This instant pot cashew chicken tastes like the familiar Chinese takeout we all love, but in a better-for-you, Whole30, Paleo, gluten-free version that only takes 30 minutes. No more waiting for your delivery! This instant pot paleo cashew chicken is a family friendly meal, I promise even those who don’t adhere to a real food diet will love it.
My recipe for instant pot cashew chicken is the closest I could get to the real deal. Many healthy cashew chicken recipes out there have a bunch of veggies added (which is great! duh!). But when I’m craving those takeout cartons of cashew chicken, it’s the chicken, cashews and rice I want, you know?! I wanted to have a go-to recipe that I know will satisfy those cravings in a healthy, Whole30 way!
Especially when I can have it ready to eat in only a half hour.. much less time than it takes to order in. The recipe itself is super simple and would be great for a quick weeknight meal. While it looks like there’s quite a few ingredients, I assure you it’s largely the spices, seasonings and Paleo/Whole30 substitutes you already have hanging out in the pantry.
Some of the things you’ll need is an instant pot, of course. But I’m assuming you already gathered that. The cashew chicken recipe also calls for coconut aminos, raw cashews (roasted or lightly salted is fine, whatever floats your boat), arrowroot flour for thickening, sesame oil and ketchup. Most of this can be found in the grocery store or cheaper on Thrive Market. You can also make your own Paleo and Whole3o ketchup, or grab a bottle of Primal Kitchen’s Whole30 Approved ketchup.
It’s by far the best healthy, sweetener-free ketchup that’s available. I’m not even just saying that. My (not Paleo) boyfriend goes through it constantly and won’t touch the old stuff anymore. It’s available at Whole Foods, or online on their website for 5 bucks (save 10% off your order with code “PALEOBAILEY” at checkout). I also really recommend not skipping out on the Chinese Five Spice either.
This spice, often just label “five spice” in the grocery store, is one that really adds so much flavor to Chinese-inspired dishes. It’s what gives East Asian inspired recipes that familiar tangy-sweet flavor and basically it’ll take your meals up a notch. Pretty much every grocery store has this, from Target to Whole Foods to Walmart either with all of the spices or the international items. I’ve linked it here so you can see what it looks like, but it’s much more expensive on Amazon than it is in stores and I recommend grabbing it from there next time you’re grocery shopping.
If you’re on a Whole30, you can omit the sweeteners for the instant pot cashew chicken. Instead, you can opt for 2-3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice. If you’re not currently doing a Whole30, the recipe calls for coconut sugar and honey. If you wanted to use only one, you can add an additional tablespoon of coconut sugar to replace the honey. I’ve tried it both ways or without both while testing this recipe, but I found that the honey helps make the sauce and chicken a bit more “sticky” and thicker. The coconut sugar adds a deeper, slightly sweet flavor to balance out the vinegar.
Check out my Whole30 Cashew Chicken One-Skillet Recipe with veggies and a “peanut” sauce!
Other Recipes You’ll Love:
Whole30 Instant Pot Beef & Broccoli
Whole30 Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Chicken
40 Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes
PrintInstant Pot Cashew Chicken: Whole30, Paleo, 30 Minutes
This instant pot cashew chicken tastes like the familiar Chinese takeout we all love, but in a better-for-you, Whole30, Paleo, gluten-free version that only takes 30 minutes. No more waiting for your delivery full of MSG!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 1.5–2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1“-1.5” pieces
- 2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons sugar-free ketchup
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar*
- 1 tbsp honey*
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour, divided
- 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 cup raw (or lightly salted) cashews
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 tbsp sesame oil, coconut aminos, ketchup, vinegar, coconut sugar, honey, garlic, ginger, Five Spice, and red pepper flakes. Whisk well to combine and set aside.
- In a bowl or baggie, coat chicken pieces with 1 tbsp of the arrowroot flour, salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp sesame oil to the bottom of the instant pot and turn it to “sauté”.
- Allow oil to heat up and then sear chicken for 1-2 minutes. Press “cancel” and pour the sauce into the instant pot. Stir the sauce in with the chicken to evenly distribute. Cover, set the valve to “sealing” and press “manual” and adjust the time to 10 minutes.
- Right before the instant pot is done, combine 1 tbsp arrowroot flour with 2 tbsp water and stir well to dissolve. Once the instant pot is done, do a quick release and open the lid. Press the “sauté” button and pour the water and flour mixture into the instant pot and whisk into the sauce.
- Add the cashews and then continue stirring until the sauce has thickened. If you’d like it thicker after 1-2 minutes, add an additional 1/2 tbsp arrowroot dissolved in 1 tbsp water. Once the sauce has thickened, add any additional salt and pepper and serve.
- Serve over broccoli, cauliflower rice, on it’s own with a side, over spaghetti squash “lo mien” noodles, etc. Garnish with any additional cashews, green onion, or sesame seeds
Notes
- *Omit for Whole30. Optional substitutions include 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, or 1-2 medjool dates, pitted and pureed in a food processor with 1/4 cup water to help blend.
- If sauce gets too thick, you can easily thin it back out again by adding a few tablespoons of water. Only do a few at a time until at your desired consistancy.
Nutrition Facts:
- Calories: 322
- Sugar: 11
- Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 19
- Protein: 26
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Christina Nelson says
One of our favorite meals! Wish I knew about this recipe my first Whole30.
paleobailey says
Amazing!! Thank you, Christina! I so appreciate it! <3 - B
Brittney says
My husband doesn’t even really know what Whole30 is but he requests this ALL THE TIME! My Instant pot always gives me the “hot” when I try to sauté anything- this is just as quick and as tasty in a frying pan!!!
paleobailey says
This is SO great to hear!! Thank you so much for the feedback and sharing how you make it! It’s so appreciated <3 - B
Ashlee says
By far one of my favorite Whole30 and IP meals! My dad LOVES cashew chicken from Chinese restaurants. I made him this to show him he can still have those things and eat healthier. I absolutely loved this recipe. He honestly did not believe that this didn’t come straight from a restaurant. I will make this recipe again and again!
paleobailey says
This is SO, so great to hear!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this here! It’s so appreciated! <3 - B
Katie Lilligren says
This recipe was amazing!!! I didn’t have the 5 spice so I just threw in some cinnamon and fennel and the taste was on point. Thank you for making this whole 30 way easier than my last go round!!!
paleobailey says
Oh I’m so glad to hear this!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know, and knowing the 5 spice substitute is super helpful! Thank you! <3 - B
Kelly says
SO GOOD!! And so easy. I make this at least once a month
paleobailey says
Ahhh! I love this! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe so much.. it’s a favorite over here too! Thanks, Kelly! <3
Roxanne says
This looks amazing. Do you know the fiber content for the nutrition values?
paleobailey says
I don’t, sorry!
Tamara says
So easy to make this! I might cut back on the ketchup, only because I don’t typically like it to begin with and I could taste it a bit more here than I would prefer…but still overall delicious and simple. And, it made a lot so plenty of leftovers for adding steamed veggies to the rest (I always try my 1st runs in their prescribed state before making any personalized tweaks).
Thanks for all the deliciousness, Bailey! I got an IP Duo SV for Christmas, and this is the first full-on recipe I’ve made so far. With goals to get back to my healthier side, I’ll be checking out more recipes here!
paleobailey says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Tamara!! <3 - B
Clara says
LOVED this recipe! The first recipe I made in my instant pot. I am not a good cook so finding recipes that are so good they make me feel like an amazing chef are my favorite recipes. I made this for my lunch meal prep and I looked forward to lunch every day.
paleobailey says
Oh I am SO happy to hear this and that you had this experience with it! I LOVE this recipe too – thank you so, so much for coming back and letting me know! <3 - B
Janessa says
Fantastic recipe. Turned out exactly as intended!
paleobailey says
I’m so thrilled to hear! Thank you!
Rich Anderson says
We couldn’t love this recipe any more. It’s perfect. We make it all of the time and don’t change a single thing!
Alexis F says
This is seriously the BEST RECIPE EVER
paleobailey says
Woo!! Thank you SO much!!
Cheri says
I made this last night and loved it! Unfortunately my partner did not. But he doesn’t like chocolate, so can his taste be trusted? (No.) More for me! I’m literally eating the leftovers for lunch right now!
Autumn says
The macronutrient breakdown is amazing, and the recipe looks to die for.
Trish says
This is my FAVORITE recipe of ALL TIME
paleobailey says
YES! Thank you so much!!
Christy says
Can I double this recipe?
paleobailey says
I haven’t tried it, but I think it should be just fine!
Louise Kirven-Dows says
This recipe was amazing! I had to leave out the five spice powder since I didn’t have any (thought I did) and swapped tapioca starch for arrowroot again since that what I had, but it came out incredible! I added a bit of pineapple since I had a can and absolutely love pineapple with cashew.
Bottom line this came out great and was super quick and easy. Thank you!
paleobailey says
Wow the pineapple sounds amazing!! I’m going to try that next time I make this! Thank you so much for your feedback – it’s greatly appreciated!
Jen says
Excellent!! Even my teens enjoyed!
Couple of comments – I too got the burn warning. I think this would have been avoided if after sauté and adding the liquid seasonings- I would have scraped the bottom of the pot to help the arrowroot flour from sticking to bottom. (As this is what I had to do after the burn message appeared.).
Using organic Heinz (with sugar) worked well for me too!
Thank you for the recipe, Bailey! It is a keeper!!
paleobailey says
Thank you so much, Jen!! This is SO helpful and I so appreciate the feedback! <3 - B
Emily says
This was sooo good!!!! My first instapot meal ever and I’m hooked!!! You are a genius because this tastes better than take out and I don’t feel like crap from all the junk they put in take out food!
paleobailey says
Ohhh I love hearing this!! Thank you, Emily!!
Heidi Gerhardt says
This was great! My only comment would be to NOT buy salted cashews (don’t be like me). Keep the nuts naked. The salted cashews made it a little too salty, but my fault. Otherwise sooooo good.
Casey says
I don’t use my instant pot because it is so quick and easy in a skillet. This recipe is insanely awesome. I put it on zucchini noodles and add bok choy and broccoli. Also I use dates. This is a weekly staple in my house now. Thanks!
paleobailey says
LOVE to hear this! Thank you!