Gaining popularity in recent years, the Instant Pot has served as a versatile, time-saving appliance for home cooks in a time crunch. If you’re used to cooking the good old-fashioned way with a ton of pots, pans and oven mitts, then the new technology of an Instant Pot can seem daunting. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a Gordon Ramsay, Emeril, or have a PhD in culinary physics to operate an Instant Pot.
For beginners or experts, most Instant Pots cover everything from sautéing, slow cooking, pressure-cooking, yogurts, and cakes. We’ve curated a list of user-friendly models that meet the expectations of home cooks on any schedule. Depending on your cooking styles and preferences, you’ll find an Instant Pot on the list that suits your inner chef.
Best Instant Pot: Our top choices
Instant Pot / Pocket-lint
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker
1. Best Instant Pot overall
Great introductory unit for beginners and pros
$78 $102 Save $24
For beginners and experts the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker offers a well-rounded, quick, and convenient way to cook in seven different ways
- Good for those just starting out
- Seven different cooking methods
- Feeds six people
- Can take time to learn
- Takes up a lot of counter space
- Lid takes time to clean up
Anyone just starting out and wanting a taste with Instant Pots will find the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker to be the most approachable choice due to its ease of use, safety features, and choice of four sizes. It promises the capacity to cook meals for up to six people with the max eight quart model all with ease using one touch “set it and forget it” functionality.
Aimed at various types of cooks, the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker assures competence in everything from tenderizing tough meats, steaming veggies, creating soups and stews to cooking rice, baking cakes, and making yogurt using its clear digital interface controls. The versatile little multi-cooker uses a stainless steel steamer rack with silicone handles that reduce heat, allowing you to double it as a pot you can put on your stove top. Once you get the hang of making your favorite dishes, you can program cooking settings into the Instant Pot for a quick go-to-procedure.
Instant Pot / Pocket-lint
Instant Pot Zest
2. Best budget Instant Pot
Fast cooking at a low price
The Insant Pot Zest offers the most affordable solution for anyone wainting to try an Instant Pot for the first time
- Under $50
- Multiple safety features
- Large eight cup capacity
- Lacks pressure cooking
- Bulky and heavy
The Instant Pot Zest is the best on the list for its price point, offering cooks a budget-friendly, efficient, and easy-to-use little kitchen appliance perfect for small to medium-sized families with its eight cup cooking capacity. Beyond just cooking rice, the Zest model features quinoa, oatmeal, steamed veggies, soups and stews, and even dessert cooking functions.
Beginners who don’t want to invest too much in an Instant Pot will find this option to be most welcoming in giving them a taste in the world of Instant Pots. Easy cleanup is to be expected, as the device’s PFOA-free non-stick ceramic coated cooking pot, steamer basket, and rice measuring cup and spoon, are all dishwasher safe. Its four smart programs allow users ease when cooking their favorite grain, oatmeal, or rice – as a bonus, it will keep them warm even after you’re done.
Instant Pot / Pocket-lint
Star Wars 6QT Duo Little Bounty
3. Best Instant Pot for Star Wars fans
My the fryer be with you
The Instant Pot with five different Star Wars themed designs
- Multiple designs like Baby Yoda and Darth Vader
- Stainless steel with no chemical coating
- 13 smart programs for a variety of cooking
- Certain styles sell out fast
- Hard to close lid
- Dentable
Providing enough to feed a galaxy far, far away, the Instant Pot Star Wars 6QT Duo Little Bounty is the best Instant Pot for any Star Wars fans out there, adding a unique and cute kitchen appliance that doubles as a conversation starter. It comes in six different Star Wars related designs, including a Baby Yoda version and one designed where the little pot looks like R2-D2.
Outfitted with the latest third general cooking tech, the Instant Pot Star Wars Duo Little Bounty uses a microprocessor to monitor pressure, temperature, time, and adjusted heating temperature to seal and capture aromas and flavors within its stainless steel non-chemically coated cooking pot. Chefs who want to make a variety of food can use one of the 13 preset smart program features that’s perfect for creating soups, stews, grains, yogurts, and more.
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Instant Pot Omni Pro
4. Best large air-fry style Instant Pot
Tons and tons of food
Fit in an entire pizza, three dozen wings, or more all while on two cooking settings using the Instant Pot Omni Pro.
- Can fit a 30 centimeter pizza
- Dual cooking modes
- 14 different cooking features
- Can get very hot
- Can take time to clean
At 18 liters, the Instant Pot Omni Pro can meet the needs of anyone with large families who want to serve a whole chicken, a 12-inch pizza, or three dozen or more chicken wings. Its large size comes with multiple cooking features using its 14-in-1 functionalities for either single or split cooking that’ll air fry, broil, bake, slow cook, rotisserie, toast, and so much more.
The Instant Pot Omni Pro offers an alternative to a stovetop oven or microwave with less of a mess. It pulls airflow from the top of its design to induce deep cooking of your food on all sides, allowing you to see real-time cooking temperatures of foods, programmed to stop cooking once it reaches optimal temperature. Included with the Instant Pot is a number of cooking accessories like a stainless-steel oven rack, enamel baking tray, rotisserie spit and more, so you can make a ton of different foods, from crispy onion rings to a juicy pork loin roast.
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Instant Pot Electric Round Dutch Oven
5. Best Dutch oven style Instant Pot
Cast iron, even cooking, hefty
$136 $150 Save $14
The Instant Pot Electric Round Dutch Oven features a cast iron cooking pot and even cooking distribution just like a Dutch oven
- Enameled cast iron
- Even heat distribution for thorough cooking
- Comes in black, blue, green, and red colors
- Heavy
- Steam water collector isn’t efficient
- Some features take more time
For more serious cooks, the Instant Pot Electric Round Dutch Oven offers an electric Dutch oven experience. Dutch oven cooking usually involves a heavy, thick, cast iron cooking pot, which this Instant Pot has, allowing for even heat distribution and retention when cooking.
The Instant Pot Electric Round Dutch Oven is built with a large enameled cast-iron removable cooking pot that’s both oven and stove stop safe, allowing versatility for more advanced cooking techniques between appliances. Its 5-in-1 functionality gives cooks the option to slow cook, braise, sear, sauté, and keep up to six servings of meals hot on standby. The pot is easy to clean up with both its cooking pot and lid being dishwasher safe and includes a silicone protective pad handle cover to avoid burns.
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Instant Pot 6.5 Quart Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid
6. Best futuristic Instant Pot
The cooking of tomorrow, today
$180 $200 Save $20
The Instant Pot 6.5 Quart Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid is Wi-Fi connected, huge, and futuristic.
- Connects via Wi-Fi and can be controlled via smartphone
- Pairs with voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant
- Large LCD panel
- Takes time to properly program
- Slow cooking takes awhile
- Features can take adjusting
Anyone who wants a taste of the future of cooking with convenience should check out the Instant Pot 5.6 Quart Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid. The powerhouse tech pot can be controlled by Wi-Fi with your smartphone to control and monitor your food all while giving you guided step-by-step cooking instructions for easy meals.
The 13-in-1 Instant Pot does everything from air frying, pressure-cooking, and slow cooking to dehydrating, broiling, and sous vide. The Wi-Fi connectivity can make adjustments to your cooking preferences and pairs with voice assistants, like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri – so you can give it some commands. The pot’s hardware includes Evencrisp Technology for even cooking and features an advanced steam release technology for quiet steam releases with its large LCD panel telling you when it’s okay to open the lid.
The bottom line: What’s the best Instant Pot?
From beginners to professionals, the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker is the best Instant Pot on the list. It’s affordable, approachable, and has standard Instant Pot functionalities, which make it great to scale up the variety of your cooking in seven different ways. This means you can easily reheat leftover take-away from the night before, or if you want to make a large stew in a jiffy for you and five other people. If your cooking plans include large gatherings or more sophisticated culinary feats, the Instant Pot Omni Pro and Electric Round Dutch Oven are solid options for versatility and size. Let’s not forget that during gift-giving seasons, like the approaching Black Friday shopping rush, a practical appliance with a side of fandom could delight the Star Wars-loving chef in your life, so keep the Duo Little Bounty in mind for those folks.
Instant Pot / Pocket-lint
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker
Editor’s Choice
$78 $102 Save $24
How does an Instant Pot work, and what makes it different from traditional cooking appliances?
Instant Pots are electric cookers that utilize a variety of different cooking methods. They’re a kitchen appliance with many uses, capable of everything from pressure-cooking, slow cooking, sautéing, steaming, and keeping your food warm. Heat is distributed evenly throughout the pot, so your food gets cooked in every direction.
Unlike some other appliances and kitchenware, Instant Pots offer a safer way of cooking with built-in pressure sensors, lid locking, and steam release valves to reduce injury. Instant Pots are also convenient in reducing time and energy, using simple instructions and preset functions to get your particular food cooking on time.
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