With the best-rated instant pot, you can speed up your cooking in the kitchen. An instant pot is a very fast, intelligent electric cooker that offers functions of multiple cooking machines, including a rice cooker, steamer, an electric pressure cooker, yogurt maker, slow cooker, and warming pot. So, whether you want to cook rice, make yogurt, sauté vegetables, or slow cook a roast, this versatile device can do it all. Instant pots are handy since they save you both time and space.
The Instant pot product line has changed from a single pressure cooker to some product families in different sizes. So whether you prefer to set your own time and pressure for recipes or the ease of pre-programmed functions, there is certainly something for everyone.
Furthermore, choosing the right instant pot that will meet the needs of your household is one of the most crucial decisions you will make. Besides that, you need to determine how many functions you would like your instant pot to undertake and how much programming control you want. Check out our recommendations for the best instant pots.
1. Instant Pot Duo Nova Electric Pressure Cooker
- Best for beginners: An upgrade to the all-time bestseller Instant Pot Duo series, the Duo Nova combines 7 appliances in 1: Pressure cooker,...
- Healthy & consistently delicious: Duo Nova is powered by a sophisticated micro-processor that monitors and adjusts pressure, temperature,...
- Smart lid: The new easy seal lid gives you 1 less thing to worry about because it automatically seals your Instant Pot. Steam release is...
- Worry-free cooking: 10 plus safety features with UL certification let you “set it and forget it.” You’re free to do other things while...
- Clear, simple controls: Elegant blue LCD intuitively indicates the cooking process of the multicooker. Convenient 1-touch control of 13...
For the best-rated instant pot that is enough for a large family, count on the Instant Pot Duo Nova Electric Pressure Cookers. It is also the best instant pot for anyone who prefers to cook meals ahead of freezing, and it is ideal for holidays, potlucks, and dinner parties. This instant pot comes as a combination of seven different kitchen appliances: a pressure cooker, steamer, warmer, yogurt maker, slow cooker, and saute pan.
The instant pot has a capacity of 6-quart size, which is suitable for a large family of six members. It has a modernized automatic lid which is handy and relieves you from constant worries about closing the steam release valve. The automatic lid ensures that all the nutrients and flavors are locked in, and for pressure release, you can easily press a quick-release button that comes with the cooker.
The instant pot guarantees healthy and consistently tasty food since it features an advanced microprocessor that helps monitor and regulate temperature, pressure, and time. Also, it features easy and simple controls and a classic blue screen display that shows the cooking process.
Pros
Cons
2. Instant Pot (11 in 1) Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker with Air Fryer
- 11-IN-1 FUNCTIONALITY: Air fry, roast, bake, dehydrate, pressure cook, slow cook, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, sterilizer...
- THE INSTANT POT THAT AIR FRIES: From the makers of the best-selling Duo series comes a pressure cooker and air fryer combo, with 2...
- EVENCRISP TECHNOLOGY: The included air fryer lid delivers all the crunch and tenderness of deep-frying with 95% less oil.
- QUICK ONE-TOUCH COOKING: 11 customizable Smart Programs for air frying, pressure cooking ribs, soups, beans, rice, poultry, yogurt, desserts...
- VERSATILE INNER COOKING POT: Food-grade stainless-steel cooking pot with a tri-ply bottom offers more even cooking and an anti-spin design...
If you are looking for the best-rated instant pot that features an air fryer, check out the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker. This instant pot comes with a separate lid and a special basket to hold the food inside and allow airflow all around. Thus, the pot turns into an air frying cooker for making perfect wigs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and French fries. Moreover, it comes with 11 touch cooking programs that enable you to make the best food of pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming, air frying, food warming, baking, and more.
This Instant Pot Duo Crisp gives tender and delicious food and offers you a crisp golden finish with even crisp technology. Also, it has air-fried appliances that come with the cooker, stainless steel air fryer basket, air fryer lid, dehydrating, and broiling tray. Besides, the instant pot is dishwasher safe and can cook enough food for up to eight people.
Lastly, the instant pot has more than ten built-in advanced safety features, including automatic pressure, temperature control, and overheat protection. It also has an automatic seal lid that enhances safety while pressure release and pressure cooking.
Pros
Cons
3. Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
- Cooks fast & saves time: The Instant Pot Duo Multi-Cooker combines 6 Appliances in one: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer...
- Consistently delicious: 12 one-touch smart programs put cooking ribs, soups, beans, rice, poultry, desserts and more on autopilot – with...
- Easy to clean: Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel lid and components and accessories are dishwasher safe
- Advanced safety protection: The 10+ built-in safety features, including overheat protection, safety lock and more to ensure safe pressure...
- Accessories included: Stainless steel steam rack with handles, rice paddle, soup spoon, measuring cup and condensation collector
If you have a tight budget and looking for the best-rated instant pot, we recommend the Instant Pot Lux Electric Pressure Cooker (6-in-1). This instant pot has the typical buttons for pressure cooking, steaming, slow cooking, sautéing, rice cooking, and preset for yogurt, rice, porridge, and others. Besides, it has a cooking capacity of 6 people maximum and is one of the best instant pot models for a family set-up.
This pot has the best instant pot accessories such as a soup spoon, stainless steel lid, rice paddle, measuring cup, and stainless steel steam rack that are easy to clean. It comes with advanced safety features, including overheating protection and a safety lock that assures safety while using the instant pot. Additionally, it has a 24-hour delayed start for the type of food that can be kept at room temperature for that time.
One good thing with this best instant pot is that you can make nearly all the available instant pot recipes in the free instant pot app on iOS and Android phones. Also, it has a stainless steel inner pot that makes the pot durable.
Pros
Cons
4. Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Pressure Cooker
- The best gets even better: Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus is the latest evolution of the all-time bestseller Instant Pot Duo series; With 20 plus...
- Cooks fast & saves time: Cooks up to 70 % faster; New 1200w heating element reduces preheating time allowing you to make meals faster;...
- Consistently delicious as you like it: 48 customizable preset options for soups, beans, rice, ribs and more; Takes the guesswork out and...
- Cookware grade inner pot: New 304 (18/8) stainless steel inner pot with easy grip nonslip handles and flat inner surface can be used on gas,...
- Biggest display yet: The bright bold display is angled to make it easy to read from a distance; The new cooking progress indicator shows...
If you are looking for the best-rated instant pot with more cooking modes, count on the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Pressure Cooker. This instant pot has 48 cooking modes and is set out to replace ten kitchen appliances, including a slow cooker, pressure cooker, yogurt maker, steamer ad warmer. It has over 20 improvements making it fast and efficient and the best instant pot for new users. Moreover, it is faster both when cooking and when releasing pressure.
This Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus is available in 5.7 liters/ 6-quarts or 8 liters/ 8 quarts. It has 1200 watts heating elements that lower the preheating time and the time used to cook food. The pressure release time is usually made shorter by the new and innovative cool technology used to construct the instant pot. Moreover, you can use the pot itself on the hob to sear food before cooking, plus it has handles so that you can take the pot straight to the dining table.
The instant pot duo plus allows you to easily make your favorite recipes that you can get on Free Instant Pot recipe app on Android and iOS devices; you have the option of making rice, soups, beans, shredded chicken, whole chicken, and more. Moreover, you can cause the instant pot pressure cooker on induction stovetops, city, electric, and super convenient. Lastly, this pot can cook for six people and is easy to clean, plus it has advanced safety protection.
Pros
Cons
5. Instant Pot (8-in-1) Smart WiFi Electric Pressure Cooker
- Cooks fast and saves time: The Instant Pot Smart Wifi combines 8 kitchen appliances in one: Pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker,...
- Consistently delicious: 13 1-touch smart programs put cooking ribs, soups, beans, rice, poultry, yogurt, desserts and more on autopilot –...
- Connected for ease of use: Compatible with Alexa and wifi - control your Instant Pot Smart Wifi in the palm of your hand with the Instant...
- Accessories included: Stainless steel steam rack with handles, rice paddle, soup spoon, measuring cup and condensation collector. Power...
- Advanced safety protection: The 10 plus built-in safety features, including overheat protection, safety Lock and more to ensure safe...
You can bet on the Instant Pot Smart WiFi 8-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker if you are looking for the best-rated instant pot that comes with smart technology. This model is the best instant pot for you if you want to control your cooker over WiFi. This instant pot combines eight kitchen appliances in one, including pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, cake maker, yogurt maker, steamer, Saute pan, and warmer. Moreover, the instant pot app that controls this pot provides over 1,100 recipes, including vegetarian and vegan, which are easy to follow.
This Instant Pot is compatible with WIFI and Alexa allowing you to control your Instant pot in the palm of your hand through voice with Alexa or with the Instant Pot app. For example, you can ask Alexa how much cooking time is left. Furthermore, it includes access to over 1,000 pre-programmed recipes, shares cooker access with family, verifies cooking progress, and receives alerts on your smartphone.
This instant pot has 13 smart programs, along with manual controls for pressure cooking, so it can easily handle all of your favorite instant pot recipes. It is available in one size,6-quart, and is convenient for most home cooks, plus it comes with ten plus built-in safety features, including a safety lock, overheat protection, and more to ensure safe pressure cooking.
Pros
Cons
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Instant Pots
1. Size of the instant pots
When looking for the best instant pot, consider the size of the pot. The right size will depend on how much counter and storage space you have and how much food you plan to cook at once. If you're frequently cooking for large parties, ensure you buy pots that are big enough for these needs. If you are short on storage or only need to cook for one or two people, then smaller instant pot models would be the best option.
The 8-quart and 10-quart instant pot sizes are usually the most suitable to use if you cook for a large family. Conversely, if you live alone or with one or two people, go for a 3-quart instant pot model.
2. Versatility
The versatility is another factor to check out when looking for the best instant pots. What usually sets different instant pot models apart from each other is the different features they have. For example, while some pots offer basic cooker and saute functionality, other instant pot models have modes for making certain foods (like rice, beans, soup, yogurt, cakes, or eggs) or various cooking options like steaming. Therefore you can warm, slow cook, and pressure cook based on your preferences. Additionally, other features include temperature controls, delayed cooking, warm settings, Alexa compatibility, remote cooking capabilities, and more features.
3. Ease of cleaning
When looking for instant pot pressure cookers, it would be wise to choose one which is easy to clean and set up. So choose the best smart instant pot with easy-to-clean features, either by dishwasher or hand wash. Also, ensure you know the right methods of washing the inner part of the pot.
4. Pressurizing
When choosing the best instant pot, check how to create or maintain increased pressure. For instance, an electric pressure cooker will need to build up the pressure first before it can pressure cook. When the liquid inside is heated up, there is a lot of pressure and steam released, which will take 4-5 minutes depending on the cooker you buy. Most cooker recipes will show less cook time than the actual cooking times since the more food or liquid you have, the more time it will take to build pressure. Moreover, the freezer foods will take more time too.
5. The release time
It is important to consider the release time of the instant pot since you will set the full pressure and temperature needed depending on the cooking time listed in cooking recipes. For instance, in most scenarios, when making a cake, you will have to preheat your best instant pot for between 5-30 minutes before making it, depending on the recipe. Conversely, you will need to include the time you will open the pressure valve after cooking to release the pressure.
6. Price
When shopping for the best instant pots, you will realize that the prices vary depending on several factors like brands, stores, and other factors we looked at. However, most instant pots are affordable and readily available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Best Instant Pot
1. Are instant pots easy to clean?
Most instant pots are easy to clean since the instant pots' stainless steel cooking is fully removable and dishwasher friendly.
2. What is the best size of the instant pot?
The size will depend on the number of people you are cooking for. Most standard size for most families with 3-6 members si the quart 6. Nonetheless, you can go for the quart 8 or 10 if you plan to be cooking for more people.
3. At what pressure do Instant Pots cook?
It will depend on the type of food you are preparing. The instant pot comes with a recipe that guides you on using it and the pressure requirements for each food to be prepared on the instant pot.