Sous Vide in Your Instant Pot: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide

Sous vide Instant Pot cooking might sound fancy, but it's simpler than you think. And your Instant Pot isn't just for pressure cooking—it's a surprisingly awesome sous vide machine!

With sous vide, you'll be turning out juicy steaks, perfectly cooked fish, and even the most tender veggies.

Using the sous vide function is easier than you think, and I'll be here to guide you every step of the way!

Jump to:

• What Is Sous Vide?
• Why Sous Vide?
• Why Use Your Instant Pot for Sous Vide
• Equipment You'll Need
• Getting Started with Instant Pot Sous Vide
• Mastering the Basics
• Easy Sous Vide Instant Pot Recipes
• Expanding Your Sous Vide Horizons
• Where to Go From Here

What Is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is French for "under vacuum" and is a slow cooking process.

But what exactly is sous vide cooking, and should you use the sous vide function on your Instant Pot?

Not to be evasive, but it depends on the cooking style you are trying to achieve.

This cooking style, which has been reputable in commercial kitchens for decades, uses a temperature-controlled water bath to maintain precise temperature control. A neat tool called a sous vide immersion circulator does this.

Does sous vide sound complicated? The good news is that it isn't.

It is a forgiving method of cooking that can easily be done in an Instant Pot with a sous vide function. The sous vide program is on the later models of Instant Pot that are six quarts or larger.

I experimented with sous vide cooking on my Duo With Ultimate Lid and found it enlightening. 

Why Sous Vide?

Sous vide is a slow cooking method that initially seems counterintuitive to using an Instant Pot known for pressure cooking but produces consistent results. It produces restaurant-quality dishes at a consistent temperature every time.

While cooking foods using this method takes considerably longer, it is ideal for bulk cooking and is a forgiving way to produce perfectly cooked food consistently. The sous vide temperature determines the final temperature of the food you are preparing, and the internal temperature will not change, even if you leave the food in the water bath for a couple of hours.

This is a hands-off cooking process. You set the temperature and the cooking time. You do not need to monitor the food as it cooks. Remove it when the timer goes off.

Another key reason to use the sous vide method is for food safety. Time and temperature kill harmful bacteria, which is why food, especially meat, has set internal temperatures.

Why Use Your Instant Pot for Sous Vide

Certain Instant Pot models have the sous vide function, such as the Instant Pot Gourmet and the Instant Pot Max. Instead of using a sous vide immersion circulator and a water bath, Instant Pot utilizes a sous vide smart program

The sous vide smart program does not circulate the water like a standard bath. Instead, Instant Pot models use a digital timer and temperature control to maintain a constant water temperature.

As a chef, I have used this method in a busy setting and can see the benefits of sous vide cooking. I can cook multiple proteins to a certain temperature simultaneously, but I also see the benefit of using my Instant Pot Duo as an at-home method.

Advantages of an Instant Pot Over a Dedicated Sous Vide Machine

One of the biggest advantages of using the Instant Pot over a sous vide machine is that it is already available, so you don't have to buy more kitchen appliances. Besides, cooking sous vide may not be used at home too much, but you can break out the Instant Pot when you want to.

Another advantage is that you do not need a sous vide circulator. Once you set the time and temperature, the sous vide smart program takes care of everything else.

Understanding the Limitations

Sous vide cooking is usually used with batch cooking, and the Instant Pot is limited in size. Since the sous vide cooking time takes at least an hour and a half plus finish, using it for small meals may not be advantageous.

Instant Pots are some of the smartest kitchen appliances on the market, and my Instant Pot Duo performed flawlessly when I experimented with sous vide cooking.

Equipment You'll Need

As with any cooking process, you will need tools of the trade for sous vide cooking.

Essentials

When using the original sous vide cooking method, you will need a certified sous vide bag, a circulator, tongs, and oven mitts. When sous vide cooking in an Instant Pot, you will need the stainless steel inner pot, a sous vide bag or resealable freezer bag, tongs, and oven mitts.

The most important thing is the bags you use. A high-quality bag like a Ziploc is best because it is BPA-free, and no plastic toxins will leak into the food during cooking.

I order my proteins from Omaha Steaks, and each food item is individually wrapped in plastic. I discovered that the bags are sous vide certified. This means they are safe for sous vide cooking and toxin-free.

However, I cooked two chicken breasts, and each bag leaked, not impacting the overall results. I used a Ziploc freezer bag for my third test, and no water was entered.

Helpful Accessories

Additional tools will help you, especially when you first try sous vide cooking in an Instant Pot. 

When using the Instant Pot for sous vide cooking, you should have a digital thermometer to test the actual water temperature after it reaches the desired sous vide temperature. This way, you will know if the Instant Pot is working correctly.

A dedicated sous vide rack or a weight of some kind helps the food to stay submerged so that the food cooks evenly. Kitchen shears are also beneficial if you are not using a slide-lock bag.

Getting Started with Instant Pot Sous Vide

Getting started with Instant Pot is pretty straightforward. Still, I recommend reading some articles or watching a video beforehand to ensure that you have followed all the steps.

Step-by-Step Process

After reaching the target temperature and ensuring that the Instant Pot works correctly, it's time to start cooking. You can either season your food or cook it plain, but it needs to go into the sous vide bag.

But how exactly do you "vacuum seal" the sous vide bag? This process is known as the displacement bag.

After you have seasoned your food, seal it in a Ziploc bag, leaving one inch open. Squeeze as much air as possible and slowly place the bag in the water bath once it is at the correct temperature.

The water will push the air out, and you will notice the bag wrapping tighter around the food. Once all the air is out, seal the last inch of the bag, and rest assured that the air has been pushed out.

This decreases the chances of the bag floating and prevents the food from cooking unevenly.

• Add water to the Instant Pot to the halfway mark on the inner pot.
• Set the Instant Pot time and temperature to the desired temperature
• Once it reaches the correct temperature, slowly add the sous vide bag to the water
• Weigh the sous vide bag down (optional)
• When the food is done, remove the food
• Cut open the bag
• Finish the protein on a grill or stovetop with a hot pan (optional)

Time and Temperature Guidelines

Of course, different foods need to be cooked to different internal temperatures and at different times for safe consumption.

Here is a guideline for some of the most common foods using sous vide cooking. The higher end of the timetable is how long the food can stay in the water bath and retain the correct temperature.

Chicken breast	145℉-151℉	1.5-4 hours
Chicken thighs	145℉-165℉	2-4 hours
Turkey breast	145℉-151℉	3.5-5 hours
Pork tenderloins	140℉-150℉	1.5-5 hours
Pork chops	135℉-150℉	1- 1.5 hours
Steak	130℉-140℉	1.5-3 hours
Firm fish (salmon, etc.)	125℉-130℉	30-45 minutes
Delicate fish (trout, etc.)	120℉-130℉	20-30 minutes
Boiled eggs	130℉-165℉	40 minutes-3 hours
Scallops	135℉-140℉	30 minutes

Chef J. Kenji Lopez has a more in-depth time and temperature chart on Anova Culinary that I found useful when I started using the sous vide function on my Instant Pot Duo.

Mastering the Basics

I have mentioned "finishing" proteins when using sous vide cooking. This means that after the protein reaches the optimum sous vide temperature, you place it on a grill or on the stovetop to achieve a perfect sear in color and taste.

Broiling, pan searing, or the even more fun cooking torch method achieve the perfect finish. While the sous vide method keeps the food tender and moist, caramelization only happens with these finishing methods.

I use a hot cast iron pan for a quick, high-temperature sear for steak, chicken, or pork chops.

Food Safety and Sous Vide Cooking

Food safety is the number one concern for any dish, especially meat. Food pasteurization is the physical process of reducing bacteria from food using heat and time.

Simply put, applying heat to food for a certain amount of time makes the food safe to consume. Beef can be eaten at various temperatures, while pork and chicken can only be eaten at set temperatures, which is why you cannot order a medium-rare chicken breast.

So, while sous vide is a slow cooking method, the internal temperature of the food will be safe to eat but may not have the desired taste once the Instant Pot beeps. To correct this, a quick sear on a hot pan will finish the protein perfectly.

Troubleshooting

The biggest issues when using sous vide cooking are temperature fluctuation and uneven cooking. Using a traditional sous vide water bath, the temperature can be recalibrated by holding the power button on the sous vide circulator.

Instant pots rarely exceed the suggested cooking time by more than one degree, but for the best results, it is good to test the water temperature now and then using a digital thermometer.

The simplest solution for correcting uneven cooking is to use a weight. While these can be purchased, you probably have a small, oven-safe dish in your kitchen that works just as well.

Easy Sous Vide Instant Pot Recipes

The Instant Pot app has many sous vide recipes geared toward the Instant Pot. The sous vide eggs and pork tenderloins recipe section is especially useful.

Perfect Steak

Everybody has a preferred style of steak depending on the final temperature, cut of meat, and other deciding factors. I have cooked many steaks and find that when using sous vide, set the temperature to ten degrees less than your preferred doneness and finish it on the grill or in a cast iron.

Juicy Chicken Breasts

My favorite protein using the Instant Pot sous vide function is chicken breasts. They don't dry out, and the water bath keeps them tender.

I cook mine at 151℉ for 1.5 hours and then sear them in a hot cast iron pan with a couple of teaspoons of oil. This provides a crisp skin without sacrificing moisture. The trick here is to start with a hot pan so that it is a quick sear. This also locks in the juice inside the chicken.

Flaky Salmon

Fish is one of the best things to cook using the sous vide function. Since it is common to steam fish, sous vide cooks fish well because it has a similar steaming effect.

When you sous vide fish, especially firm fish like salmon, you do not need to flip it, so it will not break apart and retain its firmness without drying out.

You can finish salmon under a broiler, but if you season it before putting it in sous vide bag, you will end up with a nicely cooked piece of fish that has absorbed the seasoning.

Sous Vide Eggs

This is where sous vide cooking shines, for me, at least. There are many temperatures and time limits for cooking eggs this way, and you get to see how sous vide cooking benefits food.

People often have trouble boiling eggs due to temperature fluctuations, or they cook them for the wrong amount of time.

With the Instant Pot sous vide function, you have to look up the right time and temperature for the style of eggs you want and place them in the inner pot.

I experimented with medium eggs and discovered they do not need a sous vide bag, which may not surprise me because the method is akin to boiling eggs.

Each time, I left the eggs in the Instant Pot for at least an hour after they were done, and both times, they had the perfect texture and temperature.

Poached eggs also cook very well using the sous vide method. If you plan on cooking an egg in its shell in hot water, sous vide can be your best friend.

Expanding Your Sous Vide Horizons

After starting your sous vide journey, it's fun to try new and different things. That is kind of the point of cooking in the first place.

Beyond the Basics

Many sous vide recipes are available online and in the Instant Pot app. If you find a sous vide recipe that you must have but is not a conversion table for an Instant Pot, use the time and temperature chart above to convert the recipe to fit your Instant Pot.

Certain desserts are fun to experiment with using the sous vide function. Fruit-based desserts and custards benefit the most because of the moisture content.

Creme Brulle cooks perfectly with sous vide because the temperature is consistent, and you do not have to wrestle a water bath in and out of a hot oven. I highly recommend it as the first dessert you experiment with.

Infusing flavors

Infusing flavors is one of the most fun skills to learn when using any cooking method. For instance, instead of seasoning pork tenderloins with simple salt and pepper, why not make a marinade of vinegar, fresh herbs, and an aromatic like rosemary?

Combine these in the sous vide bag and prepare the pork as usual. The acidity will help tenderize the pork, and the flavor combination will surely be a hit at the dinner table.

Large Batch Cooking and Meal Prep

Sous vide cooking shines in large-batch cooking and meal preparation. You can cook large batches of perfectly cooked eggs and set them aside for breakfast throughout the week or prepare proteins and refrigerate them once they cool off.

If I know that I will be finishing food cooked with the sous vide method, I cook the food to five or ten degrees below the proper finished temperature.

This way, I can quickly sear it, and as it sears, it reaches the proper temperature and gains additional flavor and color.

Where to Go From Here

For years, the only way to use the sous vide cooking method was to use a sous vide machine and circulators, but Instant Pot has changed the game. Thanks to the Instant Pot's sous vide smart function, you can sous vide without having to buy extra equipment with certain models.

This method has limitations, such as longer cooking times, finishing proteins that require extra dishes, and smaller capacity. But overall, Instant Pot has nailed this concept and provides a great alternative to additional kitchen appliances.

The pressure cooking capabilities of an instant pot are well known, but there is not much talk about the sous vide function. It is a forgiving way to prepare foods, especially in large batches, and should be utilized when consistent internal temperatures are warranted.

Not all Instant Pot models have the sous vide program. The Instant Pot Max, Instant Pot Duo, and models with a six-quart capacity or larger will have this smart function.After learning how to properly sous vide in an Instant Pot, try out other dishes that are not so common with sous vide, like desserts. The best thing about the sous vide smart function is that once you set the time and temperature, you can rest assured that the food you are preparing will turn out perfect every time.