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!
s
Thank you for this post.
Though it may seem counterintuitive to use the Instant Pot as a slow cooker, there is a good reason I prefer using its slow cooker function instead of my old slow cooker. I like that the instant pot is stainless steel. I never felt good about those ceramic glaze pots made overseas. I have no idea what heavy metals or other carcinogens may be lurking in those.
I appreciate the conversion times here.
Kristen Chidsey
That is a great point!
Martin
Hi
I don't have either - slow or instant cooker.
Looking to make broth, and probably other recepies as well, but broth was got me interested in the first place.
Would you recommend to then only buy a Slow cooker, and not an instapot?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Martin! If you are looking to make broth, you can make that easily on the stove. Here is my recipe for stove-top stock. If I had to choose one appliance for myself, it just depends on what you want to make in it and the time you have to make it. For broth, either works great. It just is different timing.
Bushra
Hi i am wondering how i can transfer a recipe i saw being cooked in a pressure cooker on the flame, to an electric ninja pressure cooker? The recipe on the flame had no water, just chicken in oil, which required cooking for 4 minutes on a high flame, then cooking 6 minutes on a low flame, then cooking back on a high flame for 4 minutes. The end Result is that the chicken should be dry in a gravy (no water). The aim is that the chicken does not release its own water.
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Bushra. Electric pressure cookers need liquid to cook, so this would be one recipe that would not translate well to the Ninja cooker. Sorry!
Sandra
This chart was so helpful! It should be in The IP Manual! Thank You.
Kristen Chidsey
I am glad you found this helpful!
Christian Frey
Good morning! 😃 when using the slow cooker function, so I need to turn the knob to “sealing” or leave it at “venting”. Thank you for your help.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Christian! It makes no difference.
Nkki Bennett
Hi, I am used to making pea and ham soup, using ham on the bone, in a traditional slow cooker. I want to make it in the Instant pot. How much water and how long, I presume on high?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi! I would use 6 cups of liquid to 1 pound of split peas with ham bone and all other seasonings you like. Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure with natural pressure release.
Elzaree Bloat
I have a 6 lb turkey breast. I have an 8qt Instapot. I am slow cooking it because my roommate won't be home for 5 hours. I read that if I put it on high would be better for the 5 hours, but I can't change it to high now. Please help pitiful me!
Thank you!!
Kristen Chidsey
Hit cancel and start over! If it is too late, follow my recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast--you can always reheat.
Natalie Montgomery
Yes!! I needed this today! What about the valve on top?
Kristen Chidsey
I am happy it helped! You don't need to worry about the valve positioning as no pressure is reached, Natalie.
Kathleen Edie
Thank you for you clear answers and chart!! Off to set my corned beef and cabbage to be ready by the time my daughter comes home from packing up her dorm room🙃
Stay well everyone!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy this helped you. For Corned Beef and Cabbage you may want to refer to my Instant Pot Corned Beef Recipe. And yes, stay safe!!
ASHLEY MARTIN
When using as a slow cooker does I’m the lid need to be on sealing or venting?
Kristen Chidsey
It makes no difference Ashley as the slow cooker function will cause the until to come to pressure 🙂
Lorraine
What are the four symbols above the timer on my instant pot
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lorraine, What model do you have?
Shelly Willis
Hi. I have a question please. I cooked a beef roast using the pressure cooker setting. I want to switch it over to slow cook for a few hours. Do I release the pressure or leave it alone? Thank you so much for being here to help!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Shelly. Is your roast already cooked? If not, switching functions could result in a really tough piece of meat. I would let your meat cook as you had is set and then either leave on keep warm or once pressure has been released on it's own, switch to slow cooker.
Donna
I received an Instant Pot from my parents for Christmas 2018. I've used it now and again but always questioned how to use some of the other settings. I live in a small camper so its fantastic to have it and not need 7 other cooking devices to try to store in a small space. I came across your page today and am very thankful for you and your page. Thank you so much 🙂 I will keep checking back to see what's new 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you found my site as well Donna! I hope you find many more helpful tips and recipes here to enjoy
Marilyn Webster
Kristen, if it were possible I'd have you canonized! St. Kristen of the Insta Pot ... Or something along those lines 😉 I too have spent a ridiculously long amount of time trying to set the time for this pot to slow cook. Getting crazier by the hour until I found you. Bless your heart,kiddo ,you've saved the sanity of many this week . Hugs and blessings to all and prayers for happier cooking 😍
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Marilyn! You just made my day! It brings my heart so much joy to make your life easier and let you cook happier! Thank you for taking the time to drop an encouraging note. Please don't ever hesitate to reach out with any questions.
George
As informative as this post is, there are several places where you confusingly used "slow cooker" when you meant "pressure cooker". For example "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." This should read "If you want to cook a recipe like you would on low in a slow cooker, adjust your *pressure* cooker to “normal” on the slow cooker function and cook for as [long as] the recipe calls to cook on low."
Kristen Chidsey
I can see your point George--I will have to fix that so people aren't confused.
Sydney Cipolla
Should I have my regular instant pot lid set to "venting" while using it as a slow cooker?
Kristen Chidsey
It truly does not matter, as your lid will not seal Sydney 🙂
Julie
Do I use the quick pot lid or the glass top lid when using it as a slow cooker?
Kristen Chidsey
You can use either lid Julie! And no need to worry about having the vent knob open or close.