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 have tried twice to use my Instant Pot slow cooker setting and it has failed both times. The second time, I used the high temp setting for 8 hrs and the food was still not cooked! I finally just set it to pressure cook for 30 mins and it was ok. Still not as good as slow cooked, but at least it was edible.
UGH--sorry Joyce, as I stated it is NOT my favorite function of the Instant Pot.
Thank you! I am making Mac and cheese. It takes 3hours and 15 mins in the crockpot. I just read what you have put instant pot on normal and the hours stay 3 hours and 15mins. I hope that’s right? If I read it wrong please let me know. That thing is scary!
Thank you
Sharon
Hi Sharon if it was for 3 hours and 15 minutes on LOW in the crock-pot, it would be 3 hours and 15 minutes in the Pressure Cooker. Like I said, using your Instant Pot as a slow cooker is NOT my favorite function. You may want to start at Instant Pot 101 to get a better idea of how to use it and then explore Instant Pot Recipes for inspiration! You can master it 🙂
I am trying to make vegetable soup in my IP using slow cook. My machine doesn’t have an adjust button to change the temperature. After 4 hours on normal it is tepid, spinach hasn’t even begun to wilt. Help!
Hi Lynda, since you can't adjust the temperature, I would cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. I hope that helps.
I also am a new IP user - today I’m try a bean soup/stew using my IP on the slow cooker setting. I have soaked the beans over night, put all ingredients into the IP, pressed slow cook twice to have it to the “more” as per manual and see the time for 4 1/2 hours. We’ll see how that works out😊
Let us know how it goes Elaine! But you may be interested in my recipe for Instant Pot Beans as well 🙂
Hi! I am making a 3lb boneless turkey breast for the 1st time using slow cook method and the reciepe says 5 hrs on low. So, by what I'm reading that would be normal or on mine medium... right? Also, it said no liquid needed, but again by what I read I still need at least a half cup water or liquid, so I used chicken broth with water mix... right? My question is... Using medium temp for 5 hrs is that going to be enough time?
Hi Phyllis. I prefer using my Instant Pot Turkey Breast instead of using the slow cooker function. It can be tricky, as I state in my post. If you really want to use the slow cooker method, 5 hours SHOULD be enough time, but test with an internal thermometer to be sure your turkey has reached 165 degrees. If it has not, increase to high slow cooker and cook for another hour. I hope that helps.
Is it possible to change the temp when 'slow cooking' from 4 hours to 7 hours? I've tried many things but can't get the cook time to change once the cooking is underway. I know now to select the time BEFORE I start cooking but.....I didn't due to ignorance. Should I wait for the 4 hrs to expire and then restart for another 2-3 hours? Also thanks for the tips re the levels of heat. I should be using 'more' rather than 'normal' for my pulled pork. Fortunately it's for tomorrow, not today. 🙂 Thanks!
I am glad these tips helped. And to change time. Simply hit cancel and start again. Enjoy your pork
Does the glass lid have to have a steam vent hole in it to use the pressure cooker as a slow cooker?
Hi Amy! No steam vent hole is needed if using as a slow cooker 🙂
Thank you so much. I have a lid with from another pot that fits my Power Cooker Pressure Cooker but all of the lids I looked at online had a steam vent hole. Thank your quick response and all of the helpful tips. So glad I found your website.