8 Best Instant Pots to Suit Every Kitchen
8 Best Instant Pots to Suit Every Kitchen
If you’re thinking of jumping on the Instant Pot bandwagon but feel intimidated by the number of multi-cooker models available, we don't blame you. While most Instant Pots are similar in terms of size options and wattage, the built-in heat and pressure levels — along with the smart program settings — vary from model to model. Check out our favorites below.
1) Instant Pot Duo
Instant Pot
amazon.com
A #1 bestseller on Amazon, the Duo offers all of the standard Instant Pot features with an extra setting for making homemade yogurt. It also lets you pressure cook on low (in addition to high), so you’ll have more control over the cooking temperature of soups and lentils, which may ultimately prevent them from overcooking into mushy oblivion. It's just $20 more than the most basic Instant Pot model (the Lux) and often goes on sale, so we think this one’s the best bang for your buck.
2) Instant Pot Duo Nova
Instant Pot
amazon.com
The Duo Nova is an easy-to-use multi-cooker that pressure cooks, sautés, steams, slow cooks, makes rice, warms food, and makes yogurt. This updated model has an updated lid, like most of their newer models, which has a steam release valve that automatically seals, eliminating one manual step, and a pressure release button (instead of a knob), so you can keep your fingers safer.
3) Instant Pot Lux Mini
Instant Pot
This is your basic 6-in-1 multi-cooker: It pressure cooks, slow cooks, makes rice, sautés, steams, and has a "keep warm" setting. The key feature this Instant Pot lacks is the ability to pressure cook on low. The Lux is only able to pressure cook on high, but for the average home chef, this shouldn't get in the way of your meal prep — just make sure to use the built-in timer to avoid overcooking anything. The Lux will still save you tons of time (hours, really) when cooking dishes like chili, stew, or hearty cuts of meat.
4) Instant Pot Duo Plus
Instant Pot
This model offers everything that the bestselling Duo does, plus settings for making cakes, eggs, and sterilizing. With the sterilize program, you can pasteurize milk, and sterilize baby bottles, jars, and utensils. Another key feature of the Duo Plus is the upgraded display: It’s bigger, bluer, and has brighter LED backlighting than the Duo. So if you ever find yourself straining to read the graphics on your appliances (like, say, in the middle of the night when you're heating up a bottle), look no further.
5) Instant Pot Ultra
Instant Pot
With endless options for customization, the Ultra is packed with extra features for the home chef who loves to experiment. It offers 21 pre-set temperature options, more than any other Instant Pot model on our list. The Ultra even lets you adjust for altitude, which takes the guesswork out of recipe conversion to provide a more precise cooking time. Unlike other Instant Pots that only have button controls, this one’s smooth dial also makes programming a breeze.
6) Instant Pot Smart WiFi
Instant Pot
amazon.com
The Smart WiFi multi-cooker has many of the extras that other Instant Pot models offer, along with the addition of WiFi connectivity, which allows you to set, monitor, and control your cooking from virtually anywhere. It also comes with more than 750 pre-programmed recipes that you can peruse via the Instant Pot app. When your dish is nearly done, you’ll receive an alert on your smart phone, and can even send your recipes and cooking results to your family. Cooking function-wise, this 8-in-1 model is more similar to the Duo or Duo Plus (rather than the Ultra), though it does have three different "keep warm" temperature settings.
7) Instant Pot Duo Crisp
Instant Pot
amazon.com
An Instant Pot that air fries, too? Where do we sign up? This incredibly versatile 11-in-1 machine also pressure cooks, steams, sautés, slow cooks, bakes, roasts, broils, warms, sous vides, and even dehydrates. Two handy lids also make it easy to switch between needs. We challenge you to find a more versatile kitchen appliance.
8) Instant Vortex Oven
Instant Pot
amazon.com
Not much for pressure cooking or slow cooking? If you're more of a crispy foods person who would appreciate a speedy and highly efficient machine, consider this air frying oven option that can also bake, roast, toast, broil, dehydrate, and rotisserie cook in its included rotating basket.
Our side-by-side comparison of Instant Pots makes it super simple.