An Instant Pot is the Ultimate Kitchen Multitasker: How to Use It to Sauté, Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Make Yogurt, and More

If you want a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, and so much more in one simple appliance, then you need an Instant Pot in your life. Invented by Robert Wang, the founder and CEO of Instant Brands, Instant Pots are consistently a best-seller on Amazon, and for good reason. Available in a range of models, they are incredibly efficient multi-taskers and cater to most of your cooking needs. Craving pasta? Rice? Vegetables? Stew? Soup? Heck, even yogurt? The Instant Pot has you covered. Here’s more about the popular kitchen appliance, the best models to check out, and of course, tasty vegan Instant Pot recipes.

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What is an Instant Pot?

So many Americans don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to cooking. In 2023, research from Frito-Lay North America and The Quaker Oats Co noted that the average American only has less than one hour each day to prepare and eat their meals. If you’re a busy person who doesn’t have time to cook, an Instant Pot might be about to become your new best friend.

An Instant Pot is, basically, a multi-functional electric pressure cooker. The various models combine several kitchen appliances into one, including a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, and warmer. They typically feature multiple settings, and this allows users to easily prepare a variety of dishes with minimal effort and in less time compared to traditional cooking methods.

They are versatile, incredibly convenient, and easy to use. Instant Brands may have struggled in recent years, filing for bankruptcy in 2023, but many experts note this is not a reflection of a poor-quality product. In fact, it is likely to be quite the opposite. Multiple factors led to the filing, but one is that Instant Pots are durable and effective—customers don’t feel the need to keep buying more after they’ve bought one. 

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5 Instant Pots models to check out now

If you are yet to jump on the Instant Pot hype, it’s not too late. Below, we’ve listed a few of our favorite models to check out now.

1 Instant Pot Nova 6, $99.95

If you’re an Instant Pot beginner, this is the appliance for you. With seven functions (including food warming and yogurt making), it can help you quickly cater to up to six people without the stress. Plus, its smart lid and more than 10 safety features provide worry-free cooking, while simple controls and a plethora of recipes (all available on the Instant Pot app) make it super easy to use.
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2 Instant Pot Rio, $99.99

Featuring a sleek, slim, matte black design, this is another great beginner option (that will also look stylish on your countertop). It has seven functions, can cook as slow or as fast as you like, and it’s easy to clean, too, thanks to the fingerprint-resistant sides and dishwasher-safe lid.
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3 Instant Pot Duo Plus, $129.95

The Instant Pot Duo Plus—which can serve up to six people, making it ideal for family cooking—boasts nine-in-one functionality, which means it can pressure cook, slow cook, sous vide, rice cook, make yogurt, steam, sauté, sterilize, and warm food. It has a quiet steam release (which means no loud, disruptive hissing), and features a stainless steel design and an easy-to-use interface, as well as 25 customizable cooking programs.
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4 Instant Pot Pro Plus, $199.95

The Instant Pro Pot Plus has the most functions so far, thanks to its added NutriBoost option. This means that the ultra-sleek appliance, which has a modern touchscreen display but can also be operated via your phone, will jostle your food for you, preventing ingredients like rice or pasta from sticking to the bottom without you having to lift a finger.
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5 Instant Pot Duo Crisp, $199.95

Another must-have kitchen appliance is, without a doubt, an air fryer. But thanks to the Instant Pot Duo Crisp, which has two easily removable lids, you can save even more counter space, because this appliance can air fry your food as effectively as it can slow cook, sauté, pressure cook, roast, bake (and so much more).
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How to use an Instant Pot: 5 vegan recipes

There are many, many ways to use an Instant Pot. As mentioned above, it can roast, steam, bake, sauté, slow cook, air fry, and much more. But to help you get a flavor of some of the best ways to use one, check out five of our go-to vegan recipes below.

Richa Hingle

1 Vegan Potato Sabzi

This delicious spiced potato recipe comes from Vegan Richa’s Instant Pot Cookbook, a recipe book from Richa Hingle that walks you through how to make 150 flavor-packed recipes using just an Instant Pot. It’s simple, quick, and guaranteed to become one of your new favorite dinner options.
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Richa Hingle

2 Easy Vegan Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is the ultimate comfort food, and thanks to the Instant Pot (and once again, Vegan Richa’s Instant Pot Cookbook) it’s easy to pull together with minimal effort from you. You’ll need to select the sauté setting first, before switching to the pressure cooker option after the broth, beans, and pasta have been added and mixed in.
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Richa Hingle

3 Vegan South Indian Avial

This is another dish that makes use of the sauté and pressure cooker option on your Instant Pot. It’s packed with delicious flavor, thanks to a blend of fresh coconut, green chili, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. The latter is a key part of the overall taste of this dish, so don’t skip out on adding them (you’ll need around 10 to 12).
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Kate Ramos

4 Vegan Red Pozole With Mushrooms and Hominy

This hearty pozole recipe is taken from the Plant Powered Mexican, a cookbook that strives to make delicious vegetable-forward, Mexican-inspired recipes as accessible as possible. This delicious red pozole comes together, once again, with the easy use of the sauté and pressure cooker options on your Instant Pot.
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5 Vegan BBQ Pulled Mushrooms Sliders

For a fun, quirky dinner with minimal effort, check out these BBQ Pulled Mushroom Sliders from the spooky, horror-themed Death for Dinner Cookbook. It’s incredibly easy and perfect for a scary movie night—just throw all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, and cool, before assembling in a slider.
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