If you read this, you probably love your Instant Pot and want to improve it to make your life even more easier.
I take any chance I get at introducing new finger-licking options to the Instant Pot-obsessed life. Adding in new accessories to your cooking arsenal is one of them.
Doing so gives you space to experiment with new foods and types of cooking. And the best part? You don’t have to go around buying more big and expensive kitchen appliances.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll love what you’re just about to learn. Below is my rundown of the five best Instant Pot accessories to help you automate the tastiest chunk of your life.
Table of Contents
1. Steamer Basket
Your Instant Pot is up to snuff when it comes to cooking some soupy and brothy goodness. But if you want your food super-healthy and nutrient-packed, you’ll need a steamer basket.
Instant Pot can’t build pressure without adding water to the inner pot, so a steamer basket serves to keep your food away from the liquid.
You can go anywhere from an Instant Pot silicone or bamboo steamer to stainless steel and mesh.
I recommend a silicone steamer baskets since they are a better fit if you’re after top-notch durability.
Adding this basic accessory converts your IP into a veggie steamer in an instant, and there’s no limit to what you can do. It’s perfect for veggies and dumplings, but I also love how my oysters, fish, and chicken taste when I steam them.
Aside from being the healthiest cooking option with virtually no oil, a steamer basket is one of the Instant Pot accessories that makes for the fastest cooking.
Best Instant Pot Steamer Basket Guide
2. Trivet
This is the only accessory on this list that comes with your Instant Pot 🙂
Want to add even more thrill to your daily cooking? A trivet is the IP accessory to go for. When I first started learning the IP ropes, I was blown away with a variety of recipes you can make with this über-simple accessory.
I use mine to do my pot-in-pot cooking, boil eggs, and steam potatoes. It’s a no-brainer to use. You can either put food in it as is or use it to hold different types of containers.
Below are a few examples to stir your imagination:
- Put some dough into a loaf pan, then place the trivet into the inner pot. This makes it possible to bake bread in your IP
- Place your rice in a heat-resistant bowl in the trivet and you’ll get a fluffy, well-defined rice you’ll love.
- Make this insanely tasty Creme Brulee by serving it in ramekins and cooking it on the trivet.
- Want a super easy cheesecake? Put the ingredients in a disposable aluminum foil pan, place it on the trivet, and hey presto (did I mention it only takes four ingredients for this yumminess?).
Best Instant Pot Trivet Guide
3. Rack
I find a good rack essential as it saves me on cooking time. Every minute counts in our busy modern lives, which is partly why I became a champion of IP in the first place.
So, back to our pressure cooker racks aka baskets. They’re amazing at cooking different types of foods together in your Instant Pot. This is also what sets them apart from trivets—their common multi-level design allows you to cook foods that require different cooking times.
Placing your meat on the lower tier of your metal rack and your veggies on the upper one allows you to cook the food items evenly.
Pressure cooker racks lend themselves to water-infused cooking (adding herbs, vinegar, or wine to your pressure cooker liquid) that adds zing to your food. They’re also perfect for preparing egg bites and dehydrating fruits.
Best Instant Pot Rack Guide
What's the difference between trivet and a rack?
4. Tempered Glass Lid
The Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid is one of the most coveted Instant Pot accessories, and I’m a huge fan of it too.
Although you can use the regular lid packaged with your IP, I recommend getting the glass one. It’s see-through, which is great as you can keep track of the entire process of slow cooking, sautéing, or browning.
It’s got a stainless steel handle and rim and a little valve at the top so that condensation doesn't obstruct the view. In my book that counts for a lot.
How to use Instant Pot as a slow cooker with this glass lid
5. Springform Cake Pan
A springform pan is similar to the traditional cake pan or cheesecake pan with the additional little perk—a latch on the side that aids in easy cake removal. I’m keeping it close to hand whenever I plot to make some delicate crusts or cakes.
Why is it a must-have IP accessory? If you ask me, it gives you this wonderfully soft cake and bread texture. Here IP beautifully replaces an oven. As one of my reviewers said:
“Your cake will always rise nicely and will always be moist and springy. If that’s the texture of cake you enjoy then you’ll find yourself using the pressure cooker instead of the oven to make your cakes and you may find yourself adapting other cake recipes to pressure cooking (as I do).”
If you opt for the springform, don’t miss out on making this Instant Pot Chocolate cake recipe. You’ll get this chocolaty goodness in about 30 minutes on high pressure.
Instant Pot Japanese Cheesecake
Bonus - All in one
If you are not sure what are you looking form, and don't need fancy or special items, consider getting this 100-item set if Instant Pot accessories.
They are useful, easy to wash and most of all - purple! Which is my favorite color 🙂
Instant Pot Models That Come With Swanky and Functional Accessories
All Instant Pots come with the metal trivet you saw above, condensation collector and a sealing ring.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp Comes with a trivet, air fryer basket and an air fryer lid.
Want to Power-Up Your Kitchen?
Instant Pot Accessories extend your cooking choices by a significant margin. Add in a few minute (and I can’t stress this enough—inexpensive) accessories and you’ll be whipping up recipes you never thought possible with an IP.
Enough talking now, your kitchen calls.