How to Use Your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker
Updated Jun 18, 2024
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It is not as straightforward as you would think to use your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker. However, with these tips, you CAN use your Instant Pot for slow cooking.
Many people purchased an Instant Pot to make their lives easier and to cut down on appliances. While the Instant Pot does a wonderful job making Instant Pot Rice, replacing the need for a rice cooker, and is superb at making yogurt, replacing the need for a yogurt incubator, an Instant Pot DOES NOT make a great replacement for a Crockpot.
While the slow cook function on a pressure cooker is not a useless Instant Pot Setting, like Porridge or Beans, it requires modifications.
Important to Remember When Using an Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker
- You must still have thin liquid in the inner pot. For the Instant Pot to reach and maintain a consistent temperature, it is crucial to have at least 1 cup of thin liquid in the inner pot. The slow cooker function will not work without the addition of thin liquid (water, broth, juice, etc).
- Layer correctly. Just like pressure cooking, be sure the thin liquid is on the bottom of the inner pot. If you have a thick sauce, such as BBQ sauce or tomato sauce, your pressure cooker will struggle to reach and maintain temperature.
- You have to modify the setting and time. The heat settings of low, normal, and high do not equally equate to the keep warm, low, and high settings on a slow cooker. Use my guide for converting recipes below.
- It shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes to heat up. If after 20 minutes your Instant Pot is still heating, rather than counting down the cooking time, it is likely struggling to reach temperature. To override this, you can take the lid off your pressure cooker, press saute, and saute for 2-4 minutes. Hit cancel, and then reset the cooking time using the slow cook function.
- No pressure will be reached. When using the slow cook function on your pressure cooker, pressure will not be reached. Therefore, you don't need to worry about locking your lid or vent knob into place and you can remove the lid to check on your dish as desired. If you would like, you can use a glass lid, which will allow some of the liquid to evaporate, as a traditional slow cooker lid does.
Instant Pot Slow Cook Temperatures Explained
The Slow Cook Function on the Instant Pot can be adjusted to Low, Normal, or High Temperature.
- Low on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is like the keep warm on a traditional slow cooker. The low setting reaches about 170 degrees F.
- Normal on the Instant Pot Slow Cooker Function is equivalent to low heat on a traditional slow cooker. Normal reaches 200 degrees F.
- High on the Instant Pot Function does not get as high as high heat on a slow cooker, but by adding 15 minutes per hour of slow cooking, you can experience similar results. High reaches about 210 degrees F, which is 10-20 degrees less than a slow cooker on high.
How to Use the Slow Cook Setting on the Instant Pot
Below this explanation, you will find a printable chart you can keep on hand to help you quickly remember how to slow cook your favorite slow cooker recipes using the Instant Pot.
- To turn on the slow cook function, hit the slow cook button on your pressure cooker.
- Hit adjust/pressure or toggle your knob to select between low, normal and high temperature.
- Use the knob or +/- buttons to adjust the cooking time, which should be able to be set in 30 minute increments. Remember to add 15 minutes of cooking time per hour if cooking on High.
- Once the cooking time is set, the Instant Pot will heat and once fully heated, the cooking time will begin.
- After the cooking time elapses, most models will default to keep warm (be sure it is selected by hitting the keep warm button if not lit up.)
Click on Picture to access the DOWNLOAD and print.
Should I Get Rid of My Slow Cooker?
NO! If you have space for both a traditional slow cooker and an Instant Pot, I would highly recommend keeping both, as both serve their purpose. A slow cooker will produce more consistent results for crockpot recipes and you don't need to worry about adding thin liquid.
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.
Slow Cooker Recipes to Instant Pot Recipes
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 that I have used as inspiration to create Instant Pot versions.
- 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
If you still have questions, please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer!
I used the slow cooker function on high and when lifting the lid a few hours later it was boiling gently. Boiling in my view is not slow cooking!
I turned it of and allowed it to cool a bit the reset it to Low restarted on slow cooking but put in a digital thermometer probe with a long thin metal-mesh covered lead that allowed me to place the lid on in the unlock position.
Over the next 20 mns or so the temperature climbed backup to 98C. I switched off then as we needed to eat the meal. Again 98C is not slow cooking.
Instant Pot should correct this or remove the program - its basically mis-selling.
Other than that I think its great so they are letting themselves down on this issue.
If you do not have a glass lid and you’re using the instant pot as a slow cooker do you put the lid on venting or sealing
Either is fine. No pressure will be reached, so the lid never seals.
That's exactly my question.thank you! My question has been answered, now for steel cut oatmeal practice.
Happy to help! You can also use my recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
"Bioling" at sea level is 212f (100c) and is, indeed, slow cooking. Just keep your food out of the water ("boiled" food is different from "slow cooked" food).
Hi Simon, thanks for your useful observation! I'm looking into Instant Pot to replace my slow cooker and my yogurt maker. You are right about the temperature, proper "slow cooking" should be between 165°-185°F (74-85°C), rather than nearly boiling. The old Crock Pots from the 70s were able to operate at this temperature. But the newer ones seem electrically unable to operate that low. In my slow cooker, Low was still bubbling. So my husband has added an in-line dimmer switch to the cable, and that works a treat! Full temperature control. However, not sure you'd want to do that to something as sophisticated as an Instant Pot. Get hold of an old copy of "Leave It To Cook" by Stella Atterbury, and slow cook in your oven in a casserole dish.
Hi, Kristen, I am using my Instant Pot Duo Plus for the first time right now. I am using it as a slow cooker, and have had the machine on for over 2 hours. The "preheating" light has been blinking non-stop and will not progress to "cooking". Is this normal for slow-cook method? It's so hard to tell as I don't feel any heat on top if I remove the lid even though I do have it set on "High".
Thanks!
Hi Kimberly! That is NOT Normal. For this model, after you hit slow cook and select the time and setting, after 10 seconds the cooking should start and you should hear 3 beeps to let you know it has begun. I would check to be sure you have not set the delay start on accident.
Mine is currently doing the exact same thing! It's been preheating for an hour.
What model do you have? That may help me further troubleshoot.
Us too, Ma'am. It is sitting on preheat for 3 hours now.
Hey Kevin! So frustrating. Can you share the model you have? This seems to be an issue with a handful of people so I would love to know if model specific. It would help me troubleshoot.
Me as well!, driving me nuts!
Try moving it to high heat and see if that works. And again, if you can let me know the model that would help me troubleshoot. I have several models to test 🙂
Did anyone figure out what the model was on this? I am using the "Duo Crisp AF 8," which only has "Hi" and "Low" options for the slow cook function. I put my things in, chose slow cook, chose a time of 20 hours, toggled "keep warm" off, and then pressed start. It beeped at me a few times and then seemed to begin, but it is barely warm. I've waited about an hour so far. Any help would be appreciated!
Hi Mattea! Try turning to saute for a couple of minutes then slow cook. That may help in the heating up process. Let me know if that works.
Yes, I saw the same thing, keep on warming up for a long time, and not heating up. I gave up on the "Slow cook", and switched it to "Sous vide" mode and set it at 200 degrees. It went to "Cooking" quite fast.
Your tips were spot on! I was able to make our favourite slow cooker chicken tikka masala in the Instant Pot tonight and I think it tastes even better. Thanks for this!
This short article just saved my St Patrick’s Day corned beef and cabbage! THANK YOU!
SAME!
Hi I just bought my instant pot pro 6 qt home to make chicken overnight to slow cook and I don’t see a function of “normal” do in custom add the function?
Hi Ana Jane! It appears as though this model only has a low and high slow cooker setting. And it does not tell me the temp it cooks at. It may be that this model has been updated to cook more like a traditional slow cooker, but I can't say for certain as the instruction manual does not give me much information on temperatures. Sorry!
Hi! I have an instant pot. One day, I made a big mistake with a roast on low. It was just not cooked at all ahahah. So now, I know to put it on medium. Yesterday, I made a beef cube with small carrots and Oignons. Unfortunately, my carrots were not cooked and Oignons really crunchy. For the beef cube, it was easily pulled. I really miss my slow cooker.
Hi Lou! To be perfectly honest, I MUCH prefer making Instant Pot Pot Roast over using the slow cooker function on the instant pot. However, if I do use the slow cooker function, I would recommend only cooking on high for best results.
When I use the instapot as a slow cooker, do I put the vent on the lid on sealing?
It does not matter for slow cooking, as no pressure is reached. You can even use a glass lid designed for slow cooking in the instant pot.
Me too! After my slow cooker's liner broke for the second time, I just resolved to use my Instant Pot's slow cook feature. It is just not the same! I should have searched this BEFORE I made soup with crunchy vegetables (even after cooking all day)!
There is no adjust button on Instagram Pot Gourmet from Costco. I don’t know how to adjust to low, med, or high and I cannot find the answer anywhere. Does anyone know?
Hi Janis you would hit pressure level then use the plus/minus button to adjust. I hope that helps.
I held slow cooker button while simultaneously pushing the plus sign to get desired setting (high).
Not obvious at all. I just pushed buttons like a kid. Lol, hope my corned beef turns out. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
I hope these tips helped! You can stop the slow cooker process and use my recipe for Instant Pot Corned Beef. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
I have the Costco model. You have to keep pushing the slow cooker button and it will toggle between less, normal and more, which I assume is low, medium and high.
I wish I'd seen this article before I bought my InstantPot. Couldn't figure out why it wasn't slow cooking like my trusty crockpot. I thought an InstantPot would be a great functional do-everything item for my kitchen but slow cooking a stew even on "more" takes FOREVER. I've started to pressure cook the stew for the last 10 minutes just to get it finished.
I put a pork roast in the Instant Pot....set it for 9 hours per the recipe. When I opened the lid and stuck a fork into the roast it was hard as a rock. I looked and I had set it for slow cook. The 'warm' light was on. So I thought maybe it had come on accidentally? Or ?? I don't know. Anyway, I read the article above. I went back to the Instant Pot, I pressed the warm button to make sure it was off. Then I tried to find out how to set it 'high'...couldn't find a button, just the area that said low, normal, high....or something like that. Then I pushed the slow cook button and then pushed it a second time and lo and behold the aboved mentioned lights went to high. So I am using the suggestion above in the article and I will add 15 minutes per hour. Hopefully after 12 hours it will be cooked. If not, I will have to dump it.
Hi there! I hope these tips help. I am a bit concerned that your pork roast sat on the keep warm for 9 hours--that would not be safe to eat.