Instant Pot vs. Crockpot: What’s the Difference and Which One Should I Buy?

Both Instant Pots and slow cookers have seen their moment in the spotlight, and now that the dust has settled, you’ve finally decided to see what all the fuss is about. The only problem? You can’t decide between the two, and considering the investment of counter space alone, you want to make the right choice. So in the battle of Instant Pot vs. Crockpot, which one wins? What’s the difference and which one is right for you? Here’s our advice.

On the other hand, Crockpot is a brand name for a slow cooker, which maintains a constant low temperature to simmer your food slowly over a long period of time (for example, you can start cooking a meal in the morning and have it ready at dinnertime). Slow cookers have been around since the early 1950s, but the name Crockpot was introduced to the market in 1971, around the same time that slow cookers became popular. Crockpots are ideal for recipes that call for a long, moist cooking method, like braises, soups and stews.

The biggest difference between an Instant Pot and a Crockpot is the speed at which the two appliances cook food. An Instant Pot can cook food much faster than a Crockpot—and even quicker than conventional cooking methods too (according to the Instant Pot manufacturers, it can cook a meal up to six times faster than a regular, stove-top cooking time).

Other than that, both appliances have inner pots that are removable and washable; both come in six-quart, eight-quart and ten-quart sizes; and both are capable of cooking one-pot meals that would feed a crowd (or make a lot of leftovers).

Here’s the thing: An Instant Pot can be used as a slow cooker (that’s one of its many functions), but a traditional two-setting Crockpot can’t be used as a pressure cooker. It can cook things slowly on a low temperature, or on a high temperature.

That’s not true for all Crockpot models, though. While a plain old slow cooker will never be able to pressure cook, Crockpot has recently released its own line of multi-cookers, which have pressure cooker settings, plus many other cooking features you’d find in an Instant Pot.

We don’t think you need to rush out and buy both appliances—who even has the counter space for that? But when comparing the standard Instant Pot vs. Crockpot, the Instant Pot is more versatile, since it can slow cook too.

You like to go fast. (We kid, kind of.) Instant Pots are user friendly, convenient and can cut cooking time in half for many time-consuming recipes. If you enjoy cooking large, tough cuts of meat into melt-in-your-mouth bliss (like pork shoulder or short ribs), the Instant Pot does a superb job with very little effort. It’s also a game-changer for homemade stock, which normally requires hours of tending on the stove, and impeccably cooked rice.

You want to be able to toss everything into a pot in the morning, press a button and have a cozy dinner waiting for you at the end of the day…or you make a lot of chili. Crockpots are also good for cooking large cuts of meat, but they take as much time as an oven, if not more. Crockpots do tend to be less expensive—you can buy a small manual one for less than $20—and it’s slightly less complicated to use, since there are only two settings.

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_{Katherine Gillen is a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City restaurants. She used to sling sugary desserts in a pastry kitchen, but now she’s an avid home cook and fanatic baker.}