4 Affordable Alternatives to the Instant Pot
The Instant Pot has been a hot item during most gifting holidays for the past few years. Every big-box store usually features one model in their sale, but they can still be a bit pricy or hard to snag at …
The Instant Pot has been a hot item during most gifting holidays for the past few years. Every big-box store usually features one model in their sale, but they can still be a bit pricy or hard to snag at the discounted price. So, like we recently did with the KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Roomba, and Keurig, we’ve put together a list of five great alternatives to the Instant Pot.
Our hope is that you have a list of ‘Plan B’ options if your favorite items are expensive due to inflation or hard to find this year. If you’re hoping to snag an electric pressure cooker, here are our picks for the best alternatives to Instant Pot.
Note that at the time of posting these prices were accurate, but due to inflation and Amazon’s dynamic pricing, the prices are fluctuating often. We’ll do our best to keep this up to date, but some prices may vary.
In This Post
- Instant Pot Alternatives
- COMFEE’ All In One Multi Cooker
- Crock-Pot Express Digital Max Multi-Cooker
- Insignia 6-Quart Multi-Function Pressure Cooker
- Aroma 20 Cup Digital Multicooker & Rice Cooker
Instant Pot Alternatives
An Instant Pot is an electric multicooker and it is definitely not one of a kind. There are lots of multicookers on the market and some of them are very affordable and offer the same functionality as an Instant Pot. We’ve put together a list of five quality alternatives if you can’t get your hands on an Instant Pot this year, whether due to supply issues or restraints on your holiday budget.
The Instant Pot Duo 9-in-1 Multicooker is available for around $90 at most retailers right now. This is the model we’ll be comparing to and if you have your heart set on an Instant Pot, this model at $90 or a lower-tier model for around $70 is a good price in the current market.
COMFEE’ All In One Multi Cooker – $60
This is a favorite among shoppers for an Instant Pot alternative. It has 12 cooking functions, including sauté, pasta, and DIY which can be used for yogurt or cake. It comes with a steam tray, measuring cup and two spatulas.
Instant Pot Comparison
| Feature | Instant Pot | COMFEE‘ |
| Cooking Modes | 9 | 12 |
| Cooking Capacity | 6 quarts | 5.2 quarts |
| Noteworthy Functions | Yogurt, eggs, sterlize, sauté | Quick rice, sauté, pasta, DIY |
Where to Buy
This is an Amazon brand and so you’ll find it on Amazon for the current $59.99 price. We have seen it in the past for $55, but being $60 even with the rising cost of everything, the $60 price point is still a good deal.
Crock-Pot Express Digital Max Multi-Cooker – $90
If you’re looking for a pressure cooker with a lot of bells and whistles, this one is a top choice. It’s got 12 settings including Slow Cook, Brown/Sear, Sauté, Simmer, Boil, Yogurt, Steam, Keep Warm, Meat/Poultry, Beans/Chili, Soup/Stew, Rice/Grains, Dessert, and Clean.
Instant Pot Comparison
| Feature | Instant Pot | Crock-Pot |
| Cooking Modes | 9 | 12 |
| Cooking Capacity | 6 quarts | 6 quarts |
| Noteworthy Functions | Yogurt, eggs, sterlize, sauté | Quick clean, boil, simmer, yogurt, sauté, sear |
Where to Buy
Best Buy currently has this model for $89.99. While that matches the sale price of the Instant Pot Duo, this $90 price is the everyday price, so when the Instant Pot is no longer on sale, this is a better bargain.
Insignia 6-Quart Multi-Function Pressure Cooker – $60
This super affordable option gives you 10 different settings: Rice, Multi-grain, Soup, Meat/Stew, Poultry, Fish, Steam Veggies, Beans/Chili, Quinoa and Cake. It comes with a measuring cup, rice scoop, soup ladle, cooking stand and condensation collector
Instant Pot Comparison
| Feature | Instant Pot | Insignia |
| Cooking Modes | 9 | 10 |
| Cooking Capacity | 6 quarts | 6 quarts |
| Noteworthy Functions | Yogurt, eggs, sterlize, sauté | Cake, steam veggies, quinoa |
Where to Buy
Insignia is Best Buy’s in-house brand. They currently have this multi-function pressure cooker for $59.99. If you’re looking for a quality Instant Pot alternative for a lower price, this is a great one to grab.
Aroma 20 Cup Digital Multicooker & Rice Cooker – $40
This Aroma model is technically a rice cooker, but it does have several other functions. You can cook white rice, multi-grain rice, steam, cake, and sauté. While it doesn’t have as many functions as some of our other options, it’s still a good alternative for the price.
Instant Pot Comparison
Feature | Instant Pot | Aroma |
Cooking Modes | 9 | 7 |
Cooking Capacity | 6 quarts | 5 quarts |
Noteworthy Functions | Yogurt, eggs, sterlize, sauté | Cake, sauté |
Where to Buy
Target has this one for $39.99 as part of their current sale. The current regular price is $42.99, so you don’t need to rush to snag it. We don’t expect a lower price on this anytime soon. Amazon also has this for $39.92, beating Target’s price by a few cents!