If you’re wondering how to convert slow cooker recipes to the Instant Pot, you’re in the right place! For a seamless transition, use our free printable Slow Cooker To Instant Pot Conversion Sheet! As amazing as the slow cooker is, if you need to produce a meal quickly, the Instant Pot is what saves the day. The name says it all, right?
The slow cooker can take care of a meal while you’re at work or running errands, but it’s not the tool to use when you’re in a hurry. The Instant Pot can cook almost any meal the slow cooker can in just a fraction of the time.
🥦 Why It Works
The Instant Pot comes with multiple functions, pressure cooking included. It also has settings to make rice, yogurt, and even steaming, and sautéing. However, our slow cooker to instant pot conversion printable refers to the latter’s pressure cooking function.
Pressure cooking is one of the fastest (and healthiest) cooking methods. It’s also one of the best options if you’re dealing with a tough cut of meat, or anything that would usually need a longer cooking time, such as beans.
Another important benefit is it’s really just as easy to use as a slow cooker. Especially if you keep our conversion sheet on hand!
🍖 How This Works
The printable includes all the main food categories.
For each item, you can see the slow cooker total cooking time on the low setting, and the Instant Pot total cooking time using the High Pressure setting.
Some foods, such as a whole chicken or beef roast have the Instant Pot total cooking time per pound. For example, cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot requires about six minutes per pound.
If your chicken is two pounds, you would need to cook it for 12 minutes in the Instant Pot.
Keep in mind these cooking times do not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The cooking time starts once the pot has pressurized.
Depending on how full the Instant Pot is, it can take between 5 and 15 minutes to come to pressure.
🫑 Slow Cooker To Instant Pot Conversion Chart
All the foods listed in our conversion sheet are organized into categories. There’s also a general conversions section that will help you convert any slow cooker recipe that’s not on the list to the Instant Pot.
🐔 Chicken
Making a chicken meal in the Instant Pot is a breeze! Since this type of meat cooks fast even on the stovetop, with the Instant Pot, it is often a matter of minutes.
Cooking a whole chicken will take longer, so if you’re in a hurry, just cut it into smaller pieces.
| Chicken | Slow Cooker | Instant Pot |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breasts | 4-6 hours | 6 minutes |
| Chicken thighs (bone-in) | 4-6 hours | 10 minutes |
| Chicken thighs (boneless) | 4-6 hours | 10 minutes |
| Whole chicken | 6-8 hours | 6 minutes/lb |
Even as a beginner with the Instant Pot, these classic recipes are a guaranteed success:
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
🐮 Beef
I have to say, if there’s something that pressure cooking is fantastic at, it’s cooking the tougher cuts of beef really fast.
Pre-seasoning or brining beef ahead will tenderize it, so keep that in mind when you’re cooking it in the Instant Pot. This can shorten the cooking time considerably.
| Beef | Slow Cooker | Instant Pot |
|---|---|---|
| Beef roast | 8-10 hours | 16 minutes/lb |
| Beef stew | 8-10 hours | 15-20 minutes |
| Ground beef | 4-6 hours | 5 minutes |
| Meatballs | 4-6 hours | 10-15 minutes |
Some of the most delicious and easiest beef recipes can be made in the Instant Pot. Check out some of our favorites!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew (Instant Pot Option)
🐽 Pork
Who doesn’t love pork, right? If it comes out well in the slow cooker, trust me, it will turn out just as delicious in the Instant Pot.
Any recipe that requires you to just prep the ingredients and add them to the Instant Pot is perfect for weekdays and whenever you need to put together a quick meal.
| Pork | Slow Cooker | Instant Pot |
|---|---|---|
| Pork chops (bone-in) | 8 hours | 8 minutes |
| Pork chops (boneless) | 8 hours | 5 minutes |
| Pork shoulder (3 pound) | 8 hours | 55 minutes |
| Pork loin (2-3 pound) | 8 hours | 25-30 minutes |
With pork, we’re not lacking Instant Pot options. If you don’t know where to start, try our delicious Instant Pot keto pork chops for a flavorful meal that’s ready in 40 minutes!
🍚 Staples
Beans, rice, pasta, whole potatoes…these are all staples used in so many recipes and knowing the cooking times for the Instant Pot is an absolute necessity.
You will find them all in our printable Slow Cooker To Instant Pot Conversion chart, so there is no need to do anything other than grab and print it.
What I love most about the Instant Pot is most recipes using it are “dump and go”. Feed the family and have some time for yourself? Yes, please!
| Staples | Slow Cooker | 35-45 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Beans | 5-6 hours | 35-45 minutes |
| Rice | 2-3 hours | 8-15 minutes |
| Pasta | 30 minutes | 4-6 minutes |
| Whole potatoes | 8 hours | 14 minutes |
Instant Pot Fettuccine Bolognese
Vegetarian White Bean Soup (Instant Pot option)
🐟 Miscellaneous
This category includes several foods/dishes that are very common, such as fish fillet, meatloaf, and soups, among others. These are estimated cooking times, so be sure to check the recommended times for the individual ingredients as well.
| Miscellaneous | Slow Cooker | Instant Pot |
|---|---|---|
| Fish fillet | 1-2 hours | 5 minutes |
| Meatloaf | 7-8 hours | 25-30 minutes |
| Soup / stew | 6-8 hours | 30 minutes |
| Vegetarian dish | 4 hours | 5-7 minutes |
General Conversions
I’m sure you have tons of slow cooker recipes you’d like to convert to the Instant Pot. The general conversions section from our printable chart will help you do that with ease.
Regardless if your recipe requires slow cooking on Low or High setting, you will find the equivalent Instant Pot cooking time in the next column.
| Slow Cooker | Instant Pot |
|---|---|
| 10 hours on low/5 hours on high | 30 minutes on high pressure |
| 8 hours on low/4 hours on high | 24 minutes on high pressure |
| 6 hours on low/3 hours on high | 18 minutes on high pressure |
| 4 hours on low/2 hours on high | 12 minutes on high pressure |
🔍 Conversion Tips
Pressure cooking is one of the most effortless ways to prepare your meals.
One of the most important things is to always add liquid before pressurizing. It may not be required in your slow cooker recipe. The Instant Pot needs at least one cup of liquid to come to pressure.
Frozen foods will take longer to cook. Add another 4-10 minutes to your total Instant Pot cooking time. This is especially important for frozen meats.
Is your food undercooked after releasing the pressure? Just put the lid back on and let it come to pressure again for 2-5 minutes. This time your Instant Pot will rise to pressure much faster.
Another thing you should know about the Instant Pot is it doesn’t pressurize properly if it’s too full. You may need to scale back your ingredients of your original slow cooker recipe to keep them below the ⅔ “MAX FILL” line.
For expandable ingredients like beans, rice, or pasta, fill the Instant Pot only half full.
How To Snag Your Printable
Whether you just bought an Instant Pot or you are a seasoned user, I hope you’ll find our free printable Slow Cooker To Instant Pot Conversion chart useful!
Fill the form below with your email address to receive your free printable. You will find it in your inbox shortly after.
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Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
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