Instant Pot pressure cookers are among the best smart kitchen gadgets for home chefs. And for good reason. Instant Pot pressure cookers are among the top-rated countertop appliances on Amazon and various other consumer review sites. It seems like you hear about them everywhere from fans of the devices, who say these cookers are their favorite new way to get dinner on the table in a flash. But with several different models, plus numerous sizes for each one, which Instant Pot is best for you? That's why we spent more than 50 hours evaluating the top Instant Pot 6-quart models (Lux, Duo, Duo Plus and Ultra Instant Pot) to find out for ourselves.
The best Instant Pot for most people is the 6-quart model Instant Pot Duo 60. In real-world testing, it was easy to use and worked well across almost all of its settings. For anyone on a tight budget, the Instant Pot Lux mini is an affordable choice, however, it wasn't as consistent a cooker as the Duo in our tests.
The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 is one of the best-selling and best-reviewed Instant Pot models for a reason. It performs consistently across all functions, producing great results, and it's very easy to use. Despite lacking an egg feature, this pot turned out perfect eggs on low pressure and perfect rice using the Rice program. However, the slow-cook function appears to be the slowest of all Instant Pots, so if braising is your thing, you may want to step up to the Duo Plus for an additional cost.
We loved how intuitive the controls were for setting the Duo 7-in-1 to cook, as well as how easy it was to deglaze and clean the insert after even a high sear. While this model has somewhat fewer program settings than other models, we found that you can get excellent cooking results using manual pressure-cooking settings instead. Instant Pot includes a time chart for cooking and a cookbook, making the manual process simple.
If you're headed off to college, on a budget or just interested in occasionally experimenting with pressure cooking, the Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1 is a great choice. It does a solid job on rice cooking, slow cooking and basic pressure cooking, making it a great starter model. This Instant Pot does have some flaws. It has only one setting for manual pressure cooking (versus pots that have high and low).
It also leaks quite a bit of steam through the pressure-release valve while coming up to pressure, which can be a little scary until you get used to it. We also found inconsistent results when using the Egg program to make soft-boiled eggs and when sautéing. But overall, the Lux 6-in-1 is a solid choice for the money.
If you have limited storage space and are looking for an appliance to replace your slow cooker, the Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 can't be beat. It performed well on all of our tests, except for the Rice program, and was easy to clean and program.
The Duo Plus sells at a more reasonable price than the Ultra, and you can rely on it to handle most of your cooking needs, including those that call for the bonus Egg, Cake, Yogurt and Sterilize features that the Lux and standard Duo don't offer. This cooker also did very well at slow cooking, which makes it a true multipurpose appliance for small homes.
If high design is important to you, the Instant Pot Ultra 10-in-1 is worth the price. Its sleek, modern look with a large, bright blue display boasts a a cooking time graph (so you can quickly see where the pot is in the pressure-building/cooking/releasing process). It has one feature we particularly love: a separate Quick Release button on top of the lid that keeps your hand away from the vent and its escaping steam. With the other models, you need to move the actual vent, which can be a little intimidating during the first few uses.
The Ultra's controls are digital (versus the analog buttons in the other models), with a large knob to switch among the features and a toggle button to adjust settings. However, the controls are a little confusing; you have to actually press Start after finding your program and timing (which is a different process from the other models, which start automatically). This model also has an Ultra feature to allow for complete customization of any setting, and it comes with an altitude-adjustment feature, which will be necessary if you're cooking at high altitudes.
The Ultra was the best model at replicating a slow cooker, so it should be easy to use this model without adapting recipes. However, the Egg and Rice functions didn't perform very well in our tests, which means you may have to play with custom programming to get the precise results you want for those foods.
The Instant Pot Duo Nova is essentially the venerable Instant Pot Duo, but with an updated digital interface and an additional 10-quart option, which makes it good for large families. It also has an updated steam release valve and a progress indicator that shows when the Instant Pot is coming up to pressure, when it’s cooking, and when it’s finished. It also lets you set up to three temperature settings for each smart program. The Duo Nova is a little more expensive than the original Duo, but the new features could be worth it.
Want to control your Instant Pot with Alexa? The Instant Pot Smart Wifi is the only model in the company’s lineup with Wi-Fi built in, letting you monitor and control the device remotely using your smartphone or Amazon’s voice assistant. Because it’s app controlled, you can configure the Instant Pot Smart Wifi with as many programs as you want, choose from more recipes in the app, and even ask Alexa for recipes.
The “Max” in the Instant Pot Max doesn’t refer to its size, but rather the fact that it can be pressurized to 15 psi, higher than the company’s other models, which means you can use it for canning. It also has a sous-vide function. However, it only comes in one size (6 quarts).
The Max’s touch-screen display is much sleeker than Instant Pot’s other models, and you can release the pressure using the screen, rather than sticking your finger close to the pressure-release valve—and all that boiling steam.
