Best Instant Pot and Pressure Cookers of 2026
A good pressure cooker or multi-cooker can transform your meal prep — cutting cook times by up to 70% while producing tender, flavorful results. The Instant Pot popularized the category, but competition has pushed the technology forward significantly. Here’s what to buy in 2026.
Quick Picks
- Best overall: Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
- Best for large families: Instant Pot Pro 8-Quart
- Best air fryer combo: Instant Pot Duo Crisp
- Best budget: Farberware 6-Quart Pressure Cooker
- Best for beginners: Ninja Foodi 5-in-1
1. Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 — Best Overall
The Instant Pot Duo remains the benchmark multi-cooker for good reason. Seven functions — pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, and yogurt maker — cover virtually every cooking need in a single appliance. The 6-quart capacity suits households of 2-6 people, setup is intuitive, and the Instant Pot recipe ecosystem is enormous.
Years of iteration have made the Duo reliable and well-refined. The stainless steel inner pot is durable and easy to clean. If you’re buying your first multi-cooker, this is the safe choice.
What we like: 7 cooking functions. Proven reliability. Huge recipe community. Easy to use.
What to know: No air frying. Interface is button-based rather than touch.
2. Instant Pot Pro 8-Quart — Best for Large Families
The Instant Pot Pro adds five additional cooking programs over the Duo, an improved inner pot with easier-grip handles, a quieter steam release valve, and a more premium build overall. The 8-quart capacity handles large batch cooking, whole chickens, and feeding six or more people comfortably.
What we like: 8-quart capacity. Improved build quality. Quieter steam release. More cooking programs.
What to know: Large footprint. Pricier than the Duo. Overkill for small households.
3. Instant Pot Duo Crisp — Best Pressure Cooker + Air Fryer Combo
The Duo Crisp replaces two appliances with one — a full-featured pressure cooker that swaps to an air fryer lid for crisping and broiling. Pressure cook a whole chicken in 25 minutes, then swap the lid to crisp the skin in 10 minutes. The combination is genuinely useful and the results are better than doing either step alone.
What we like: Pressure cooker and air fryer in one. Eliminates need for separate appliances. Excellent results.
What to know: Two lids to store. More expensive than standalone pressure cooker. Larger footprint.
4. Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 — Best for Beginners
The Ninja Foodi’s guided cooking programs and more intuitive interface make it the friendlier entry point for pressure cooking newcomers. Five preset functions handle the most common use cases without overwhelming options. The TenderCrisp technology — pressure cook then crisp — produces excellent results with minimal learning curve.
What we like: Beginner-friendly interface. TenderCrisp technology. Reliable results. Good build quality.
What to know: Fewer functions than Instant Pot. Smaller recipe community.
Related: Best Air Fryers of 2026 | More Home & Kitchen