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Five minutes of prep time is all you need for this delicious and flaky Instant Pot Lemon Pepper Salmon! The Instant Pot creates the silkiest and most amazing flaky salmon texture! This healthy salmon is also Keto-friendly and pairs well with cauliflower rice. If you need an easy way to get dinner on the table quickly, this 15 minute Instant Pot Salmon is the way to go.
As a nutritionist, I know the importance of including salmon on a weekly basis for brain and heart health. Loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and lean protein; salmon is such a great choice for a healthy and balanced dinner. I love a good salmon recipe because it cooks so quickly. This salmon dinner is just one of several Keto-Friendly Instant Pot recipes in my library!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You already know I’m a sucker for fast, nourishing meals and this salmon recipe that comes together so easily and quickly in the Instant Pot. You’ll love this amazingly easy salmon method for meal prep, or just when you need a lightning fast dinner that is loaded with veggies and nutrients. This is one of the Instant Pot recipes I keep coming back to when I want something healthy and hassle-free.
You might never have thought to cook fish in your Instant Pot, but after 5 minutes of prep, you will have the silkiest, flaky, and luscious salmon you’ve ever had in your life.
Because I am absolutely devoted to giving you all fast and super simple dinners that you can make on a busy weeknight, I think you will love this list of 50 of the easiest Whole30 One Pan Meals! You’ll find this Instant Pot Lemon Pepper Salmon, more Instant Pot dinners, and other one pan meals you can make on the stovetop or oven. Even if not doing Whole30, there are plenty of healthy dinners to try!
Allow me to introduce you to my recipe developer today: Chef Shelley at Chef in the Burbs. Shelley is a personal chef, and busy wife and mom who specializes in Weekend Fancy and Weeknight Fast recipes!
Why use the Instant Pot:
I know it might sound strange to use a pressure cooker for fish, but pressure cooking results in amazing salmon! Here are two huge reasons to use your Instant Pot the next time you’re making salmon for dinner.
- The texture is unreal. I know silky might sound a little weird to describe fish, but it seriously is! It’s so moist and tender, you wouldn’t believe it if you didn’t cook it yourself.
- The sauce bonus. After seasoning the salmon and throwing some herbs in the water, what ends up in the bottom of the pot is a fully flavored delicate broth that’s perfect to spoon over the salmon and veggies. Especially if you stir in a little extra healthy fat after the salmon has cooked.
How to make flaky salmon in the Instant Pot
Just a handful of ingredients is all you need:
- Skin on salmon filet, fresh or frozen salmon
- Kosher Salt and Pepper
- Ghee or butter
- Lemon
- Bell pepper
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Fresh herbs like dill or tarragon
So honestly, this recipe couldn’t be any easier. Here is all you need to do:
- Add butter or ghee to the salmon and season with salt and pepper. Place lemon slices on top of the filet.
- Pour 3/4 cup of water in the bottom of the IP with fresh herbs. Place the trivet on top, and salmon on top of the steam rack with the skin side down.
- Select the steam function if you have it. If not, use manual/high pressure and turn the valve to sealing, and steam for 3 minutes.
- While salmon is cooking, julienne the vegetables (or dice if you prefer).
- Use a quick release on the Instant Pot. Remove the salmon, and select the saute function. Saute the veggies for 1-2 minutes.
- Slice the salmon and serve with veggies. Spoon any residual sauce from the veggie/ghee/herb mixture in the bottom of the Instant Pot. You can also top with more fresh herbs and additional lemon juice!
Variations
This instant pot salmon recipe is customizable based on your preferences. You could make this with other vegetables, like broccoli or asparagus. I love to have it alongside some roasted sweet potatoes. A sprinkle of garlic powder is a great addition to your salmon for a bit of extra flavor.
If you don’t have an instant pot, air fryer salmon fillets are also a great option for quick and easy dinner.
Serving and Storing:
I love to serve this salmon with some extra vegetables on the side. Skillet Creamy Lemon Brussels Sprouts or Easy House Salad are a great option for more greens. For a crispy, golden, and irresistible side, try my Crispy Parmesan Sheet Pan Potatoes. They’re perfectly crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with cheesy flavor. I also love this Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh, or Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette.
With only 5 minutes of prep time, this instant pot salmon is also great for meal prep. Make the salmon ahead, and store in an air tight container for up to one week. It’s best to slice into smaller pieces before refrigerating.
Looking for another delicious Salmon Instant Pot recipe? You’ll love these Instant Pot Chipotle Salmon Bowls!
Prefer oven or sheet pan salmon? My Blackened Sheet Pan Salmon with Cilantro Avocado Pesto is another quick and healthy dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
15 Minute Instant Pot Flaky Lemon Pepper Salmon
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- A few sprigs of parsley,, dill, tarragon, basil or a combo
- 1.5 lb salmon filet, skin on
- 2 tbsp ghee or other healthy fat, divided
- ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced + more to taste
- 1 zucchini, julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 2 carrots, julienned
Instructions
- Place water and herbs in the Instant Pot and then put in the steamer rack making sure the handles are extended up.
- Drizzle salmon with 1 tbsp ghee/fat, season with salt and pepper, and cover with lemon slices. Place salmon, skin down on rack.
- Close the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is sealed. Select the “Steam” function (you can also use manual/high pressure) and press the + or – buttons to set it to 3 minutes.
- While salmon cooks, julienne your veggies.
- When cooking is complete, use a quick release. Select the cancel button. Remove lid, and using hot pads, carefully remove rack with salmon and set on a plate.
- Remove herbs and discard. Add veggies and select the “Sauté” function and let the veggies cook for another 2 to 3 minutes using the residual butter/ghee and lemon juice.
- Serve salmon with veggies on top. Add remaining tbsp of butter/ghee to the pot and pour a little of the sauce over veggies and salmon if desired. Top with any additional fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes
If you don’t want to julienne the veggies, you cut them up bite sized and cook them longer, or steam them in a separate pot while the salmon cooks
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photo Credit: All photos in this post were take by Loren at Sweet Rustic Bakes
When i did the quick release, it came out undercooked. I know some people like their salmon mid-rare, but when cooking for kids, I like to go more to the well done end of the spectrum. I feel like if i had let it natural release, it would’ve been perfect. I also had 1.24ln filet skin on, so that could have contributed as well.
It does have a slightly different cook time depending on the thickness of the filet. This recipe is for 1 inch with the skin. You could do the natural release next time, or add another 1-2 minutes
Should it be on pressure cooker or just steam?
Just steam
Do i set the IP on low or high?
Just press the steam function, not high or low pressure.
This recipe is PERFECTION. This is going to be my go to date night meal LOL. One question, when the veggies go in & the lid is on, should the valve be sealed or venting? I’ve never used the sauté function with the lid on so I wasn’t sure. Thank you thank you thank you for the great recipe!
Hi Candice , I am a Instant Pot Newbie , but i read that when using the Saute function it is ALWAYS with the LID OFF
At 3minutes my salmon was too rare. I returned it to the pot after I’d sautéed the vegetables with the vegetables still in the pot.. steamed an additional 2minutes and the result was amazing. Yum
Tried this last night. A couple of questions – do the veggies go on the rack or in the water? My salmon seemed like it should have cooked a bit longer, I used sockeye, does that make a difference? Thank you!
The veggies go in after you remove the salmon at the bottom of the pan, not on the rack. A sockeye salmon should be great, but cooking time does depend a little on thickness. The recipe is for salmon approximately 1 inch thick, if its thicker, yo may need an extra minute or 2. Hope that helps!
This was fantastic! My whole family devoured it – including my picky boys. I’ll have to get a bigger piece of salmon next time, but otherwise this is perfect.
Love to hear that, Stephanie!
First IP meal I made. Was fantastic! Didn’t use the extra fat…was still delicious. A family favorite for sure!!
So happy to hear, Wendy! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I made this tonight and will definitely be making it again. I used 3 sprigs of fresh basil and a tsp of whole dill seed in the water. I didn’t have skin-on salmon, just 4 fresh salmon fillets, but I made a circle of tin foil and put that on the trivet with my salmon on top. The smell while this cooked was ah-may-zing!!! I was a bit worried about the dill seeds once I realized that my veggies would be cooking in that water and I tried scooping a bunch out and now wish that I didn’t. I used chunkier cut veggies, so instead of sauteing them, I steamed them for 3m QR and they were absolutely perfect. I tossed the veggies into the remaining liquid, drained them and served them next to the salmon. The odd dill seed on the veggies made it taste even better! I can’t wait to make this again!
Yay! Glad you loved it!
Hi, like the recipe, i am wondering what cooking time will be for salmon if frozen. Thanks.
I really don’t know Miriam, I haven’t tried with frozen. My best guess would be 5 additional minutes.
For a lot of things in the IP the cook time remains the same whether it’s frozen or not – it may just take some additional time to get up to pressure. It’ll basically thaw the salmon before it even starts the 3 minute countdown.