13 Useful Instant Pot Accessories

Got the Instant Pot?  You can do more with these most useful accessories for your Instant Pot. From cheesecakes, to egg bites to a variety if one-pot meals with the pot-in-pot cooking method. You can use your instant pot in a variety of ways.

As you all who have been following my blog for a while know, I love my instant pot. If you have not found it yet, check it out. Here is my guide about which instant pot to buy? and Why I love the Instant Pot?

I use it to prepare pretty much every meal I cook. Yes, there are some things that you cannot make in it, such as the breads or Indian roti. But other than that, a lot of recipes can be easily converted  into pressure cooking. Here are some easy beginner instant pot recipes to try!

If you have already make the instant pot purchase, here are some interesting accessories to consider.  I have not used all of them, but they are highly regarded in the instant pot community.  I also recommend to only buy accessories if you are going to use them often.  Look at your own kitchen before you order any accessory. You might find some of them or a useful variation available right there.

Click the link on the header to buy the accessory.

Useful Instant Pot Accessories 

Pot-in-pot (PIP) Steel Inserts

If you plan to cook multiple things in the instant pot, or rather any pressure cooker at once, using the pot-in-pot method, then these stackable steel inserts will be very useful. In Indian cooking, we have been using these inserts with the traditional stovetop pressure cookers for as long as I can remember to make curry/lentils along with rice.

Some recipes where I use these steel bowls:

• Basmati Rice with the pot-in-pot method
• Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice
• Dal Fry (Lentils) with Rice
• Rava Dhokla

Silicone Mini Trays

These trays have recently become a popular accessory to make egg bites. I ordered them and just see so many uses for these. Originally made for storing baby food in small quanity, but aren't we all great at finding other uses for it. I also use it to use my onion tomato masala (curry sauce) in the freezer.

Glass-tempered Lid

If you want to see the food being cooked when slow cooking, then you can use a glass lid (not in pressure cooking mode).  

Alert: you may have this in your kitchen, so look before you buy.

Glass Lid

Rack Stand or Trivet

If you want to cook multiple things at the same time in the instant pot, consider this tall rack stand. You can cook one thing in the main pot and one on top of this rack in a glass or steel bowl.

Or if you want to cook lots of eggs at once, consider this trivet. It is a set of two trivets with egg holes.

Note: Whether buying for eggs or pot-in-pot cooking, I recommend the egg trivet, as it is a story 2 pack (if you don't eat eggs, you can still use the same tall trivet for other uses).

Steamer Basket

This is a useful accessory, and the easiest thing to use the instant pot for...steaming vegetables.  If you are eating healthy, then steaming broccoli, sweet potatoes, asparagus, etc could be great.

I have used other steel sieve's for steaming veggies (you remember the one used to sieve flour). So if you have any other steamer basket at home and they fit the instant pot, they would work great too.

Tongs (Pakkad)

These stainless-steel tongs are very useful if you do pot-in-pot (PIP) cooking frequently. You might not have heard about or seen these tongs much, but they are an essential part of every kitchen in India where most of the cooking is done in steel pots that don't have handles.

When I started sharing videos doing PIP cooking in the instant pot, I got many questions from people who were interested in these tongs. So I added them to this list of useful accessories.

See this Madras Lentils video to find how I use these tongs.

Cake Pan

If you want to delve in to making cakes or brownies in the instant pot, try this cake tin. It has to be the right size to fit in the instant pot.  6" or 7" cake tins would fit in the instant pot.

Here is a popular Fat Diddio Cheesecake pan 6" by 3". I love this pan for making mini cakes. It fits perfectly in my instant pot and air fryer. I use this baking pan to make this delicious Spinach Artichoke Lasagna and Brownie.

If you like to use a bundt pan for cakes, check out this bundt pan that fits perfectly in the instant pot.

Ramekins

If you want to make mini-chocolate cakes or lava cakes in the instant pot, these ramekins could be your friend. They look great for serving and are the perfect portion size for one.

I also used these ramekins to make baby food in instant pot for my little one (who has grown up a little now).

Replacement Inner Steel Insert 

If you own a only one instant pot, you will feel the need for an extra steel insert soon. As most of you, I don't love to wash utensils.  But when you are making multiple things for dinner or have guests coming over, and you need to use the instant pot for 2-3 of them. At this time, an extra steel insert comes in handy.

Note: if you already ave multiple instant pot, you might not feel the need for this.

Silicone Baking Cups

If you like poached eggs, they come out great in the instant pot.  You can use these silicone baking cups or use small steel/glass bowls to make poached eggs.

You can also use these silicone cups to make mini lava cakes, brownies, or cheesecakes in the instant pot.

Mitts, Mat & Lid Set

This is a great accessory starter set by instant pot. It includes a pair of mini mitts, a heat resistant pad and a suction lid (works for 6 and 8qt instant pot)

Sealing Rings

Most of us make both sweet and savory items in the instant pot. What can happen sometimes is that the smells of the food remain in the silicone sealing ring. So it is best to use a separate sealing rings for sweet and for savory items.

Here is the popular set of two colored sealing rings.

Yogurt Strainer

If you love yogurt like we do, you might want this yogurt strainer to make thick creamy greek yogurt.

Digital Thermometer

If you make yogurt regularly and are struggling with getting it right.  The most probable reason may be adding the culture when the milk is cooled to the right temperature.  I use this digital thermometer to check the temperature.  This is also popular to check temperature while cooking meat.

Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid

This lid helps convert your instant pot to an air fryer. With this lid you can crisp your food right in your instant pot. It is easy to handle and store.

Final Thoughts

There are lots of accessories out there for the instant pot.  However I always recommend looking around your kitchen to find the existing things you can use in the instant pot - glass bowls, steel bowls, ceramic bowls.  For eg. I use the pyrex glass bowls for making yogurt and oats, which works perfectly.  I can also just eat my oats in them.

Here is an easy link to the list I made on Amazon for all the above accessories.

To start using your instant pot of Indian cooking, check out the Indian Spice Pantry.

Check out other Instant Pot Resources

• Instant Pot Beginners Quick Setup Guide
• Instant Pot Terminology and Acronyms
• Which Instant Pot Buttons to Use?
• How to Clean your Instant Pot
• Popular Instant Pot Cookbooks
• Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart

Looking for gift options for the holiday season, check out my holiday gift guide for the home cook!