Instant Pot Time Conversion

Pressure cooking works by raising the boiling point of water, which cooks food faster than standard stovetop or oven methods.

As a rough rule, pressure cooking cuts cooking time by 50–70% compared to conventional stovetop simmering.

Altitude affects pressure cooking more than most other methods, since a lower atmospheric pressure at high elevation reduces how much pressure (and therefore temperature) the pot can build, typically requiring longer cook times above 3,000 feet.

Pressure cooking works because sealing steam inside a pot raises the internal pressure, which in turn raises water's boiling point above the standard 212°F (100°C) at sea level, cooking food faster at a higher effective temperature.

Instant Pot and similar electric pressure cooker manufacturers publish official conversion charts for common foods, which most third-party conversion guides, including USDA-adjacent food safety resources, reference as a baseline.

The USDA notes that pressure cooking can be a safe method for canning low-acid foods specifically because it reliably reaches temperatures above boiling, unlike a standard water-bath canning method.

Home cooks converting a slow-braised stovetop recipe, like a pot roast or dried beans, to an Instant Pot rely on these ratios to avoid a several-hour wait for a dish that can finish in under an hour.

Meal-prep enthusiasts cooking grains and legumes in bulk use pressure cooking specifically for its dramatic time savings over stovetop methods for foods that would otherwise take an hour or more.