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!
Well that’s kind of stupid that the slow-cooker functions aren’t remotely comparable to an actual slow cooker. But thank YOU for helping us understand.
It is frustrating for sure Slade, but helps to know 😉
Is the pressure valve open or closed for slow cooking?
It makes no difference Bonnie! Pressure does not need to be reached so the valve can be open or closed.
When making a pot roast in the instant pot on the slow cook setting, should the vent be opened or closed?
It makes no difference Paul 🙂
Thank you very much for your response! I realized that eventually, and I’m guessing it’s just because the temperature isn’t high enough to pressurize. The pot roast was wonderful!!
Thanks Kristen! This is just what I needed to slow cook my stew.
Worked out perfectly. Kudos, Kristen. 🙂
YAY! I am so glad it worked out Jennie 🙂
Hi,
Can we use a Pot in Pot in instant using in a slow cooker mode? I use it for pressure cook, but wondering if PIP would work in slow cook. I want to cook my dal in a small steel bowl in slow cook mode, that’s why this question. TIA.
Hi Rupa, I have not used pot in pot for slow cooker mode, but I would think technically it work (but may take a bit longer). However, with the inner pot already being a steel bowl, I would doubt you would need to use pot in pot method.
Hey Kristen,
Thanks so much for this post! I’m making a meal for a function at my church and they gave us a 5-lb bag of frozen meatballs and spaghetti sauce to go over it and asked if we could all use our crockpots just so it’s all cooked the same way (huge group tonight). My crockpot is small and won’t hold that much so I’m using my instapot. I set it on slow cook for 8 hours on normal. Do you think that will work? I’m not sure since the meatballs are frozen. They are fully cooked already though.
Hi Candance! I think it is awesome you are preparing a meal for your church family! Frozen meatballs should cook in about 4-5 hours on low in a slow cooker. So I would think you would need no more than 6 hours on normal setting in your Instant Pot will work, you can certainly ere on the side of caution and plan for 8 hours. You can test at 6 hours and turn to keep warm if cooked through at that point. I hope that helps!
Thank you! They came out perfectly!
YAY!!! I am so glad to hear that!
Hey Kristen,
My name's Jacob and I'm trying to do a slow cooker coconut curry in my Instant Pot. It doesn't have a low or high setting for slow cook, just a "normal" one. The curry I'm making has quinoa, sweet potato (1), broccoli (3 crowns), a small white onion, a can of chickpeas, can diced tomatoes, and liquids (coconut milk & water) and spices (ginger, turmeric, garlic).
The original recipe called for 3-4 hours on high in a regular slow cooker, so I'm wondering if 5 hours in my instant pot makes sense for the recipe. What do you think?
Hey Kristen,
Actually, after looking through the instant pot manual, I found a way to make it on a high setting. I'll try the fifteen minutes for every hour in the original recipe approach you mentioned. 🙂
Sounds like a plan! I hope you enjoy!