50+ Healthy & Gluten-Free Mexican Instant Pot Recipes (with paleo, keto, Whole30, & vegan recipes, too!)
You’ll love all of these healthy and gluten-free Mexican Instant Pot recipes with paleo, keto, Whole30, and vegan options, too! For perfect carnitas, barbacoa, fajitas, charro beans, burrito bowls, and more, look no further than these simple and delicious Mexican pressure cooker recipes!
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Mexican and Tex-Mex food is my love language, y’all.
I grew up in the Texas Panhandle, which has a fairly large Hispanic and Latino population.
And you know what that means???
I’ve had the privilege of eating at many mom-and-pop, hole-in-the-wall Tex-Mex and Mexican food restaurants. And, I’ve had the privilege of eating in many Latino friends’ homes.
There’s no better food on Earth, friends. Nada. 😉
If I were to name my top 3 favorite restaurants in the Lone Star State, ALL of them would be Mexican or Tex-Mex!
I looooooove this cuisine — heavy on the carbs and cheese and all!
Now that I live in one of the most rural areas of Minnesota, you can imagine that I don’t get a lot of Mexican food.
Unless I prepare it myself…
And, I’m a simple gal. I know that many traditional Mexican and Latino recipes often take hours or even days to prepare properly.
Tamales alone are a labor of love.
A good hominy stew takes hours.
And, I’ve watched a Mexican woman stand bare-footed in her kitchen, lovingly hand-rolling and pressing flour tortillas one at a time.
It’s truly an art form.
And speaking of art form…
Amazing Mexican Favorites With Your Instant Pot
If you’re a true Mexican food lover, like me…
And, you’d grab your Instant Pot if your house was on fire…
Then, you NEED my friend Emily’s newest cookbook, Amazing Mexican Favorites With Your Instant Pot!
You can enjoy Mexican and Latin-inspired recipes at home with minimal effort and time by harnessing the power of your pressure cooker.
Emily, and her husband Rudy Vidaurri, share 80 family recipes for making the most popular Mexican dishes the quick and easy way!
With Rudy’s deep-rooted Mexican heritage and Emily’s experience as a busy mom and food blogger, this cookbook brings you the best of both worlds: authenticity and practicality.
All recipes are gluten-free, swapping heavy carbs and processed ingredients for real foods that will nourish your family.
It’s uncomplicated Mexican Instant Pot food at its best and easiest! Get your copy here!
Using Your Instant Pot For Mexican Meals
I’ve never claimed to be an expert in Mexican cooking, though I’m pretty damn good at my flavors. Sadly, I never took the time to learn how to hand-make tortillas and use a tortilla press.
Since I like to keep things uncomplicated in the kitchen, I turn to my trusty Instant Pot over and over again. I have both 6-quart and 8-quart Instant Pots.
It makes Mexican favorites — like carnitas, barbacoa, charro beans, ropa vieja, and more — faster and easier than on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the slow cooker.
The meats come out juicy and tender, full of flavor, and just begging to be rolled in a tortilla or served atop a bed of Mexican rice, or on a plate next to properly prepared beans.
The Instant Pot makes Mexican-inspired soups a breeze, too.
So, I’ve searched the Internet far and wide to find these healthy, gluten-free Mexican Instant Pot Recipes! Many of these recipes are suitable for paleo, keto, Whole30, and vegan lifestyles, too.
When beans or rice are used, they are soaked for best digestibility, a la Nourishing Traditions/Weston A. Price-style.
So, grab Emily’s cookbook Amazing Mexican Favorites with Your Instant Pot so you always have the best Mexican Instant Pot recipes at your fingertips.
And then, check out these 50 Healthy & Gluten-Free Mexican Instant Pot Recipes (with paleo, keto, Whole30, & vegan recipes, too!)
13 Healthy & Gluten-Free Mexican Instant Pot Soups & Stews
The Instant Pot is ALWAYS my go-to for making healthy and gluten-free Mexican soups and stews. Most of the time, I can simply “dump and cook” my recipes! Many of these Mexican Instant Pot Soups and Stews are like that.
All of these Mexican Instant Pot recipes are gluten-free. Most of them are also paleo-friendly, low-carb/keto, vegetarian, and vegan.
Of course, when you know your way around an Instant Pot, you can make ingredient substitutions to fit your lifestyle or food preferences.
Creamy Enchilada Soup (with paleo & keto options)
Instant Pot Mexican Beef Stew (keto, paleo)
Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken Chowder (paleo, Whole30, GAPS, keto)
Paleo Posole from Wicked Spatula
Caldo de Res in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot Corn Chowder (vegan, dairy-free, plant-based)
Mexican-Spiced Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup (low-carb, vegan, paleo)
Dump & Cook Instant Pot Taco Soup from All The Nourishing Things
Dump & Cook Instant Pot Taco Soup
Low-Carb Instant Pot Chicken Salsa Queso Soup
Vegan Pressure Cooker Black Bean Stew
White Chicken Chili – Instant Pot or Slow Cooker (with a dairy-free option!)
33 Real Food & Gluten-Free Mexican Instant Pot Main Dishes
Where does the Instant Pot really shine? Well, in my humble opinion, it really shines when it comes to preparing meats and main dishes! Like roasts — which can often be tough in the oven — become perfectly tender and juicy carnitas, shredded beef tacos, and barbacoa.
Chicken is quickly and easily made into fajitas, chicken tinga, and tamales.
And of course, don’t forget about burrito bowls with chicken or beef (or vegetarian!), loaded up with allllll your favorite Mexican toppings: like guac, salsa, cheese, cilantro, onion, and more!
Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Mole Tacos from The Movement Menu
Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Mole Tacos
Instant Pot Taco Meat – great for meal prepping or freezing!
20-Minute Instant Pot Chicken Tinga (with freezer instructions!)
Easy Keto Instant Pot Chile Verde (Whole30)
Instant Pot Crispy Beef Tongue
Shredded Chipotle Beef Tacos from Yang’s Nourishing Kitchen
Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas (Whole30, Paleo)
Crispy & Delicious Instant Pot Pork Carnitas — this recipe is clean except for calling for vegetable oil; sub a nourishing fat, like avocado oil instead!
Enchilada Casserole — Instant Pot or Slow Cooker (Primal, Keto)
Low-Carb Mexican Chicken (Pollo con Salsa Rojo)
Simple Salsa Verde Chicken — Instant Pot or Slow Cooker! (paleo, Whole30, keto)
3-Ingredient Salsa Verde Chicken (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
Instant Pot Barbacoa (Whole30, paleo)
Paleo & Whole30 Chicken Tinga Tacos from Get Inspired Everyday
Paleo & Whole30 Chicken Tinga Tacos
Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Bowls (Whole30)
Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken (slow cooker or Instant Pot)
Paleo Instant Pot Chicken Tinga (Whole30, keto, paleo)
Easy Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Pressure Cooker Asopado from Pressure Cooking Today
5-Ingredient Instant Pot Carnitas
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Thighs (from frozen!)
Instant Pot Mexican Ropa Vieja
Mexican Cauliflower Rice Bowls
Instant Pot Chicken Salsa-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Get Inspired Everyday
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Spicy Shredded Instant Pot Salsa Chicken (4 ingredients!)
Instant Pot Quinoa Burrito Bowl (vegetarian)
7 Healthy & Gluten-Free Mexican Instant Pot Side Dishes
What’s a Mexican-inspired meal without the beans and rice?
All my favorite Mexican restaurants serve just about every dish with a side of beans and rice.
Enjoy these healthy, gluten-free Mexican Instant Pot Side Dishes!
Vegan Mexican Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Quinoa
Best Darn Pot of Beans Ever — Home-style Pinto Beans
Instant Pot Creamy Black Beans from Spice Cravings
Instant Pot Creamy Black Beans
Mexican Rice in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot Ranchero Beans (nourishing, soaked, no gas!)
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob with Salted Garlic Butter & Lime
Misc. Instant Pot Mexican Food
I wasn’t able to find many Instant Pot Mexican appetizers, breakfast, or dessert recipes that fit my Real Food, gluten-free, no refined sugar criteria, but here are a few:
Dairy-Free & Vegan Instant Pot Queso from All The Nourishing Things
Dairy-Free Instant Pot Queso — appetizer
Instant Pot Chorizo with Potatoes — breakfast
Cheesy Keto Super Taco Instant Pot Omelet — breakfast
Pin it!
Do you use your Instant Pot for Mexican food? Which of these delicious and healthy Instant Pot recipes will you try first?
Oh girl. Thank you! This helps soooooo much! What a beautiful lineup.
SO excited with this collection, in addition to Emily’s new cookbook! The Instant Pot really shines with these recipes ! I am grateful to be able to spend time in Mexico each year, and my family LOVES Mexican flavours. Ready to dive into some new ones!!
That’s so awesome! We’ve been to Mexico once, and it was so fun!
Such a smoking list for a Mexican Feast! Guess we need to work on some apps and desserts that fit our standards!
Yes! And thank you! I had a lot of fun with this one!