This Instant Pot Ratatouille recipe is a delicious satisfying vegetarian and vegan dish made with summer’s bounty of zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, tomato and fresh herbs. This pressure cooker ratatouille recipe was inspired by Julia Child’s stovetop ratatouille recipe. Stovetop directions included too!
** Note: the pressure cook time on this recipe has been reduced from 8 minutes to 4 minutes based on reader feedback. Feel free to pressure cook for longer to get really soft vegetables. **
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Table of Contents
Introduction
I’m embarrassed to admit that my family’s favorite ratatouille (pronounced rat-ah-too-ee) was the Disney movie with the same name! That was until I made this recipe for the first time and we fell in love with it.
Ratatouille is a hearty French stew made with eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions. It’s vegan, healthy, and delicious.
I ended up making this Instant Pot Ratatouille purely by chance. I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal about the Instant Pot, and it included a ratatouille recipe that was based on Julia Child’s classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
I love to serve this ratatouille on toasted crostini, with goat cheese, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It is the best recipe and you won’t believe that something so healthy can taste so good.
Even if you’re not a big fan of eggplant I urge you to give this Instant Pot eggplant stew a try. My kids are not eggplant lovers, but they love this dish.
The main work involved with this recipe is chopping the vegetables into ¼-inch pieces and then sauteing them to get them slightly brown. The Instant Pot does the remaining work: just pressure cook and saute at the end to let the liquid evaporate.
So the next time you go to the farmer’s market and pick up fresh summer vegetables, consider making this tasty and healthy dish. It tastes even better the next day, so make it ahead and serve it at your next gathering.
Here are some other Instant Pot vegetarian recipes you might also enjoy:
– Instant Pot Moroccan Vegetarian Stew
– Instant Pot Vegetarian Rigatoni Bolognese
– Instant Pot Middle Eastern Style Green Beans
Tips and Substitutions
Liquid
Yes, the recipe is correct: you don’t add any liquid because the vegetables release enough liquid to bring the Instant Pot to pressure. If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot, you might need to add a tablespoon or two of water.
However, make sure that there are no browned bits stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot after cooking the eggplant and before you begin pressure cooking.
Otherwise, your Instant Pot won’t come to pressure (been there, done that). Add a bit of water or white wine if needed, to deglaze the pot.
Consistency
The ratatouille will have quite a bit of liquid when the pressure cooking is complete. In order to thicken it up, cook it in Saute mode to allow the liquid to evaporate.
The ratatouille will be quite soft and tender. If you want it to be cooked a bit firmer, decrease the pressure cooking time by a couple of minutes.
Some readers have suggested draining the tomatoes before pressure cooking. I don’t do this, but feel free to drain the tomatoes if they have a lot of liquid after you chop them up.
Flavor
Be sure to use a good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar for drizzling on the ratatouille before serving. Don’t skip the balsamic vinegar drizzle at the end; it adds a nice finish to the ratatouille. And be sure to add salt to taste.
To give the ratatouille more flavor, you can add a tablespoon of tomato paste over the vegetables before pressure cooking, and stir the tomato paste in once cooking is complete.
Feel free to add your choice of spices along with the pepper. Rosemary, thyme, herbes de Provence are all good options.
If you’re not opposed to using more olive oil, I recommend using a couple of extra tablespoons of olive oil when you’re sauteing the vegetables, particularly the eggplant which drinks up the olive oil!
How to Serve
Make it an appetizer by topping crostini with ratatouille and goat cheese. Make it a side dish with roast chicken or lamb (try Coq au vin blanc), or a main dish served over pasta or polenta.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Ratatouille Ingredients
- Eggplant
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Onions
- Bell peppers
- Garlic
- Red pepper
- Basil
- Parsley
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- capers
- Black pepper
How to Make Ratatouille in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Drain eggplant
- Turn on Saute mode
- Saute onions, zucchini and garlic
- Saute bell peppers and set aside
- Saute eggplant and add vegetables, spices
- Pressure cook
- Release pressure
- Reduce to thicken ratatouille
Drain Eggplant
- Sprinkle kosher salt on the eggplant, toss to coat and allow to drain in a colander set over a bowl.
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Onions, Zucchini and Garlic
- Allow Instant Pot to heat up. Once the inner pot is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add zucchini and garlic, saute 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Saute Bell Peppers and Set Aside
- Add bell pepper, saute 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add whole basil leaves and stir.
- Press Cancel and transfer contents of inner pot to a large bowl and set aside.
Saute Eggplant and Add Vegetables, Spices
- Select Saute again.
- Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to the inner pot.
- Add drained eggplant and saute until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Make sure it doesn’t burn. Add more olive oil as needed.
- Add back in reserved vegetables, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and capers.
- Stir gently, allowing the reserved vegetables to deglaze the pan. (If there are brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, add a tablespoon of water or white wine.)
- Top with tomatoes.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 4 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 4 (4 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 4 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 4 minutes (00:04).
- Press ‘Start’.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Reduce to Thicken Ratatouille
- The ratatouille will have some liquid.
- Select Saute mode.
- Simmer until the ratatouille has thickened up, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Stovetop Directions for Ratatouille
To make this recipe on the stovetop, saute each set of vegetables separately in a large heavy-bottomed skillet and set aside. Combine the sauteed vegetables and simmer until all vegetables are cooked through. If there’s extra liquid, open the lid and increase the heat to medium, allowing the liquid to evaporate. See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Instant Pot Ratatouille
Ingredients
- 3 cups eggplant (about 1 medium), cubed into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin), divided
- 1 ½ cups onion (about 1 medium), diced
- 3 cups zucchini (about 2 medium), cubed into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon garlic (about 6 cloves), minced
- 3 cups bell peppers (about 2 medium), cubed into ½-inch pieces
- 5 whole basil leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoon basil leaves thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder freshly ground, to taste
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 ½ cups tomatoes (about 2 large) chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar good quality
- Additional olive oil and balsamic vinegar for drizzling
Instructions
- Sprinkle salt on the eggplant, toss to coat and allow to drain in a colander set over a bowl.
Instant Pot Instructions
- In Saute mode, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add zucchini and garlic, saute 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add bell pepper, saute 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add whole basil leaves and stir.
- Press Cancel and transfer contents of inner pot into a large bowl and set aside.
- In Saute mode, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add drained eggplant and saute until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Make sure it doesn't burn.
- Add back in reserved vegetables, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and capers.
- Stir gently, making sure that there are no brown bits sticking to the bottom of the inner pot. *
- Top with tomatoes.
- Pressure cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot. The ratatouille will have some liquid.
- In Saute mode, simmer until the Instant Pot ratatouille has thickened up, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped basil and parsley, drizzle additional olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top.
- Serve as a side dish, with pasta, with a medley of salads, or on a toasted baguette topped with goat cheese.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed large skillet. Drain the eggplant and saute until lightly browned. Add more olive oil as needed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and saute the zucchini for a couple of minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the onions and bell peppers until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and saute for a minute.
- Spread the tomatoes over the peppers and onions, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down and the mixture thickens. Stir in the crushed red pepper, black pepper and capers.
- Stir in reserved eggplant and zucchini, lower heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Make sure the vegetables don't burn or stick to the bottom. If there's extra liquid on the bottom, remove the lid and increase the heat to allow the liquid to evaporate.
- Finish by sprinkling with chopped basil and parsley. Drizzle additional olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- Adapted from Wall Street Journal’s Can the Instant Pot Cook as Well as Julia Child?
- * Be sure that all brown bits are incorporated into the dish before pressure cooking begins, otherwise there is a risk of the Instant Pot not coming to pressure. Adding the reserved vegetables should take care of deglazing, but if that doesn’t work, add a tablespoon of water to scrape up the brown bits.
- This recipe has been modified to decrease the pressure cooking time from 8 minutes to 4 minutes based on reader feedback.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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More Instant Pot Recipes
Miranda Singer says
Can you substitute chopped tomatoes with canned tomatoes?
Neena Panicker says
Miranda, I haven’t tried it but it should work. Add them at the end (on top) and don’t stir them in.
Kay B says
I must say I found this quite bland! But that could be because my veg wasn’t the freshest and I lacked basil. I tried to oomph it up with some better than bouillon, fish sauce, tomato paste, sugar, salt and MSG, but it wasn’t very excited.
That said it was a healthy way to use up a bunch of veggies! And the recipe was quick and easy to follow.
I am looking forward to trying the leftovers with goat cheese.
Neena Panicker says
Hi Kay, I’m sorry you found the recipe to be bland. Authentic ratatouille is a pretty mild dish, with salt, pepper, garlic, and basil providing most of the flavor. You might add some herbes de Provence for more flavor and increase the pepper or red pepper.
Corrine says
This is so good! I now make frequently. I actually take the leftovers and mix them with a low-sodium v8 and put them in a blender for a delicious smoothie. My husband calls it my Rat-a-smoothie. Whatever you call it, it is a quick way to get your veggies! Thanks for this simple, delicious recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Corrine – that is so interesting! I’m sure it adds a lot of flavor. You are most welcome and thanks for sharing!
Arianna says
The only reason I gave this 4 stars was that I found it impossible to make in the instant pot without the dreaded “BURN” notification. I scraped the bottom of the IP before pressure cooking. But the eggplant burned very easily. I wound up finishing it on the stovetop. Next time (and there will be a next time, because it was delicious), I will simply make this on the stovetop.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Arianna, I’m sorry you had that issue. I’ve never had that happen. I’m glad it worked out in the end!
Natalie says
I had some aubergine stick to the bottom and I used a very small amount of water to deglaze and I let the water burn off before adding the rest of the veg back in
MB in Sac says
I have found that having 1 cup of veggie stock handy to deglaze works well to prevent stuff sticking to the bottom.
Neena Panicker says
Thank you for sharing the tip! Vegetable stock is so handy and flavorful!
Denise says
So good! Other than adding 1 Tbsp of tomato paste on top of fresh tomatoes, followed the recipe and it turned out great!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Denise, excellent! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Izzah says
Hi Neena! I was looking for what to do with my zucchini & bell peppers in the fridge and found this! So delicious, as all are all your recipes. (Even though I didn’t have the eggplant.)Thanks for sharing such perfected recipes~
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you so much Izzah, so kind of you to comment and let me know. I hope all is well at Tea for Turmeric. I love your recipes too!
Heather says
Delicious recipe and the photos are beautiful! Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Heather, thank you so much!
Sharon Wegner says
I read the recipe briefly online because I e made ratatouille so many times on the stove as well as in the oven. I am now eating without added oil, salt and sugar, so I thought I would give this a try in my IP.
My only issue was with the printed version, as the instructions were right after the ingredients, so I thought.
The back of the page had the capers, tomatoes, parsley, and balsamic.
I didn’t turn the page; however, I knew that ratatouille has tomatoes so fortunately I added them. I missed the capers, parsley and balsamic.
All in all, it’s a good recipe and so much easier than making ratatouille the conventional way.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Sharon, although I’m happy to hear that you liked the recipe, I’m sorry that you had issues with the printed version. I never thought about the ingredients spilling onto the 2nd page. Sorry for your trouble.
Emily says
This is really good. Very good flavors! Thank you, I will be making it again!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Emily! I’m delighted that you liked the recipe. I love how healthy it is, but so tasty too!
Museum Mom says
Super! I added a teaspoon of herbs de Provence and used tinned rather than fresh tomatoes (1 can). I also decreased the pressure time to 4 minutes. It was reminiscent of the ratatouille I had enjoyed in Paris. We enjoyed it with rice and a roasted chicken.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you for your comment, I’m thrilled that you liked the recipe.
MB in Sac says
Love this recipe. But totally agree that it’s hard to lightly brown the eggplant and not have it stick to the bottom. My plan next time is to roast the eggplant under the broiler after bathing the chunks in garlic olive oil, then adding them into the pot before pressure cooking as directed. Tonight’s batch could have used that extra roasted flavor that’s hard to get from eggplant without having a dangerous layer that will trigger the instant pot burn notice.
Neena Panicker says
Hi there, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and your modifications sound quite good. Another option is to saute the eggplant in a nonstick pan.
Elizabeth M Aperauch says
An easy to follow recipe that turned out yummy. I did reduce the cooking time to 4 minutes per the recommendations in the comments, I think next time I might reduce it further because I like crisper veggies.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Elizabeth, this was one of the earlier recipes I tried on the blog and I still make it as written. The next time I make it, I’ll try and use 3 to 4 minutes and if it works, I will change the instructions. Thanks for commenting.
Hélène Savard says
I don’t know if I sautéed my veggies too long but it came out as mush! Taste very good with provencal herbs. Next time, I will pressure cook only 4 minutes.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Helene, sorry it didn’t work out for you. Hope you enjoy it better when you reduce the cook time.
MBBinSac says
Great recipe, hit with my family. I got the burn notification too, though – either there was a slight amount of eggplant encrusted on the bottom from the sauté stage or not enough liquid came from the other veggies. I did a quick stir and then reset the pressure cook setting to half the time. Flavor is fantastic. Definitely a keeper! I need better tips on deglazing after the eggplant is sautéed, though. Little bit of water wasn’t cutting it.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Shoot, that is unfortunate. To deglaze, you can use as much liquid as needed (added tablespoon by tablespoon) until the stuck bits come loose. Then, heat in Saute mode until the liquid mostly evaporates and continue with the recipe. It also may be something other than deglazing, it could be your Instant Pot runs hotter. Some models are known to have a “hot spot” where food tends to burn. If deglazing properly doesn’t help, I would modify the recipe to add an extra 1/4 cup of liquid and see if that helps. You could also try just a couple of extra tablespoons first.
Pam says
This recipe is a keeper! Subbed green beans for bell pepper which I didn’t have. Added garden thyme and rosemary instead of basil and parsley. Next time I’ll be brave and add some anchovy paste as someone else suggested for some umami flavor.
Thank you for this delicious IP recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Pam, thank you for sharing your substitutions. The thyme and rosemary flavor profile sounds like a good combination! And you’re welcome 🙂
Kathie Graceffa says
This recipe is a joy to make and eat. I’ve said it before and today, as an Independence Day celebration, I just might finally have it with vanilla ice cream! Looking forward to enjoying it, again, today! Thank you! Such a great way to enjoy all the incoming vegetables of the season, and so many ways to enjoy it!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Oh wow! Thanks so much for your comment. That makes me so happy. I just made this a couple of weeks ago and I LOVE it over French bread!
Mary Ellen says
I would like to try this but I have an Instant Pot mini – 3 QT and am wondering about the amount of ingredients and the cooking time for each step
Thank you
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Mary Ellen, I would think that you’ll be able to do the recipe as is. Make sure the ingredients don’t go past the 2/3 full mark.
Vicki says
This recipe was delicious! I did add a half of a Small can of tomato sauce. Without it on the first try vegetables were sticking to the bottom of the pot. I added the half of a can of sauce and it was great! Will definitely make it again!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Vicki, thanks for commenting. I suspect you could have just added a couple of tablespoons of water too. Tomato sauce can cause further issues sometimes due to the burn message, but glad it worked for you.
Diane says
Great flavor! I definitely needed to saute longer to reduce the liquid, but you just simmer it until it’s the consistency you want.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Diane, thanks so much for your comment. It makes me very happy that you like the recipe. It’s the pressure cooking that releases all the liquid from the veggies but doesn’t allow it to evaporate 🙂
Shannon Findley says
Can you estimate what volume this recipe makes? I have to make a certain amount and am trying to decide how many batches to be prepared for. Thank you- it looks delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I need to do a better job of measuring the final quantity of food 🙂 I would say there are about 5 cups of ratatouille. Next time I make it, I will measure!
Jacqueline Durbin says
Hi.
I tried tonight as had some veg to use up! Any left over will be blitzed up for the kids as pasta sauce!).
I didn’t have any fresh basil (it is Jan afterall)… So used some dried Italian spice and oregano instead.
I did also add a couple of salted anchovies for added umami.
I am not sure what the salting of the aubergine archives to be honest. There was absolutely no water extracted from mine…
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Maybe it depends of the type of aubergine? I always have beads of liquid show up on mine 🙂 Thanks for your comment.
beverly ann Schoen says
This was very yummy….
Prep time is much more than five minutes!
Even with two people doing the prep!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Beverly – this is a sticky subject 🙂 I mention in my recipes notes and my ‘About’ page that prep time does not include the chopping of ingredients, etc. I do this because there’s so much variability including people buying pre-chopped ingredients, using food processors, etc. I apologize for the confusion but I am very glad you liked the recipe – thank you!