Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 (6 Quart) Review
A decade on, the original multicooker is still the sensible answer.
As an Amazon Associate, Karen Verified earns from qualifying purchases. That never changes our verdict.
Verdict: Karen Verified
Karen VerifiedThe short answer: Still the multicooker to buy: a stainless pot that will not wear out, hands-off pressure cooking that actually saves time on beans, stock and braises, and no app in sight.
- Buy it if
- Households that cook beans, stock, rice, stews and shredded meat and want them unattended.
- Skip it if
- You mostly sear and roast — a pressure cooker is the wrong tool — or you have nowhere to store a 12-pound appliance.
- Best feature
- Hands-off cooking with a stainless inner pot that will not wear out.
- Biggest annoyance
- The sauté function is weak compared with a pan, and the sealing ring holds onto curry smells.
- The catch
- Pressure cooking has a learning curve: 'pressure cook 10 minutes' means 25 minutes once you count coming to pressure and releasing. Recipes that skip that are lying.
- Evaluation
- In use for several years
- Model
- Instant Pot Duo 60
The 20-second verdict
A decade on, the original multicooker is still the sensible answer. Still the multicooker to buy: a stainless pot that will not wear out, hands-off pressure cooking that actually saves time on beans, stock and braises, and no app in sight. Best for: Households that cook beans, stock, rice, stews and shredded meat and want them unattended. Skip if: You mostly sear and roast — a pressure cooker is the wrong tool — or you have nowhere to store a 12-pound appliance.
What we loved, and what annoyed us
What we loved
- Dried beans without soaking, stock in an hour, pulled pork on a weeknight
- Stainless inner pot — no coating to ruin
- Set it and walk away; keep-warm holds dinner
- Physical buttons, no account, no Wi-Fi
- Cheap, widely available replacement rings and lids
What annoyed us
- Twelve pounds and a big footprint to store
- Sauté is weak next to a real pan
- The silicone ring absorbs smells — keep two, one for savory, one for sweet
- Recipe timings online routinely ignore the time to pressurize
What We Loved
It does the boring, time-consuming jobs unattended. Chickpeas from dry in under an hour. A whole chicken into stock while you do something else. Rice that is fine — not great, fine — with zero attention. The inner pot goes in the dishwasher and, being steel, will look the same in ten years.
What Annoyed Us
Storage. It lives on the counter or in a deep cabinet and nowhere else. The sauté function browns onions eventually but it is no substitute for a skillet; brown first in a pan if the dish depends on it.
The Catch
Pressure cooking has a learning curve. 'Ten minutes' on a recipe card means ten minutes at pressure, after ten to fifteen minutes coming up and, often, ten minutes of natural release. It is still faster and easier than the stovetop for the things it is good at, but it is not instant.
Who it is for
- Households that cook beans, grains, stock, stews and braises
- Meal preppers
- Anyone who wants dinner to cook itself while they do bedtime
Who should skip it
- People who mostly sear, roast and stir-fry
- Kitchens with no storage for a 12-pound appliance
- Anyone who wants the gadget to also air-fry — buy a separate air fryer
How we evaluated it
- Evaluation period
- Several years of regular use
- Where
- Home kitchen
- What we did with it
- Beans, stock, rice, yogurt, braises, steamed vegetables, hard-boiled eggs
- Compared against
- Stovetop methods; a slow cooker
- What we looked at
- Total time including pressurizing and release, cleaning effort, ring odor retention
- Limitations
- We have not tested the Duo Plus, Pro, or the air-fryer-lid models
- Product source
- Purchased at retail
- Dates
- Ongoing
Read how we evaluate products and our editorial standards.
Performance
Reliable. It comes to pressure, holds it, and the keep-warm setting is gentle enough to hold rice for an hour without drying it. Yogurt works but takes a full day and some fuss. Slow-cook mode runs cooler than a dedicated slow cooker; use 'more' for anything that needs a simmer.
Ease of use, design, and build quality
Ease of use
Physical buttons, a clear display, and a lid that clicks audibly when sealed. The steam release valve is the one part new users get wrong — turn it to sealing before you walk away.
Design and build quality
Stainless pot, steel exterior, plastic lid components. The sealing ring and lid gasket are the only wear parts and they are cheap and easy to replace. Instant sells spare inner pots, which makes batch cooking easier.
Privacy and connectivity
None applicable — this model has no connectivity.
Safety notes
Multiple pressure safety mechanisms. Never force the lid; if it will not open, there is still pressure inside. Check Instant Brands' site for any recall notices affecting your model number.
Cleaning, maintenance, and ongoing costs
Pot in the dishwasher. Wash the lid by hand and pull the ring out to air. Wipe the condensation cup. Once a month, clean the anti-block shield under the lid.
What it keeps costing you
| Consumables | Sealing rings every year or two |
|---|---|
| Energy | Lower than a long stovetop simmer |
| Replacement parts | Rings, lids, inner pots all available |
Value
Excellent. The Duo is the base model and the base model is the one to buy; the extra programs on pricier versions are presets you can set manually.
Alternatives
The 8-quart Duo, for families of five or more or serious batch cooking.
A stovetop pressure cooker: faster, cheaper, no electronics, but you have to watch it.
Also in Kitchen
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Worth It
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Specifications
| Brand / model | Instant Pot Duo 60 |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 6 qt |
| Functions | Pressure cook, slow cook, rice, steam, sauté, yogurt, warm |
| Programs | 13 one-touch |
| Inner pot | Stainless steel, dishwasher safe |
| Pressure | High and low |
| Warranty | 1 year limited |
Only specifications that affect the buying decision are listed. Figures marked “manufacturer states” are the maker's claims, not our measurements.
Warranty and returns
One-year limited warranty from Instant Brands.
Reader questions
Duo or Duo Plus?
6 or 8 quart?
Does it replace a slow cooker?
Final verdict
Verdict: Karen Verified
Karen VerifiedKaren Verified. The original is still the sensible answer, and the sensible answer rarely gets a marketing budget.
- Best for
- Households that cook beans, stock, rice, stews and shredded meat and want them unattended.
- Skip if
- You mostly sear and roast — a pressure cooker is the wrong tool — or you have nowhere to store a 12-pound appliance.
- Main strength
- Hands-off cooking with a stainless inner pot that will not wear out.
- Main weakness
- The sauté function is weak compared with a pan, and the sealing ring holds onto curry smells.
As an Amazon Associate, Karen Verified earns from qualifying purchases. That never changes our verdict.
Update and correction history
- Re-checked model lineup and updated alternatives.Why: Routine.Verdict unchanged
- Published.Why: Initial evaluation.Verdict unchanged
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As an Amazon Associate, Karen Verified earns from qualifying purchases. If you buy through links on this site we may receive a commission. You do not pay more because of this. Affiliate relationships do not determine which products we evaluate, recommend, criticize, or reject. Brands cannot buy a Karen Verified verdict. Full affiliate disclosure. Photographs on this page illustrate the product in use and are not test evidence; see our image policy.