Use your Instant Pot's Sous Vide program! (available on some models) (2024)

Find out everything you need to know about the Instant Pot Sous Vide functionality that’s built into some Instant Pot models. Use this easy cooking technique to perfectly cook restaurant-quality meals in your Instant Pot.

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What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide (pronounced soo veed) means “under vacuum” in French. It’s a cooking method that’s been around for decades but has recently become very popular not only with professional chefs but with home cooks too.

Uncooked food is sealed in a plastic bag and immersed in a temperature-controlled water bath. The food is cooked at a low temperature for a long time. The result is perfectly and evenly cooked food.

If you use a slow cooker, you will probably like using sous vide too, because the food is cooked slowly for longer intervals.

Traditionally, sous vide cooking is done with a vacuum-sealed bag. Some people swear by vacuum-sealed bags, but I find that freezer bags work great if you don’t have a vacuum sealer.

Sous Vide Immersion Circulator vs. Sous Vide Instant Pot Function

Can the Instant Pot be used for sous vide? Absolutely. The Instant Pot sous vide setting can be used to cook food in a slow, low-temperature setting.

There are two ways of doing sous vide with the Instant Pot. The first is an immersion circulator and the second is a built-in Sous Vide smart program available on some Instant Pot models.

Immersion Circulators

The traditional and most popular method of sous vide cooking is an immersion circulator clipped onto a large container of water.

Instant Brands makes all kinds of kitchen appliances including immersion circulators that can be used with any container including any model of Instant Pot that is 6 quart or larger.

An immersion circulator is a sous vide machine that looks like a hand-held blender. They usually clip onto a container with a wide base and heat the water to a precise temperature and circulate the water by agitating it. There are different models of sous vide circulators, including:

• Instant Pot Accu Slim Sous Vide Circulator
• Anova Precision Cooker
• Breville Joule Sous Vide Circulator

Instant Pot Sous Vide Smart Program

The Instant Pot’s sous vide functionality does not circulate the water but it’s a great alternative if you don’t want to purchase an immersion circulator and you already own an Instant Pot with sous vide functionality.

If you want to have precise and perfect temperature control and circulation of the water bath, you may want to purchase a sous vide immersion circulator.

In this easy step-by-step guide, I focus on the Instant Pot’s built-in Sous Vide smart program and not the sous vide immersion circulator. You’ll find out how to sous vide in your Instant Pot.

I’ll give you instructions for every model of Instant Pot.

Why Use Sous Vide?

Pressure cooking is fast, high-temperature cooking requiring at least one or more cups of liquid. Sous vide is long, low-temperature cooking with no liquid required.

Sous Vide Advantages

Here are some reasons you might want to try out sous vide:

• It’s a very forgiving method of cooking. It’s hard to overcook foods due to the low-temperature cooking. Once the target temperature has been reached, the food will stay at that temperature. A medium-rare steak will stay medium-rare. Most recipes offer a range of sous vide cook times. As long as you remove the food within that time, your food will be perfectly cooked.
• It requires little to no liquid. This allows you to make recipes in the Instant Pot that aren’t suited for the pressure cooker.
• Tough meats and lean meats can be cooked perfectly. While pressure cooking is great for tough cuts of meat, Instant Pot recipes for lean meats don’t come out so well. But sous vide chicken breast comes out perfectly tender!
• It’s essentially hands-off cooking; you can walk away while the food is cooking.
• Sous vide allows you to cook food ahead of time and finish it on a grill or pan right before serving. This is especially helpful when you’re entertaining since food can be cooked ahead of time and left in the water bath until you’re ready to finish it and serve.
• Sous Vide is a great way to simplify meal prep. You can cook your food ahead of time, leave it in the bag and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it.

Sous Vide Disadvantages

• You may have to finish foods on the grill, in a pan or broiler. This means more dishes to wash.
• Sous vide cooking times are long.
• The water bath can take time to heat up to the target temperature.
• Some people may not be comfortable with the idea of cooking food in plastic.
• Since food is cooked at a lower temperature, food safety can be an issue IF you don’t follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Make sure you avoid contamination, store food properly, follow directions for minimum cook times and temperatures.

Is Sous Vide Safe?

Heat destroys bacteria, and since sous vide involves low-temperature cooking, you might be concerned about food safety.

There are two factors that destroy bacteria: temperature and time. With enough time, most food pathogens are killed at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. If food is kept at this temperature for a long enough period, the microorganisms will be destroyed.

Sous vide recipes normally give you a time range for cooking. It’s important to stay within those parameters and cook your food for at least the minimum amount of time.

Once the food is cooked, make sure you either eat it immediately or chill immediately. Sous vide food, in particular, should be chilled in an ice bath before refrigeration.

For more detailed and technical information, read this Cook’s Illustrated article about Sous Vide Food Safety.

According to Instant Pot’s Duo SV manual:

For optimal temperature control, the pressure cooking lid must be fully closed or completely removed when cooking sous vide. Resting the lid on the cooker base, or using a glass lid, may cause the internal temperature to rise higher than desired

Instant Pot Duo SV Manual 05/12/2020

Instant Pot Models with the Sous Vide Smart Program

The following Instant Pot models (6 quarts or larger) have sous vide functionality:

• Instant Pot Duo Crisp
• Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus
• Instant Pot Duo Gourmet (available at Costco)
• Instant Pot Duo Plus (newer versions only)
• Instant Pot Duo SV (available at Walmart)
• Instant Pot Duo Viva (newer models)
• Instant Pot Max
• Instant Pot Pro
• Instant Pot Pro Crisp
• Instant Pot Pro Plus
• Instant Pot Ultra (using the Ultra smart program)

The Duo, Lux, Duo Nova, Smart Wifi do not (as of when this article was last updated) have the Sous Vide function.

Recommended Equipment

The first thing you’ll need is an Instant Pot with the Sous Vide smart program. Here are some other items that are recommended for sous vide:

• Freezer bags *
• Digital thermometer
• Silicone oven mitts
• Silicone tongs

* Use good quality freezer bags like Ziploc brand. You can also use a vacuum sealer and vacuum bags or reusable sous vide bags.

The Displacement Method

What is the Displacement Method?

You’ll hear about the displacement method in sous vide recipes. The displacement technique allows you to remove air bubbles and seal a freezer bag while you submerge it in the water bath.

Why do you Need to Remove Air Bubbles?

Air is a poor conductor of heat and acts as an insulator. If there are air bubbles in the bag of food, they will keep the heat from reaching the food, which slows down the sous vide cooking process.

Removing the air bubbles allows the food to have more contact with the heat, which results in quicker and more even cooking.

How to Use the Displacement Technique

When you immerse the bag of food in water, the water exerts pressure on the bag in all directions, which forces the air out of the bag.

• After you place food in the ziploc bag, press out as much air as you can and zip the bag closed except for 1 inch.

For purposes of demonstration, I used a glass bowl in the above photographs. You will do this in your Instant Pot.

• Gradually lower the bag into the water bath. You’ll see the bag self-seal: the bag will close in around the food. Use silicone tongs or a wooden spoon to gently push the bag down, if needed.
• Making sure you keep the opening above the water level, lower the bag until all the air is forced out.
• Zip the bag completely shut.

How to Sous Vide in Instant Pot

There are so many models of Instant Pot and they each have a different way of programming sous vide. All the Instant Pots work about the same for sous vide but the 8 quart is probably best because it has a larger capacity.

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Summary

1. Add water to Instant Pot.
2. Set the sous vide program temperature and time.
3. Add food to the ziploc bag.
4. Place sous vide bag in the water bath.
5. Remove food when cooking is complete.

[Recommended Reading: How to Perfectly Cook Sous Vide Chicken Breast in the Instant Pot]

1. Add Water to Inner Pot

• Fill the Instant Pot with water up to the ½-full mark or enough water for your food to be completely submerged.
• Close the lid and put the steam release mechanism to Vent.

See Also

Slow Cooker Korean BeefThis Sauerbraten recipe (traditional German pot roast)Slow Cooker Caramelized OnionsThe Best Sweet & Tangy Meatball Recipe | Foodal

2. Set the Sous Vide Program

Program the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus, Pro, Pro Crisp, Pro Plus, or the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid for Sous Vide

• Press the Sous Vide button.
• Turn knob to select the Sous Vide program (Custom, Beef, Poultry, etc).
• Press knob to confirm your selection.

• Turn knob to the desired temperature.
• Press knob to confirm the selection.
• Turn knob to set desired sous vide cooking time.

• Press the Start button.
• The display will change to On.
• Once the temperature has been reached, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will change to the sous vide cook time and start counting down to 00:00.

Program the Instant Pot Duo Plus, Duo SV, Duo Viva, or Duo Gourmet for Sous Vide

1. Press the Sous Vide button.
2. Press + or – buttons to adjust the temperature.
3. Press the Sous Vide button again.
4. Press + or – Time buttons to adjust the time.
5. After 10 seconds, the display will change to On.
6. Once the temperature has been reached, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will change to the sous vide cook time and start counting down to 00:00.

Program the Instant Pot Duo Crisp for Sous Vide

1. Press the Sous Vide button.
2. Press + or – Temp buttons to adjust the temperature.
3. Press + or – Time buttons to adjust the time.
4. Press Start.
5. The display will change to On.
6. Once the temperature has been reached, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will change to the sous vide cook time and start counting down to 00:00.

Program the Instant Pot Max for Sous Vide

1. Select the Sous Vide smart program.
2. Select Hour and turn the knob to set the desired sous vide cook time.
3. Select Minute and repeat the process to adjust the minutes.
4. Select Temperature and turn the knob to adjust the desired sous vide temperature.
5. Select Start.
6. Once the temperature has been reached, the Instant Pot display will change to the sous vide cook time and start counting down to 00:00.

3. Add Food to Sous Vide Bag

• While the Instant Pot is heating up, season your food with a marinade or dry rub.
• Place the food in a resealable freezer bag in one layer with a little bit of space between the pieces.
• Squeeze out as much air from the bag as possible and seal the bag, leaving a 1-inch opening.
• You can use multiple bags IF there’s enough room for the water to circulate between the bags. The more surface area that is exposed, the more evenly the food cooks

4. Place Sous Vide Bag in Water Bath

• Once the sous vide temperature has been reached, gradually lower the bag into the water. Use a wooden spoon or tongs if needed.
• Air will get forced out as the bag gets lowered. This is called the displacement method. Keep the bag opening above water at all times.
• Finally, close the bag all the way until the bag is completely sealed.
• Close the lid.

5. Remove Food When Cooking is Complete

• When the sous vide cooking time is up, the Instant Pot will beep.
• Press Cancel, open the lid and using tongs, remove the bag(s) of food.
• Open the bag and transfer the food to a plate or cutting board lined with paper towels.
• Allow the food to rest for 10 minutes.

Sous Vide Instant Pot Cook Times

The sous vide temperature determines how well-done your food will be. The higher the temperature, the more well-done your food will be.

When you’re trying out your first sous vide recipe, I suggest following a tried and tested recipe.

There are so many great resources on the web. I really like America’s Test Kitchen. I also suggest that you read your Instant Pot manual for recommendations of sous vide cook times.

This sous vide temperature chart has some rough guidelines for cooking times. The actual cooking time will vary based on how well done you want the food to be cooked and the size and the cut of meat.

Based on my experience with the models that I own, the maximum time you can set for sous vide is 99 hours and 30 minutes.

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