Best Instant Pots and multi-cookers 2026: 9 Compared (16 Sources)

What are the best Instant Pots and multi-cookers in 2026?

Summary

The testers do not agree on one best multi-cooker. Good Housekeeping's Instant Pot guide, Reviewed and CNN Underscored (which lists it as the Instant Pot 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker) name the Instant Pot Duo Plus their first choice; Wirecutter and Tom's Guide name the cheaper Instant Pot Rio; America's Test Kitchen names the Instant Pot Pro 8-Quart; and Consumer Reports' highest-rated model is the Zavor LUX LCD, which is not on this card. Good Housekeeping's older pressure-cooker guide names the plain Instant Pot Duo. [src3, src6, src8, src2, src7, src1, src5, src4]

How we rank: every named pick here is backed by at least two outlets' hands-on tests, and where two models compete for the same job, the one more outlets pick for that job gets the role. Three outlets make the Duo Plus their first choice, against two for the Rio and one for the Pro, so the Duo Plus is our top pick; Reviewed's listing and spec box for it are the 8-quart, not the 6-quart we link. Wirecutter, which tested it beside the Rio and the Pro, is the dissent: it recommends the Duo Plus only on sale at a price close to the Rio's, and prefers the Pro if you will pay more [src3, src6, src8, src2]. The Pro takes the upgrade role that Wirecutter and Good Housekeeping give it, and it is America's Test Kitchen's overall winner [src2, src4, src3, src1]. The Rio, which Wirecutter says offers the best performance for its price and Tom's Guide says punches well above its weight in terms of value, is our best value [src2, src7]. Stock does not change the order; the table at the top of the page shows today's price and stock for every pick.

What changed in this refresh: the Instant Pot Pro 8-Quart is no longer our top pick. It stays a named pick, as best upgrade, because America's Test Kitchen, Wirecutter and Good Housekeeping all pick it; the Duo Plus moves up because more of the outlets we read name it their first choice than any other model. The Rio becomes our best value, the Pro Plus our best smart pick, the CHEF iQ our pick for guided cooking and the Breville Fast Slow Pro our premium pick. We dropped the Instant Pot Chef Series 8-quart, which no outlet we read tested, and the Ninja Combi SFP701 and Ninja PossibleCooker PRO, which none of the multi-cooker guides we read tested; the PossibleCooker PRO is on our slow cooker card. We also now name the Duo Plus as the WhisperQuiet model that Good Housekeeping and CNN Underscored tested [src3, src8, src13].

Top 9 Models Compared

Capacities and test results are the outlets' and makers' figures [src1, src2, src3, src4, src5, src6, src7, src8, src9, src12, src13, src14, src15]. A price is the Amazon price from our US price check for the listing we link, updated daily; a dash in the price column means our check has no current Amazon offer to show, or, for the Duo Plus and the Breville, that the link goes to the maker's own store.

Best for Each Use Case

Top Pick: Instant Pot Duo Plus 6-Quart (WhisperQuiet) — Check price

Good Housekeeping's best Instant Pot overall: it does everything the best-selling Duo does, adds settings for cakes and eggs, has a bigger display with a brighter LED backlight, lets you edit the cooking time and pressure level while it cooks, and has 25 customizable smart programs with step-by-step instructions and a "whisper-quiet" steam release, though in Good Housekeeping's tests every model made some noise [src3]. CNN Underscored's best pressure cooker, which it lists as the Instant Pot 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker and links to Instant's page for the Duo Plus 6QT with WhisperQuiet: nine functions on one dial, a clear message display with a progress bar, a WhisperQuiet steam release with a one-touch venting button, 1,000 watts and a 6-quart pot that goes in the dishwasher with the lid [src8]. Tom's Guide's most versatile Instant Pot performed well on all of its tests except the Rice program and did very well at slow cooking; its inner pot has no handles and its sous vide setting has no temperature adjustment [src7]. Reviewed's best pressure cooker for most people: Reviewed tested the previous Duo Plus and says this model is just as comprehensive; Reviewed's write-up gives the pot as 6 quarts, but its listing and spec box are the 8-quart [src6]. The dissent is Wirecutter's: the Duo Plus offers only a few extra settings over the Rio (sous vide, cake and sterilize) for about $30 more, and Wirecutter recommends it only if you find it on sale at a price close to the Rio's. In Wirecutter's timing it was the slowest of four Instant Pots to pressurize a pot of beans, at 16 minutes 8 seconds, though Wirecutter found no significant difference between them [src2]. Instant lists 9 functions, 25 recipe presets, an 18/8 stainless steel pot with a tri-ply bottom and 1,000 watts for this WhisperQuiet model [src13]. Availability: Instant Pot's own US store listed the Duo Plus 6QT (WhisperQuiet) at $139.99, in stock, when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src13].

Best Budget: Cosori 6.0-Quart Pressure Cooker — Check price

America's Test Kitchen's Best Buy, and its recommendation if you want a multi-cooker that can slow-cook, which its winning Pro cannot do well. It was easy to use, with simple preset buttons, customizable times and temperatures and clear progress indicators, and it excelled in both the pressure- and slow-cooking tests, producing perfectly cooked beans, meat and vegetables. Its dark pot made browning hard to monitor, ATK wished the display were larger, the cooking surface is relatively narrow at 7 inches, and the nonstick coating won't last forever; ATK tested model CMC-CO601-SUS [src1]. Good Housekeeping's best-value pressure cooker made beef stew so tender the meat fell apart under a fork, though some vegetables were slightly mushy; it browned well, cooked rice evenly and has interior markings for the 1/2 and 2/3 fill levels, but it took longer than other models to release pressure naturally [src4].

Best Value: Instant Pot Rio 6-Quart — Check price

Wirecutter's top pick, an updated version of its longtime pick, the Instant Pot Duo 6-quart, that "offers the best performance for its price": it handles basic cooking functions as well as costlier Instant Pots, and adds a start button, a progress bar, three sauté heat levels, rubber stoppers that keep the pot from spinning, a lid that seals the steam valve automatically and a steam-release switch. Its flaws: a lot of buttons, a lid of nearly 2.5 pounds whose metal top heats up, lackluster searing (as with every electric cooker), and one pressure level, high, where the Duo and the Pro also offer low [src2]. Tom's Guide's best Instant Pot overall, which it says punches well above its weight in terms of value and is "regularly available for around $100": seven cooking settings behind icons rather than text labels and a pressure release that felt safe and hands-free, but no handles on the inner pot, and its preheat time isn't counted in the cooking time [src7]. America's Test Kitchen recommends it only with reservations: it made decent rice and good beans and beef stew, but it didn't slow-cook well and its sauté function seemed underpowered [src1]. Good Housekeeping tested it without picking it, finding the meat tender and the vegetables slightly overcooked [src3].

Best Upgrade: Instant Pot Pro 8-Quart — Check price

America's Test Kitchen's winner, "a great, easy-to-use appliance": a flat-bottomed pot that sears evenly, stay-cool handles, a streamlined interface with a "favorites" feature, a pressure-release switch that keeps your hand away from the steam and a diffuser that disperses it more gently, a keep-warm function you can switch off, and alerts after 5 or 10 minutes of natural release. Its pressure cooking, rice, sautéing, yogurt and steaming were all excellent; the quibbles are a bake setting that uses steam, a sous vide setting that is not true sous vide, and slow cooking that couldn't handle large cuts of meat. ATK thinks 8 quarts is the best size for most home cooks [src1]. Good Housekeeping's best pressure cooker for advanced users, tested in the 8-quart size: 10-in-1, five programmable presets, high (10.2–11.6 PSI) and low (5.8–7.2 PSI) pressure, and it pressurized in 27 minutes, the second-highest score in that test; its natural release was slower than others', but the quick-release button vented it in a little over four minutes [src4]. Wirecutter's upgrade pick is the 6-quart Pro, for its stove- and oven-safe inner pot with handles, large LCD screen, five sauté temperatures and steam-diffusing cap; it says the 8-quart is great if you cook for large groups or regularly make stock, and that the Pro did not preheat noticeably faster than other Instant Pots [src2]. Instant lists 28 one-touch programs and 1,400 watts for the 8-quart [src12]. Availability: Instant Pot's own US store listed the Pro 8QT at $199.99, in stock, when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src12].

Best Smart: Instant Pot Pro Plus — Check price

Tom's Guide's best smart Instant Pot: you control and monitor it from the Instant Brands Connect app or from its touchscreen and dial, and it has 16 smart programs (fewer than other models), NutriBoost and a choice of three venting methods. It heated up much more quickly than the other models Tom's Guide tested — beef browned evenly before the pre-warming stage had finished — made tender stews in 45 minutes and cooked fluffy basmati rice. The app setup can be tedious at first, and it comes in one size [src7]. Good Housekeeping tested it as a fully connected cooker you can vent from the app, with on-screen prompts for its recipes; its rice was nicely cooked and didn't stick, but its meat was a bit drier than with some other models [src3]. Instant lists 10 functions including canning, a 6-quart stainless steel pot with a thick aluminum core that is oven-safe to 350°F, and 1,200 watts [src14].

Best for Guided Cooking: CHEF iQ Smart Cooker — Check price

Reviewed's best-value pressure cooker: a built-in tare function to weigh ingredients straight into the pot, a display that shows how much pressure is building, a choice of when and how pressure is released (it beeps before an automatic quick release), customizable settings such as an adjustable fermentation temperature, and an app that is "beautifully designed and full of recipes and tips" but not required [src6]. Good Housekeeping counts more than 1,000 presets and access to more than 600 guided recipes and how-to videos, found its step-by-step instructions on the LCD screen easy to follow, and recorded one of its top pressure scores, 31 minutes to pressurize for beef stew; the app occasionally lost connection and the outer lid gets hot [src4]. Consumer Reports calls it highly rated, at roughly $100 less than the Breville Fast Slow Pro [src5]. America's Test Kitchen recommends it with reservations: setup (an app, an account, Wi-Fi and an update) took almost 30 minutes, slow-cooked vegetables stayed underdone and the dark pot was hard to see into, though it pressure-cooked well and counts down 10 seconds with beeps before it releases steam [src1].

Best Premium: Breville Fast Slow Pro — Check price

One of Consumer Reports' top-rated multi-cookers, at about $300: it aced CR's pressure-cooking test, was masterful at slow cooking (beef stew tender in 5 hours, chili in 7), steamed top-notch because it doesn't use pressure for that mode, and its ceramic nonstick coating showed no scratches after testing [src5]. Good Housekeeping's best electric pressure cooker: precise control of temperature and pressure (1.5 to 12 PSI), a choice of auto quick, auto pulse or natural release, an altitude adjustment, and the most tender pressure-cooked stew of all the machines it tested; it has no delay-start setting [src4]. America's Test Kitchen recommends it with reservations: its attached lid stood upright when open, and hands bumping it set off a safety shutoff while sautéing; the lid is tedious to clean and it was slower than other models to reach its maximum pressure-cooking temperature, though its rice, stew and beans were good [src1]. Wirecutter liked its interface and altitude adjustment but notes it costs about twice as much as the Instant Pot Pro and has a nonstick pot without handles [src2]. Breville lists 1,100 watts, a 6-quart bowl with a 4.5-quart maximum fill and a hands-free automatic steam release [src15]. Availability: Breville's own US store listed it at $329.95, in stock, when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src15].

Alternative: Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6.5-Quart with Ultimate Lid — Check price

One lid that both pressure cooks and air fries, with 13 functions [src3, src6]. America's Test Kitchen recommends it: great rice, and tender stew once more liquid was added after a "C7" error message; as an air fryer it made juicy, golden chicken cutlets but unevenly cooked fries, and its buttons often needed a second press [src1]. Reviewed found its yogurt function failed twice on a recipe from the Instant app and its air-fried chicken thighs browned unevenly, crispy on top and slightly mushy underneath [src6]. Wirecutter thinks it too expensive for what it can do, an unremarkable air fryer whose hinged lid makes it hard to place on a counter, and worries about its irremovable sealing ring and reports of the lid jamming [src2]. Good Housekeeping calls it one of the most expensive and the most versatile models it tested [src3]. ATK tested model 140-0068-01; the listing we link is the version with Wi-Fi. It is an alternative rather than a named pick because the testers split on it.

Alternative: Ninja HyperHeat 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker (PC201) — Check price

Ninja's 6.5-quart pressure cooker, with nine programs (pressure cook, slow cook, rice, pasta, sear/sauté, steam, sous vide, yogurt and keep warm) and an aluminum pot with a ceramic nonstick coating. Trusted Reviews tested the PC201: easy-to-read controls, a chuck roast so tender it fell apart and cleanup that was a breeze, and it seemed to depressurize faster than the Our Place Dream Cooker; the stainless steel rack for steaming is sold separately [src9]. The Kitchn's reviewer used its slow-cook and sear/sauté functions and liked its built-in timer and automatic switch to keep warm, but had not yet tried pressure cooking [src10]. No multi-cooker guide we read includes it, which is why it is an alternative here rather than a named pick. The May 2025 Ninja Foodi recall covers only the OP300-series models listed in the Caveats [src11].

What the Other Testers Picked

These picks are not on this card. Consumer Reports' highest-rated multi-cooker is the 6-quart Zavor LUX LCD, with perfect scores for pressure-cooked ribs, steamed vegetables and slow-cooked chili; Wirecutter found its pot sat loose and spun while it sautéed onions [src5, src2]. Consumer Reports also names the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 with Air Fryer one of the best performers in its lab, and the Instant Pot Max 6-quart for rice and sautéing, though its chili set off a "Food Burn" message [src5]; Wirecutter found the Max no real upgrade over its picks [src2]. The plain Instant Pot Duo is Good Housekeeping's best overall pressure cooker in its older guide and its best-value Instant Pot, and Wirecutter's former top pick [src4, src3, src2]. America's Test Kitchen highly recommends the 6-quart Instant Pot Pro, which has the same features as its winner in a smaller pot [src1]. Tom's Guide's best budget Instant Pot is the 4-quart Rio Mini [src7]. Wirecutter suggests the 7.5-quart Rio Wide Plus if you regularly cook large cuts of meat [src2], and Good Housekeeping's pick for slow cooking is the Cuisinart 6-Quart High Pressure Multi-Cooker [src4]. For a stovetop pressure cooker, CNN Underscored picks the T-fal Clipso [src8].

Key Market Trends (2026)

• Instant Pot still leads the multi-brand tests: every first choice in the guides that test several brands — America's Test Kitchen, Wirecutter, Good Housekeeping's pressure-cooker guide, Reviewed and CNN Underscored — is an Instant Pot; Consumer Reports' highest-rated model is a Zavor. Wirecutter says the Instant Pot is still the best of all the brands it has tested since 2016. [src1, src2, src4, src6, src8, src5]
• Testers prefer uncoated stainless steel pots: Wirecutter says nonstick coatings wear out after a few years while a stainless steel pot will likely outlast the appliance, America's Test Kitchen found plain stainless steel pots much more durable than nonstick ones, and Consumer Reports found the Zavor's stainless steel insert more durable than nonstick-coated inserts. The Cosori, CHEF iQ, Breville and Ninja HyperHeat on this card all have coated pots. [src2, src1, src5, src9]
• Slow cooking is the weak function: America's Test Kitchen found only a few of the multi-cookers it tested slow-cook well, and even its winning Pro couldn't slow-cook large cuts of meat well. On this card, the Cosori slow-cooked well in ATK's tests, the Breville in Consumer Reports' and the Duo Plus in Tom's Guide's. [src1, src5, src7]
• Smart features cost setup time: America's Test Kitchen needed almost 30 minutes to set up the CHEF iQ, Tom's Guide found the Pro Plus's app setup tedious at first, and the CHEF iQ's app occasionally lost connection in Good Housekeeping's tests. [src1, src7, src4]
• A large pressure-cooker recall: in May 2025 SharkNinja recalled about 1,846,400 Ninja Foodi OP300-series multi-function pressure cookers in the US because the pressure-cooking lid can be opened during use; SharkNinja had received 106 burn injury reports, including more than 50 of second- or third-degree burns, the CPSC says. [src11]

Important Caveats

• Capacity is not usable volume. Good Housekeeping notes a pressure cooker can only be filled two-thirds full, so a 6-quart model won't yield 6 quarts of food; Breville lists a 4.5-quart maximum fill for its 6-quart bowl. [src4, src15]
• They are not instant. Every electric pressure cooker takes time to preheat, and a natural release can take as long as 30 minutes; Wirecutter's four Instant Pots took between 14 minutes 24 seconds and 16 minutes 8 seconds to pressurize a pot of beans. [src2]
• Electric pressure is lower than stovetop pressure. America's Test Kitchen found most electric pressure cookers don't reach the temperatures and pressure of stovetop cookers; Good Housekeeping puts high pressure at typically 10 to 12 PSI, up to 15 on some high-end models. [src1, src4]
• The sealing ring is a consumable. Instant Brands recommends replacing it every 12–18 months, or every 6–12 months to avoid odors [src16]. Wirecutter takes smells out by baking the clean ring at 250°F for 20 to 30 minutes, and advises buying rings and parts from the manufacturer's website to avoid phony parts [src2].
• Instant Pot model names are confusing. Tom's Guide says they all look super similar and their names are virtually indistinguishable, and Wirecutter counts over a dozen models [src7, src2]. The Duo Plus the testers picked is the WhisperQuiet model [src3, src8, src13].
• Air-frying lids are a compromise. America's Test Kitchen and Reviewed found the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid air-fried unevenly, and Wirecutter calls it an unremarkable air fryer. If air frying is your main use, see our air fryer card. [src1, src6, src2]
• Check any hand-me-down Ninja Foodi. The recalled models are the OP300, OP301, OP301A, OP302, OP302BRN, OP302HCN, OP302HAQ, OP302HW, OP302HB, OP305, OP305CO and OP350CO. The CPSC says to stop using the pressure-cooking function and contact SharkNinja for a free replacement lid. None of the models on this card is one of them. [src11]