How To Convert Any Recipe To The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
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How to convert any recipe to the instant pot. If you are looking to convert your regular recipes to the instant pot, or other brand of electric pressure cooker then this instant pot cooking times guide is perfect for you.
Our instant pot conversion guide was originally published in 2017 and updated with more information and some extra cooking charts.
When you get started with the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, you are often told that it is like going back to school and learning to cook all over again.
In fact, that is one of the main reasons why I created the instant pot mini course, because going back to the beginning is how you get the best out of the instant pot when you first buy one.
That beef stew that has been a family favourite is all of a sudden, a lot quicker to make. You are then freaked out because you overcooked it and now your stew has turned to mush.
What you really need is an Instant Pot Converter that will do all the work for you, so that you can stop serving up baby slop and enjoy the speed that an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker brings you.
That is why I have collected all my notes together to bring you an easy to use guide that you can use as you cook.
Table of Contents
How To Convert Any Recipe To The Instant Pot?
Of course, we all like our food differently. Some of us prefer to cook their mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot so that they are super soft and then the job of mashing them is super easy.
Others prefer to do them so that they are just soft and then use a hand mixer to finish them. Neither of them is wrong, they are different ways of going about to do the same thing.
Therefore, use the information below as a general guide for your own style of cooking.
#1 – Instant Pot Pressure Cooking Is Just Like Baked BUT Much Quicker
If you imagine that you would normally cook a stew in the oven. You might start it on the stovetop and then transfer the cooking into the oven.
The stovetop is the same as cooking on the sauté setting in the Instant Pot. It will take the same amount of time, though is like using an electric burner on the stove, so if you leave it then it will burn.
But what would spend an hour afterwards in the oven can be done in the Instant Pot (or any other pressure cooker) for about a quarter of the time.
If you think of anything you cook in the oven, on the stove, microwave, steam, rice machine, soup machine, pasta machine, then it can be done in the Instant Pot.
I am sure at such a thought, that your mind is going crazy with ideas of what you can cook in your Instant Pot!
#2 – Instant Pot Pressure Cooking Can Be As Healthy Or Unhealthy As You Like
With a lot of kitchen gadgets (well minus the ice cream maker) the reason for getting them is the opportunity to eat healthier.
You buy the spiralizer to cut carbs, the bread machine to avoid processed foods and the air fryer to reduce fats. Well with the Instant Pot this is not the case as there are a lot of unhealthy recipes that do the rounds.
But this is balanced out with a lot of healthy recipes too. We love to cook Instant Pot Broccoli, instant pot whole butternut squash and love to make instant pot egg roll in a bowl.
To me the Instant Pot is all about speeding up the cooking process. To cook a stew a lot quicker and as a mum to get a meal quickly on the dinner table.
You just choose what kind of cooking you want to do in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and start by learning how to cook those dishes.
Don’t get into a situation when you want to learn to cook 20 new dishes a week. Instead slow it down, crack one of your favourite dishes in the Instant Pot and go from there.
#3 – The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Doesn’t Have To Be Full
You can cook with your Instant Pot full or not full and the great thing is that the cooking time doesn’t change.
The biggest change is how long it will take to come to pressure if you have added a lot of food. I have found that my 8qt full with beef stew will take some time to go to pressure compared to steaming some broccoli for a quick lunch.
#4 – Instant Pot Pressure Cooking Up To The Line
Another rule of the thumb is to make sure that you check and make sure that you don’t go over the max mark on the Instant Pot.
The lid needs to fit on, the Instant Pot needs to seal, and it needs to come to pressure. All of which require space so don’t take it over these lines.
But even the 6 litre one is huge and unless you are cooking something super sized there is no reason why you should go over this limit. In which case maybe an upgrade to the 8 quart is in order?
In our house for example, we have both the 6 quart and the 8 quart.
#5 – Instant Pot Pressure Cooking From Frozen
I often get asked if I can cook from frozen in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. The answer is YES you can. We have been cooking frozen food in the instant pot for a number of years and have fallen in love with it.
Back in 2017, if someone had asked me, I would have said no, having not tried it and just not liking the idea.
BUT OMG I am so glad I did as instant pot frozen food is amazing.
A few of my instant pot frozen favourites are:
- Instant Pot Frozen Steak
- Instant Pot Frozen Hamburgers
- Instant Pot Frozen Broccoli
- Instant Pot Frozen Pork Chops
#6 – Instant Pot Pressure Cookers Needs Accessories
You need a few things to make Instant Pot Pressure Cooking work for you. I can’t live without my Instant Pot Steamer Basket, Spring Form Pans and of course my Ramekins.
When you invest in them once (just like the Instant Pot) they will last you years and save you a huge amount of time and make pressure cooking so easy.
The instant pot accessories I bought in late 2016 still do the trick now and if you are just getting started, I recommend you take a look at our instant pot accessories list.
Quick Instant Pot Conversion Chart
I have also put together a quick Instant Pot Pressure Cooker conversion chart.
That way if you want something quick for dinner and you want to pressure cook it then you can quickly turn to this list.
It features a lot of my favourite foods and it is great for referencing later.
It includes 25 of the most popular instant pot foods that is saved in PDF for easy printing:
Even better, you can print it out and grab it in our members area. In our members area which is for members of kitchen gadgets, we have lots of free instant pot, air fryer, slow cooker and soup maker printables and ebooks.
Instant Pot For Beginners PDF Cookbook
Did you know that we also have an instant pot ecookbook that you can download instantly? It features 101 easy to understand instant pot beginner recipes.
Millions of people have downloaded and viewed these 101 instant pot recipes since it was originally created back in 2017. Though of course, it has been updated many times since then to bring you the best.
Click Here + Get 101 Instant Pot Recipes For Beginners
Can’t read it now? Then pin it for later!
Great information.
Thanks Chris
What is a “hob”????
Hi CC
A hob is the gas rings or electric rings on top of the oven or they can be seperate and sit usually with 4. 2 medium ones a small one and a large ring. For putting your pans on.
Kind Regards
Sam
Thank you! I have never heard that term before!
It is an old English term which used to mean the knob or projection found in the fireplace where the family hung the kettle or cauldron they were cooking food in.
I have several cake recipes I would like to start cooking in my Instapot. I have the spring form pan but I do not know how to convert my cooking time. Do you have any information on that?
Hi Diane,
We have not tried to cook a cake as such in the Instant pot. The closest we have come was for some lemon slices and we used a spring form pan placed on top of the plate that raises it above the water. They turned out ok but not cake like. Very much like a steamed sponge cake which we cook for 15 mins on steam and they turned out ok.
Sorry i cannot be more help.
Kind Regards
Sam
My IP does not have a Manual button, it’s been hard for me to figure out how to make some of these delicious foods. I have a Farberware 8qt model WM80C. I’ve asked if anyone has this model, no luck. This was a Christmas gift, & I have yet used it because of this issue. No Manual button.
You have a Pressure Cooker not an Instant Pot. An Instant Pot is a brand, like Kitchen Aid is a brand. Check out this blog post, especially the manual she shares. It’s not the exact same model as yours but, by the looks of it, has the same buttons/features. https://www.hippressurecooking.com/farberware-7-in-1-programmable-2nd-gen-pressure-cooker-manual/
The special buttons i.e. chicken, stew, bake etc. are all just presets. These preset times can be changed. I’d probably pick one i.e. chicken and use it like the Instant Pot Manual button.
Does it have a Pressure Cook button? Same thing.
We steam hot dogs the other day and the issue was it took 15 minutes to reach pressure, 1 minute to cook, and then 15 minutes to let the pressure out. Did we do something wrong?
Hi anna,
We haven’t done hot dogs yet in the instant pot so we cant comment on those. But what we will say is that if you put more than 1 cup of water in the instant pot it can take a long time to go to pressure. Secondly you can do quick pressure release and not bother with waiting for it to naturally release pressure.
With the majority of our recipes we promote quick pressure release as its easier to manage your time. That way when you cook you expect up to 10 minutes to come to pressure + actual cooking time.
I hope that helps!
Kind regards
Sam
X
I don’t have an Insrant Pot, I have just the old fashioned pressure cooker. How can I adjust these recipes to that kind of pressure cooker?
Hi Darlene,
We have never personally used a manual pressure cooker but we have had a few customers try our recipes for us and say they have just done the recipe the same and it turned out ok. Just try one of the vegetables we have done in the Instant pot like the cabbage or the broccoli and see how they turn out if they are ok or over cooked then adjust the temperatures for the other recipes. Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Sam
I cook cabbage and collard greens each for ten minutes with Fagar stovetop and they are perfect.
I have a 3l pkp and i would like to cook bread in it please could you tell me what setting would I use to prove it please before cooking and then what setting for cooking it as I’m new tone this way of cooking thankyou .
Hi Beverley
Thank you for your comment. We are not familiar with the 3l pkp. I would see if their is a setting for proving the bread because a pressure cooker can over cook food really easy. Also if there is a setting for half pressure would be a good start.
Sorry we can´t help much.
Kind Regards
Sam
I would love to know how to convert my pea soup and spareribs to instant pot. Not sure if I should add the same amount of liquid as I usually do. Can you help?
I love my instant pot and I am starting to use it more and more.
Hi Sarah
Glad you are liking your instant pot. I would add the required amount of water for the instant pot to get to pressure and see what the difference is between the 2. If it is small then just add the same as you do normally. But be careful as the instant pot can make your food really tasteless, so make sure it is very tasty before trying it ?
I agree with the tasteless part. I am a newbie to the ip. However me and my husband both find the taste seems to be less with it. Theres a learning curve to it.
Hi
Their defiantly is a learning curve and getting your herbs, spices and seasoning correct is the most important part, we always now add alot more to the food we cook in the Instant Pot for the same reasons you say above, we have got used to it now and more you use it, it will come as second nature 🙂
Kind Regards
Dom