The 12 Best Pressure Cookers Reviewed

If you’re about to live on your own for the first time and are looking to equip a kitchen from scratch, you can certainly do worse than buying this multi-functional device. Like this one, most of the pressure cookers we’ve decided on reviewing can also prepare soup, make yogurt, cook rice and so forth. What sets this device apart is that it makes all of this easy.

Also potentially useful for novice cooks is the included recipe booklet, with more available online from Cosori. These will guide anyone through the basics of using this device to prepare stews, pasta, vegetables, and more. The controls are pretty easy to get used to and can be figured out without reading the manual.

Perhaps more importantly, it comes with a steam rack and a spare sealing ring – the latter is really a consumable when it comes to pressure cookers, so it’s nice not to have to spend extra when it perishes after a few months of use. Also saving you money in the long run is the very durable, extra-thick pot and casing, which are not only damage-resistant but also help conserve energy. As with all modern pressure cooker designs, numerous safety features make it safe to leave alone while you’re at work.

Pressure Cooking for Dummies

With a total of 19 pre-programmed cooking options, this is certainly the most user-friendly pressure cooker we could find. With the press of a button (as well as some slicing, mixing, etc., the machine isn’t that advanced!), it’s capable of baking a cake, steaming veggies, making chili, and much more. If you need to, these programs can be customized, but most people will be happy with the built-in settings.

This offers several advantages to the freshly minted bachelor(ette) or student. For one thing, this is one of the only pressure cookers on our list that differentiate between cooking white and brown rice. It also has different settings for steaming vegetables and potatoes, unlike some others. This kind of fine automated control prevents you from selecting a program that will leave your meal either mushy or as hard as a rock.

If you’d like to take the reins completely, you can also use the “manual” setting. We expect, though, that this won’t often be necessary given the number of pre-programmed settings, but it is good to know that you have the option.

We’re aren’t quite sure why Instant Pot called this a “DUO” – it might be because the manufacturer didn’t want to change the name to “TRIO” after adding an 8-quart model more recently. It’s capable of running 14 pre-defined cooking programs and can do the job of half a dozen other appliances. This is pretty impressive when you consider that it’s available in a 3-quart size.

Whether you choose the 3-quart model, the 6-quart one, or the 8-quart option, you will receive a high-quality machine with all the bells and whistles you could as for, along with safety features you don’t want to do without. The smart detection system will monitor heat, pressure, lid seal, and more – making adjustments as needed or shutting down if something goes wrong.

There are only two real differences between the three size options. Firstly, the power output of the heating element gets boosted, ranging from 700 watts for the small version up to 1,200 W for the 8-quart model, so that the larger capacity can be handled effectively. Unsurprisingly, they also differ in terms of physical size. The “Mini” 3-quart model measures a full 11.4 x 10 x 11.2 inches, unfortunately, while its 8-quart cousin weighs in at 18 pounds. This isn’t unreasonable, but it does make it a little difficult to move between the countertop and cupboard.

Easy Setting Adjustments

One pretty unique feature on this cooker is the ease with which it allows you to make minor adjustments to its pre-programmed settings. In most cases, should you find that any particular program over- or undercooks food to your taste, your only other option is to enter the time, pressure, and temperature manually. This appliance does indeed allow you to do that, for instance when you’re following a recipe you found online.

Some people, though, aren’t quite comfortable fiddling around with all these numbers, but still want a little more control than the basic suite of settings allows them. Those people will love these semi-adjustable settings, which even applies to the “Keep Warm” function.

Anybody There?

One of the best features of this pressure cooker is that it doesn’t actually release any steam. This means that it runs very quietly and also traps all your food’s flavor inside. Unfortunately, although the build quality tends to be good in general, some buyers do receive defective parts, especially when talking about the relatively new 8-quart model’s lid.

If you do get unlucky in this regard, customer service tends to be unresponsive. Once you manage to get a hold of them, they might, for instance, offer to send you a new part, but only after you’ve taken a video of the problem and mail the old one back to them, which can easily cost more than the price of a new unit.

If you’re the kind of home cook that knows what agar-agar is, can make even kale taste interesting, and resembles an octopus having a seizure when cooking, this might not be the cooker for you. If, on the other hand, you’re more interested in getting the most out of basic recipes with a minimum of fuss and worry, you may want to look more closely. It’s available at a great price, and its non-stick cooking pot will certainly make some people smile. Where it stands out, though, is in its simple controls and unique lid.

Like the GoWISE USA and the Elite Platinum Cooker, this cooker from Crock-Pot allows you to exercise at least some control over the cooking process. Some other models enable (or expect) you to enter every variable by hand, which can be a hit-or-miss affair if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

Like other semi-manual pressure cookers, this one lets you adjust the temperature and time settings for the eight pre-set programs, but isn’t really intended for use in a fully manual mode. This means that you get a little more versatility without having to chart your own course. Whether this is a feature or a drawback depends entirely on you.

A Lid That Sticks and a Pot That Doesn’t

One aspect of using a pressure cooker that still intimidates some people is that of safety – steam and hot liquid at 15 PSI can indeed scald you if you’re irresponsible with it. For this reason, this Crock-Pot features a specially designed lid. Some of the pressure cookers we’ve reviewed seal and lock automatically. While this “safety feature” does ensure that lids are locked instead of relying on people to remember, it’s important to remember that these mechanisms can fail.

Other manually-locking lids, though, can be difficult to seat properly and verify that they’re indeed on correctly. This lid, however, simply twists to lock and can’t be opened while the pot is still pressurized. It also comes with all the safety features you’d expect, so you won’t come home to a kitchen unexpectedly painted a delicate shade of bolognaise.

Of course, the worst part of cooking is often the clean up afterward, so some will see the non-stick cooking vessel as a godsend. According to the manufacturer, the coating used on the pot is not actually Teflon. On the other hand, they refuse to say what it actually consists of, citing intellectual property concerns. Now, some people have actually eliminated Teflon from their kitchens completely due to health concerns. It’s thought that, when heated, normal non-stick cookware releases a chemical called PFOA, which is a carcinogen and also highly toxic to pet birds. Since this non-stick aluminum pot contains zero PFOA, it should be a safer option, but since no-one knows what it actually is, people who are specifically concerned about this might want to go with a stainless steel pot instead and spend a little extra time scrubbing.

In an age of smart devices, we’re all starting to recognize that access to instant, comprehensive information just makes life better. It’s therefore nice to know that there is a pressure cooker out there designed to help you take advantage of exactly that. The Instant Pot Smart is capable of connecting to your phone via Bluetooth so you can control and monitor it remotely.

Complete Control From Your Phone

There is an important limitation we have to clarify, though: the Instant Pot Smart uses Bluetooth, not wi-fi. This means that you can connect to it from a maximum of only about 10 yards away. In other words, you can check how much cooking time is remaining without getting up from the couch, but you can’t tell it to start dinner while stuck in traffic on your way home. Also, it doesn’t integrate with home automation systems such as Amazon’s Alexa for this purpose. There is, however, an Alexa Skill app available to walk you through recipes. So, in effect, the smart connectivity is great for storing and sharing recipes and seeing exactly what’s going on without having to walk to the kitchen. It does not, however, allow you to control your cooker from anywhere in the world, which is probably safer anyway.

While there are 15 cooking programs pre-stored to cover cooking rice, slow-braising a stew and so on, you can also download and create “scripts” that tell your cooker how and when to vary temperature intensity and pressure to create a particular dish. The app is available for both iOS and Android and is pretty easy to use.

Additional Features

The ability to program your own cooking scripts, combined with this appliance’s reliable microprocessor control, helps to produce consistent results every time. In fact, even more challenging dishes like sous vide recipes and roasts are made easy – just go to the website and see if the appropriate program and recipe is available. The pot is made of stainless steel and certainly seems tough enough to last, although you can order one or two extra if you want to prepare multiple dishes, one after the other. Of course, like any pressure cooker we’d recommend, it also comes with a full suite of safety features.

The least expensive 6-quart pressure cooker we’ve chosen to include, this one is best for people who already know a few things about pressure cooking and food preparation in general. Do marinara sauce recipes intimidate you? You might be better off with something like the COSORI. Do you take notes while watching cooking shows? If so, and especially if you don’t want to spend too much on a pressure cooker which isn’t capable of much else, this Cuisinart might be the one for you.

Basic But Brilliant

It may be that a lack of pre-programmed cook settings is why Cuisinart is able to offer this pressure cooker at such an affordable price. A full $15 cheaper than some less impressive options and an impressive $85 cheaper than the Instant Pot Smart, this cooker is still worth considering.

Let’s start by talking about build quality, because that’s something often overlooked in online reviews. On this list, we haven’t included a single appliance that has proved disappointing in this regard, especially when considering the feedback of actual users. In this case, they report that it is fast, convenient, durable, and reliable.

So, what do you get for this awesomely low price besides quality? A pressure cooker; no more, no less. Its “settings” aren’t complete, sequential programs like with the COSORI, the Instant Pot DUO and the Elite Platinum. Rather, browning, sautéing, simmering, and keeping warm are basically just the steps you would follow in creating any typical pressure-cooker dish. This means that you will have to rely on your own culinary skills and experience, even when using it to cook rice.

Other Features – Or Lack of Them

You can, of course, use the digital controls to adjust the pressure, temperature, and cook time to create unique, custom cook settings of your own. If the 6-quart model reviewed here doesn’t suit you, you can also get it in 4- or 8-quart capacities. There’s no delay-start function, you can’t use it to make yogurt or as a deep fryer, and it takes a bit longer than other models to reach full pressure. If you don’t need a multi-function cooker and you’re looking to save some cash, though, this is really not a bad buy.

The first, and possibly the only, thing most people will notice when they take a look at this cooker is its price. The most expensive one on our list (in fact, it’s even more expensive than the 8-quart, 10-quart, and 14-quart versions of other cookers), it’s still worth considering in our eyes. It has many of the same abilities as several other cookers, but with the addition of a ceramic-coated cooking pot, it all starts to make sense.

So, what’s the big deal about ceramic coatings? For one thing, they are non-stick. Unlike their stainless steel counterparts, these cook pots will rarely need harsh scrubbing to clean. Secondly, they don’t contain the potentially dangerous chemicals that many non-stick coatings have, or at least are supposed to.

Finally, ceramic doesn’t flake and come apart anywhere nearly as easily as other non-stick coatings. They can chip and crack, of course, but that shouldn’t be a problem as long as you don’t drop yours on the floor. Other non-stick solutions aren’t nearly as durable during normal use, meaning that such a pot rarely lasts as long as the pressure cooker it fits into.

Very Accurate Controls

Aside from the ceramic coating, the electronics incorporated into this pressure cooker put it a cut above the rest. Instead of the usual two, it can be set to any of no fewer than eight pressure settings. This helps the pre-set programs make fine distinctions between, for instance, soup and stock, or meat with and without bones. Temperature and pressure sensors are located both at the top and bottom of the container so that large and small batches of a recipe come out the same way. You can even enter your location’s altitude, which helps in achieving consistent results even high above sea level.

And A Neat Display

There are a number of other good things to say about this cooker, as you’ll see in the pros and cons section. One we really want to focus on here, though, is the display. Not only is it easy to understand, but it also changes color to indicate the part of the cooking cycle currently in progress.

The color blue indicates whether it’s keeping food warm or waiting for input, while orange shows you that it’s pressurized and shouldn’t be opened. In any case, the lid locks in place until the excess steam has been released, which is also indicated on the display. Unusually for pressure cookers, you can easily see the current temperature, pressure, selected program, and other settings.

In case you don’t know what “canning” is, it means preserving fruits and vegetables, sauces and jams, and even meats in an airtight container. In season or at farmer’s markets, you can often pick up whole crates of fruit, tomatoes and many other types of produce for pennies per pound. When you have a free afternoon, you may then bottle a whole bunch of them to give as gifts or use as a tasty, low-cost treat or meal when you don’t have time to prepare something from scratch.

The problem with canning (aside from people teasing you about turning into an old lady) is that everything has to be kept completely sterile, or your preserves will go bad and all your effort will be wasted. Unless you have a dedicated canning machine, doing this can be a huge headache. The Power Pressure Cooker XL solves exactly this problem, while also doing everything you’d expect from a modern pressure cooker.

A Specialized Generalist

Let’s begin by stating that the other cookers on this list (with the exception of the Instant Pot DUO, which has no manual override setting) can also be used for canning purposes. Some of them even come with racks that make the process easier, although several manufacturers don’t actually recommend using their product in this way. This is what makes this appliance different: it actually has a canning setting, easily accommodates wide-mouth jars and reaches the temperatures and pressures needed to safely can even non-acidic food. The latter point is kind of important, as not all pressure cookers are designed for this, especially if you live at a high altitude.

With every other pressure cooker we’ve reviewed, you would have to either manually program the time, temperature, and pressure or try to tweak one of the pre-designed programs. Either sounds like a trial-and-error affair, which isn’t what you’re looking for when a whole batch of preserves can potentially be ruined. With this cooker, though, all you need to do is get your vegetables prepared and press a button, and the rest of the work is done for you.

This 6-quart model and the included wire rack can fit four-pint jars at a time, but 8- and 10-quart versions are also available. For normal cooking, seven other pre-programmed settings let you enjoy most other pressure and even slow cooking possibilities. It produces respectable stews, soups, roasts, rice, and other dishes, perhaps even slightly faster than most pressure cookers.

It’s worth noting, though, that you don’t have much control over how this cooker actually prepares food. Since it has no manual override and few adjustable settings, you’ll pretty much be out of luck if the pre-set options don’t suit you.

Did you know that the way food cooks, even in most pressure cookers, changes with altitude? You don’t really need to understand the science behind this, although it is interesting. Suffice it to say that air pressure is different at high and low altitudes, and this affects the cooker’s ability to maintain the proper internal pressure.

Using the simple LCD display panel and soft-touch buttons, you can adjust the functioning of this cooker by inputting your altitude, like with the more expensive Breville cooker we discussed further up the page. Don’t know how to find your altitude? Looking up your city (or somewhere nearby) on Wikipedia should give you the answer.

This feature is most important for people who live at unusually high altitudes. If you live in a mountainous region (Colorado, for instance) you may really want to consider the benefits of this machine. It will factor your altitude into every one of its 16 different pre-programmed cooking settings to ensure that it doesn’t under-pressurize your cooker. If a similar appliance you used to own tended to under-cook everything, this is the most likely explanation.

Other Interesting Features

Although the altitude selector can be a lifesaver, this machine is capable of much more. In particular, this cooker also has an egg setting and another that can sterilize glass bottles, silverware and other utensils. Although the GoWISE USA and the Instant Pot LUX V3 both also have an egg setting, none of the others we’ve reviewed have an unequivocal sterilize setting.

The usefulness of an egg program is obvious and will probably be used by everyone at some point. The sterilization setting, on the other hand, won’t really be of much consequence to many people, but parents and others who are really concerned with impeccable hygiene will certainly love it. The control panel also makes it easy to take manual control of your cooking, which for some reason is called “Ultra” mode.

First, we want to begin by stating that this isn’t only available in large sizes, with 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14-quart options available. What is worth taking notice of, though, are the 12-quart and 14-quart capacity models. Very few electric pressure cookers as versatile as this come in sizes this large.

We really like this product, not only for its capacity but actually because of a conglomeration of things. For one, the 14-quart version is backed by 1500 watts of power, which is quite enough to get the job done.

Another incredible thing about this set of cookers is that they all come with ceramic-coated cooking pots. Unlike stainless steel, these will require little effort on your part when it comes time for cleaning. Most messes will slide right off – no scrubbing required. Unlike other non-stick coatings (such as Teflon and its imitators) ceramic does not break down over time and flake off into your food or release potentially unhealthy chemicals.

We’d like to note that the Breville BPR700BSS also has a ceramic inner pot and is much more expensive than this model. In this case, there is a kind of tradeoff between cost and size: in fact, at 6 quarts, the Breville actually costs more than the 14-quart version of this cooker. Meanwhile, even the 6-quart version of this pot is pretty large and will take up considerable space on any countertop.

We believe that, although both have ceramic inner pots and both are good quality machines, the Breville is more expensive because it is much more compact and offers a better control system. To give one example, after using the sauté function on the GoWise appliances, you actually have to let it cool for 10 minutes or so, or receive an over-temperature warning.

Some pressure/slow cookers don’t offer a delayed start function, which is actually kind of weird. The ability to “set it and forget it” is extremely useful, for instance, if you have some time free in the morning and want to get a head start on dinner. Of course, leaving raw meat out at room temperature for several hours isn’t recommended, although some people get around this by adding it frozen and letting it thaw during the day.

Anyone with children and/or a busy lifestyle will appreciate having this function. Although some other pressure cookers we’ve reviewed also have a delay start function (in fact, all but four do), none of them allow a delay of as long as 26 hours. The Elite Platinum cooker lets you do that and more.

Postponing the actual cooking by up to 26 hours means that you can set something up more than a full day ahead of schedule. This is particularly handy if hosting around the holidays, when you have to prepare dinner but don’t want to miss time with the family. Alternatively, you could take your time on Sunday preparing a delicious meal to keep those Monday blues at bay.

Good, But not Perfect

As with all the machines we’ve selected, this one comes with multiple safety features – if something goes wrong, the worst that should happen is that it shuts itself down. Although it takes quite a bit of time to get to working pressure, the actual cooking times tend to be short, and it produces very satisfactory beans, ribs, chicken wings, and even desserts.

All that having been said, the control panel looks like it dates from the ’80s and requires you to bend over to see it clearly. The lack of a manual mode can also be a hassle if trying a recipe you found on the internet, although we must say that the included booklet is very complete. Finally, although some people will love the Teflon-coated interior pot, it does tend to burn and stick when searing meat.

If there’s one issue that crops up again and again with electric pressure cookers, it’s size. Many people complain that these handy devices simply take up too much space in their homes. Many are either too bulky or too tall and end up causing more stress than relief. Thankfully, this one is different, and can also do the work of a crock pot, rice cooker, steamer and (to some extent) an oven.

At only 10.5 inches tall and 11.5 inches in diameter, the 3-quart version of this cooker is the smallest on our entire list and can still make more than enough food for two people. Compared to other 6-quart models, the 6-quart version of this cooker is, again, much smaller, as is the 8-quart option. Anyone with a small kitchen or low upper cabinets should take note.

Generally Average

Other than their compact size, these little pressure cookers appear to be pretty much on a par with the rest on our list. They have a total of 10 pre-programmed cook settings including options such as cake, eggs, meat, stew, and sauté.

A fully customizable manual override option allows you to create your own cooking program according to your needs. This is great for people who like to create exotic dishes or who want to try more challenging techniques. It only offers one pressure setting, though, which may prevent you from conducting certain experiments.

The stainless steel inner pot, automatic keep-warm function, safety features, and an assortment of pre-programmed settings are all pretty common when compared to other good quality pressure cookers, such as those we’ve featured on this page.

Not All Roses, Though

At 1,000W for the 6-quart model and 700W for the 3-quart, there shouldn’t be any need to complain about this unit’s wattage. It does, however, seem to take quite a long time first to reach its normal cooking pressure and later to be safe to open. “Instant Pot” is the name of the company, not this particular model, and you might be disappointed at its performance if you’re used to a more powerful pressure cooker. If you take the warm-up and depressurization times into account, it can actually be quicker and easier to cook (say) rice on the stove. It does make good stews, however.