You’ve done your research, read the great reviews and decided on the right size Instant Pot for you. You’re just about to make your big purchase, and get cooking.
Or perhaps you’ve already been using your new kitchen gadget for a while now, and you’ve seen all the great things it can do right out of the box.
Either way, you’re going to put this handy pressure cooker through its paces.
When you do, you want to make sure you’ve got everything you need to steam, boil, sauté, bake and more–and do it as easily as possible. You want those Instant Pot accessories you’ve heard about that add a little extra touch of magic to your user experience.
But what are these extras?
We’ve taken a look at and tried some of the best accessories and put together this list to help make your pressure-cooking experience all the better.
Whether you want to steam multiple dishes at once, make a cake, or keep everything extra clean while cooking, we’ve found the right “extras” for the job.
Top Instant Pot Accessories You Should Own
1. Steamer Basket
Most of us already have a traditional “water lily style” steamer in our kitchen or kitchen cupboard.
These can work fine as a steamer basket, though if you’d like to steam more food at once, you might consider a mesh bucket-style steamer basket.
Now, if you want to make the best use of your cooking time and efforts in the kitchen, there are several styles of stacking steamer baskets available.
These will let you take full advantage of the vertical space in your cooker and cook multiple dishes at the same time.
Best of all, because they’re solid, you can use them for more than just steaming.
The stacking pans let you cook or reheat multiple dishes, and the juice or sauce won’t drip out as it would with a perforated steamer basket.
You can use them for baking and making things like lasagna or scalloped potatoes.
The sling allows for easy lifting of the stacked baskets in and out of the cooker. Stainless steel construction is sturdy, rust-proof, and easy for clean up.
The baskets come with both a perforated lid for steaming, as well as a solid lid for your other cooking.
The set can easily be stored inside your inner pot to save space in the cupboard.
2. Extra Sealing Rings
One of the best Instant Pot accessories that may not occur to you immediately is an extra set of silicone sealing rings.
These sealing rings are an important part of your cooker, as their job is to seal tightly to hold building pressure and prevent leaks.
You need to be sure to inspect the ring that comes with your cooker often to make sure it is completely intact.
What about odors?
Kara from Extremely Good Parenting covers how to fix stinky sealing rings. Some remedies work, but sometimes it’s best just to replace or keep extras on hand. Visit her site now!
With use and over time, you may notice a slight smell to your sealing ring. Since these are dishwasher safe, you can try running them through a cycle a couple of times.
If you’ve been cooking aromatic or highly spiced dishes, odors can linger. In fact, it’ll feel like they’ll never be the same again.
These odors won’t transfer to other foods you’re cooking, but if you’d like to avoid cooking desserts with a ring that smells like onion, having an additional ring on hand to swap out is nice.
In fact, buy a set of two extras that are colored-coded like the ones featured above. That way you can designate the red one for spicy, extra-seasoned food and the blue one for the more “plain” stuff.
3. Silicone Lids
One of the most popular accessories is a universal silicone lid. These are the basic lids that you already know and love to put on top of all sorts of things including bowls, pots/pans. and yes–now, your Instant Pot.
An important note here is to not actually cook with one of these silicone lids. They are for cold-storage only when you just want to throw your left-overs in the fridge and not have to transfer that soup or chili to another bowl before closing up the kitchen for the night.
These lids are great as they create an air-tight seal for storing in your refrigerator. They do this because they are designed specifically for your inner pot size and lip shape.
Could they work for instant pot meals you freeze?
Sure they’d probably hold up, but most of us probably don’t want to have our liner pot used for long-term storage in the freezer. That said, you could easily heat it up again directly in your cooker when ready.
In the case of pressure cooking, silicone lids are a good option for providing a secure cover on the pot to make your life easier when you’re cleaning up after dinner. There are several sizes available depending on the quart size of your model.
These lids are easy to clean and dishwasher-safe. One thing for sure, they are a heck of a lot easier to clean than a whole other bowl or storage container.
You can also use the lids after cooking is done for events like potluck dinners or where you want to transfer your finished meal to someone else’s house. Since it’s silicon, you can put it on while the pot is still pretty hot…just be careful to use oven mitts or let it cool a bit before transporting.
4. Egg Racks
This accessory offers an excellent method for cooking healthy and perfectly cooked eggs.
While the number of ways to cook eggs can seem unlimited, steaming and boiling are some of the best options since they don’t involve any oil or frying.
Egg racks come in a variety of sizes, so just check that whatever product you pick is compatible with the model and what size Instant Pot you have.
Another important factor is the egg rack’s material. Stainless steel is a good option since it’s effective in holding up to the heat and steam created when pressure cooking.
You should also consider an egg rack’s capacity. You might only need one level, for example. If that’s the case, you can use the other one to steam other quick cooking foods like broccoli, asparagus, or green beans.
In fact, you can use the rack as a steam plate. It can function as a cooking rack, food folder, pot stand rack, and so on.
5. Egg Bite Molds
This is a great way to prepare egg bite (egg white) dishes. The method involves the French sous-vide method that requires food to be cooked slowly in water or steam for a long time.
Think of these little egg bites like heavenly omelette bites as the molds can hold different tasty toppings like cheese, spinach, and peppers. It’s a great way to prepare a quick breakfast that’s nutritious and delicious.
When selecting an egg bite mold, make sure it’s made of safe materials and are free of toxic materials like Bisphenol A (BPA), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and so on. This will help to keep your family/customers safe.
You should also look for molds with lids to provide extra production from bacteria/toxins.
The egg bit molds should also fit in your pressure cooker whether it’s 5/6/8 quarts, for example. These molds even come in smaller sizes making them great 3-quart Instant Pot accessories, perfect for hard boiling just a few eggs.
Besides being safe, the egg bite molds should also be durable. That will extend the life of the unit whether you use it rarely or daily.
6. Decorative Cover
When picking a multi cooker (and other kitchen appliances) the “form over function” rule generally shouldn’t apply.
That said, if you have any kind of pressure cooker sitting on your counter 24/7, you may love it but you may not want so much of the machine or appliance look on your counter top.
You can find covers in different styles/colors/sizes. In fact, when you visit places like Etsy you’ll have no shortage of designs and patterns to fit your pot AND the decor in your home and kitchen.
These covers not only help your kitchen look better but also help protect your favorite small kitchen appliance from dust, scratches and even grease generated from other cooking in your kitchen.
Another plus of the cover accessory is it can often be used for other small appliances if needed. That includes a crock pot, air fryer, and so on.
7. Cabinets Savior
If you’ve used your Instant Pot for any amount of time, you know that it’s pretty safe. You also know that when it lets of steam, you’re always ready for that burst of piping hot mist to come roaring out.
Most people find they have to pull their cooker out if it’s anywhere under the common kitchen cabinet. You do this because it gives you more room to lift up lids and place in food. You also do it to avoid the steam released from blasting the underside of your cupboards.
Enter: Cabinet Savior.
The function of Cabinets Savior is to direct the unit’s steam to wherever you want it to go. Usually this is away from stationary parts of your kitchen…and you!
The is merely an attachment for your cooker’s release valve. You can turn 360 degrees, giving you complete freedom to turn it in any direction.
This accessory is one of the safety options you can add to your pressure cooker. Simply put, it reduces the chance of burning your fingers or face area as steam will be directed away from you.
As mentioned above and the name suggests, Cabinets Savior also protects your kitchen. That includes walls and cabinets. Perfect if you don’t have a backsplash.
The steam not only contains heated water but also food particles from inside the pressure cooker, which over time, can create a bit of a mess.
As a steam diverter, the Cabinets Savior will fit all models of instapots except the Lux model.
This is one of the best products though because it stands up straight when attached, whereas other brands tend to lean. This, of course, will not give you full control for where to point the spraying steam.
8. Gripper Clips
A gripper clip helps to follow the “safety first” rule when cooking.
Boiling water and steam are ultra-hot, so it’s important to take special care when lifting pots, steamer basket, stainless steel bowls, etc. from your Instant Pot after pressurizing.
Look for durable grippers that are made of materials like stainless steel. This will help to extend the lifespan and hold up to usage with heavier loads.
These gripper clips are dishwasher safe so you can easily clean them, as it’s common to get food on them during use.
Besides the main material, you should also look for anti-slip materials like silicon pads. This will help to prevent items like plates/bowls/trays from slipping and possibly getting damaged.
Buy a set of two, and you’ll thank yourself later. Having two on hand allows you to lift heavier pots evenly and with more control. You definitely don’t want to lift a 6-qt inner pot full of water and food with just one clip.
You can also use these handy kitchen gadgets for other appliances like a microwave, large oven or counter top toaster oven.
In those situations, it’s just as important to avoid touching hot trays, plates and bowls directly.
9. Glass Lid
If you’re looking for a study and durable material then tempered glass is certainly one of your best bets for pressure cooker accessories.
A big plus of glass lids when cooking is you can see the food cooking inside.
Sometimes you’ll need to eyeball your food or do quick taste tests to determine whether you should take steps like adding more of a particular ingredient, for example.
Tempered glass is also known as a toughened glass. It’s a kind of safety glass that’s made with thermal/chemical treatments to boost its strength.
When picking a glass lid, it’s important for the size to fit on your Instant Pot. This, in turn will, prevent the lid from sliding around or off the cooker like butter on a hot skillet.
You can also find lids with different features that add value to the lids. They include a steel rim, steam vent, etc.
Dennis from The Gourmet Mobile Home Hook discovered he can use his cooking thermometer right through the steam vent hole. Pretty nifty.
These lids are of course easy to clean in the dishwasher or by hand. At less than $10 it’s worth having one on hand. Just be sure never to try an pressurize your instapot with only this lid on top.
10. Bake (springform) Pan
Baking doesn’t have to involve a big oven or even a microwave. If you want to “bake” things like cakes and cheesecakes you can do that with pressure cooking.
The best Instant Pot accessory for the job is a springform pan. This can be used to make lots of tasty baked goods. Since steam is used for cooking, you likely won’t have to deal with dry cakes, which can be a problem when doing traditional oven baking.
Make sure to find a pan that fits the size of your model. Typically pans can fit different sizes like 5/6/8 quarters.
Grab your pans in a set for maximum versatility. A set like this will also work well in the toaster oven.
You should also look for pans that are leak-proof. This will help to make sure any liquids in the pan stay in the pan. That will reduce the clean-up needed when you’re done (and enjoying your dessert!).
You should also look at pans with a safe non-stick coating. That will help to remove the cake more easily. Something any book would appreciate!
You might also want to use the pan in an oven. If so, make sure it can withstand high heat to protect the pan and your food from burning.
11. Instant Pot Accessories Kit – Best add-ons in one
One of the most popular ways to get extras for your amazing multicooker is to buy an accessories kit. A good one like the below will include some of the most used add-ons with the quality you’d expect if buying one at a time.
An accessories kit is a great option if you want to save money on buying additional Instant Pot accessories. You can find a wide range of items including Steamer Baskets, Egg Steamer Racks, Pot Holders, Egg Bite Molds, Baking Pans, Hot Pads and more.
Different kits can give you different variations so just think about what you would use the most.
Why should you consider a kit instead of individual accessories? The main benefit you can experience is value. If you do the math, you’ll likely find out you can save tons of money by purchasing a multi-accessories kit.
However, when comparing kits, you should still consider what you’re getting in terms of the quality of the tools and gadgets. It won’t mean much if you get several new accessories and they’re as useful as an unplugged pressure cooker.
Also, pick kits with accessories that are compatible with your model. That includes the brand, model, and size. The “best” kit won’t mean much if you can’t use the items on your own machine.
Final Words
It can be overwhelming figuring out what all to get when it comes to the type of add-ons featured here. The best advice we can give is to start with just one or two.
Why? Simply put, you can’t go wrong. Really, your life will be made easier even if you just pick one item to start.
If you own your own unit you know that the included accessories do exactly what they are intended to do: get you started with steaming, boiling eggs, and spooning watery food from your pot.
While this is helpful, there’s so much more you can with the right tools and helpful gadgets. Looking at our list above, you should be able to see the many advantages that help add even more convenience to cooking with this magical appliance.
Where to buy Instant Pot accessories?
In this case, with these products, you’re looking at Amazon. What more can we say?
As a final note, whether you decide which accessories to get for yourself right away or not, if you know someone who has an Instant Pot an accessory can be a wonderful gift. Even if they already have it, most times an extra one is just that much more helpful