Healthy Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
Ditch the store-bought and try my Healthy Instant Pot Hamburger Helper! It has all of the traditional flavors of your favorite ground turkey pasta, but tastes way better and is made with only whole ingredients!

Box dinners sure can be tempting. I mean they are easy to make, budget-friendly, and are typically family favorites. But have you seen what’s really in them?! YUCK!
I really like convenient meals but not ones that are super processed. So that’s what led me to make this easy ground turkey pasta recipe!
Instant Pot Hamburger Helper has the flavors you remember from the box, but as I mentioned, only whole ingredients here! It’s a great recipe to use for meal prepping too!
If you have picky eaters in your house, you won’t have to worry about that with hamburger helper! For some reason, kids love meals like this and it’s easy on mom, which is always a win!
Check Out My Other Ground Turkey Recipes:
- Cranberry Turkey Burgers
- Oven-baked Keto Turkey Meatballs | Gluten-free, Whole30, & Paleo
- Ground Turkey Recipes for Crockpot You NEED To Make!
- Healthy Turkey Sweet Potato Chili Three Ways – Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, and Stovetop

What You Need to Make Healthy Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
Olive oil
Ground turkey – you can also use ground beef or chicken if you choose
Onion
Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Worcestershire sauce – you can also swap for Braggs Coconut Aminos
Tomato paste
Smoked paprika – if you don’t have smoked, just use regular
Chili Powder
Vegetable broth – grab the organic, low sodium kind
Cheddar cheese
Elbow macaroni – for more protein and a gluten-free option try Banza pasta!

How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper in the Instant Pot
Start by pouring the oil into the inner pot and press Saute.
Add the ground turkey and diced onions, after about 5 minutes, add the spices, Worchetshire, and tomato paste.
Cook for just a little longer, then deglaze the inner pot with a little veggie broth. Scrap the bottom to remove any stuck pieces. This will help to prevent getting the burn notice once you start pressure cooking.

Add the remaining broth and pasta. Be sure the noodles are totally submerged.
Place the lid in the locking position, turn the valve to seal, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, perform a quick release then stir in the cheese, and dinner is served!

Tips, Storing, and Meal Prepping
- Hamburger helper will keep for about 4 days in the fridge, so perfect for leftovers and meal prepping!
- The inner pot is dishwasher safe, so cleaning up is easy!
- Instant Pot is just a brand, so feel free to make this recipe in any electric pressure cooker.
Your whole family is going to love this easy healthy ground turkey pasta dinner recipe! Right before you serve, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram!
PIN ME FOR LATER

More Easy Instant Pot Recipes:
- The Best Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Sweet And Spicy Asian Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (Instant Pot Option Included)
- Instant Pot Pesto Chicken Pasta With Veggies | Dairy-free, Gluten-free
- Healthy Turkey Sweet Potato Chili Three Ways – Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, And Stovetop
- 30 Minute Instant Pot Bbq Pulled Chicken Recipe | Gluten-free, Low Carb
FAQs
Can I use ground beef instead of ground turkey?
Yes! You can use any ground meat you prefer.
Can I make this recipe gluten free?
Yes! Be sure to use gluten free pasta and coconut aminos in place of the Worcesterchire sauce.
Can I make this recipe dairy free?
Yes! Simply use dairy free cheese to keep this healthy hamburger helper dairy free.
What should I serve with Hamburger Helper?
I’m a big fan of adding roasted veggies on the side of most pasta dishes, but you could totally serve this healthy hamburger helper as a meal on its own!
It has protein, healthy fats, carbs, and veggies. If you use chickpea pasta you can add extra fiber and protein as well.

Healthy Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 c. sweet yellow onion diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 4 c. low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 16 oz elbow macaroni dry
Instructions
- Add olive oil to the instant pot and set to saute.
- Add ground turkey and onion. Cook and crumble until ground turkey is almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour in 1/4 c. of vegetable broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to release any pieces of beef that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot. This will prevent the burn indicator on the instant pot when pressure cooking.
- Add the rest of the broth and macaroni. Stir and make sure the macaroni is submerged into the broth.
- Lock the lid, seal the valve and set the pressure cooking on HIGH and time to 5 minutes.
- When the instant pot is done cooking, quick release the steam valve. Stir in the cheese until completely melted and combined.
We’re not big fans of onion and garlic, so I subbed 1 tbsp of onion powder and 1 tsp of garlic salt. Even my very picky pre-teen daughter enjoyed it! Thanks!
This looks great. I was wondering if you have the nutritional information for this recipe. Thanks!
Thank you! I don’t have the nutrition information but you can add all the ingredients to an online nutrition calculator and divide by the serving size to find that information!
I’ll be honest , this recipe was used as an 11th hr, what the heck is for dinner, it is 90 degrees out, and I am tired of bbq. I was not necessarily expecting to like it……..but I did! Made it exactly as written and it was great. I love that you could totally season as you like. I stirred a handful of fresh spinach to my bowl. Perfect! And I would make again. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Jen!! I appreciate the kind words and love that you were able to get creative with the recipe 🙂 Have a great weekend!
This is my family’s favorite version of homemade“Hamburger Helper.”Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear you all enjoy it! Thank you!!
How many servings does this make?
Four servings!
This was very tasty! Even my 11 yr old son loved it and he is very picky as to what he will eat.
We liked the taste, it was a nice change from noodles and pasta sauce.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Should the pressure be set to HIGH for 5 minutes?
Yes!