It is not as straightforward as you would think to use your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker. This guide walks you through the modifications you need to know when using your pressure cooker as a slow cooker so that you can have Instant Pot success!
The Instant Pot Slow Cooker function is not equivalent to the temperatures on a slow cooker, which can make using your instant pot like a slow cooker tricky.
Therefore, it is not as easy as hitting the slow cooker function on your Instant Pot and expecting the Instant Pot to cook the recipe just as a crockpot would.
While I briefly cover using the slow cooker function on my post covering Instant Pot Settings, this delves into the topic a bit more deeply, giving you the recipe for success when using an Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker.
How to Use Your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker
To be perfectly honest with you, this is my least favorite setting on the Instant Pot. In fact, it is so finicky and takes longer to cook, that I have kept my crockpot to use when I want to slow cook something.
However, if you only have space for one appliance, I would still recommend purchasing the Instant Pot and with this guide, you CAN slow cook using your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Slow Cooker Temperatures
- Low on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is like keep warm on a traditional slow cooker.
- Medium on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is like low on a traditional slow cooker.
- High on the Instant Pot Function is more like medium-high on a traditional slow cooker.
To further explain:
- The low setting on a crockpot is about 190-200 degrees Fand the high setting on a crockpot is between 225-275 degrees F.
- For the slow cooker function on your instant pot, the low is about 170 degrees F, normal is 200 degrees F, and the high is 210 degrees F.
Tips for Using Your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker
- You still need 1 cup of water when slow cooking--this will help the Instant Pot to heat up properly.
- Hit your Slow Cooker Function on your Instant Pot and then hit the adjust button to change the setting to "normal" or "high."
- If you want to cook a recipe like you would on low in a slow cooker, adjust your slow cooker to "normal" on the slow cooker function and cook for as the recipe calls to cook on low.
- If you want to cook a recipe like you would on high in a slow cooker, adjust your slow cooker to "high" on the slow cooker function and cook for as long as the recipe states PLUS an additional 15 minutes for every hour.
- You can use a glass lid or the Instant Pot lid when using the slow cooker function. A glass lid will allow some of the liquid to evaporate, as a traditional slow cooker lid does.
- Because no pressure is reached, you do not need to worry about the position your vent knob is in. However, leave it on the venting position if you want some liquid to evaporate.
- The lid will not lock into place, as no pressure is reached and the temperature inside the inner pot is much lower than when under pressure.
- You can open your Instant Pot to stir during the cooking process, because again, no pressure is reached.
- Your Instant Pot will preheat for 10-15 minutes before it begins to actual slow cook anything. If it takes longer than that, hit cancel and try again.
Recipes adapted from Slow Cooker to Instant Pot
While this post was designed to teach you how to use your pressure cooker as a slow cooker, the whole purpose of the Instant Pot is to SPEED up cooking.
Here are some of my favorite Slow Cooker Recipes adapted for Pressure Cooking:
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas to Instant Pot Pork Tacos
- Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas to Instant Pot Steak Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Baked Ziti to Instant Pot Creamy Pasta
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork to Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Instant Pot Slow Cooker Conversions
Click on Picture to access the DOWNLOAD and print.
Gina
Hi, I just came across your post, thank you so much for writing it! I have had chicken bones and water in my Instantpot since last night. I pushed the slow cook option and closed the lid. The "keep warm" light was on as well. When I woke up this morning I opened the lid and the broth doesn't look that much darker. Was it on "keep warm" temp if the "keep warm" light was on along with the "slow cook" light? I want to put it on high now but want to know if it would be ok after a night of "slow cook/keep warm." Not sure if that makes sense? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Gina! Did you set the slow cooker time to a certain amount of time? It should default to keep warm AFTER slow cooking, not prior to it. Let me know what model you have, but it sounds as though it may not have cooked.
Haile
I decided to try this as a slow cooker for the first time today. I’m currently in the ER. I set the time for 6 hours. Is this going to turn off or set itself to “keep warm” mode or should I go ahead and sent the fire department to my house???
Kristen Chidsey
Oh my goodness. I am so sorry to hear you are at the ER. I hope you are okay and all is taken care of quickly. It should default to keep warm or turn off eventually. The food may not be ruined, but your house will be fine. Sending you best wishes.
Peter
A tip for everyone running into the same issue:
I have the Instant Pot Cuisine 6-Quart Multi-Use Pressure Cooker, and have tried adjusting the slow cooker low/med/high settings with the 'adjust' button, and all that changed was the time. On this specific Instapot pressing the slow cooker button switched between the temperature modes.
G Huard
Hello. On my instant Pot I need to push the "Slow Cook" button to adjust the levels and not the "+" or "-" buttons..
Mary
This is so helpful and confirmed some of my theories. Really appreciate this post.
Kristen Chidsey
So happy this helped, Mary!
Steve
Thank you for your very smart observation. Three and a half hours into it, with this 6-qt. Duo set to "Slow Cook" and on "Less," no wonder the 10-lb. pork roast still is only luke-warm to the touch. Hopefully we won't die.
Mandy
Thank you so much for this. I am using my Instant Pot for the first time today as a slow cooker and was a bit nervous about it, but thanks to reading this post I am feeling far more confident about it all.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy this helped you to feel more confident Mandy!
Barbara
Thank you all for this information. I have been debating whether I need a slow cooker AND an Instapot. I think I will get a slow cooker to slow cook and use my instapot for pressure cooking. Again, Thank you!!!
Kristen Chidsey
You are welcome! I love cutting back on appliances, but these are two that work better apart 🙂
Patricia Jarrell
I purchased my pot from an individual and didn’t know it didn’t have a book where can I get one, I did find your post very helpful thanks
Kristen Chidsey
You are so very welcome! I am happy to help answer questions any time!
Alona Burman
Wow. Thank you so so much for posting. I would never have realized all this. Thank you.
Paula
Great 👍 thank you
Sara
Thank you very much for posting! FYI the Ultra Instant Pot is slightly different. My medium (your normal) is 194 F, so I used the custom function and set temp to 200. Hope this helps others.
Henry
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for putting in the time on addressing the slow cook setting on the Instapot. I have a DuoPlus 60 that has not been great when trying to use the slow cook feature on low (mine only has high and low settings). High is too hot and when set to low, the instapot never seems to get out of pre-heating mode. I took a queue from Hung Nguyens' post and moved to sous vide mode and set to 200f for 6 hrs with vent open on my roast. Fingers crossed but sous vide seems to have all features I am looking for (temp and time). Am I missing something? Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Henry! For your model, using the Sous vide function is a great solution (and much more even temperature). If you want to still try to use the slow cooker function, I would suggest preheating on high then switching to normal to low to see if that holds the temperature. The slow cooker function is not great on any model, but especially poor when only low and high settings are offered.