How to Convert Recipes for an Instant Pot
Dec 29, 2023
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Are you trying to make your favorite recipes in the Instant Pot? This guide will walk you through how you can convert stovetop and slow cooker recipes to make them work using an electric pressure cooker.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is How can I make (fill in the blank) in the Instant Pot? While I have a growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes, you may have a desire to try making your family favorites in the Instant Pot.
And I want to help do just that! My tips AND list of cautions will help you begin to feel confident converting your family recipes to Instant Pot success.
What Recipes Can Be Converted?
Before you try to convert a recipe to an Instant Pot recipe, ask yourself if your recipe can and/or should be made in the Instant Pot.
While many recipes can be adapted to be made in the Instant Pot, there are things you should NEVER cook in your Instant Pot. For example, dishes like fried chicken or a juicy ribeye steak should never be attempted in a pressure cooker, as the results will never be the same.
However, an Instant Pot excels at making inexpensive cuts of meats tender and making complex soups or chili that taste as though they have simmered all day, but are ready in less than an hour.
∗ important to remember when selecting a recipe to convert ∗
How do you know if a recipe will work in the Instant Pot? There are a few things that you want to keep in mind when choosing a recipe to adapt for the Instant Pot.
- Choose recipes that already have thin liquid in them (like stock, water, juice, beer, etc); require a longer cooking time, such as dried beans or pot roast, and/or use moist heat to cook, such as cheesecake.
- In general, avoid recipes that include something breaded, dairy-based, and/or quick-cooking cuts of meat or tender vegetables.
How to Convert Recipes into Instant Pot Recipes
Once you decide if your recipe is suitable for pressure cooking, it is time to convert your recipe.
Use my following tips as a starting point for converting your favorite stovetop or slow cooker recipes to Instant Pot recipes. Please keep in mind that not every recipe will work in an Instant Pot, and sometimes it takes trial and error to perfect the timing. Keep notes on results so you can keep track of what works and what doesn't.
- Oven/Stovetop to Instant Pot Conversion: Divide the cooking time by 3. Cook on high pressure for that time and allow for natural pressure release when cooking soups, chili, or meat. Use a quick pressure release if cooking seafood or delicate vegetables.
- For Recipes Made in Slow Cooker/Crock-Pot: Refer to the amount of time that a recipe needs to cook on high and multiply that by 6. Cook for that many minutes. For example, for a recipe that needs to cook for 4 hours on high, multiply 4 by 6 to get 24. You would cook your recipe for 24 minutes on high pressure.
- Pasta Recipes: Use 2 cups of liquid per cup of dry pasta. Divide the longest cooking time listed on the box of pasta in half and cook for that time on high pressure. Allow for exactly 5 minutes of natural pressure release, then do a quick release of pressure.
- Traditional Pressure Cooker Recipes: Stovetop pressure cookers cook at a higher PSI than electric pressure cookers, which means that it takes longer for an Instant Pot to reach pressure. For that reason, for longer cooking times, I recommend reducing the cooking time by 15%.
Conversion Chart for Converting Recipes
Grab this chart and hang it in an area that will help you convert your favorite recipes into Instant Pot Success!
Click on the graphic or here to print this PDF for Instant Pot Conversions
Important Things to Remember
This conversion chart is a very basic starting point. It is important to keep in mind the following tips whenever you convert recipes for an Instant Pot.
- If you live at a higher elevation refer to Instant Pot Altitude Adjustments and make the necessary additional adjustments.
- Cook on HIGH pressure using the manual or pressure cook button, not by using the various settings on the instant pot. It is best to manually adjust the pressure and cooking time yourself.
- Be sure to add enough liquid. All recipes need at least 1 cup of liquid in a 3 or 6-quart instant pot and 1.5 cups of liquid in an 8-quart instant pot for the right pressure to be achieved.
- Don't use TOO MUCH liquid. If you are converting a stovetop soup, you may want to decrease the liquid by ½ cup, as the liquid will not evaporate from the Instant Pot as they do on the stove.
- Do NOT add cornstarch, flour, or dairy products. These ingredients can cause burn warnings and will not allow your pressure cooker to reach pressure. The exception to this rule is heavy cream.
- Do NOT overfill your pressure cooker. Never fill the inner pot over ⅔rd of the way full with liquid. Never fill the inner pot over ½ way full when cooking rice or beans.
- Want to use your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker? Refer to my guide on how to use your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker.
- What if your recipe is not cooked fully after the cooking time elapses? Don't panic! Place the lid back on your Instant Pot and add additional cook time. It will not take as long to come to pressure the second time.
- Experiment! But at the right time! I would NOT experiment with recipes BEFORE you try out a few recipes that have been tested by others. Once you are familiar with pressure cooking, then you can start to experiment. Be sure to keep notes and document any changes that need to be made so that you have a point of reference for recipes in the Instant Pot.
Still nervous to experiment? Check out my Instant Pot Recipes. The timing has been tried, tested, and true!
Hello! Could you use evaporated milk in the instant pot instead of milk? I have a pork chop casserole recipe that calls for cream of mushroom soup and milk.
Hi Kat! Evaporated milk can curdle under pressure, I would recommend using chicken stock or not convert this recipe.
I've used these conversions and they are great but if I want to change a stove recipes that is low heat how do I do it for low not high.
Hi Alisha! I am so happy to hear you found these conversions helpful in the past. As for converting recipes that are cooked on low heat on the stove, you would still use high pressure. For example, most soups are brought to a boil and then reduced to low heat to simmer. The Instant Pot speeds that up. If you tell me a specific recipe, I may be able to help you better as well 🙂
I have a Mexican Chicken Soup recipe that takes over two hours on the stovetop. I start by browning minced garlic, making a roux by adding flour to the browned garlic, cooking the roux a bit, adding chicken broth slowly, then adding spices including cocoa powder, followed by onions, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. This simmers for an hour and half and then the chicken is added for a final twenty minute cook. I would love not to babysit it and not have natural gas by-products filling our house for hours. Any thoughts? I know you said not to use thickeners so I'm wondering whether this one is even possible. I haven't been able to find something comparable on-line. Thanks!
Hi Christy! As you suspected, making a soup with a roux is not a good idea using the Instant Pot. To make the soup without the roux would be an option, but would DRASTICALLY change the outcome.
For my chili recipes I mix a bit of broth with flour or cornstarch and add it in after it's done cooking and let it simmer to thicken it. Do you could try cooking the soup in the instant pot and then switch it to saute setting to thicken it.
Absolutely! This is how I thicken my soups and stews after pressure cooking. Just be sure to use a full cup of thin liquid in the actual chili.
I would like to figure out how to bake these in my egg bites molds. It is really as simple as cooking for 4 minutes on high pressure?
https://tasty.co/recipe/baked-churro-bites?epik=dj0yJnU9SkdIZi1hUjVXTUVvbTljbVlUZkNvS2xqc1pfOWFncFUmcD0wJm49Q3AxazVialphUS1oSzFaeFdhQ2ROQSZ0PUFBQUFBR0ZncXpj#4ldradw
Hi Abbey! As stated per my post, I don't really recommend baked goods, like muffins or cakes, in the Instant Pot as they turn out dense and moist. You can give it a try, and 4 minutes would be about the right timing if you want to try it.
Hello!
I have a beef cheek taco recipe that simmers on the stove for 3-4 hours - is there a instant pot slow cooker conversion that I could use so that I don't have to keep the stove on for that long?
Hi Alysa! I would recommend using at least 1.5 cups of thin liquid and cook for 80 minutes. Be sure not to add any cream or flour to the liquid before pressure cooking. Enjoy!
I have a bone broth recipe that requires simmering for 12-14 hours. It looks like simmering equals roughly 20 minutes in the Instant Pot per hour on the stove; if so, this would translate to about 240 minutes under pressure -- which seems excessive. What would you recommend? Thank you!!
Hi Kerry! I have a recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Stock that breaks down what to do for bone broth. I cook for 120 minutes on high pressure when making bone broth.
Thank you so much!! I love your blog and turn to it frequently. Keep up the awesome advice & recipes!! 🙂
Thank you so much Kerry! I love hearing that!
This is what I’m confused about and it will show how new I am to instant cooking, I have the instant pot duo approximately how long does it take to come to high pressure if say 1 to 1 1/2 cups are in a recipe? I’m sure it takes longer if more liquid but I just need an idea so I can figure out when to start my dish? Thanks!
Hi Cheryl. It will depend on what else is in your recipe. 1.5 cups of thin liquid alone takes between 5 and 10 minutes. 1.5 cups of liquid plus a roast can take up to 20 minutes. If it is one of my recipes, I include time I takes to come to pressure and for pressure to release for planning purposes. I hope that helps.