happens once you stop taking in so much glucose (sugar). There are even some scholars and researchers, like Dr. Loren Cordain (New York Times bestselling author and founder of the paleo diet), who believe a keto diet more closely mimics the way our ancestors may have eaten. This is because it allows for long periods of survival between meals and allows the body and brain to thrive without large amounts of glucose (or any food at all, really).

It is important to note that the keto diet should be adopted and followed fairly precisely, and it is always a good idea to get your doctor’s input before drastically changing your dietary intake. It is crucial to note your macronutrient intake when adopting a keto approach. The macronutrients we will be concerned with are fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

Typically, a keto diet will allow for about 60–70% of dietary intake to come from fat, 20–30% to come from protein, and the remaining intake to come from carbohydrates. It is obviously almost impossible to maintain these exact percentages at every meal, but they are key numbers to keep in mind for the big picture. Though the exact grams of carbohydrate intake per day will vary per person, typically, ketosis is achieved at 20 to 100 grams of carbs, per day. However, typically, ketosis is maintained with lower carb intake, usually between 20 and 50 grams of net carbs, per day. This brings us to the important point of differentiating between carbs and net carbs. When you are pursuing a keto diet, it is important to count net carbs, not total carbs.

To get an accurate net carb count, simply subtract any fiber grams from your carb intake. Fiber does not raise your blood sugar or cause insulin to be released, so we do not need to worry about it for optimal ketosis. Vegetables are particularly high in fiber, so do not be too worried about eating lots of vegetables while maintaining a keto approach.

However, one important caveat—do not overconsume root vegetables. The most popular root veggies that are often accidentally overconsumed with a keto approach are yams, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, and turnips. These starchier vegetables are typically higher in carbs, with less fiber, and sometimes even have a little sugar in them. Tread lightly with these.

Every recipe in this cookbook will provide you with a very small amount of net carbs and is extremely low (or completely devoid) of sugar, moderate in protein, and full of healthy fats. If you feel like an expert after reading this cookbook and want to make your own keto Instant Pot recipes, make sure you keep the ideal keto macronutrient ratios in mind. Mix and match from the following foods listed on here and here to create your own keto Instant Pot recipes.

INSTANT POT BASICS

The Instant Pot has become a bestseller in just a couple of years—and for good reason. It can make a cheesecake, make tough meats palatable in less than an hour, and cook a few days’ worth of food with minimal clean up. Once you try the Instant Pot a few times, you will definitely be hooked. The Instant Pot is also perfectly suited for the meat- and vegetable-centric keto diet.

One of the hidden bonuses of the Instant Pot is more flavorful cooking. That’s because pressure-cooking allows more of the herbs and spices to be absorbed into your food. Since a keto diet lacks large amounts of sugar, it is extremely important to keep things interesting by using a large variety of herbs and spices. An Instant Pot is also great for keto cooking because you can batch-prepare food for the week ahead, meaning you won’t resort to reaching for the sugary snacks.

One of my favorite features of the Instant Pot is the very simple cleanup. No one likes having to do a lot of dishes, and the Instant Pot keeps all the cleanup to just one pot. Even if you are making yogurt, a chocolate pie, or a pot roast, you still have almost nothing to clean up.

Which brings us to the next great aspect of the Instant Pot: it combines several different kitchen gadgets into just one device. It is a rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, and much more. You can cook an entire roast chicken in an Instant Pot—or make a chocolate cake. The versatility, ease of use, and speed of the Instant Pot are what has truly caught everyone’s attention.

However, to a newbie, the Instant Pot can seem intimidating and daunting. The front of the pot can at first look confusing—even though it really could not be simpler. While there are a wide variety of features and buttons, I have simplified it all for you. Almost every recipe in this book uses the Manual mode. On some Instant Pot models this is called Pressure Cook mode.

While not true of all, just about every recipe in this book is to be cooked at high pressure, which is the default setting once you press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button. From here, you simply adjust the time, and you are on your way! It is also important to properly close the Instant Pot and make sure it is sealed.

When opening the Instant Pot after cooking is complete, sometimes you will want to let the pressure release naturally, and sometimes you will want to perform a “quick release.” But do not be intimidated. A quick release simply means that you carefully turn the pressure valve to Venting as soon as cooking is done, and this quickly releases the pressure that has built up during cooking.

INSTANT POT BUTTONS AND COOKING TERMS

Sauté: For this button, simply think of how your stove top cooks. This setting works on low, medium, or high heat, and is great for quickly warming, melting, searing, or browning your food. Many recipes begin by greasing the bottom of your Instant Pot with coconut oil (or other keto-friendly oil), then setting the Instant Pot to Sauté mode.

Manual/Pressure Cook: This is your go-to button. I have written this cookbook to be as easy to follow as possible, and this button allows you to set the Instant Pot in less than 15 seconds. Essentially, this mode defaults to cooking under high pressure, then allows you set the cooking time. While other buttons and modes can be useful, this is the most common way to cook with the Instant Pot.

Steam: I have not written many recipes in this cookbook to use the Steam function, but it can be useful. However, it should be clear that this is not really “steaming” food, per se—your food is still being pressure-cooked. The advantage to this mode is that the temperature of the pot rises very quickly (perfect for some vegetables and most fish). Note that you should always use a steamer basket or trivet when using this mode—otherwise you will burn your food.

Yogurt: This button stands out slightly, in that you can make yogurt (!) with the normal, default setting. However, since we are following a keto approach, most yogurts will be more like fermented cream, or Greek yogurt. Try making your own keto-friendly yogurt by using some heavy cream, with a tiny bit of coconut milk mixed in (bonus recipe!). In the More mode, this button also allows you to pasteurize milk.

Soup: Admittedly, I do not use this function very much. It can be used to keep some foods from separating and offers a very slow warm-up time. Some recipes could easily be made using this button, but I generally prefer Manual/Pressure Cook mode, as it cooks foods faster.

Keep Warm/Cancel: This button is pretty self-explanatory. When ending a program, the Cancel function is what to use, and the Keep Warm function comes on automatically after the cooking time is complete. This function allows your food to stay warm, even if you are not able to check on the Instant Pot right away. By default, the Keep Warm setting is always on (though it can be turned off, if desired).

Slow Cook: One of the features commonly spoken about when introducing the Instant Pot to someone is that it also works as a slow cooker. There are some slight differences in cooking temperatures when using an Instant Pot versus a traditional slow cooker, so make sure to pay attention to the following: Use the medium or high setting for actual slow cooking, and the low setting for keeping your food warm.

[+] and [-]: These buttons adjust your cooking time. Simple as that!

Quick Release: This is simply immediately switching the valve to Venting, after the cooking time is complete. This is useful for vegetables and some meats, but also produces a large blast of steam, which you should be very careful to avoid getting into contact with. Carefully release the valve and keep your face far away from the steam’s path.

Natural Release: A natural release means that you let the pressure naturally disperse from the Instant Pot once it is done cooking. This avoids the large release of steam that occurs when immediately releasing the pressure via the quick release technique.

INSTANT POT ACCESSORIES

The most affordable (and most Instant Pot–friendly) versions of these accessories are all categorized for you at InstantPotKetoCookbook.com. Note that there are even more ways to customize your Instant Pot experience, and many, many other tools out there. I have listed the ones I use most frequently.

Tongs: These are essential for removing anything from inside the Instant Pot that might be difficult to get a good grip on (I’m looking at you, mason jars!). They can also be great for mixing and moving around ingredients.

Flexible Turner: Ever have something get stuck to the pot while you are cooking? Now imagine that that something is stuck inside a deep pot that might be very warm. This is where a flexible turner comes in.

Glass Lids: These are great for Sauté or Slow Cook modes. They are also great for minimizing the hot steam coming up into your face while using either of these functions.

Steamer Basket: This is a vital tool for steaming vegetables, cooking eggs, or cooking really any food that you do not want to have resting in liquid. A true must-have for any Instant Pot owner.

Kitchen Thermometer: This is a very versatile tool that will get a lot more use than with just your Instant Pot. A kitchen thermometer is vital for checking the temperature of meat and poultry, but can also be used in making yogurt.

7-inch Dishes and Pans: There is a wide variety of sizes of pans and dishes. If you have an 8-quart Instant Pot, use 8-inch round pans and dishes. If you own a 6-quart Instant Pot, be sure to buy 7-inch round versions. A springform pan is great for cheesecake, a round cake pan is vital for other desserts, and a Pyrex dish will cover just about everything else!

Gravy/Fat Separator: This can be used to separate liquids, fats, and juices. Depending on how you like to cook, this can be a great tool for completely changing the taste of certain dishes. If you want to remove fat from broth, this is also a good go-to.

Silicone Pans: Great for muffins, egg cups, loaves, cakes, and other dishes, these can also be used for separating cooking ingredients before they are used. Getting some of these pans can eliminate the need to make slings out of aluminum foil (see here) as well (which means you are far less likely to drop your favorite foods!).

Trivet: That’s right—the simple stand that came with your Instant Pot. This has multiple uses, but an extra one allows you to do pot-in-pot (PIP) cooking. This is because it is usually taller than the one that comes with your Instant Pot, letting you save even more time by cooking two different foods at once.

Inner Pot: An extra inner pot is not entirely necessary, I will admit. But it definitely is nice to have one for meal prep, or when you are doing a lot of Instant Pot cooking in one day. Why? Because it saves you from having to immediately clean your original inner pot! Simple, but useful.

Immersion Blender: Blending right inside the Instant Pot is easy. Just grab an immersion blender and be careful if the inner pot is hot. Immersion blenders can also be used quickly and easily in bowls, or any other place where you’re preparing something in which you might want a slightly smoother texture (like a frosting).

Electric Mixer: An electric mixer is more of a general, everyday kitchen appliance—but it is very useful for obtaining the best results for cakes, pies, cookies, or any other dish that requires the batter to have a perfectly even texture. I like to save lots of time (and hand-cramp pain), and just use the electric mixer with a large bowl compatible with the mixer. I’m done in 30 to 40 seconds, and can even do other things while the mixer does the heavy lifting for me.

INSTANT POT QUICK REFERENCE CHART

*These are general cooking times, intended only as a rough guide. Actual cooking times may sometimes range slightly outside of the minutes listed (especially if cooking foods in large quantities, or frozen foods).

KETO FOOD LIST

PROTEIN

Animal Protein

Pork

Beef

Wild Game

Duck

Chicken

Turkey

Wild-Caught Fish/Shellfish

Dairy

Cheese

Greek Yogurt

Cream

CARBS

Fruits

Dark Berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)

Lemons

Limes

Apples

Pears

Legumes

Beans

Green Peas

Vegetables

Bok Choy

Cucumber

Kale

Chives

Zucchini

Lettuce

Peppers

Tomatoes

Butternut Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Spaghetti Squash

Yams

Turnips

Carrots

Pumpkin

Dark Leafy Greens

FATS

Nuts and Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

Hemp Seeds

Chia Seeds

Sesame Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Hazelnuts

Cashews

Pecans

Pistachios

Walnuts

Macadamia Nuts

Almonds

Nut Butters

Macadamia Oil

Walnut Oil

Cooking Fats

Coconut Oil

Avocado Oil

Olive Oil

Animal Fats

Ghee

Tallow

Grass-fed Butter

Lard

Eggs

Organ Meats

Wild-Caught Fish/Shellfish

Other

Nut Milks

Coconut Flour

Almond Flour

MCT Oil

Dark Organic Chocolate

Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips

* This is a general list, not an exhaustive one.

** All food should be sourced as best as possible. Look for: organic, wild caught, grass fed, free range, sugar free/no sugar added, full fat.

KETO HERBS AND SPICES

Allspice

Anise Star

Annatto

Basil

Bay Leaf

Black Pepper

Black Peppercorns

Capsicums

Caraway

Cardamom

Cayenne Pepper

Celery

Chamomile

Chervil

Chili Powder

Chinese 5-Spice

Chipotle Powder

Chives

Cilantro

Cinnamon

Cloves

Cocoa Powder

Coriander

Cumin

Curry Powder

Dill

Fennel

Fenugreek

Garam Masala

Garlic Powder

Ginger

Green Peppercorns

Ground Cloves

Ground Ginger

Horseradish

Juniper

Lavender

Lemon Balm

Mace

Marjoram

Mustard Powder

Nutmeg

Onion Powder

Oregano

Paprika

Parsley

Peppercorn

Peppermint

Pink Peppercorns

Poultry Seasoning

Crushed Red Pepper

Rosemary

Saffron

Sage

Salt

Savory

Sea Salt

Sesame

Spearmint