Instant Pot Settings (What do all these buttons mean?!)

Instant Pot Instant Pot Tutorials May 5, 2020 | By Kristen Chidsey | 51 Comments | *This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Do you feel overwhelmed by all the functions or settings on your instant pot? You are not alone! Regardless of your model or make, learn EVERYTHING you need to know about each Instant Pot Setting and how to use them!

Once you learn how to use your Instant Pot, you may be wondering what do all these buttons do, and which setting is best. This guide will walk you through exactly what each function does and which ones you should use. Spoiler Alert: Most of the settings on the Instant Pot are USELESS!

When my Instant Pot first came in the mail, I was a bit baffled at where to begin.

I had purchased the Instant Pot Duo model and there were SO many buttons!!! Even after completing the initial water test, It took me a bit of time (and a few mistakes) to realize that there is really only a few functions I need to utilize when pressure cooking to make delicious instant pot recipes.

Instant Pot Settings

At first glance at your electric pressure cooker, it looks like you can cook just about anything with a simple touch of a button.

It may be tempting to put chicken in the instant pot and hit the poultry button and walk away. BUT, to rely solely on the pre-set cooking functions, could very well result in over-cooked chicken, under-cooked rice, or dried out beef.

These settings are programmed with a cook time based on the AVERAGE cooking time and are just a starting point. In fact, most these functions are just pre-set times for cooking on high pressure. The poultry, meat, stew, eggs, beans, and grain function are completely useless to me and are almost guaranteed to cause you to ruin recipes if you rely on the pre-set cook time.

Most models, like the Instant Pot Duo, Instant Pot Duo Plus, Instant Pot Lux, and Instant Pot Ultra have similar cooking options and settings. But don't be fooled into thinking you need a model with more settings and options. There are only a few settings on the Instant Pot that are needed.

In my opinion, the only thing you need to look for in an electric pressure cooker is one that has the capability to saute, make yogurt, and has an option to set cook time yourself (this is the manual or pressure cook button on most Instant Pot models.) The rest of the buttons are really unnecessary in my opinion--and truthfully, unless you want to make yogurt in your instant pot, the yogurt button is not necessary either.

Manual/Pressure Cook Setting

The manual or pressure cook setting allows you to set the cook time to whatever you would like. This is by far the MOST utilized function on the instant pot. Basically you are just setting a specific cook time on high pressure. This means YOU control the outcome!

To Use the Manual Button:

Hit Manual.
If you need to adjust pressure, hit the pressure button until high or low pressure is lit up (unless you have the Instant Pot Lux--it only cooks on High pressure)
Hit the plus or minus sign to adjust time.

Saute Function

This function is great for browning meat, sauteing veggies or thickening up a sauce at the end of pressure cooking. I use this function for my Instant Pot Mongolian Beef and Instant Pot Chili.

To use Saute Function:

Press the "Saute" button.
Select a temperature with the “Adjust” key for “Normal”, “More” or “Less”.
When Instant Pot reaches the given working temperature, it displays “Hot” and you can start sauteing.
One full “Sauté” session will run for 30 minutes.
Normal is like medium heat on a stove top and More is like high heat on a stove top and less is like low heat on a stove top.

Yogurt Button

The yogurt function is only used only to make yogurt.

The yogurt button is able to be adjusted by hitting the "adjust" button until it says "boil" or 8:00 or 10:00. These functions are unique to yogurt recipes.

If you plan to make Instant Pot Yogurt, I STRONGLY suggest investing in a model that has the yogurt setting.

Pressure Setting

This function adjusts pressure for high to low--not an option on the Instant Pot Lux. And is RARELY used! Most recipes are designed to be cooked on high pressure. But it is important to pay attention to because if you accidentally hit a button that causes the pressure to drop from high to low, your results will be drastically impacted.

To use the Pressure Button:

After you hit manual, hit pressure to adjust to high or low pressure.
Set your timer on for manual cooking as needed.

Adjust Button

The adjust button is to adjust the temperature of the instant pot when using the slow cooking, yogurt, or saute functions between less, normal, and more.

Timer Button

The timer function is used to delay the cooking time. This is great when making Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats or Instant Pot Brown Rice. You can prep the rice in the morning and set to be ready at dinner time or prep oats and wake up to warm oatmeal!

There are two things to keep in mind when using the delay start option. You don't want to leave anything raw or that could spoil in your Instant Pot for an extended amount of time. So perfect for cooking oats in water or rice in water, but NOT using for Instant Pot Pot Roast.

The second thing to keep in mind is you are setting the timer as to when you want your pressure cooker to START--not when cook time will start. The delay start does not account for the time it takes to come pressure. Therefore, if want dinner ready in 2 hours but the recipe takes 20 minutes to come to pressure, 20 minutes to cook, and 20 minutes to release pressure set your timer for just 1 hour, so that it begins the cooking process in 1 hour and in 2 hours it will be completed.

To Use the Timer Function:

Select either manual (pressure cooking) or slow cooker mode, as these are the only two modes compatible with the timer function.
Set your cooking time.
Within 10 seconds of setting the cooking time, press the ‘timer’ button.
Use the +/- keys to set your delay time.

Slow Cooker Button

The Instant Pot Slow Cooker function is not equivalent to the temperatures on a slow cooker. I have a guide on how to use your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker. Spoiler Alert: It DOES NOT work like a regular slow cooker!

Other Instant Pot Buttons

Depending on the instant pot model you have, your electric pressure cooker may have settings for meat, chicken, rice, cake, eggs, sterilize, steam and/or soup/stew. These are functions that I do not use or recommend. It is much better to cook on high or low pressure and manually adjust the temperature yourself based on what you are cooking.

Click on picture for Download!

Click on Picture to DOWNLOAD printable directions for Instant Pot Functions.

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About Kristen Chidsey

Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.