As the cost of living causes prices to skyrocket, and it becomes harder to justify using the oven everyday, small appliances like the best air fryers and the best multi-cookers have come to save the day. Offering multiple methods of cooking and energy-saving costs, having a multi-cooker in your home can replace most of your kitchen appliances, while delivering precise and tasty results.
If you’re looking for such an appliance, a good brand to look at is Instant Pot. One of the latest multi-cookers to come from them is the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker which boasts 10 cooking methods, easy-to-use touchscreen controls and an accompanying app for additional recipes and customisations.
I tested the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker to see if it lived up to the hype, so keep reading to find out why it was given Highly Commended for the Best Multi-Cooker at T3 Awards 2024.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker review: price and availability
The Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker is £199.99 and available to buy at Instant Pot and Amazon. Compared to the other multi-cookers from Instant Pot, this is the most expensive model from the brand, and is on the premium end of the price spectrum in comparison to other manufacturers like Ninja.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker review: unboxing and set-up
The Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker came in a large compact box with plastic coverings to protect the appliance during delivery. It came with the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker, stainless steel inner pot, the lid, a steam rack and an extra sealing ring.
Setting up the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker was extremely easy. It arrived mostly put together, so I simply had to remove the plastic from around the appliance and take off the tape holding the lid to the main body. I also made sure to clean it properly before use. One negative I had was that the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker didn’t come with many instructions, and as someone who’d never used a multi-cooker before, I would have appreciated some recipe advice.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker review: design and features
The Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker measures 32.3 x 33.5 x 33.1 cm and weighs 9.28 kg. While it’s not the heaviest appliance in the world, I wouldn’t describe it as light, but its size meant that I could fit it into my kitchen cupboard if I didn’t want it out at all times. Similarly, it’s not a huge multi-cooker but it’s pretty bulky so you’ll need a good amount of countertop space to display and use it.
With a 5.7-litre capacity, the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker has a good cooking space in the inner pot, and can cook for up to six people or six portions at a time. The inner pot has markings to show litre and quart amount, and has handles on the side so you can insert and remove it into the main body. The design is immediately identifiable as Instant Pot, with its circular shape, black colouring, handled lid and colourful branding at the top of the controls.
The touchscreen display is easy to use, and lets you customise your temperature, method and timings. Most of the controls can be selected like this but the time and temperature is better controlled with the silver knob at the bottom. The display is fun to look at and easy to understand as it has a mixture of words and pictures. There are icons for temperature and venting, and a progress indicator runs underneath ‘Preheat’, ‘Cooking’ and ‘Keep Warm’ towards the top of the display.
The Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker has 10 cooking functions to choose from, including pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, saute pan, yoghurt maker, warmer, canning, sous vide and food warmer. With safety in mind, the easy seal locking lid stays locked securely during and after cooking so the steam can be released.
While the touchscreen display is easy to use, the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker can be controlled wirelessly when you connect it to the Instant Brands Connect app. The app means you can customise and check on your meal remotely via your smartphone and you get access to over 1400 recipes with cooking instructions.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker review: performance
As I mentioned above, the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker has a generous size and sleek design. I like to keep my workspace as clear as possible, so while it didn’t take up a huge amount of room on my countertop, I preferred to store it in my cupboard when I wasn’t using it. While it has a bit of weight to it, it wasn’t heavy to maneuver and it fit comfortably in a standard-sized cupboard.
I’ve wanted a slow cooker for the longest time so I used this cooking method most frequently during the testing process. While slow cooking does take a bit of pre-planning, I appreciated that the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker took care of everything, from the temperature to releasing the steam. My favourite experiment was making pulled pork tacos. It took four and a half hours on the slow cooker setting, and I easily adjusted the time and temperature with the controls.
The Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker took hardly any time to preheat and it cooked noiselessly for the full four+ hours. The outside of the appliance got a bit warm but it wasn’t hot to touch and it cooled down quickly after cooking. The pulled pork came out incredibly tender and easy to shred, although I had a couple issues taking it out of the multi-cooker.
Having not used a multi-cooker like this before, I found the steam release of the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker tricky to use. After releasing the cap at the top, the steam came out extremely slowly, which is good for safety but not so good for an impatient hungry person. I used a pair of tongs to nudge the steam valve and it released a huge amount of steam quickly.
Another successful test was with the rice mode of the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker. I’m awful at cooking rice so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the rice option only took 12 minutes! The rice came out perfectly cooked and super fluffy, although I’ll need to add more oil next time as some grains stuck to the bottom of the pot. But a major plus is that the inner pot of the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker is easy to clean and doesn’t stain easily… although it might hold onto strong smells from time to time.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker review: verdict
The Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker has become an appliance I use frequently in my kitchen. The pressure, slow and rice cooking modes are my favourite functions, but I wish there was an air fryer mode as I think more people would use it over yoghurt making and canning. However, there’s a great range of options to choose from and the entire cooking process is easy and self-explanatory, so even the most hopeless chefs will be able to use it!
The Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker has an attractive design and display, although it might take up a bit too much space in smaller kitchens. The steam release still terrifies me and it costs more than other multi-cookers on the market, but if you want multiple cooking methods in a premium design, the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker is sure to become a firm favourite in your house.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker review: alternatives to consider
If you fancy a different model from the Instant Pot brand, a good alternative to consider is the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Plus Air Fryer. This multi-cooker and air fryer hybrid can pressure and slow cook, air fry, bake, roast, steam, saute, sous vide, broil and dehydrate, and it’s the same price as the Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart Multi-Cooker.
An alternative from a different brand, the Ninja Speedi is another multi-cooker with air frying options. The Ninja Speedi mostly uses steam to cook your food, and it has a Speedi Meals option so you can make evening meals for the family in just 15 minutes.
