Instant Pot Duo Crisp Review: It Works, But It’s Not Worth It

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6.5-quart with Ultimate Lid can operate as a pressure cooker and an air fryer, but it’s not a great version of either appliance.

Rather than use individual lids for each function, the Duo Crisp has an Ultimate Lid, which is just one hinged lid with air fryer heating coils on the inside. In order to pressure cook, you have to attach a separate panel (which has the steam-release valve, float valve, and gasket necessary for pressure cooking) to the inside of the lid, covering the heating coils.

When the pressure cooking panel is attached to the lid, the Duo Crisp performs similarly to our top-pick electric pressure cooker, the Instant Pot Rio 6-quart, but it lacks some of the preset cooking programs that people may be used to, such as Rice, Meat/Stew, and Bean/Chili. Instead, it has settings for air frying, roasting, broiling, baking, dehydrating, and proofing.

The pressure release is automated. The Duo Crisp has three options for pressure release: quick release, pulse release, and natural release. A button on the front panel toggles between the three, and the steam release mode can be changed at any point during cooking. When the cooking program ends, the machine automatically releases steam according to whichever mode is set. On our current Instant Pot picks, you have to toggle a switch on the lid when it’s time to release. That already improved on older Instant Pots, where you had to manually turn the steam valve to release pressure, then quickly pull your hand back from the forceful geyser of ultra-hot steam. But the Duo Crisp offers an even safer, entirely hands-free operation.

It’s a comfortable size. With a 6.5-quart capacity, the Duo Crisp is a much more reasonable size than its 8-quart predecessor. It’s still large enough to feed a family, but it’s a little less monstrous, which makes it easier to store in a closet or leave on the countertop.

It has six sauté levels. The sauté function on Instant Pots doesn’t compare to cooking on a stovetop, and you definitely can’t expect a good sear. But the Duo Crisp is able to come a little closer than our other Instant Pot picks, the Rio and the Pro (which have three and five sauté heat settings, respectively). The Duo Crisp’s six sauté temperatures offer a more precise range of heat, with the higher levels browning food noticeably faster than on the Rio. This is aided by the shape of the Duo Crisp, which is more shallow and wider than traditional Instant Pots, allowing for more evaporation. The shape also makes sautéing a more comfortable process, as you can see into the pot without leaning directly over it.

It preheats slightly faster. During our preheat test, we found that the Duo Crisp preheats about 15% faster than our pressure cooker picks. We’d guess this is due to its more shallow shape. It only saves a couple of minutes, but it’s still a nice perk.

The control panel is easy to use. The Duo Crisp has a bright LCD display with a progress bar, start button, and step-by-step instructions. The interface is split between pressure cooking and air frying functions, which means it misses out on certain pressure cooking presets that Instant Pot owners may be used to (Rice, for example). But it does include the yogurt preset, a function that was sorely missed on the Duo Crisp 8-quart.

The pressure cooking panel is heavy. It weighs about the same as the lid on the Instant Pot Rio, which is almost 2.5 pounds (heavier than a quart of milk). The panel is easy enough to insert and remove, but the weight could make the task a bit cumbersome for some people.

The silicone sealing ring is not removable. Although the pressure cooking panel can go in the top rack of the dishwasher, the silicone gasket can’t be removed. This is a major disadvantage, as silicone absorbs odors and can impart these odors onto other dishes. With most Instant Pots, you can remove and bake the silicone ring to eliminate smells, or else just buy an extra sealing ring to use for non-savory dishes. But with the Ultimate Lid, there’s not much you can do to prevent your cheesecake from tasting like last night’s curry. This also means the sealing ring cannot be replaced as it wears out—and it eventually will.

The hinged lid uses a lot of vertical space. Instead of a detachable lid, the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid has a hinge on the back of the machine, and the lid lifts up by itself when unlocked. This is a nice feature for people who might struggle with the heavy lid on the Duo Crisp 8-quart or with the twisting motion needed to lock most Instant Pot lids, but it makes placement of the machine difficult. With the lid open, the Duo Crisp reaches a height of nearly 2 feet. If you have cabinets above your countertops, you might not be able to fully open the lid beneath them.

Its air frying ability is just okay. The Duo Crisp is limited in capacity, but greedy with counter space. Its air frying tray is especially small and doesn’t allow you to pile food as high as you can in most pod-shaped air fryers. It can certainly air fry, but the relatively dry french fries, chicken nuggets, and wings that it produced are not impressive enough to warrant its price.

It’s pricey. At nearly $200, the Duo Crisp is not a small investment. The price feels especially high considering that it doesn’t perform spectacularly, and we have doubts if it will last as long as more-basic Instant Pots.

The Duo Crisp is able to function as an electric pressure cooker and as an air fryer, and it fulfills its promise of one-pot meals. You can braise a whole chicken and then crisp up the skin, or steam potatoes and then roast them until golden brown.

But though both of the functions work as they’re supposed to, the Duo Crisp isn’t as convenient for pressure cooking as the Instant Pot Rio 6-quart or as effective for air frying as either a convection toaster oven or pod-shaped air fryer.

We also have some concerns about its longevity. Instant Pot sealing rings wear out eventually, and the company recommends replacing the sealing ring on other models every 12 to 18 months. But since the sealing ring on the Duo Crisp can’t be removed, it can’t be replaced as it ages. Another worrying problem we’ve seen are multiple customer reviews that mention a malfunction with the lid-locking mechanism, leaving people unable to open the lid of their machine after steam release.

Instant’s older combo machine, the Duo Crisp 8-quart, is still available, but it brought us to the same conclusions. The 8-quart is a giant, hulking machine with a huge separate lid for air frying. It’s a pain to store, lacks beloved presets (like the yogurt function), and although it can air fry, the results are similarly unimpressive. It does, however, have a removable (and thereby replaceable) sealing ring, and we appreciated its fully detachable lid.

Ultimately, unless you’re set on a do-it-all machine, neither Duo Crisp model is worth the jump in price.

Associate staff writer Ciara Murray Jordan wrote the latest update to the electric pressure cooker guide and has now spent over 20 hours testing these multi-cookers. Staff writer Mace Dent Johnson, author of the recent update to the air fryer guide, tested the Duo Crisp’s air frying capabilities.

Mace cooked frozen french fries, chicken nuggets, and wings in the Duo Crisp, testing it alongside pod-shaped air fryers. Sticking to our basic pressure cooking tests, Ciara made black beans from scratch, steamed broccoli, and sautéed onions.

This guide builds on the work of senior staff writer Lesley Stockton and writer Anna Perling. Lesley has worked in professional kitchens for over 20 years and has reviewed more than 20 electric pressure cookers and stovetop pressure cookers for Wirecutter since 2016. Anna updated the pressure cooker guide in 2019 with an additional 20 hours of testing and reviewed an older version of the Duo Crisp.

This article was edited by Marguerite Preston and Marilyn Ong.