How to Use an Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker

Your Instant Pot might be famous for lightning-fast weeknight dinners, but it also hides a surprisingly chill side: the slow cook function.
With the right settings and a few simple tricks, you can use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker for cozy stews, pot roasts, chilis, and all the low-and-slow
comfort food you lovewithout giving up counter space to a separate Crockpot.

The catch? An Instant Pot doesn’t behave exactly like a traditional slow cooker. Temperatures, lid position, and even how heat is distributed are a little
different, so if you simply dump in a classic slow cooker recipe and hope for the best, you may end up with underdone beans or overcooked veggies.
This guide walks you through how to use an Instant Pot as a slow cooker step by step, how to convert your favorite recipes, and how to avoid the common pitfalls.

Instant Pot vs. Traditional Slow Cooker: What’s Different?

Before you start tossing in ingredients, it’s helpful to understand what your Instant Pot is actually doing on the Slow Cook setting.

Heating from the bottom instead of all around

A classic slow cooker typically has a heavy crock that’s surrounded by a heating element. Heat gently hugs the sides and sometimes the bottom of the crock,
warming food evenly over several hours. An Instant Pot, on the other hand, heats mainly from the bottom, like a saucepan on a low burner. That means:

• The center of large roasts or big batches of soup may warm more slowly.
• Thicker dishes benefit from a stir or two during extra-long cooks.
• Browning can happen more quickly on the bottom if there’s not enough liquid.

Metal insert vs. ceramic crock

Most Instant Pots use a stainless-steel insert, which heats up and cools down faster than the thick ceramic crock found in many slow cookers.
This can make the Instant Pot slightly less forgiving if you forget to add enough liquid or if you leave delicate ingredients on high heat for too long.

Slow cook temperature ranges

According to Instant Pot user manuals, the Slow Cook function typically runs at about 190–210°F (88–99°C) across its three levels.
The brand describes them roughly like this:

• Less / Low – similar to the Low setting on many slow cookers, but often slightly cooler.
• Normal – roughly equivalent to a medium or standard low in many countertop slow cookers.
• More / High – similar to the High setting on many slow cookers.

Because of these differences, many home cooks find that recipes written for a Crockpot sometimes need a little extra time when cooked in the Instant Pot’s
slow cook mode, especially on high.

Step-by-Step: How to Use the Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker

Ready to turn your Instant Pot into a slow cooker for the day? Here’s the basic process you’ll follow for most recipes.

Step 1: Prep and (optionally) brown your ingredients

One of the nice bonuses of using an Instant Pot as a slow cooker is the Sauté function. Instead of dirtying a separate skillet,
you can brown meat and sauté onions right in the stainless-steel insert:

1. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté (usually on Normal or More).
2. Add a bit of oil, then brown your beef, chicken, or sausage in batches.
3. Sauté aromatics like onions, garlic, carrots, or celery until softened.
4. Deglaze with broth, wine, or water, scraping up browned bits for extra flavor.

When everything looks and smells amazing, press Cancel to stop the Sauté function.

Step 2: Add liquids and layer ingredients

Slow cookers thrive on moisture. Add the broth, sauce, or other liquids called for in your recipe. As a general guideline:

• There should be enough liquid to cover at least one-third to one-half of solid ingredients.
• Very starchy foods (like pasta) usually don’t do well in long slow cooks unless added later.

Dense ingredients like root vegetables should go near the bottom, with meats and lighter vegetables on top. This helps everything cook more evenly.

Step 3: Choose the right lid and venting position

Here’s where Instant Pot slow cooking causes a lot of confusion. You have a couple of options:

• Use a tempered glass lid made for your Instant Pot (or another lid that fits well). This behaves most like a traditional slow cooker lid.
• Use the regular pressure cooker lid, but switch the steam release valve to Venting so steam can escape.
  This prevents pressure from building and keeps the temperature in the true slow cooking range.

Some recipes and sites suggest leaving the valve on Sealing, but that can trap more heat and moisture than a standard slow cooker,
which may overcook delicate ingredients. For most classic low-and-slow dishes, Venting is the safer, more predictable choice.

Step 4: Select the Slow Cook function and adjust the level

Now you’re ready to set things and walk away (well, at least for a few hours):

1. Press the Slow Cook button.
2. Use the Adjust or Level button to choose Less, Normal, or More.
3. Use the +/− buttons or dial to set the total cook time (usually from 30 minutes up to 20–24 hours, depending on the model).

Here’s a simple way to pick your setting when following a slow cooker recipe:

• If the recipe says Low, set the Instant Pot to Slow Cook – Normal for roughly the same length of time.
• If the recipe says High, set the Instant Pot to Slow Cook – More and add about
  15 minutes for every hour listed. (For example, 4 hours on High in a Crockpot becomes about 5 hours on More in the Instant Pot.)

Step 5: Let it cook, then keep warm or serve

Once the time is set, the Instant Pot will begin warming. Some models take a bit longer to fully reach their slow cook temperature,
so don’t worry if the contents feel only gently warm early on. When the timer ends:

• The Instant Pot typically switches automatically to Keep Warm.
• You can leave it there for an extra hour or so if needed, but extended holding times may soften vegetables further.
• Check for donenessmeat should shred or cut easily, and beans should be creamy, not chalky.

How to Convert Slow Cooker Recipes for the Instant Pot

One of the biggest questions people ask is, “Can I just use my favorite Crockpot recipes?” The short answer is yes, with small adjustments.

Converting Low setting recipes

For recipes designed for Low heat in a traditional slow cooker:

• Use Slow Cook – Normal on the Instant Pot.
• Start with the same cook time as the original recipe.
• If your dish is consistently a little underdone (especially for tough cuts or beans), add 30–60 minutes the next time you make it.

Converting High setting recipes

For recipes written for High slow cooker heat:

• Set the Instant Pot to Slow Cook – More.
• Add about 15 minutes per hour of cook time. For example:
• 3 hours on High → about 3 hours 45 minutes in the Instant Pot.
• 4 hours on High → about 5 hours in the Instant Pot.

Converting Instant Pot pressure recipes to slow cook

Maybe you have a favorite pressure-cooker recipe, but today you want a hands-off, all-afternoon simmer. A handy rule of thumb:

• Take the pressure cook time in minutes.
• Multiply it by 10.
• Divide by 60 to convert to hours of slow cooking.

For example, if your Instant Pot chili cooks for 12 minutes under pressure, it will likely need around 2 hours on slow cook.
This is a starting pointthicker stews, large roasts, and dried beans typically need more time.

Pro Tips for Better Results When Slow Cooking in the Instant Pot

1. Preheat with Sauté

If you’re cooking on a tight schedule, use Sauté for a few minutes after everything is in the pot to bring the liquid up to a gentle simmer
before switching to Slow Cook. This shortens the time it takes to reach a stable cooking temperature.

2. Avoid overfilling

For slow cooking, try not to fill the pot more than about two-thirds full. Overcrowding makes it harder for heat to circulate,
and the center of big roasts or casseroles may lag behind in temperature.

3. Add dairy near the end

Dairy products like cream, milk, or cream cheese can curdle or separate with long, gentle heat. If your soup or sauce needs a creamy finish,
stir in dairy during the last 30–60 minutes on slow cook, or even off heat just before serving.

4. Use the right cut of meat

Just like with a traditional slow cooker, tougher, collagen-rich cuts shine in the Instant Pot’s slow cook mode. Think chuck roast, pork shoulder,
chicken thighs, and beef shanks. Lean chicken breasts or pork loin can dry out if cooked too long, even at low temperatures,
so shorten the cook time or switch to pressure cooking for those.

5. Stir occasionally (if convenient)

Because heat comes mainly from the bottom, giving the pot a quick stir once or twice during a very long cook can help prevent scorching and even out temperatures.
It’s not strictly required, but it’s a nice insurance policy for thick chilis or cheesy dips.

6. Know when a traditional slow cooker might still win

For most everyday stews, soups, and pulled pork, an Instant Pot used as a slow cooker does great. But if you rely heavily on:

• Very large batches that fill a 7–8 quart oval crock almost to the brim, or
• Recipes that need a very tight temperature window for long periods (like some specialty yogurts or candies),

a dedicated slow cooker or Dutch oven may still be worth keeping around. For the average home cook, though, the Instant Pot can comfortably play both roles.

Troubleshooting Common Instant Pot Slow Cook Problems

Problem: Meat is still tough after hours

If your roast or stew meat is still chewy:

• Switch from Less to Normal, or from Normal to More.
• Extend the slow cook time by 1–2 hours.
• As a backup, you can always finish with 5–10 minutes of pressure cooking to push it over the finish line.

Problem: Beans are undercooked

Dried beans are notorious for taking longer in slow cook mode, especially if they’re older. To help them along:

• Soak beans overnight when possible.
• Use More instead of Normal.
• Check for doneness before servingbeans should be creamy all the way through, not crunchy in the center.

Problem: Veggies are mushy

If your carrots, potatoes, or zucchini are collapsing into the sauce:

• Cut them into larger chunks.
• Add extra-soft vegetables (zucchini, peas, spinach) during the last hour of cooking instead of at the very beginning.
• Try switching from More to Normal and extend the time slightly.

Problem: Too much liquid

Because the Instant Pot retains moisture extremely well, you may end up with a more brothy result than expected. To fix it:

• Remove the lid during the last 30–45 minutes of slow cooking to let some liquid evaporate.
• Stir in a slurry of cornstarch and water or a bit of mashed potato to thicken.
• Next time, reduce the starting liquid by about 1/4 when using the Instant Pot instead of a traditional slow cooker.

Real-World Experiences: What It’s Like to Use an Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker

If you peek into Instant Pot forums and recipe comment sections, you’ll find a theme: the slow cook setting absolutely works,
but it behaves a little differently than people expect at first. Here’s what many home cooks report after a few rounds of experimentation.

Learning curve story: The “too firm” pot roast

Imagine this: You switch from your trusty old Crockpot to an Instant Pot and decide to christen it with a classic pot roast.
You follow your usual slow cooker recipechuck roast, potatoes, carrots, broth, herbsand set the Instant Pot to Slow Cook – Normal
for 8 hours, just like you always did.

At dinnertime, the flavor is there, but the beef is a little firmer than you like. That’s when many cooks discover that the Instant Pot’s
slow cook “Low” and “Normal” can run cooler than some standalone slow cookers. The fix is simple: next time, you bump the setting to
More and extend the time by 30–60 minutes. Suddenly, the roast is fork-tender again, and you’ve learned how your particular model behaves.

Bean lovers: Slow cook plus a pressure finish

Another common pattern comes from people who cook a lot of dried beans. Long soaks and slow cooking give beans great texture and flavor,
but depending on the age of the beans and your Instant Pot model, you may find they’re just shy of done when your timer goes off.

A handy approach many experienced users take is a hybrid method:

• Soak beans overnight.
• Use Slow Cook – More for several hours with aromatics and seasoning.
• Finish with a short burst of pressure cookingoften just 3–8 minutesto get them perfectly creamy.

This combo gives you the deeper flavor of slow cooking plus the reliability and safety of pressure cooking to finish the job.

Weeknight wins: Using slow cook to “hold” dinner

Many busy families use the Instant Pot as a slow cooker not just to cook food but to hold it safely until everyone is home.
For example, you might:

• Brown chicken thighs and vegetables in the morning on Sauté.
• Switch to Slow Cook – Normal for 6–7 hours while you’re at work.
• Let the pot switch to Keep Warm for another hour or two until the last person walks in the door.

Because the Instant Pot is designed with safety features and stable temperature control, it makes a comfortable all-day companion on the counter.
You get that classic “walk into the house and smell dinner” slow cooker moment, but with fewer appliances to juggle.

Why many people retire their old slow cookers

Once home cooks understand the quirksusing More for many “High” recipes, venting the lid, and occasionally adding a little timelots of them end up
donating or storing their old slow cookers. The Instant Pot’s ability to brown, pressure cook, and slow cook in the same pot means:

• Fewer dishes to wash.
• Less guesswork when switching between fast and slow methods.
• A single appliance that can handle bean night, pot roast Sunday, and last-minute pasta on a Tuesday.

You absolutely don’t have to give up your Crockpot if you love it, but if you’d rather keep just one appliance on the counter,
learning how to use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker is a smart move. Once you’ve made a few successful meals, you’ll know exactly
how your specific model behavesand from there, it’s as easy and dependable as the slow cooker you grew up with.

Final Thoughts

Using an Instant Pot as a slow cooker isn’t complicated, but it does require a slightly different mindset than a traditional Crockpot.
Understanding how the Slow Cook settings map to Low and High, choosing the right lid and venting position, and adjusting
cook times by about 15 minutes per hour for “High” recipes will get you most of the way there.

The payoff is huge: one appliance that can sear, pressure cook, and slow cook, all in the same pot, with fewer dishes and more flexibility.
Follow the tips in this guide, and your Instant Pot can absolutely become your go-to slow cooker for cozy soups, tender roasts, and
everything in between.