As with conventional cooking, cooking with Instant Pot is full of personal choice, creativity, and a little science and experimentation. No two individuals have exactly the same taste, texture or preference of tenderness of food. The Cooking Time Tables are meant to be used as general guidelines on the length of time various foods are cooked under pressure. We encourage you to experiment to find the results that suit your preferences.
Other factors may affect the cooking time. For example, different cuts of meat (or different sizes of the same cut) will likely require different cooking times to yield the same tenderness or texture.
When cooking frozen food, there is no need to defrost the food in the microwave prior to preparing. However, frozen food will prolong the pre-heating time, and may affect the cooking time depending on the size or amount of food. To have your meal ready on time, it is important to plan accordingly.
There are a few things to be aware of when cooking meat:
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Raw meat is perishable and should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if room temperature is above 32°C / 90°F). When using the [Delay Start] program, do not set time for more than 1-2 hours. We recommend to pre-cook meat and select [Keep Warm] or [Warm] program to maintain the food at the correct serving temperature.
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Do not try to thicken the sauce before cooking. Corn starch, flour or arrow-root may deposit on the bottom of the inner pot and block heat dissipation. As a result, the pressure cooker may overheat.
You may want to brown/sear the meat by selecting the [Sauté] program to seal the juices before pressure-cooking.
Meat |
Cooking Time (minutes) |
|
| Beef, stew meat | 20 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Beef, meat ball | 5 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Beef, dressed | 20 – 25 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Beef (pot roast, steak, rump, round, chuck, blade or brisket) Small Chunks | 15-20 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Beef (pot roast, steak, rump, round, chuck, blade or brisket) Large Chunks | 20-25 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Beef, ribs | 20 – 25 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Beef, shanks | 25 – 30 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Beef, oxtail | 40 – 50 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Chicken, breasts (boneless) | 6 – 8 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Chicken, whole 2-2.5 Kg | 8 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Chicken, cut with bones | 10 – 15 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Chicken, bone stock | 40 – 50 | |
| Duck, portions with bones | 12 – 15 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Duck, whole | 10 – 15 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Ham, slices | 9 – 12 | |
| Ham, picnic shoulder | 8 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Lamb, cubes | 10 – 15 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Lamb, stew meat | 12 – 15 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Lamb, leg | 15 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Pheasant | 8 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Pork, loin roast | 20 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Pork, butt roast | 15 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Pork, ribs | 15 – 20 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Turkey, breast (boneless) | 7 – 9 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Turkey, breast (whole) | 20 – 25 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Turkey, drumsticks (leg) | 15 – 20 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Veal, chops | 5 – 8 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Veal, roast | 12 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Quail, whole | 8 per 450 g / 1 lb | |
| Eggs (large) | Hard boiled: 5 mins | |
The cooking time for seafood is typically short. The best result is achieved with the original juice being retained in the food. Steaming is the ideal cooking method; however stewing the food will also produce great results.
When steaming seafood, you will need at least 1 cup (250 mL) of water, and an ovenproof or steel bowl on a steam rack. When seafood or fish is over-cooked, the texture becomes tough, to avoid this, you should control the cooking time. Normally, you’ll need to use the steam release handle to release the pressure and stop cooking as soon as the programmed cooking period is over. An alternative is to take the natural cooking time (7-10 minutes) into consideration.
Seafood & Fish |
Fresh Cook Time (minutes) |
Frozen Cook Time (minutes) |
| Crab, whole | 2 – 3 | 4 – 5 |
| Fish, whole | 4 – 5 | 5 – 7 |
| Fish, fillet | 2 – 3 | 3 – 4 |
| Fish, steak | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 |
| Lobster | 2 – 3 | 3 – 4 |
| Mussels | 1 – 2 | 2 – 3 |
| Seafood soup or stock | 7 – 8 | 8 – 9 |
| Shrimp or Prawn | 1 – 3 | 2 – 4 |
If you would like to cook some specialty rice or grains, please use the following grain: water ratio.
The Rice Measuring Cup (180 mL) provided with your Instant Pot can be used to measure the required grain to water ratios. One cup of grain yields approximately one adult serving.
Rice & Grains |
grain : water |
Cooking Time (minutes) |
| Barley, pearl | 1 : 2.5 | 20 – 22 |
| Barley, pot | 1 : 3 – 1 : 4 | 25 – 30 |
| Congee, thick | 1 : 4 – 1 : 5 | 15 – 20 |
| Congee, thin | 1 : 6 – 1 : 7 | 15 – 20 |
| Couscous | 1 : 2 | 2 – 3 |
| Corn, dried / halved | 1 : 3 | 5 – 6 |
| Kamut, whole | 1 : 2 | 10 – 12 |
| Millet | 1 : 1.75 | 10 – 12 |
| Oats, quick cooking | 1 : 2 | 2 – 3 |
| Oats, steel-cut | 1 : 3 | 3 – 5 |
| Porridge, thin | 1 : 6 – 1 : 7 | 5 – 7 |
| Quinoa, quick cooking | 1 : 1.25 | 1 |
| Rice, Basmati | 1 : 1 | 4 |
| Rice, Brown | 1 : 1 | 20 – 22 |
| Rice, Jasmine | 1 : 1 | 4 |
| Rice, white | 1 : 1 | 4 |
| Rice, wild | 1 : 2 | 20 – 25 |
| Sorghum | 1 : 3 | 20 – 25 |
| Spelt berries (unsoaked) | 1 : 1.5 | 25 – 30 |
| Wheat berries (unsoaked) | 1 : 3 | 25 – 30 |
There are a few things to be aware of when cooking dried beans and legumes:
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Dried beans double in volume and weight after soaking or cooking. To avoid overflow, please do not fill the inner pot more than to the ½ mark to allow for expansion.
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When cooking dried beans use sufficient liquid to cover the beans.
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Although not necessary, soaking the dried beans can speed up cooking significantly. Immerse the beans in 4 times their volume of water for 4-6 hours.
Beans and legumes are less likely to be over-cooked, but if they are undercooked the texture is unpleasant. Please consider the cooking time as a minimal time.
Dried Beans, Legumes, and Lentils |
Dry Cooking Time (minutes) |
Soaked Cooking Time (minutes) |
| Adzuki / Azuki / Aduki | 16 – 20 | 4 – 6 |
| Anasazi | 20 – 25 | 5 – 7 |
| Black beans | 20 – 25 | 6 – 8 |
| Black-eyed peas | 14 – 18 | 4 – 5 |
| Chickpeas (chickpeas, garbanzo bean, or kabuli) | 35 – 40 | 10 – 15 |
| Cannellini beans (white kidney beans) | 30 – 35 | 6 – 9 |
| Great Northern beans | 25 – 30 | 7 – 8 |
| Kidney beans, red | 15 – 20 | 7 – 8 |
| Lentils, green | 8 – 10 | n/a |
| Lentils, brown | 8 – 10 | n/a |
| Lentils, red, split | 1 – 2 | n/a |
| Lentils, yellow, split (moong dal) | 1 – 2 | n/a |
| Lima beans | 12 – 14 | 6 – 10 |
| Navy beans | 20 – 25 | 7 – 8 |
| Pinto beans | 25 – 30 | 6 – 9 |
| Peas | 16 – 20 | 10 – 12 |
| Scarlet runner | 20 – 25 | 6 – 8 |
| Soy beans | 35 – 45 | 18 – 20 |
When steaming vegetables, you will require 1 cup (250 mL) of water and an ovenproof or steel bowl on a steam rack.
Cooking vegetables, fresh or frozen, we recommend using the [Steam] to preserve vitamins and minerals to the maximum. Steaming also retains the natural look of the vegetables.
Vegetables |
Fresh Cooking Time (minutes) |
Frozen Cooking Time (minutes) |
| Artichoke, whole & trimmed | 9 – 11 | 11 – 13 |
| Artichoke, hearts | 4 – 5 | 5 – 6 |
| Asparagus, whole or cut | 1 | 1 – 2 |
| Beans, green, yellow or wax, trim ends and strings | 1 | 1 – 2 |
| Beetroot, small / whole | 11 – 13 | 13 – 15 |
| Beetroot, large / whole | 20 – 25 | 25 – 30 |
| Broccoli, florets | 1 | 1 |
| Broccoli, stalks | 2 | 3 – 4 |
| Brussel sprouts, whole | 1 | 2 – 3 |
| Cabbage, red, purple or green, shredded | 1 | 3 – 4 |
| Cabbage, red, purple or green, wedges | 1 | 3 – 4 |
| Carrots, sliced or shredded | 1 – 2 | 3 – 4 |
| Carrots, whole or chunked | 3 – 5 | 6 – 8 |
| Cauliflower florets | 1 | 2 – 4 |
| Celery, chunks | 1 | 1 – 2 |
| Collard Greens | 4 – 5 | 5 – 6 |
| Corn (kernels) | 1 | 2 |
| Corn (on the cob) | 1 | 4 – 6 |
| Eggplant (slices or chunks) | 3 – 4 | 3 – 4 |
| Endive | 1 – 2 | 2 – 3 |
| Escarole (chopped) | 2 – 3 | 3 – 4 |
| Greens (chopped) | 4 – 5 | 5 – 6 |
| Leeks | 2 – 3 | 3 – 4 |
| Mixed vegetables | 1 | 3 – 4 |
| Okra | 2 – 3 | 3 – 4 |
| Onions (sliced) | 2 – 3 | 3 – 4 |
| Parsnips (chunks) | 3 – 4 | 4 – 5 |
| Peas (in the pod) | 1 – 2 | 2 – 3 |
| Peas (green) | 1 – 2 | 2 – 3 |
| Potatoes (cubed) | 1 | 4 – 5 |
| Potatoes (small, whole) | 3 – 5 | 7 – 10 |
| Potatoes (large, whole) | 5 – 8 | 12 – 18 |
| Pumpkin (small pieces) | 4 – 5 | 6 – 7 |
| Pumpkin (larges pieces) | 8 – 10 | 10 – 14 |
| Rutabaga (slices) | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 |
| Rutabaga (chunks) | 4 – 6 | 6 – 8 |
| Spinach | 1 | 1 |
| Acorn squash (slices) | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 |
| Butternut squash (slices) | 1 – 2 | 3 – 4 |
| Sweet Potato (cubes) | 1 | 4 – 6 |
| Sweet Potato Large (whole) | 5 – 8 | 8 – 15 |
| Sweet Potato Small (whole) | 3 – 4 | 5 – 8 |
| Sweet Pepper (slices or chunks) | 1 | 1 |
| Tomatoes (quarters) | 1 | 1 |
When steaming fruit, you will need 1 cup (250 mL) of water and an ovenproof or steel bowl on a steam rack.
Fresh or dried fruits are best steamed to preserve the texture and taste as well as the vitamins and minerals. Steaming also retains the natural look of the fruit. Cook fruit of equal size and ripeness together.
Fruits |
Fresh Cooking Time (minutes) |
Dried Cooking Time (minutes) |
| Apples (slices or pieces) | 1 – 2 | 2 – 3 |
| Apples (whole) | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 |
| Apricot (whole or halves) | 2 – 3 | 3 – 4 |
| Peaches | 2 – 3 | 4 – 5 |
| Pears (whole) | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 |
| Pears (slices or halves) | 2 – 3 | 4 – 5 |
| Plums | 2 – 3 | 4 – 5 |
| Raisins | n/a | 4 – 5 |