Instant Pot vs. air fryer: Which is best?

Allen Foster, BestReviews Staff

12 months ago

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Both are known for convenience, but which is best?

An Instant Pot and an air fryer are two countertop kitchen appliances that cook food in different ways. While they might look somewhat similar on the outside, an Instant Pot is a pressure cooker with a sealed chamber that cooks with moist heat, leveraging internal pressure. An air fryer cooks with dry heat and a fan, like a small convection oven.

When choosing between an Instant Pot and an air fryer, think about your cooking goals. An Instant Pot is best for cooking foods with a liquid base and for tenderizing. An air fryer crisps food with less oil than regular frying and deep-frying.

Keep reading to learn more about key differences between Instant Pots and air fryers, including the pros and cons of each.

Instant Pot pros and cons

Pros

Versatile: An Instant Pot comes in a variety of sizes. They’re typically sold in 3-quart, 6-quart and 8-quart iterations. You can use one to cook protein, rice, potatoes, pasta, soup and more.
Saves time: While every recipe is different, the Instant Pot requires less cooking time than other methods. For example, you can usually cook food in about one-third the time that it takes in an oven.
Tenderizes: An Instant Pot works like a fast slow cooker, steaming and tenderizing food as it cooks. Meat cooked in an Instant Pot often has a melt-in-your-mouth quality.
Cooks in flavor: Because food cooks in a sealed environment, it cooks in its own juices. Thus, the flavor cannot escape.
Energy efficient: An Instant Pot is small and efficient. Using this device can save you money compared to turning on a large appliance like an oven.
No babysitting: Once your food is in and cooking, you don’t have to watch over it and occasionally stir it as you would food on a stovetop.
Easy to clean: If you can wash a stainless steel pot, you can clean an Instant Pot.

Cons

Misleading name: While cooking might be faster, it’s not instant. The appliance must heat up and pressurize before it starts to cook, which can take 10 to 15 minutes or longer. And when you are done, you must release the steam pressure. In other words, it takes a little more effort than sticking a dish in the microwave.
Has a learning curve: If you have never used a pressure cooker, you probably won’t be up and running in minutes. There is a learning curve. Plus, it may take a little trial and error before getting things right.
Not ideal for all situations: An Instant Pot cooks with moist heat. This is not the best option for all foods, especially those that you want to be crispy.
Can’t check on food or easily tweak recipes: An Instant Pot cooks in a sealed, pressurized environment. You can’t just open the lid to check or add an ingredient that you forgot. Once you start cooking, you can’t easily make changes.

Air fryer pros and cons

The air fryer is a product of marketing genius. The name itself conjures thoughts of a magical appliance that fries food with zero guilt. While that isn’t completely true, there are a few things about air fryers that might surprise you.

Pros

Cooks fast: You can usually cut your cooking time in half when using an air fryer instead of an oven.
Enhances flavor and texture: The intense heat and small space of an air fryer trigger the Maillard effect, a chemical change that enhances the taste, color and texture of food.
More versatile than expected: While this appliance is marketed as a way to cook junk food with less guilt, it does other things as well, such as baking, roasting and warming foods.
Healthier cooking option: Since you can get the crispness you seek with reduced oil, an air fryer is a slightly healthier option in some ways.
Energy efficient: An air fryer is a much more energy-efficient option than a full-size oven.
Fits on the counter: Many air fryers are compact appliances that easily fit on the counter of a small kitchen.
Easy to clean: Although you must clean an air fryer after every cooking session, you mostly need to focus on the basket and crisper tray. In other words, cleanup is quick and easy, in most cases taking only a few minutes.

Cons

Not always healthy: While an air fryer offers healthier cooking options, bacon and chicken nuggets are still not the best foods to consume. An air fryer doesn’t make bad foods good. At best, it makes bad foods a little less bad.
Not all models cook the same: Some air fryers may cook bacon in eight minutes, but others may burn it in the same amount of time. A little trial and error is needed, even if you’re an experienced cook.
Best for foods you want to crisp: An air fryer can bake cookies. However, those cookies will probably be crispy on the outside and doughy on the inside. In general, this appliance is best for comfort foods and snacks that crunch.
Most models are for small portions: Despite claims of large capacity, many air fryers are really only suitable for feeding two people or a small family.

Instant Pot vs. air fryer: similarities

We know an Instant Pot and an air fryer are two different appliances, but they do share some things in common.

Similar look: On a superficial level, an Instant Pot and an air fryer may look similar. Both are designed to rest on a countertop.
Energy efficient: Both appliances efficiently use energy to cook food in a small chamber.
Quicker cooking: Food cooks faster than it does in a regular oven.
Versatile: Each appliance has a broad range of functions. Neither is a one-trick pony.
Easy to clean: These appliances are easy to clean, requiring just a nonabrasive sponge, warm water and mild dish soap.
Healthier cooking approach: The Instant Pot and air fryer each have the potential to offer a healthier approach to cooking.

Differences between an air fryer and an Instant Pot

The differences between an air fryer and an Instant Pot go deep. Really, they are two different appliances. Here’s what you need to know.

They use different types of heat. An Instant Pot cooks using moist heat and pressure, which tenderizes. An air fryer crisps with dry heat and a fan.
An Instant Pot cooks in a sealed, pressurized environment. Once you start cooking, you cannot easily open an Instant Pot the way you can an air fryer.
An Instant Pot lets you set and forget. The sealed cooking chamber requires no attention from you after you start cooking. You can “forget” about it until your food is fully cooked. An air fryer can be opened at any time, and for best results, the basket sometimes needs a little shaking.

When to use one vs. the other

An Instant Pot is like a slow cooker. If you are interested in making stew, steaming rice, heating up apple cider, roasting chicken, trying sous vide, braising meats and vegetables or making other foods with an element of liquid, an Instant Pot is often the way to go. That said, dairy products do not fare well in an Instant Pot. Milk may curdle or scald. This appliance is best for any proteins you want super tender or nearly any recipe that needs to stay moist.

An air fryer is excellent for preparing french fries, tater tots, chicken wings, macaroni bites, pizza bites and other snack foods. Of course, that isn’t its only purpose. You can roast, warm, broil, bake and more. Remember that the outside of your food will turn crispy. If you want your dish to have a little crunch, an air fryer is a fine appliance. But some foods, like the cookies we mentioned earlier, may not turn out the best in an air fryer. Even if you’re careful, baking cookies in an air fryer will render doughy cookies on the inside with crispy shells on the outside.

If you have a little more money in your budget, you can get an Instant Pot with an air fryer function or an air fryer that also cooks with moist heat. However, in general, an Instant Pot is for moist foods, and an air fryer is for crispy foods.

Pressure cooking vs. air frying: Which is healthier?

Before discussing the healthiest way to cook food, it’s vital to realize that the nutritional value of the food itself plays a role in the outcome. In other words, a hot dog doesn’t become healthy because you cooked it in an air fryer. That said, air fryers and Instant Pots both offer benefits for individuals looking to move toward a healthier lifestyle.

The research on pressure cookers has been going on for over half a century. But like many food studies, it is inconclusive. Some studies suggest nutrient retention is a little better in a pressure cooker. Others have found no significant nutritional difference. What makes an Instant Pot appealing to the health-conscious is the fact that you control the recipe, including the salt, sugar, and preservatives that go into your “home-cooked” Instant Pot meal.

Air fryers are touted as “healthy” because you can cook using far less oil than you would with other methods. For example, instead of deep-frying potatoes in a vat of hot fat, you can sprinkle one tablespoon of oil over the batch. That’s all you’d need to get a satisfying crunch.

Other considerations

Before wrapping up our head-to-head comparison, there are three other aspects to consider: price, convenience and safety.

Price comparison

Price, whether you’re buying an Instant Pot or an air fryer, depends largely on capacity. The smallest air fryers tend to hold just 2 quarts of food and offer limited features. These may cost as little as $50. Larger air fryers can cost as much as $300. If you’re paying that much, expect to get some generous bells and whistles with your appliance.

A small Instant Pot that holds 3 quarts of food costs around $80. But if you want a large 8-quart model with over a dozen push-button features, that will cost about $220.

Convenience comparison

For convenience, the easy winner is the air fryer. Why? There is almost no learning curve for using an air fryer. It heats and cooks quickly, and it’s easy to clean.

An Instant Pot takes longer to heat and build up pressure. However, you may find the end result worth the wait. If you had these two appliances next to each other, note that the air fryer might finish its job around the time the Instant Pot is ready to start cooking.

Safety comparison

An air fryer is not much different from a convection toaster oven. It’s a sturdy object with rubber feet that has little chance of falling over. The two main concerns are where the heat vents out (you don’t want any plastic bags in that vicinity) and where the oil collects when you cook greasy food like bacon.

While there are concerns about how much pressure builds up in a traditional pressure cooker and if it can be safely released, modern models have built-in features that should eliminate any fear. The biggest concern is to make sure you stay clear of any released steam.

Top air fryer models

These air fryers were all tested in the BestReviews Testing lab so we could offer firsthand insights.

Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro

Product specifications

If you are looking for a countertop version of an oven, this Breville air fryer is a solid choice. We liked that you could make pretty much anything in this appliance, from french fries to a turkey. It’s even suitable for baking a cake. A standout feature is the Autopilot mode, which steps through a recipe, automatically changing parameters to promote the best outcome. We think this model is an apt choice for home chefs who like cooking with smart appliances.

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Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven

Product specifications

The Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a highly versatile compact appliance that we believe would be at home in just about any kitchen. Even though it doesn’t take up much countertop real estate, we found it cooked a significant amount of food. It’s easy to operate, and the Dual Cook mode (combining two cooking modes in a single program) is highly convenient. A good example was when we baked a casserole and then switched effortlessly over to the broil function to crisp the top.

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Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer

Product specifications

While the Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker requires a little pre-reading before use and has a slight learning curve, we think it’s one of the more remarkable models on the market. What makes it so impressive is the fact that it can cook with dry heat, moist heat or both. We loved that we could make french fries, rice or a meal with both crispy and tender dishes. It was easy to clean, wasn’t intolerably loud and gave us the luxury of preparing a meal in under 30 minutes.

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Top Instant Pot models

The BestReviews Testing Lab also tested Several Instant Pots to find out which was the best. We came up with three solid options: the Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer and Electric Pressure Cooker Combo, the Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker and the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer and Electric Pressure Cooker Combo

Product specifications

Dimensions: 13.58” D x 14.76” W x 15.28” H | Capacity: 8 qt | Cooking functions: 11 | Power: 1,500 W

When we evaluated this model, we found that it’s a multicooker that can do the job of several common kitchen appliances. It can pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam and air fry. The Instant Pot was well-made, and it definitely reduced cooking times, leading us to believe it would hold up well under typical use. We liked the versatility and hands-off operation — mostly set and forget. The app helped with convenience, and we appreciated the safety features that prevented cooking without a proper seal and alerted us when it was safe to open the lid.

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Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker

Product specifications

Dimensions: 13” D x 12.7” W x 12.8” H | Capacity: 6 qt | Cooking functions: 10 | Power: 1,200 W

This Instant Pot has 10 features, ranging from cake baker to yogurt maker. We liked the stay-cool silicone handles of the inner pot and the programmable settings that let us customize performance. With its overheat protection, safe-locking lid and upgraded gentle steam release switch, we felt very safe using this Instant Pot. This model came with an extra sealing ring and a stainless-steel steamer rack for cooking versatility. It has a 6-quart capacity, making it large enough to cook for up to six people at a time.

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Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

Product specifications

Dimensions: 13.18” D x 14.8” W x 10.4” H | Capacity: 8 qt | Cooking functions: 7 | Power: 1,200 W

For its modest price, we found this Instant Pot to be quite impressive. It can function as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté pan and food warmer. We appreciated the freedom of choice to make a quick meal with the pressure cooker or to cook traditional recipes “low and slow.” Built-in safety features like overheat protection and a safe-locking lid make it safe even for beginners. The 8-quart capacity allows you to cook for up to eight people.

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How we analyzed

BestReviews has an international network of writers, editors and product testers. The Testing Lab has an extensive database with compiled notes from numerous hands-on tests. Besides learning how each product works in real-life situations, BestReviews consults on-staff experts and weighs data and reviews from other outlets and organizations to keep the results as unbiased as possible. Our practical knowledge and experience with each type of appliance makes the Testing Lab qualified to compare these two items.

Should you buy an Instant Pot or an air fryer?

So which is best, an Instant Pot or an air fryer? The answer depends on what you want because both do their jobs exceptionally well.

If you’re craving a home-cooked meal such as a roast with potatoes and gravy, an Instant Pot is the way to go. A larger Instant Pot is ideal for a family meal. And with the right accessories, you can make a variety of foods all in one pot. The Instant Pot is also good for people who prefer their food tender and cooked in its own flavor.

If you’re a fan of comfort foods such as french fries and macaroni bites, an air fryer is the better option. It gives you a crispy exterior, keeps the interior juicy and only takes about 10 minutes for most recipes. It’s also best if you only need to cook one type of food at a time.

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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.