Instant Pot Sausage And Potatoes

Tender potatoes nestled among chunks of smoked sausage with onions and green beans and onions creates this classic, wholesome meal. 

Instant Pot Sausage And Potatoes blends fresh and savory flavors together to make a timeless meal all ages can enjoy!

If you enjoy this meal you may also enjoy our Kielbasa and Potatoes in the Oven.

Old-Fashioned Sausage and Potatoes With Green Beans

This old-fashioned recipe is one of those classic family meals that we all enjoy! Our Instant Pot Sausage and Potatoes recipe is a perfect dish to enjoy all year around and is ready in under 30 minutes.

Pressure cooking is a great way to make a tender meal like Instant Pot Country Ribs or Pork Chops and Sauerkraut in much less time than a slow cooker or stove can.

We keep potatoes, Kielbasa and frozen Italian beans on hand so we can make this easy meal pretty much anytime. New potatoes and fresh green beans from the garden also work well in this electric pressure cooker meal!

We are farmers and we raise pigs, so we love sausage.  There are so many different varieties of sausage and our family seems to enjoy a basic smoked sausage the best.  If you like Kielbasa or sausage with different seasonings feel free to use those.  We love using pre-cooked sausage.  Read the package to ensure that your sausage has been pre-cooked.

My ten-year-old son and I were discussing goals for the New Year.  He said he wants to grow a garden.  We will definitely have green beans in our garden that will be perfect to use in this meal.  I love being a part of growing food and sharing our connection to food and farming with our kids.

I know that whether we use sausage and produce from our garden or buy it at the grocery we are supporting farm families like our own.  In college, I met a girl whose family raises a lot of the green beans sold at Kroger.

Ingredients Needed

• Smoked Sausage or Kielbasa – cut into 1 – 3″ chunks.
• Potatoes – we like Yukon gold as they are typically pre-washed and have a thin skin that doesn’t need to be peeled.
• Green Beans – Use fresh or frozen, not canned as they are too soft to stand up to pressure cooking. We like the thicker Italian green beans when using the frozen variety.
• Onion – Coarse chunks will stand up to pressure cooking best. Any type of onion is fine.
• Minced Garlic
• Vegetable Oil – Olive oil or another kind is a fine substitute as they purpose is to brown the sausage quickly.
• Chicken Broth – Adds a little more flavor to the potatoes, water works fine if necessary.
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Flavorful Sausage, Green Beans & Potatoes in a Pressure Cooker

We’ve made this dish several times and we finally found the perfect flavor combination!  Sautéing onions and garlic together in the Instant Pot makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE.  The chicken broth also adds some heartiness to the flavor profile.

Browning the sausage before cooking the produce isn’t required, but remember brown isn’t a color, it’s a flavor!  My friend Chef Alli continually shares this tip with me!  If you’re short on time feel free to skip this step.

Be sure to sauté the onions and garlic until they soften and get a golden cast to them.  Add the remaining ingredients and pressure cook for two minutes.

We have tested several versions of this in the crock pot, instant pot and also with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a great treat in the fall, so here is our favorite fall version of this recipe: Easy Instant Pot Sausage, Sweet and Potatoes. 

Using our 6 quart Instant Pot to make both of these classic dishes is easiest as it gives plenty of space to quickly make a meal for the whole family!

How to Cook Sausage and Potatoes in an Instant Pot

Be sure and read the package to confirm, but smoked sausage is typically pre-cooked and only needs to be heated or browned to add a little extra flavor.

If ground sausage is uncooked it will need to be cooked on the saute setting until there is no pink remaining in the meat.

Remove the meat, add bite size chunks of potatoes. Return the sausage to the pot on top of the raw potatoes and cook on high pressure for two minutes. Do a quick release and enjoy right away!

Check out our Instant Pot Sausage, Peppers and Onions for more information on cooking Italian Sausage in the Instant Pot.

How to Make Sausage, Green Beans and Potatoes in the Instant Pot

Set Instant Pot to sauté setting and add oil.

Sauté sausage until lightly browned. Use long handled tongs to remove sausage and set on plate.

Sauté the onions and garlic until they soften and get a golden cast

Add chicken broth and stir well to ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. This can cause the pot to throw a “burn” signal.

Next add a layer of cut potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

Then add a layer green beans.

Finally add chunks of browned sausage to Instant Pot.

Pressure cook for two minutes then do a quick release and serve right away.

Store leftovers in an air tight container or bag in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 days.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Brown sausage if time allows because brown is a flavor, not just a color.
• Cut sausage however you prefer, I like bigger chunks as they are easier to brown than smaller pieces.
• Onions, garlic and chicken broth are not required, but they are the ingredients that give this basic dish much more flavor than omitting or substituting with water.
• Any kind of liquid will work, but chicken broth adds the most flavor to the potatoes.
• Only use fresh or frozen green beans, avoid canned beans because Instant Pot will obliterate them.
• All cooking appliances and conditions are different, so you should test these times and guidelines first in your own appliance to determine what adjustments may be needed!

Other Delicious Recipes with Sausage

• Everything Bagel and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
• Fiesta Sausage Dip
• Easy Egg & Sausage Casserole
• Best Taco Meatloaf
• Sauerkraut Soup with Sausage
• Sausage Bubble Up Casserole
• Smoked Sausage & Cheesy Potato Casserole
• Instant Pot Sauerkraut, Sausage & Potatoes

Originally shared on January 10, 2019 with updates made on March 7, 2024.