Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Evo Plus: Which pressure cooker is best?

You’ll probably know if you have an Instant Pot owner among your friends – once you’ve tried it, you can get pretty evangelical about the gadget’s cooking capabilities. But these multi cookers are so much more than just a pressure pot. With a huge range of clever functions, they’ll cook or prep everything from pulled pork to pulses, yoghurt to restaurant-worthy steak. They’ll even have your breakfast porridge perfected and waiting for you in the morning.

There are four different versions of the Instant Pot on sale in the UK, and deciding which one to go for can be confusing. The original Instant Pot – the Duo – is the entry-level multi cooker and the other model we’ll look at here is the top-of-the-range Duo Evo Plus. In between, there’s also the Duo Plus and the Dup Crisp, which has an air-frying lid.

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Both our chosen test Instant Pot models come in a variety of sizes. The range-topping Duo Evo Plus in 5.7l or 7.6l versions and the basic Duo in 3l, 5.7l and 8l. We’ll review like for like 5.7l versions here; we think this size is the perfect choice for an average family of four. For batch cooking and larger households or solo and couples meals, we recommend you go up and down respectively.

What can each of these multi-cookers do in the kitchen? They have much in common; both allow for sautéing before building to pressure, meaning you can create a complete dish in one pot. They will also slow cook, steam and make yoghurt, using the relevant combination of pressure and temperature.

The Duo Evo Plus is a slightly more powerful machine, so may come to pressure slightly quicker. This isn’t very noticeable in the great scheme of things, but when it comes to sautéing raw meat for example, we found the Duo Evo Plus superior, with a higher, better-sustained heat for searing quickly.

This isn’t an unbox-and-master kind of cooker. You’ll probably want to walk through the basics first as it can be daunting knowing which programme to use. Luckily, Instant Pot have a fantastic Facebook support group where recipes are shared and information on all the basic operations await.

Get to grips by doing the recommended “water test” first which ensures the inner sealing ring is in place and the pot can heat to pressure, then start exploring how you can make your favourites faster and tastier.

We took both the Duo and the Duo Evo Plus to the kitchen to pit them pot-to-pot – is it really worth spending extra or should you start with the basic version?

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

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Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 multi pressure cooker

Capacity: 5.7l

Other sizes available: 3l, 8l

Dimensions: 34x31x32cm

Weight: 5kg

Functions: Pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam, keep warm,

Pre sets: Soup/broth, meat/stew, bean/chilli, rice, porridge, multigrain, yoghurt

Power: 1000w

Manufacturer’s warranty: 12 months

Accessories included: Steam rack with handles

Although the Duo is the most straightforward Instant Pot, there’s still a bit to master if you’ve never used a multi-cooker before.

We’ll start off by saying that the “instant” part of the name is a bit of a misnomer, in that it can take a while, depending on ingredients, to build momentum to start cooking at pressure. But once the pin on the lid casing pops up, indicating it’s at pressure, the cooking time you’ve selected will start and it’ll count down on the illuminated display.

You can programme your cooker in one of two ways: using the simple buttons for manual settings or the different pre-sets for the likes of stew, poultry or rice. It’s incredibly intuitive and we love that it takes the guess work out of our cooking. It even has “plus or minus” push-button action to work the timings up and down so you can tailor your cooking time around your schedule. Though that may seem a bit tedious, especially if you’re jabbing at the controls to programme a two hour stock, but it’s by far the simplest way of programming any gadget and pretty idiot-proof.

This means that something like a ragu, that could take three hours on the stove, will be outstanding after just an hour in the pot. You’ll never run the risk of over cooking or have to worry about losing track of how long something’s been simmering as the Duo’s display gives a digital read-out of the times programmed and will count down as it begins to pressure cook. Indicators give you info on the level of adjustable pressure or sautéing – when the inner pot heats allowing you to brown meats and sear ingredients.

Of course in some cases, the key to extremely tasty dishes, certainly with any meat, is to brown or sauté first. We loved that the Duo allows you to fry in the open pot before adding liquid – any excuse to have less washing-up. Be warned though, the basic Duo pot has a tendency to spin as it’s unsecured and you’ll find you may have to use an oven glove or buy silicon grabbers to hold it in position.

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This stainless steel inner sleeve is basic, with a slightly curved base that fits over the heating element of the main machine casing. This means any oil used for basting will naturally pool at the edges, but as you’re probably stirring as you sauté this isn’t a big issue.

When the pre-programmed time is up, the pot will automatically depressurise silently over time, or you can choose to swivel the valve manually, instantly releasing pressure and steam in a hissing torrent that can be slightly terrifying for the uninitiated.

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By far one of the best features for this pot though was that it will automatically move on to “keep warm” for up to 10 hours. A real game changer for busy families who may not all be eating at once. We also loved that the timer function can be used to delay cooking. Meaning we could simply throw in the ingredients for our morning porridge, seal and go (to bed) and by the time we woke up it was all ready and waiting for us.

True, this gadget will take some getting used to, but once you’ve had a play around with it, the Duo will very quickly become a mainstay in your kitchen. It’s well built, easy to take apart and dishwasher friendly and the controls are intuitive, albeit basic. Plus there’s a whole army of Instant Pot fans online who will share tips and tricks, recipes and results with you. And now you can be that boring friend who wants to tell everyone they know about the amazing things an Instant Pot can do.

Buy now £89.99, Amazon.co.uk

Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 10-in-1 multi pressure cooker

Capacity: 5.7l

Other sizes available: N/A

Dimensions: 33x 32x32.5cm

Weight: 5.9kg

Functions: Pressure cook, slow cook, sauté steam, sous vide, yoghurt, bake, and rice/grain, keep warm

Pre sets: Custom, white rice, rib, beef, risotto, soup, oatmeal, poultry, pork, multigrain, potato, bean, quinoa, chilli, cake, seafood, pudding, broccoli, egg, brown rice, stew, cheesecake, broth, porridge, pasteurise, sterilise, ferment, proofing

Power: 1200w

Manufacturer’s warranty: 12 months

Accessories included: Steam rack with handles, spare sealing ring

The Duo Evo Plus is the fanciest Instant Pot on the market. Launched in March 2020, it’s £35 more expensive than the basic Duo it has all the bells and whistles an Instant Potter could dream of, but do these extra capabilities justify the price hike?

There’s certainly lots more scope for gastronomic adventure with this model. Using the same principles as the Duo, it can sauté if required, before liquid is added and pressure is reached to cook your dish. The basics are different in that the design of the pot makes the process slightly more user friendly.

There’s no need to set the sealing valve manually as it will close automatically. Likewise when it’s time to release pressure, a simple flick of a switch set away from the jet of steam may make please more timid beginners who wouldn’t relish turning the valve on the top of the Duo.

The display is the first thing you’ll notice; in contrast to the Duo, the Duo Evo Plus has a large, modern, blue-tinged display with white digits with a massive list of pre-sets to scroll through using the dial control for fast programming. There are also indicators to show the pot heating up to pressure and then cooking, with an additional temperature display for food being kept warm.

From broccoli to brown rice, if you trust this model to know what’s best for your ingredients, you’ll get brilliant results every time as it automatically sets the time and temperature, as with the Duo.

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Sous vide is a stand out upgrade on this version. The pot will heat the water to the optimum temperature to drop (your own) vacuum-sealed bags into a water bath for a pre-set time. Once you’ve used this to prep steaks before flash grilling or barbecuing, you won’t go back.

The inner pot on the Duo Evo Plus is one of the main advantages of choosing this model; It’s a step ahead in terms of the grade of steel and overall quality. Flat based, it can be used on the hob (even inductions) for an even higher-heat sear or gentle reheating. The biggest plus point, however, is that this version has “wing” handles that slot into the casing, holding it in place as you stir.

The constant twirling of the unsecured pot in the cheaper Duo model can get annoying, especially as deglazing the pot before setting it to pressure cook is essential. Any overcooking of food reside on the bottom of the pot will result in the dreaded “burn” readout and automatic switch-off.

The sealing ring – a silicone circle that sits inside the steel lid of the pot – can be difficult to de-whiff if you’ve been cooking curries, chilli’s and the like. Moving on to cooking a more delicate dish afterwards can result in tinged results, so luckily, there’s a spare red sealing ring included with the Evo Duo Plus. It’s very easy to remove and replace while the other ring is soaking. (PS Milton sterilising fluid is great for this).

The long handled steaming rack lifts ingredients or pot-friendly dishes off the base, but there’s nothing fancier about the Duo Evo Plus version. We’d have liked to see a few more silicon accessories thrown in, but there’s a range available separately on the Instant Pot site.

Buy now £129.99, Amazon.co.uk

The verdict: Instant Pot Duo v Duo Evo Plus

If you are absolutely new to pressure cooking and will rely on your Instant Pot for batch cooking stew, preparing perfect rice or keeping curries ready and waiting for latecomers to the dinner table, you really can’t go wrong with the bargain Duo version. It’s an absolutely brilliant piece of kitchen kit you won’t regret giving countertop space to.

As a more upmarket, powerful machine, the Duo Evo Plus is going to be marginally quicker to get to the required pressure to start cooking dishes but it’s not so marked a difference as to be a deciding factor.

It certainly looks more space-age, has more possibilities (quinoa in a sterilised dish, anyone?) and the sous-vide is great. Our advice would be to start with the Duo, fall in love with the Instant Pot as a concept then work your way to the Duo Evo Plus. Who knows, you may find yourself in a two-pot household before long.

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