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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Cooking Times Guide

    Published: Jan 5, 2021 · Modified: Jan 26, 2021 by Susie Weinrich · This post may contain affiliate links. Leave a Comment

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    Instant Pot with Pinterest text overlay

    Grab all the Instant Pot Cooking Times here in an easy to navigate guide. Everything from Pasta to Vegetables to Meat cooking times. Take your favorite stove top and oven recipes and adjust them to be cooked right in your Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker).

    6 quart Duo Plus 9-in-1 Instant Pot

    There are quite a few options when buying an Electric Pressure Cooker, however these cooking times are based on using a 6 quart Instant Pot.

    Jump to:
    • Your Instant Pot
    • How to Set Cooking Time on Your Instant Pot
    • Standard Cooking Functions
    • Getting Help
    • Time Guide

    Your Instant Pot

    Cooking in your Instant Pot is quick and easy. If you are new to the Instant Pot, do not be scared, jump right in with the water test!

    In this guide we will talk mostly about cooking times. If you need more info or easy recipes you can jump over to this post for Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners.

    How to Set Cooking Time on Your Instant Pot

    The very first thing you need to know how to do is to set the cooking time on your Instant Pot.

    After you have locked the lid in place and turned the venting knob to “sealing” then it is time to choose your cooking time.

    TIME: In general you will use the PRESSURE COOK button. Press the Pressure Cook button and then use the +/- button to choose your cook time per the recipe you are making.

    PRESSURE: There are 2 pressure settings- low and high. Most recipes will call for “high” pressure, which most pots are already set to, you can check on the display screen. If the recipe calls for “low” pressure then you will press the pressure cook button a couple times and you can see it scroll through the pressure setting on the display screen.

    BEEP: After choosing the correct pressure and time settings, wait for the pot to beep and that is the indication that the Instant Pot has accepted your settings. There is not a “start” button. After the beep it will start to build pressure. The pot will not start counting the time down until it has come to complete pressure.

    Pressure & Release

    Be aware that most recipes do not include pressure and release time in their time calculation, just like a baking recipe doesn’t usually include the time for your oven to preheat.

    So this can add 10-30 minutes to your overall time. However, the bonus is that this is all hands-off time!!

    Standard Cooking Functions

    There are a couple standard functions that you will want to know about on your Instant Pot. There are other fancy preset functions depending on the Instant Pot that you purchased, like rice, meat, stew, sterilize, egg, etc…

    But the sauté, pressure cook and keep warm are the basic functions that you will want to use often:

    Sauté

    This is used to brown meat, soften veggies, simmer/boil, or deglaze the pot. Once you press the sauté button the pot will heat up. When it is ready/fully heated the display screen will read “hot”. There are 3 HEAT SETTINGS with the sauté function:

    • Less – for simmering and thickening sauces.
    • Normal – for regular browning or softening veggies (this is the default when you press sauté). Also great for a hard simmer.
    • More – for stir fry style cooking and blackening. Also great for boiling liquid.

    Pressure Cooking

    This will be your main cooking method in the Instant Pot. There are two things to set for cooking:

    • Pressure – Low or High. Most recipes call for high. You set this by pressing the PRESSURE COOK button multiple times and you can see it scroll through low and high on the display screen.
    • Time – Use the +/- button to change the time for your cooking. Once it is set just wait to hear a beep and it will start to build pressure. The time will not start counting down until the pressurizing is complete.

    Keep Warm

    This button will illuminate after the pressure cooking is done. However, you can also choose this function to keep your food warm after the cooking and pressure releasing is done.

    This function is also great way to melt cheese or chocolate!

    Getting Help

    If you have further questions about converting a personal recipe to an instant pot recipe do not hesitate to reach out to Susie at susie@momsdinner.net!!

    Time Guide

    This guide is a great starting point for your Instant Pot cooking. You may find that you like your pasta cooked for 5 minutes instead of 6, or your hard boiled eggs cooked for 4 minutes instead of 5. With trial and error your will find your preferences. This guide will get you started. All cooking times are in minutes:

    Vegetables & Fruit

    Veggie & FruitFresh
    (time in mins.)
    Frozen
    (time in mins.)
    Artichokes, whole1012
    Asparagus12
    Beets, small whole1214
    Broccoli, florets12
    Brussels Sprouts, whole2-33-4
    Cabbage, shredded23
    Carrots, 1 inch chunks23
    Cauliflower, florets23
    Celery, chunks23
    Collard greens45
    Corn, kernels12
    Corn, cob23-4
    Eggplant23
    Green Beans23
    Leeks23
    Mixed VegNA3
    Green Peas23
    Potatoes, cubed56
    Potatoes, whole large15NA
    Spinach11
    Butternut Squash, slice34
    Sweet Potato, cubes45
    Sweet Potato, whole10NA
    Peppers, slices23
    Apples, slices2 (5 min for applesauce)NA
    Apples, whole4NA
    Apples, halved3NA
    Peaches3NA
    Pears, whole3NA
    Plums3NA

    Rice & Grains

    Rice & GrainsGrain : Water/Broth
    (cups)
    Time
    (min.)
    Barley, pearl1:2.520-22
    Couscous1:22-3
    Corn, dried1:325-30
    Millet1:1.7510-12
    Oats, quick1:22-3
    Oats, steel cut1:33-5
    Porridge1:6.55-7
    Quinoa, quick cooking1:1.251
    Rice, Basmati1:14
    Rice, Brown1:120-22
    Rice, Jasmine1:14
    Rice, White1:14
    Rice, Wild1:220-25
    Risotto1.5:47 (with a 10 min natural release)
    Sorghum1:320-25
    Spelt Berries1:1.525-30
    Wheat Berries1:320-25

    Pasta

    When you cook pasta in the Instant Pot it is a good rule to include 2 cups of liquid (water or broth) to every 8 oz. of pasta.

    For more info on your pasta shapes and times this is a great post on tips for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot. They recommend that you find the lowest recommended cooking time written on your box of pasta. Then divide that in half and minus 2 minutes. At the end of that cook time do a 5 minute natural release.

    Example: Spaghetti has an average recommended stove top time of 8 minutes. Half of the time for the Instant Pot = 4 minutes

    4 minutes – 2 minutes = 2 minute cook time with a 5 minute natural release

    If your math is coming to zero (0), that is ok! Zero is an actual time setting on your Instant Pot!

    TIP: If you are following a pasta recipe that calls for different timing, like this Instant Pot Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, follow the recipe! It is tested and timing may be set for other cooking purposes (ex: chicken).

    Beans & Legumes

    This list is for dried beans and legumes, not canned. Also the times are based on NOT soaking before cooking:

    Dried Beans & LegumesTime
    (min)
    Black Beans20-25
    Black Eyed Peas6-7
    Chickpeas, Garbanzo Beans35-40
    Cannellini Beans25-30
    Great Northern Beans25-30
    Kidney Beans, White25-30
    Kidney Beans, Red15-20
    Lentils, Green or Brown4-6
    Lentils, Red or Yellow1-2
    Lima Beans12-14
    Navy Beans20-25
    Pinto Beans25-30
    Peas6-10
    Soy Beans35-45

    Seafood & Fish

    Seafood & FishFreshFrozen
    Crab, whole2-34-5
    Fish, whole4-55-7
    Fish, fillet2-33-4
    Fish, Steak3-44-6
    Lobster2-33-4
    Mussels1-22-3
    Seafood soup or stock7-88-9
    Shrimp or Prawn1-32-4

    Meat

    This category will include poultry, beef, pork and lamb. The time is set per pound for large cuts of meat (ex. chuck roast or pork butt). If it is something smaller like chicken breasts or meatballs then it is set as a total time.

    Pro Tip: If you choose to brown the meat before cooking make sure that you completely deglaze the bottom of the instant pot before moving on to pressure cooking. This will prevent getting a burn protection warning during cooking.

    Pro Tip: For more tender and juicy meat it is recommended that you allow for a natural pressure release so the meat can “rest” a little before releasing all the pressure. However if you are following a tested Instant Pot recipe, follow the instructions written.

    Cut
    (beef, pork, poultry, lamb)
    Time
    (minutes)
    Beef, Stew Meat cubes25 total
    Beef, Meatballs5 total
    Beef, cut into large 3 inch chunks (Pot Roast, rump, round, chuck, blade, brisket) 15/lb
    Beef, whole (Pot Roast, rump, round, chuck, blade, brisket)20/lb.
    Beef, Flank Steak sliced thin2 total
    Beef, Ribs20-25 total
    Beef, Top Round Steak, sliced20 total
    Beef, shank25-30 total
    Beef, oxtail40-50 total
    Beef, KC Strip, Filet, Ribeye, Not recommended for the Instant Pot
    Chicken, breast boneless skinless6-8 total
    Chicken, breast 1 inch chunks4-6 total
    Chicken, whole8/lb.
    Chicken, cut bone-in10-15 total
    Chicken Bone Broth20-22 total
    Chicken, thigh boneless6-8 total
    Chicken, thigh bone-in10-12 total
    Duck, portions with bone12-15 total
    Duck, whole10/lb.
    Eggs, whole5min high pressure-5 min natural release-5 min ice bath
    Ham, slices, cooked4-5 total
    Lamb, cubed10-15 total
    Lamb, stew meat12-15 total
    Lamb, leg15/lb.
    Pork, loin roast15/lb.
    Pork, butt roast15/lb.
    Pork, ribs15-20 total
    Pork, boneless ribs, country ribs15-18 total
    Turkey, breast boneless7-9 total
    Turkey, breast whole20-25 total
    Turkey, leg15-20 total
    Veal, chops5-8 total
    Veal, roast12/lb.

    Cooking times included in the tables were taken from the Instant Pot Recipe Booklet and from Susie (Mom’s Dinner) personal experience using a Duo Plus 6 quart Instant Pot.

    If you have further questions about converting a personal recipe to an instant pot recipe do not hesitate to reach out to Susie at susie@momsdinner.net!!

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    About Susie Weinrich

    Susie Weinrich is the recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator behind Mom's Dinner. She has over 20 years experience in the food industry. Currently, Susie shares all her recipes and food knowledge on Mom's Dinner. You will find her recipes are easy to follow and full of tips and tricks to make sure the recipe you are making turns out perfect!

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