How to double Instant Pot recipes: Do you have a large family and want to double an Instant Pot recipe? Want to know if you need to change the cooking time? Here are the things you need to know to get started.
For best results and to understand more about the Instant Pot read this entire article. You may also want to read How to Halve Instant Pot Recipes.
How to double Instant Pot recipes (plus video)
I get a variation of the question “how do I double this Instant Pot recipe?” a lot! Most of the time I answer with “simply double all the ingredients and keep the same pressure cooking time.” However this isn’t always the answer. Read on (or watch my video) for more information…
Most often the cooking time will be the same when you double a recipe. Pressure cooking cooks each piece of food equally. That means that each piece of chicken (2, 4 or 8) will require the same cooking time, and so will each grain of rice. That’s because the pressure cooking time is determined by the size and not the quantity of food. In other words, the pressure cooking time is the amount of time the food requires to be cooked all the way to the center.
Doubling the THICKNESS of meats, veggies, and other foods DOES require increasing cook time. This is why someone else’s recommended 8 minutes for a whole potato won’t cook your super duper sized baking potato. However remember that a 2 pound roast is not necessarily twice as thick as a 1 pound roast. If you double the time just due to weight you might get unsatisfactory results.
More items in an Instant Pot will make it fullerwhich means it will take longer for the pot to reach pressure. Remember: the food is cooking the entire time the pot builds pressure, not just when the timer starts counting down. For recipes that are more finicky and get overcooked quickly, like pasta or vegetables,you’ll actually need todecrease pressurecooking timethe fuller the pot is.
Here is formula for a doubled recipe in a full pot that might help you. The Instant Pot usually takes an averageof 10 minutes to reach pressure. For every 2additionalminutes (after 10) the pot needs to reach pressure, subtract one minute from the pressure cooking time.
What if you’re making a recipe that was written for a 6 quart Instant Pot but you’re using an 8 quart pot? A larger pot takes longer to reach pressure.This means the food will be cooking for a longer amount of time. Depending on the type of food you may want to subtract time from the cooking time. For example with pasta, diced potatoes and other delicate foods you’ll need to subtract time. For dried beans and roasts, you should be fine to keep the same cooking time.
If the recipe is meant to be steamed with a steamer basket or the food is on a trivet you don’t need to double the amount of liquid. Use the minimum liquid requirement under the steamer basket for the cooker to build pressure (1 cup for a 3 quart, 1.5 cups for a 6 quart and 2 cups for an 8 quart).
If the recipe contains rice or grains – the liquid ratio needs to remain the same. What that means is if you double a recipe, you should double the liquid.
Make sure you do not overfill your pot.Do notfill the inner pot higher than 2/3 full. When cooking foods that expand or foam such as rice or beans or pasta, do not fill the appliance over half full.
To help double recipes, remember:
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
1 fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons
1 pound = 16 ounces (weight)
1 pint = 2 cups
2 pints = 1 quart
1 quart = 2 pints
To double a recipe:
| Original Amount | Double the Amount |
| ¼ tsp | ½ tsp |
| ½ tsp | 1 tsp |
| ¾ tsp | 1 ½ tsp |
| 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| 1 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp |
| 2 Tbsp | ¼ cup |
| ¼ cup | ½ cup |
| ⅓ cup | ⅔ cup |
| ½ cup | 1 cup |
| ⅔ cup | 1 ⅓ cups |
| ¾ cup | 1 ½ cups |
| 1 cup | 2 cups |
Keys on how to double an Instant Pot recipe
I hope this article was helpful to you and you feel a little more confident in using your Instant Pot. As a summary here are the basic points on determining how to double Instant Pot recipes…
- Pressure cooking time is determined by the thickness/size and not the quantity of food.
- Doubling the THICKNESS of meats, veggies, and other foods DOES require increasing cook time.
- The fuller the pot the longer it takes for the pot to reach pressure. Also the larger the pot, the longer it takes to reach pressure and release pressure.
- More finicky foods that get overcooked quickly will require you to decrease pressurecooking time.
- If the recipe is meant to be steamed with a steamer basket or the food is on a trivet you don’t need to double the amount of liquid.
- If the recipe contains rice or grains – the liquid to grain ratio needs to remain the same.
- Do notfill the inner pot higher than 2/3 full. And for expanding foods, such as dried beans, don’t fill more than 1/2 full.
You might also like…
7 Most Common Instant Pot Mistakes I’ve Made
What is natural and quick pressure release?
Printable Instant Pot Guide for Beginners
How to Deep Clean Your Instant Pot
5 Things Not to Do with Your Instant Pot
How to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot
What Pressure Cooker Do You Use?
I have 3 different Instant Pots. However my go-to pot is my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
