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!
Hi! I’m new to instapot and trying out the slow cooker function. When I push the slow cook button it automatically turns on “keep warm”, even if I change to “more” for the high setting. It doesn’t seem to be heating up very hot.. then I turned off the keep warm for an hour.. it was still on slow cook and “more”, but still didn’t seem to get very hot. I’m not sure how to set it? Thanks!
Hi Debbie! I may be misunderstanding you, but to use your slow cooker function you need to hit your Slow Cooker Function on your Instant Pot and then hit the adjust button to change the setting to "normal" or "high." It sounds like you maybe didn't hit the adjust button, and used the =/- button. But it may be your model--let me know and I can help further. Also, watch the video on this post, it will help for you to see me adjusting the temp to help you. Hope that helps!
Hi! Thank you for sharing what you learned about using the slow cooker option. I too am up against the clock. I want to change the roast to pressure mode to finish it....BUT, will I have a problem because I first coated the roast with flour before searing it. The roast is almost covered with liquid and has been slow cooking for 2 hours. Will the flour cause a problem with the IP?
I read your advice above about using a cornstarch slurry. Should I finish my roast in the oven because of the flour? Thanks!
Hi Debbie, I really do not recommend using flour in your pressure cooker. You can try to turn it to High Pressure and cook for 25-40 minutes (depending on how much the roast is already cooked) If you get the burn warning, you will need to transfer your roast to the oven. I know that is not definitive answer, but you MAY not get a burn warning with sufficient liquid, or you could.
Thank you for the quick reply! It’s already been cooking for almost 5 hours on high slow cook. Should I switch to pressure cook now and for how long? There’s no flour on the beef but there is tapioca mixed in with the liquids
Thanks
Hi Debbie! I have never made anything with tapioca in the pressure cooker, but I do know recipes for tapioca pudding do exist--so it SHOULD be okay. I would cancel slow cooker and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure and let pressure release naturally. It may need longer, but my guess is after how long it has been cooking already, it will not. Sorry I can't give you a definitive answer.
Thanks for the quick “emergency “ advice!!
You bet!
I have a beef stew in the Instant Pot right now on high slow cook setting. When I put it in I was going to cook for 5-6 hours on high, per the regular slow cooker recipe. I don’t have time to add an additional 15 minutes per hour as my guests will be hungry. Instead, could I slow cook on high for 6 hours and then pressure cook for a short time? If so, how long?
Hey Debbie, Instead I would cook this on High Pressure for 30 minutes and let pressure release naturally. Just be sure not to use flour on the beef, instead use a cornstarch slurry to thicken at the end. I have a Beef Stew Recipe coming out next week--I hope you come back for it 🙂
Hi! I thankfully came across your post before I made Italian beef sandwiches. It called for 10 hours on low in a crockpot, so I set my instant pot to 10 hours on medium this morning. However, it was not cooked. I switched it to the high setting and 2 hours later, still not cooked. Not sure what I did wrong. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Dev! It may have been a tougher cut of meat, but after 12 hours total time, I would have imagined it would have been cooked. In the future, I would only use the HIGH setting for slow cooking or use my French Dip Recipe to cook in pressure cooker (about 20 minutes per pound on High Pressure).
Hi
I’m thinking of trying a slow cooker vegetable lasagne tomorrow - most recipes seem to layer the ingredients straight into the pot but thus will make a very large lasagne! Could I use a foil tray to make it in - will it affect the temp the instant pot reaches? Should I give it a little longer do you think?
Thanks in advance
Hi Vanessa!
That is a TRICKY recipe for the pressure cooker if you are using as a slow cooker. I would instead follow my method to making Instant Pot Lasagna (just use the vegetables that your veggie Lasagna calls for.) That method uses an oven safe dish or springform pan. Here is my recipe: https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-lasagna/. I would be happy to help further if you need it.
Thank you so much for your speedy reply!
I will try your recipe instead - what’s best to do (givenntgst I will be out if the house for 12 hours!) - assemble it all and leave in fridge then pressure cook when I get in or use delay start function? Or will it keep ok on keep warm? Or maybe not do lasagne tomorrow ?! Lol
I just got the Insta pot for Christmas. Today I wanted to make French dip sandwiches for dinner, I have the roast cooking on the slow cook option on normal for 7 hours. I'm I doing this wrong?
Hi there! So yes, normal setting is low. You would want to cook this on high setting.or use this recipe for a faster version: https://amindfullmom.com/french-dip-sandwiches/