Instant Pot Troubleshooting
Updated Dec 21, 2021
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Instant pot not coming to pressure? Did it give you a burn notice? Is it not cooking correctly? Let me help you solve and prevent the common Instant Pot Issues so that you can get back to pressure cooking with success.
There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to prepare one of your favorite Instant Pot Recipes. If you are struggling with making perfect Instant Pot Baked Potatoes or Instant Pot Pot roast, or you are getting repeated burn notices, there is probably an easy fix.
If you have been frustrated because your Instant Pot is not coming to pressure, you are not alone.
If you have had a recent burn warning following an Instant Pot recipe, again, you are not alone.
Once people have mastered how to use their Instant Pot, they often struggle with issues occurring when trying to follow a recipe, like the Instant Pot not coming to pressure or a burn notice occurring.
Instant Pot Not Working
9 times out of 10 the reason why your Instant Pot won't come to pressure is that it is not sealed correctly. There are plenty of reasons this occurs and thankfully, this is easily remedied.
There are TWO ways to determine if your Instant Pot is not sealing.
- Depending on your recipe, it can take anywhere from 5 to even 30 minutes for pressure to be reached and cook time to begin on a pressure cooker. If that time has elapsed and the float valve has not popped up and cook time has not begun, chances are high your pressure cooker is not able to seal. Please note that if you have large quantities of a frozen food or lots of liquid in your instant pot, it may take up to 45 minutes to fully reach pressure.
- If cook time begins on the Instant Pot begins but the float valve has NOT popped up, the Instant Pot is not sealed.
Another reason the Instant Pot does not function correctly is that it gets a burn notice. Often times this occurs as the instant pot is trying to come to pressure and occurs when a recipe is not followed correctly. You will see burn or ovrht, which indicates your instant pot has overheated and something is burned to the bottom of your inner pot.
Reasons and Solutions
Once you have determined that your instant pot is not working, it is time to figure out WHY and how to fix it.
Not Enough Liquid
The instant pot needs THIN liquid in order for pressure to be reached AND to not get a burn notice. Not having enough liquid, can result in either your instant pot not sealing or a burn notice.
For a 3-quart instant pot, you need at least ¾ cup of thin liquid, for a 6-quart instant pot, you need at least 1 cup of thin liquid, and for an 8-quart quart instant pot, you need at least 1-½ cups of thin liquid.
What is thin liquid?? Stock, water, or juice, NOT things like tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, or salsa.
Vent Knob Not Sealed
If your pressure vent knob is turned to "venting" instead of "sealing," clearly the instant pot will not seal. The instant pot will heat up and the thin liquid and heat will be evaporated through the vent knob, instead of trapped inside the instant pot.
This one happens to me ALL the time! It is a simple mistake that can ruin dinner quickly.
Don't be tempted to simply knock your vent knob from venting to sealed, unless you catch it IMMEDIATELY after setting cook time. Instead, hit cancel and carefully open the instant pot.
An Issue with the Sealing Ring
The silicone sealing ring is one of the most important parts of the Instant Pot. If it is not placed on the lid tightly, the lid won't seal. If the ring is torn or dirty, it won't seal either.
Whenever you notice your pressure cooker is struggling to come to pressure and the vent knob was in the right position, the next thing you want to investigate is the sealing ring.
The sealing ring expands to seal in pressure in the Instant Pot. If you just used your Instant Pot for another recipe or did a quick release to add an ingredient with a shorter cook time, your sealing ring may be already too expanded to be able to achieve a proper seal. Either place the seal in the freezer for 5 minutes to let it cool and return to normal size or insert a spare sealing ring.
If you have not recently used your instant pot, the sealing ring may be dirty. Take it off, give it a good clean and dry well. Inspect for tears or breaks and then install the ring carefully back on the lid on the instant pot and then proceed with the recipe---after checking to be sure there is still enough thin liquid in the Instant Pot!
Something Burned on the Bottom of Inner Pot
The number one reason for a burn notice after not having enough thin liquid is that something is burned on the inner pot.
This is super common if you don't deglaze your inner pot after sauteing foods, like when making Instant Pot Chili or Instant Pot Beef Stew.
After sauteeing anything, turn the Instant Pot OFF. If you have a large cut of meat, like for a roast for pot roast, remove the roast to a separate plate. Add in the thin liquid and scrape up ALL the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
If you get a burn notice and you used the saute feature, remove everything from the inner pot. Clean and dry it well and return the ingredients back to the inner pot and proceed with the recipe.
Thick Sauces
It is crucial that you do not use flour or cornstarch in your inner pot until AFTER pressure cooking, as the flour or cornstarch will thicken the thin liquid which results in the Instant Pot not being able to come to pressure or having a burn notice.
Remember how I stated that tomato-based products do NOT count toward your thin liquid? Does this mean they should not be used in the Instant Pot? Not at all, just be sure to not count them towards the needed liquid in a recipe and to never place them on the bottom of the inner pot. Instead, layer the tomato-based products or thick sauces over the thin liquid.
Dairy
Think about how easily milk scorches on the stove-top. Walk away for a second and you are left with burnt milk on the bottom of your pan. The same applies true with the Instant pot. Adding milk, cream, butter, yogurt, will likely result in a burn notice.
This is another issue that can not be easily overcome. You either need to use the pot-in-pot cooking method or prepare the recipe using the oven or stove.
An 8-Quart Instant Pot
The 8-quart models are much more prone to overheating and getting a burn notice, as it is a bit more finicky and the saute function reaches higher temperatures.
To combat this, when using the saute, adjust to medium heat instead of high heat. Also, it is best to wait 5 minutes after you turn the saute function off to let the machine cool before proceeding to cook under pressure.
Problem Not Solved?
If these tips did not solve your issue, contact Instant Pot Customer service who will be able to direct you accordingly.
Final Tip
Get to Know Your Instant Pot
They are like people. All are unique, and some are a bit more temperamental than others, if your pressure cooker is more apt to overheat and get a burn notice you need to be a bit more cautious and follow these tips closely. If your pot seems laid-back and easy-going, you can get away with a lot more.
I purchased the Cuisinart Pressure cooker from Costco and used it for around a decade. It was fantastic for beans and Artichokes and eggs which I cook often. Slowly the Instant Pot brand took over the market and all the recipes and bloggers were using their product and a few of the acessories like the egg racks did not fit in my Cuisinart so I caved and got an instant pot. The instant Pot is no where near a s fast on high as the Cuisinart was, It does not cook beans in the times claimed and it does not cook Artichokes either. the Cuisinart cooked 4 jumbo Artichokes in 7-8 minutes. the Instant Pot takes half an hour. Black beans are the same. Eggs seem to cook okay, 5 minutes on high, just a tiny bit softer, maybe a good thing. but the Cuisinart did eggs in 3. some lucky person at the Salvation Army got my donated Cuisinart, but I wish I still had it. It was dented, and well loved, I hope they like it.
I am sorry the Instant Pot Model is not living up to the Cuisinart for you! You should find it more accurate for timing for new recipes though!
I need help. I have 3 qt instant pot. saute works but when I tried to pressure cook soup (plenty of liquid) after 23 minutes it still was not up to pressure. No burn notice, no steam! I was able to remove the lid with no "give". Even if the sealing ring was bad you would thing there would be some steam?? i was using frozen vegetables and they were cooked through so there was some heat. usually when i make soup it takes the 3 qt about 15 minutes to come to pressure.
Hi Heidi! It sounds like the frozen veggies, may have added to the time it takes to come to pressure, not that your seel is bad. It may have also been that you overfilled past the 2/3rd line, and that will take a lot longer to come to pressure as well. Since no steam was escaping, I wouldn't think your seal is bad. I would simply try again.
I forgot the ring seal. I set it, I forgot about. Came back later to water on the cabinet & will not power on. New control panel? It wasn’t the board.
???
It sounds like water boiled over and may have shorted something. I really am not sure how to troubleshoot this for you, so sorry!
Kristen, I have the 6 qrt Instant pot, purchased from COSTCO over a year ago. Lately, I went to cook ribs and found the Duo Float Valve missing. I ordered a couple valves through Amazon and found the valve to be too thick to pass through the hole in the lid. I sent them back and am not sure what to do. The 8 qrt Instant Pot shows the red valves thinner than the silver 6 qrt valves. I learned the Instant pot was created and made in China. Do you know of a company here in the U.S.A. in whom I can call to order the correct float valve?
Hi Jerry! These float valves from Amazon are designed for the 6 quart Instant Pot Duo and should work for you. If you don't have the Instant pot duo model, let me know and I can help find the correct ones for you 🙂
I have the instant pot duo nova and my float valve steams much but will not pop up. Do I need to get a new one?
I would first try to take it apart and clean it well and then retry. Sometimes that is all it needs. Good luck! If not, I would call customer service or purchase a new float valve.
My timer will not set past 4 mins.
Hi Sharon. Can I ask what model you have? It may be maxing out at 4 hours, not 4 minutes.
I do alot of boiled eggs in mine. I do them exactly the same every time. Lately one time they come out perfect and the next time they are almost raw.
Hi Valerie! That is frustrating! Are you making them in subsequent batches? If so, be sure to let your instant pot cool fully and use fresh cold water for each new batch. If that is not the issue, be sure you are using high pressure.
Hi,
The pot pressures up, cooks, stays pressurized, but when time to wait 10 mins or so for natural release, it reads "END" and does not start counting up. Still pressurized... but not counting up.... Help!
Hi Lisa! Set to keep low that will allow the timing to count up. If that is not an option, that is just the model you have and it is perfectly fine.
I have a Cooks 6qt. (JC Penneys model) Instant pot. It will come to pressure, then while cooking the icon indicating building pressure will come back on during cook time. I'm bewildered, any ideas ????
Hmm, that is odd. Does it come on briefly and then return to cooking fine? Or does it struggle? It may be a tech glitch that is nothing to worry about. OR it could be that you did not have enough liquid in the pot and it was struggling with a potential burn notice. Be sure you always use a full 1 cup thin liquid 🙂 I hope that helps, I am not familiar with JcPenny's model.