Category: Grains

Instant Pot Sweet Corn Spoon Bread Bites

Inspiration struck as I was looking at the pantry. I was thinking about a baby shower I was going to the next day. I wasn’t cooking anything for it but I was wondering what I would make. I saw a box of corn meal and it dawned on me that I love and miss sweet corn spoon bread.

I thought to myself, why not try and make some? So, I got to experimenting. This experiment resulted in way too many corn spoon bread bites and a recipe that I’m happy to share with you.

Jump to the Equipment List. Jump to the Ingredient List. Jump to the Recipe Instructions.

Spoon bread is ooey, gooey, and sweet. It’s cooked all the way through to a safe temperature, but very soft and delicious. I would add this to the comfort foods list. This would go well for end-of-summer barbecues or potlucks that focus on “small bite” fare. This can be easily consumed with your hands, or you can use a fork and knife instead.

I’ve had spoon bread at Thanksgiving, too. It replaced the sweet potato casserole as the sweet dessert-before-dessert. Sometimes I prefer spoon bread to sweet potato casserole because it isn’t too sweet.

Spoon bread is the kind of side that my kids enjoy and will ask for continually. Some Mexican restaurants serve a similar side dish called sweet corn cake. It’s got the consistency of a cake and is slightly sweet. Whenever we go to El Torito, we make sure to grab a larger bowl of it to share between me and the kids.

Equipment List:

  • 6-quart Instant Pot
  • Trivet with legs
  • Egg bite mold (I use this one)
  • Paper towel to cover the mold
  • Aluminum foil to cover the mold
  • Two medium-sized mixing bowls
  • Wire whisk
  • Measuring spoons and cup
  • Plate larger than the mold to pop out the bites

Ingredient List:

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup corn meal
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons white sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup sweet corn (drained if from a can)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons milk
  • 1/2 cup creamed corn (about 1/3 of a can)
  • 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted and at room temperature
  • Cooking spray or melted butter to grease the egg bite molds
  • 1 cup water for cooking
Cast of characters for this experiment. I definitely ended up making a lot that night! I was also making dinner in my other 6-quart and my 3-quart Instant Pots. Let’s talk about multitasking!

Recipe Instructions:

  • Mix all the dry ingredients together in one bowl.
  • Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
  • Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Little lumps are OK, but you don’t want to activate the gluten in the flour.
  • Grease your egg bite mold. This will help the bites pop out when done cooking.
  • Pour the batter into the mold.
  • Cover the mold with a paper towel to collect any condensation that may occur.
  • Cover the mold and paper towel with aluminum foil.
  • Pour one cup of water into the inner liner of your Instant Pot.
  • Place the trivet inside.
  • Carefully place the mold on top of the trivet.
  • Seal and lock in the lid and set the sealing knob to the seal position.
  • Press manual (or pressure cook, depending on your model) and using the +/- buttons, set it for seven minutes’ cook time.
  • After the cooking cycle is complete, carefully turn the knob to the venting position for a quick release.
  • Carefully remove the lid and the mold. The mold will be hot!
  • Place a plate upside down over the mold and flip.
  • The bites should pop out easily. If not, run a knife around the edges of each bite.
The finished product.

If you enjoyed this, like this recipe. What occasion do you make these bites for?

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Buen provecho! – Sami B.

Overnight Oats in the Instant Pot

Disclaimer: This post uses Amazon affiliate links. If you use my link and purchase the item, I get a small commission (and it doesn’t cost you anything).

Recently, we went on a vacation to visit Yosemite National Park. We weren’t staying in an RV or camping. Instead, we rented a cabin in kinda-nearby Coulterville which is about an hour or so away.

While prepping for the trip, I decided to bring my 6 quart 7-in-1 Instant Pot Duo along to make quick work of meals and snacks. I didn’t get to use it as much as I liked, but I did get a chance to make one of my favorite breakfasts: oatmeal.

Now, I think I know what you are thinking: “Sami, I can buy some instant oatmeal in a microwave pouch and be done.” I totally get it. Microwave oatmeal is quick and delicious. But I prefer the Instant Pot version. It’s easy to throw together the night before and insanely versatile as far as make ahead breakfast goes.

Buying bulk oatmeal is cheaper. And making it in the Instant Pot means you can pitch those instant oats that are insanely processed bits of cardboard and go for some nutrient-dense steel cut or rolled oats. Here’s a comparison of the nutritional value of each:

Groats are best, but you can still get a lot out of rolled oats. Way better than instant.

And what’s more? No babysitting! Whether it’s the microwave or the stove top, you have to watch it cook. You can’t set it up and walk away because you run the risk of the oatmeal frothing and spilling over. Ain’t nobody got time to clean up that mess! And ain’t nobody got time to watch something cook. The Instant Pot makes it perfect every single time and you don’t have to watch it.

So, the first night in Coulterville, I set up the pot and had oatmeal waiting for me the next morning. Read on for the recipe!

Ingredients and Equipment List:

For this recipe, you’re going to need a measuring cup (the rice cup is about 180 ml or 3/4 cup), measuring spoons, the Instant Pot, a wooden spoon or the rice paddle, and a ladle. Ingredients include rolled oats, table salt, butter (or margarine – you do you, boo), and water.

Recipe Instructions:

  1. Choose your measuring vessel. The trick to creamy, delicious oatmeal is a ratio of about 1:2.25 oats to water. Measure out 2 rice cups of oats. Pour into the inner lining of your pot.
  2. Measure out 4.5 rice cups of water. Pour that into the pot.
  3. Slice off a pat of butter. Drop that on top of the oats and water.
  4. Add about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix.
  5. Ensure the oats are completely submerged in water.
  6. Place the lid on, lock it in place and make sure you turn that sealing nob away from you to sealing, not venting.
  7. I preset my Porridge button to 5 minutes, but you can also select the manual or pressure cook button and use the +/- buttons to set it to 5 minutes.
  8. Press the Timer and using the +/- buttons, you can set how long of a delay you want before the pot starts the cooking program. Keep in mind that you need to account for the cooking time, about 10-15 minutes to build pressure before cooking, and about 10-15 minutes of natural pressure release. All told, this will go for about 35 minutes.
  9. Once the program concludes, let the pot naturally release pressure for about 10-15 minutes. Don’t release sooner, or else you’ll have a foamy mess on your hands!
  10. Mix on your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Pro-tip: Oatmeal expands, so don’t feel the pot more than half way.

When I made my Instant Pot oatmeal, I mixed in brown sugar and cinnamon. You can mix it with anything you want.

Instant Pot cooked rolled oats.
Delicious, filling breakfast made easy.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please give it a like and let me know in the comments below how you like your oatmeal. Share this with your friends and subscribe to this blog!

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Buen provecho! – Sami B.