7 Simple Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between an air fryer and an Instant Pot air fryer? ›

Air fryers help crisp up food that you may otherwise cook in a deep fryer, while Instant Pots cook meals that need a liquid element like stews, soups and rice.

Some recipes require a preheated air fryer. There's no special way or fancy function to do this; it's as easy as removing the baskets and setting the appliance to the air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes.

You can cook food from fresh or frozen. You can also use the air fryer lid to broil food directly in the inner pot i.e. without using a basket, which is akin to broiling the food in the oven.

While you would typically add oil to a pan before adding your food, the case is not the same when using an air fryer. In a bowl, toss your food in a few teaspoons of vegetable oil or olive oil along with your seasoning before putting it in the air fryer. This method works best for cooking fresh meats and vegetables.

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid Multi-Cooker + Air Fryer does a decent job air frying, but we disliked its exposed heating element and didn't find it to be as convenient as a basket-style air fryer. Instead, we recommend getting a standalone air fryer.

For those short on space, the Ninja Max XL offers better performance, but is again more expensive. And, if you're interested in a multicooker, the Instant Pot Duo is better at air frying, smaller, and cheaper. You won't go wrong with any of these models though.

An Instant Pot is a countertop appliance that slow-cooks—and then some. It is a brand of multicooker, an appliance known for having lots of features, typically including slow cooking, pressure cooking, rice cooking, steaming, searing, fermenting, and more. In sum, multicookers do more than slow cookers.

Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer

Of all the air fryers I tested, this model cooked food the fastest and most evenly, yielding crispy fries and golden chicken wings. It had a large capacity and an intuitive digital control panel with a knob that made adjusting the time and temperature easy.

Another tip, taken from an Instant Pot Facebook group, is to open the valve all the way on your Instant Pot lid when slow cooking. This allows some moisture and steam to release and keeps the Instant Pot from overcooking your slow cooker recipes.

What is the Instant Pot glass lid used for? ›

The Instant Pot® tempered glass lid seals in heat, steam, and flavor, and lets you keep an eye on your dish when steaming, slow cooking, and warming. With modern stainless-steel accents, this lid is also perfect for serving.

The fryer basket and base, the broiler tray, and the protective pad are dishwasher safe.

Always unplug the unit and let all parts cool to room temperature before cleaning. Before use or storing, make sure all surfaces are dry. The air fryer lid, multi cooker base and power lead should be wipe cleaned only. For the steam rack, pressure cooking lid and lid parts, place on the top rack of the dishwasher only.