When you don’t have time to cook but still want a savory, home-cooked meal, a pressure cooker is your go-to kitchen appliance.
Pressure cookers have increased in popularity because of their versatility and ability to cook anything from soups to stews, roasts, side dishes, desserts and more, in just a short amount of time.
Choose from an electric pressure cooker or stovetop pressure cooker, depending on your budget and needs.
Stovetop cookers take a shorter amount of time to cook your food, but electric cookers come with a variety of functionalities and features.
Whether you’re an avid chef or novice cook, here are the best pressure cookers you should consider adding to your arsenal of kitchen appliances:
Best Pressure Cooker Air Fryer Combo
Ninja Foodi 8qt. 9-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker
Ninja 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Ninja is a trusted kitchen brand that never disappoints, and their 9-in-1 pressure cooker is no exception.
The Ninja FD401 may be on the pricier end, but its versatility makes up for it.
With 9 preset functions to choose from including Pressure Cook, Air Fry, Steam, Slow Cook, Yogurt, Sear/Sauté, Bake/Roast, Broil, and Dehydrate, there’s nothing that you can’t do with this gadget.
1760-watts of power allow anyone to make delicious, gourmet meals in under 20 minutes.
The Ninja 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker comes with a reversible rack that raises the cooking capacity, so you can cook and fry foods of all shapes and sizes.
The electronic display is easy to understand and use and the pot is big enough to hold up to 8-quarts of food.
Finally, the Ninja FD401 Foodi comes with Tendercrisp Technology that crisps any of the ingredients after pressure cooking them.
The only downside to this air-fryer-pressure-cooker combo is that it takes up a lot of space, so make sure you have room if you plan to invest in it.
Best Affordable Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Instant Pot made a pressure cooker that has similar capabilities to our last pick, except it’s about $130 cheaper. Keep in mind that more expensive doesn’t always mean better, and that’s especially certain in this case.
This 6-quart cooker features 7 functions including Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Sauté/Browning, Yogurt Maker, Steamer, and Warmer.
The control panel is electric, easy to use, and offers many temperatures, all at the touch of a button.
The great thing about this Instant Pot is that it allows plenty of timer functions to make cooking fit into anyone’s busy schedule. You can choose to delay the start of your cooking for up to 24-hours. The keep-warm feature will keep your cooked food fresh for up to 10-hours, and warm for up to 100-hours.
The only thing we don’t enjoy about this cooker is that it doesn’t come with a ton of accessories. However, if we had to choose one pressure cooker for life, this would be it.
Best Stovetop Pressure Cooker
T-Fal Pressure Cooker
T-Fal Pressure Cooker Review
Electric pressure cookers seem to be more popular because of their adaptability, but if you want a great stovetop pressure cooker, the T-Fal Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker is a great choice.
The T-Fal P25107 Pressure Cooker has two pressure settings, either 10 or 15 depending on your needs. The cooker has a convenient cool touch handle that prevents you from getting any more burns than you already do in the kitchen.
The stainless-steel material evenly spreads the heat throughout the pot and ensures a perfect meal every time. Most stovetop cookers on the market are made from aluminum which increases the risk of burning and ultimately, weakening the pot. Therefore, this stainless-steel T-Fal model will last much longer than the average cooker.
Lastly, this pressure cooker is dishwasher safe and the coating on the inside is PTFE, PFOA, and Cadmium-free!
Best Large Pressure Cooker
GoWISE USA Pressure Cooker
GoWISE USA Pressure Cooker Review
The GoWISE 14qt. Pressure Cooker is one of the largest pressure cookers on the market.
Its fast cook times and large capacity make it ideal for getaways, family functions, gatherings, celebrations, and more.
The GoWISE USA GW22637 comes with 12 preset buttons including Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, Soup, Sauté, Steam, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Yogurt, Slow Cook, and Egg Maker.
One of the downsides to this model is that it doesn’t come with a steamer rack, which reduces the amount of meals that you can make. However, it does come with a measuring cup, rice scooper, heating place, and recipe book.
Make sure that you have enough room in your kitchen or storage for this appliance because it’s bound to take up a decent amount of space.
Best High-End Pressure Cooker
Breville Fast Slow Pro Pressure Cooker
Breville Fast Slow Pro Review
A brand that’s known for its high-end appliances didn’t disappoint with this one.
The Breville Fast Slow Pro BPR700 comes with a bunch of smart features, pressure levels, and locking mechanisms to make pressure cooking safe, fun, and easy.
The dual sensors at the top and bottom of the pot enable the steam release valve to automatically adjust the pressure and temperature for the best results, every time.
The settings on this model are recipe-specific and automatically set the cooking times and temperatures for both pressure and slow-cooking.
You can pressure cook rice, risotto, potatoes, pudding, casserole, pot roast, Bolognese, lamb shanks and more. You can slow cook bone-in and bone-off meats, desserts, chilis, stews, and more. This electric pressure cooker has you covered no matter what you’re in the mood for.
You don’t even have to touch this cooker to release pressure and steam. The 8 pressure settings can be set to a time, quick release, pulse, or natural. The slow cook functions can be set to high or low, and the cook time can be set anywhere from 2 to 12 hours.
The only downside to this splurge is that the Breville Fast Slow Pro BPR700 comes with a ton of functions, which may overwhelm some cooks. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll never want to stop using it.