The Instant Pot Duo Crisp pressure cooker helps you achieve crispy food with little to no oil. In comparison to all the other appliances in our best Instant Pots buying guide, this is the only model that includes the same features as the best air fryers.
This Instant Pot is part of the brand’s Duo line. It comes with 11 cooking functions, so acts as a multi-cooker for the price of one. The Instant Pot Duo Crisp comes with two lids, which means you can still steam or slow cook food, but the second lid gives you the option to air fry. Air fryers have been increasing in popularity thanks to the fact they make a healthier alternative to the traditional oil frying techniques.
You can expect to pay around $160 for the Instant Pot Duo Crisp. This makes it one of the most expensive machines in our round up, however, this is in line with some of the top-rated air fryers, and with the Instant Pot, you’re getting an additional 10 functions too.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp: Features
Like the Instant Pot Aura Pro, the Duo Crisp multi-cooker comes with 11 different cooking programs for super easy one-pot cooking. You can choose from the pressure cooking function, or the slow cooker feature, along with being able to sauté, steam, sous vides and warm. But what makes this cooker stand out from the rest of the Instant Pots, is the fact it can air fry.
Thanks to its innovative EvenCrisp technology, you can enjoy meals that come with a crispy finish. Tuck into tender chicken with a crunchy outer coating or French fries that are soft and fluffy in the middle but oh-so-crunchy on the outside. Whilst using the Air Fryer lid, you can use five different cooking functions. These include being able to roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, and quickly air fry foods.
The Duo Crisp also comes with more than 10 built-in safety features. These include an easy seal lid, which automatically locks in and seals for pressure cooking, temperature control, and overheat protection.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp: Design and accessories
The black and silver-colored Instant Pot comes with an LED display. It also has a range of accessories, including a stackable multi-level air fryer basket. This means you can fry anything from chips to a rack of ribs. A drip pan, cooking tray, and broil/dehydrate tray are also included. The latter allows for ‘optimal air flow’. The cooker also comes with two lids – an air frying lid and a pressure cooking lid which means it can also be used as a slow cooker and more.
All of this particular Instant Pot’s accessories are dishwasher friendly. Whilst its stainless steel outer surface makes it easy to clean.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp: Performance and size
This clever contraception can cook foods up to 70% faster than other cooking techniques. Plus its air frying function can fry food with 95% less oil. It has an 8-quart capacity which makes it large enough to cook for up to six people. To put it into perspective, 8-quart is large enough to cook a whole chicken inside. It weighs 22.7 pounds.
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is one of the largest Instant Pots in the range, mainly due to its air fryer lid. With this lid, the Duo Crisp has a dimension of 14.76 x 13.58 x 15.28 inches. Whilst its dimensions with the pressure cooker lid are slightly smaller at 14.76in x 13.58 x 14.17 inches.
It has a warranty of 12 months and it is pretty powerful with 1500 watts.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp: User reviews
On Amazon, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp has received a total of 14,832 ratings at the time of publishing, so it’s clearly a very popular choice. Averaging 4.7 stars out of five stars, users praised the machine for being able to make frying so much easier, healthier, and quicker. Whilst another user said it’s easy to clean and is enjoyable to use thanks to its never ending list of functions. Other positive reviews mention how quickly this Instant Pot warms up compared to a traditional oven, suggesting it “takes about two minutes to heat up”.
However, one user mentioned that the Instant Pot is great, but the air fryer function isn’t so great. Criticisms came in the form of suggesting the air fryer basket is ‘too small’. Others also mention that this Instant Pot only cooks one side of food at a time, so they found baking a challenge.
Should you buy the Instant Pot Duo Crisp?
Thanks to its innovative EvenCrisp technology, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp allows you to enjoy fried food that comes with a healthier twist as it uses 95% less oil. It is, however, quite expensive at around $160. If you’re going to be cooking for a crowd though, this Instant Pot might be too small. Its air fryer basket isn’t the biggest we’ve reviewed, so for a larger alternative, check out our guide to the best air fryers.
