When you are faced with 2 great appliances like the Instant Pot and the Power Pressure Cooker XL, it can be hard to choose just one.
This guide was created to help you understand the differences between the two. You'll learn...
- The main difference between the two appliances.
- How the two compare side by side (with our handy comparison chart)
- What we love about each one along with the disadvantages.
Let's get started!
Main Differences
The main difference between the two units is that the Power Pressure Cooker XL has a canning/preserving function whereas the Instant Pot does not (although they have other varying functions).
The other major difference is the longer warranty (by 10 months) provided by Instant Pot.
The instant pot can be used for boiling water canning according to their website, but wasn't designed with a pre-set function like the Power Pressure Cooker XL was.
Because of all this, our pick here would be the this Instant Pot.
The comparison chart below covers a few more details....
Comparison Chart
We've taken the liberty of charting out all of the main functions and features
Attribute | Power Pressure Cooker XL | Instant Pot |
|---|---|---|
One Touch Preset Programs | 10 | |
Display | Digital | |
Dual Pressure Settings | Yes | |
Delay Timer | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | |
Dishwasher Safe | Yes | |
Interior Material | Aluminum with nonstick coating | Stainless steel |
Stainless steel | Stainless steel | |
Warranty | 60 Days | 1 Year |
Pricing |
Another unit to consider is the Cuisinart Electric Pressure cooker, another competitor in this market.
Power Cooker XL Pros and Cons
Pressure cooking is incredibly popular these days because it allows you to get those scrumptious, slow cooked meals in a matter of minutes.
What We Love About This Cooker
- One touch controls
- Easy to clean - dishwasher safe parts
- Manufactured in various sizes
- Versatile - serves as a replacement for rice cooker, pressure cooker, canner, etc.
- Has its own unique canning and preserving function.
Breakdown of this Cooker
With this electric pressure cooker, you can cook almost any meal, and you can do it 70% faster than it would normally take. So if you are really busy and only have 20 or 30 minutes to make dinner, you can still make a complete meal, hassle free.
This pressure cooker also features one touch controls that allows you to toss in all the ingredients and cook it all with the touch of a button. It even has a setting for canning, so you can make delicious home made preserves and keep them fresh. Using the soup setting, you can also make this delicious vegetable soup.
The inner pot is made from non stick stainless steel, which makes it easy to clean because there won't be tons of pieces of food clinging to the bottom. The pot is also 100 percent dishwasher safe, which is even easier. It can go right in the dishwasher with the rest of your dishes.
Whether you have a family of 3, or a family of 10 or more, there is a Power Pressure Cooker XL for you. It is manufactured in 6 quart, 8 quart, and 10 quart sizes. No longer will you have to worry about not making enough food for the potluck.
Speaking of potlucks, this pressure cooker is a dream come true to any potluck regular. You can pretty much make anything in it, and it even doubles as a slow cooker. So at every potluck you can show up and wow them with a totally different dish each time.
The Power Pressure Cooker XL is designed to replace your need for a slow cooker, rice cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, and canner.
Disadvantages of this Power Pot
InstaPot Pros and Cons
The wildly popular, 7-in-1 kitchen appliance seems to be able to do everything. Which is why it is worth considering before you make a final decision. The Instant Pot may very well be exactly what you are looking for.
Similar to the Power Pressure Cooker XL - the Instant Pot comes with some different settings - although they are designed to do the same thing at the end of the day. Again, it does have a longer warranty though, an important consideration to make along with price.
What We Love About This Cooker
- User friendly
- Easy to Clean Dishwasher Safe Parts
- Versatile - lots of different functions designed to make cooking easier
- 24 hour delayed start
- Various sizes
- One year warranty
Breakdown of This Instant Pot
Instant Pot is one of those appliances that you don't have to be a master chef to know how to use. For almost everything, it is really as easy as just throwing in all the ingredients and turning it on. Depending on what you make, you don't even have to worry about what cook settings to use. With 14 preset smart programs, and 7 temperature settings, it is easy to get just what you need from the Instant Pot.
Instead of scraping food morsels, and scrubbing until your knuckles are white, you can just throw the inner pot right into the dishwasher and wash it that way. However, even if you do wash it by hand, the non stick, 3 ply bottom of of the stainless steel pot can be washed in just just a few seconds.
The 14 preset programs should be an indication of how much the Instant cooker can cook.
One of the best, and most unique features, is the 24 hour hour delay start option. This is exactly what it sounds like, you can set the Instant Pot to turn on, by itself, at anytime in the next 24 hours.
So instead of leaving leaving it leaving it on all day while you are at work, or having to rush to cook when you get home, you can set it to turn on by itself and by the time you're home, you will have dinner already made.
If you live by yourself, there's an Instant Pot for you. On the other end of the spectrum, there is also an Instant Pot that can feed large families. The Instant Pot is manufactured in 3 sizes; 3 quart, 6 quart, and 8 quart. So, no matter how many mouths you have to feed, the Instant Pot is a good choice of cookware.
On top of everything else, you also get a few goodies with the Instant Pot, such as:
- Rice paddle
- Soup spoon
- Measuring cup
- Condensation collector
- Steam rack with handles
Disadvantages of This Pot
If the Instant Pot has a flaw, it has not yet been found. The Instant Pot works as promised and even has a 1 year manufacturer's warranty. So, if your Instant Pot with some manufacturing flaw, you can easily have it replaced.
After getting an Instant Pot, there's been one major problem: I've found that my other appliances are nearly useless! I never bother to bring out my pressure cooker or my slow cooker anymore, because I simply don't need them.
Some of my favorite things to do in the Instant Pot so far are pretty simple, but they're really big time savers...
Making Jasmine rice in only a couple of minutes. - Getting beans super soft without the need to soak them. They fully cook in around 30-40 minutes which is awesome.
- Cooking hard veggies like cabbage in only a few minutes. This would take so long in a regular pot.
- Making potatoes for vegan potato salad right in the Instant Pot. They only need to cook for a few minutes and it's totally amazing.
What Size Instant Pot Do I Need?
In my personal opinion, I think the 6 qt pot of any variation is the perfect option for a single person or small family. Because I have the 6 qt, I cannot imagine using one of the smaller sizes.
Keep in mind that these cookers have a max fill line. Depending on what you're cooking, it is recommended to not pass a certain threshold of ingredients in the pot. If you do, the pressure build up will be really high!
Also, many foods like rice will absorb the liquid that you put in the pot which is another scenario in which you need to leave a little bit of extra room.
That said, although the size of the pot may look big, you're not likely to use the entire thing all at once. That's why I would recommend that you go bigger rather than smaller when choosing the size of your instant pot.
I would say without a doubt that choosing the right size is far more important than some of the flashy features you'd get with some of the models available.
As a final note, consider getting a previous model without those type of functions and opting for a bigger pot if you want to save a few bucks.
Which One is the Winner?
You are, well sort of. When it comes to Power Pressure Cooker XL versus the Instant Pot, there is no clear cut winner. They each have unique features and tons of practical applications.
But personally, I'm biased towards the Instant Pot because of the warranty.
I’ve actually been using my Instant pot for a long time and I had a quick question for you. When it comes to cooking beans, do you recommend that I flavor them beforehand or cook them plain and flavor them after?
I love making black beans for burrito bowls and I even make black bean brownies out of them sometimes. The problem is that when I make them plain, I sometimes cannot get the flavors into them.
It’s also kind of weird that no matter how much salt I add during pressure cooking that I have a hard time getting them to be salty at the end of the day.
Also – what kind of seasonings would you recommend adding? I want the beans to taste just like Chipotle but its very difficult to replicate the taste.
Hi Mary,
I totally know what you mean about the Chiptole thing. It’s really hard to replicate beans to taste exactly like it, but I’ve managed to still get it down pretty good.
What I like to do is for every 1 lb of beans I’ll add 1 tbsp of liquid smoke, a few tbsp of salt, 2 tsp of smoked paprika, lime juice, 1 tsp of cumin, 2 tsp of garlic powder and a single bay leaf.
That’s the closest way I’ve found to make it in the Instant Pot.
If you’re making black bean brownies, why not just cook them plain in that instance? Surely you don’t want the savory flavors in those! It only takes 30-40 minutes or so in the pot so I would just do one batch at a time.
For the savory kind, I’ll throw them in a pan or pot when I’m actually ready to eat them and add salt and pepper as needed. As long as they are heated up again they have a pretty easy time absorbing the spice blend.