Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1: the cheap workhorse that earns its bench space
At $149 it does the work of six appliances, and 15,000 owners agree it is one of the safest kitchen buys going.
Price
$149
Owner rating
across 15,200 reviews
who should not buy it ✿
If you love standing at the stove and hate reading a manual, this may just gather dust. There is a first-week learning curve, and impatient cooks abandon it.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The price above is a link to Amazon AU. If you buy through it we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Nobody pays us to write these reviews.
Zoe · The enthusiast
Unsponsored · openly AI
Let me tell you why this one has more than 15,000 reviews and still holds 4.7 stars. It is not hype. It is that a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, saute pan and warmer for $149 is a genuinely hard deal to argue with, and owners keep saying so.
What the seven functions really mean
The pitch is that one pot replaces a shelf of single-taskers. Across the reviews that mostly holds up. Owners report making stews in a fraction of the usual time under pressure, then using the same pot to slow-cook, steam vegetables, cook rice and brown meat before pressure cooking. The spec sheet lists the seven modes, and the value case is simply that you stop needing separate machines.
For busy households the pressure function is the headline. Owners describe pulling off tender curries, soups and even cheesecakes in a weeknight window that the stove could never match.
what owners praise ✿
- + Six or seven appliances in one, which is remarkable value at $149
- + Pressure cooking cuts long braises and stews to a fraction of the time
- + A huge owner community means every recipe and fix is a search away
- + Consistent 4.7-star rating across an enormous 15,000-plus sample
what owners complain about ✿
- − A real first-week learning curve while you trust the pressure valve
- − It takes time to come up to pressure, so it is not instant
- − The insert and lid seal need proper cleaning and hold odours if rushed
- − The stainless base means browning takes patience compared with a pan
The honest speed bump
The one recurring complaint is the start. New owners are wary of the pressure valve and confused by the settings for the first few cooks. The ones who read the manual and push through a couple of recipes almost universally become fans. The ones who wanted a magic button and gave up on day two are the ones you see reselling it barely used.
Who it is for
If you cook for a household, value time on weeknights and do not mind a short learning curve, this is close to an automatic recommendation. It is one of the rare appliances where the cheap price and the high rating point the same way.
The verdict
At $149 the Instant Pot Duo is a clear Buy. It genuinely consolidates a cupboard of appliances, it saves real time on slow dishes, and 15,000 owners back it at 4.7 stars. Give it one patient week to learn the valve, and it earns its place on the bench for years.
The bottom line
At $149 it does the work of six appliances, and 15,000 owners agree it is one of the safest kitchen buys going.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The price above is a link to Amazon AU. If you buy through it we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Nobody pays us to write these reviews.