How to adjust cooking time for Instant Pot?

How to set cooking times: Press manual or any cooking program button to begin. A cooking time will appear, either suggested or the same as you used in that mode last time. Use the + and – keys to adjust time values. If you hit the – key down past 0, the time will set to 24 hours and count down from there. More items...

How do you know how long to cook something in an Instant Pot?

Take the total cooking time of the recipe and divide it by 3 . So, for a dish that has a total cook time of 30 minutes in the oven, you'll need to cook it for 10 minutes in the Instant Pot®. Similarly, a recipe that takes an hour to cook in the oven, would need 20 minutes in the Instant Pot®.

How does pressure cooking time compare to normal cooking time?

Pressure settings The higher temperature causes food to cook faster; cooking times can typically be reduced to one-third of the time for conventional cooking methods .

What is the equivalent of 4 hours in the slow cooker in the Instant Pot?

Generally, if your slow cooker meat, soup, or stew recipe calls for 8 hours on the low setting or about 4 hours on the high setting, it should be fully cooked in about 25 to 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. For chicken or turkey, use the 15-minute poultry button. While volume doesn't matter, density does.

Can you pressure cook too long?

Steam penetrates food easily under pressure. So connective tissues in cubes of beef for soups or stews soften in 15 minutes or less, and a pot roast will be medium-rare in 30 minutes. Be sure to follow instructions carefully; at this speed, it's easy to overcook things in mere minutes .

Does slow cooking taste better than pressure cooking?

Traditionally cheaper cuts of meat always slow cook better . Slow cooking breaks down the connective collagen in meat, which turns into unctuous gelatine. This creates that soft and tender mouth feel we all crave.

How much does a pressure cooker reduce cooking time?

“I don't see them as a gadget, but just as a saucepan with a specially adapted lid,” says the author of Modern Pressure Cooking. “You can use them for everything you would a normal saucepan, and much more besides, plus you're also cutting down 70-75% of the cooking time.”

Can I switch from slow cook to pressure cook?

In general, the liquid in the original slow cooker recipe should be reduced to 1 to 2 cups when converting to an electric pressure cooker . Exceptions to this would be: Grains and Beans– Use the exact amount needed to fluff up, with a small amount more for the other ingredients in the recipe.

How do I convert slow cooker time from high to low?

If a recipe calls for cooking on the HIGH setting for three hours, you can cook it for seven hours on the LOW setting instead . Or if a recipe calls for eight hours on HIGH, it can be cooked for up to 12 hours on LOW.

Is 4 hours enough to slow cook?

How long should I cook a slow cooker recipe? If a dish usually takes: 15-30 mins, cook it for 1-2 hours on High or 4-6 hours on Low . 30 mins – 1 hour, cook it for 2-3 hours on High or 5-7 hours on Low.

When to start timing a pressure cooker?

Select pressure setting and turn heat to HIGH (use MEDIUM on induction). When pressure is reached , lower heat to maintain pressure & start timer to count cook time. Release pressure! NOTE: Keep fingers out of the way from the steam & tilt the lid away from you.

Do instant pots release pressure while cooking?

The Instant Pot will begin to cool down and release pressure all on its own . Upon the completion of the cooking cycle you will hear the Instant Pot "beep" to signal it has completed the cooking cycle and it will automatically begin the Natural Pressure Release process.

How To Convert Recipes To Instant Pot (2024)

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Now that the Instant Pot is taking over the cooking world, we all want to know: how can we convert recipes to Instant Pot cook time and temperatures?

If you don’t know about the Instant Pot, you can find out more here. You can figure out which model Instant Pot would work best for you, as well!

If you’re looking to go backwards from an Instant Pot to a slow cooker, you’ll want to see this post: How to Convert Instant Pot recipes to Crockpot.

Looking for easy to print Instant Pot recipes? Visit my eBook store!

How To Convert Recipes To Instant Pot (1)

I decided to do a little research to find out the best ways to convert recipes to Instant Pot cooking times and settings. It seems like a sort of hit or miss process but there are some way to make sure your recipes come out right every time!

Table of Contents

How To Convert Recipes To Instant Pot

It is never an exact science when trying to convert slow cooker recipes to Instant Pot cooking times and methods, or other recipes either to be honest. Use these tips and tricks to get started; before you know it you’ll be a pro and no recipe will be safe from your conversions!

General Tips:

Hold Off On Dairy Ingredients

Cooking dairy ingredients in the Instant Pot is a lot different than cooking them on the stove, in the oven, or in a slow cooker.

If a recipe calls for dairy ingredients make sure to add them once you have cooked and depressurized your Instant Pot. This is key when trying to convert recipes to Instant Pot cooking.

The high heat and pressure and cause dairy and milk ingredients to scorch and that’s an easy way to ruin dinner.

Scale Recipes To Fit The Instant Pot

When you are working to convert recipes to Instant Pot it’s about more than just cooking time and temperatures. You should be mindful of how full the Instant Pot will get.

If you are using anything that expands (think about pasta, rice, beans, etc.) you will need to scale the recipe back to make sure it won’t overfill your Instant Pot.

Pressure cookers should never be more than 2/3 full for safety and proper cooking. Full Instant Pot = a pot that won’t come to pressure. I’ve written about the differences between Instant Pot sizes and what this means for cooking.

Take Advantage of Instant Pot Features

The Instant Pot, unlike slow cookers or the oven, can sauté vegetables and sear meat before cooking.

If you are going to convert recipes to Instant Pot cooking times and temperatures be sure to take advantage of the sauté feature to make sure everything is cooking properly and all of the usual flavors come together!

My Favorite Tip: Use Similar Recipes As A Guide

Not all recipes are suitable for the Instant Pot or a pressure cooker. When trying to convert recipes to Instant Pot cook times make sure that the recipe is a) suitable for such a cooking environment and b) similar to another Instant Pot recipe!

Using a similar recipe that contains similar ingredients will help you calculate a cook time and temperature.

For example, when deciding how to cook my Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Instant Pot vs the Crock Pot, I looked for similar soups and chilis online to see how they were cooked. That gave me a great starting point for converting my recipe!

Instant Pot Meat Cooking Times

Use this post and free printable to determine how long to cook meats in the Instant Pot. I’ve found that some people like to add or decrease time based on their preferences, but this is a great place to begin.

Instant Pot Vegetable Cooking Times

Use this post and free printable to determine how long to cook and steam your vegetables in the Instant Pot! Vegetables are pretty delicate and there are a few great guidelines here for making sure they always come out perfect.

How to Convert Slow Cooker Recipes to Instant Pot:

Figure Out The Instant Pot Cooking Time

The hardest part to figure out when trying to convert recipes to Instant Pot standards is the cook time.

This Instant Pot Cooking Timesfor meat,this one for vegetables, and these cook time charts are lifesavers if you don’t have a similar recipe that you can use for that information. They’ll help you determine the base cooking time that is necessary for your ingredients–save them to your phone or tablet!

Match Up Your Ingredients

If you don’t want to cook in stages, make sure the ingredients you are using have similar cook times. Determine your cook times using the charts linked above and then make sure you alter the ingredients so that they have similar cook times.

If that means pre-cooking a few of the items or cutting up meat so it is in smaller chunks you may have to do some trial and error in this process the first few times around!

Determine How Much Liquid To Use in your Instant Pot

Another big part of Instant Pot cooking that is not so important in other recipes is the amount of liquid you need to use. A good general rule of thumb when trying to convert recipes to Instant Pot cooking is to use at least 1 cup of water for your 6 qt pot, 1 1/2 for your 8 qt. I’ve written an article about the differences between Instant Pot models and how to make sure your recipes always turn out, no matter what model you have.

There will be very little water lost when cooking with a pressure cooker so adjust this accordingly if you have a lot of wet vegetables or chicken in your recipe. Items that have a high water content already won’t need the full amount of water or liquid to cook properly in the Instant Pot.

Select The Proper Pressure Release

If you are not sure which pressure release to use just do the quick release method, where you open the valve immediately after the cook time is complete. While meat can usually benefit from a natural pressure release (where the pot finishes cooking and the pressure naturally releases without you moving the valve), things like rice, pasta, and delicate vegetables can overcook quickly at the end and do better with the quick pressure release.

Keep Track of What Works and What Does Not Work

The best way to figure out how to convert recipes to Instant Pot cooking methods is by trial and error.

You might get a couple flops but the best way to learn is to try and then keep track of what works and what does not. Jot down times and temperatures next to your recipes so you know what to use the next time around!

How to Convert Cook Times for Higher Altitudes

There is a whole system for converting cooking times for higher altitudes. It’s really easy and I’ve made a great cheat sheet for those of you who need this info. It’s right here!

Looking for some delicious Instant Pot recipes to try?

Healthier Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Dinners
Instant Pot Beef Gyros
Instant Pot Meal Prep
Instant Pot Dessert Recipes
Healthy Cracked Out Chicken
21 Day Fix Instant Pot Recipes Without Chicken
Instant Pot Favorites | Printable eBook

Becca Ludlum

Healthy recipe creator, self-confessed food snob, and certified Level 1 Precision Nutrition Coach. I create healthy recipes with minimally processed ingredients, but have never turned down a homemade brownie. ;)