This Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review introduces the newest member of the Instant Pot family of Programmable Electric Pressure Cookers.
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Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Meet the new addition to the Instant Pot Family. Introducing the new Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker!!!!!
It’s a 3 Quart Baby and I LOVE it. I was so thrilled to receive and be asked by the Instant Pot Company to do a review on their new Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker.
This Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review, is not your normal review. But then again, I am not your normal Blogger!
Back to School Alert – Moms, Dads, I bet your college student would love an Instant Pot Mini in their Dorm room.
The Instant Pot Mini is small enough to easily fit on your Recreational Vehicles and Boats.
As a Floridian (born and raised in Miami) where Hurricanes happen, the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 would be handy to bring to a Hotel (assuming they have power), as it would be easier to maneuver.
Its also great for Small Kitchens. But after playing around with this Mini for a while, I realized, this Instant Pot Mini has all kinds of potential for everyone and every family.
One Day Amazon Sale April 25, 2018. Click here to grab yours now!!!
It is great for large families too! Read on and I will tell you why you need an Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 in your life.
Cheesecake in the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1
But first, before I go into detail and tell you all about the Brand New Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, let’s get the most important question out of the way.
CHEESECAKE
Yes, you can make my standard Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake in this Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, without any modification whatsoever!
Look at the above photo. What do you see? That’s a 6 inch Cheesecake Push Pan sitting on the included Trivet.
Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake
All my recipes are written for a 6 inch Cheesecake pan! Many of you know by now, that my favorite Cheesecake Pan to use in my Instant Pot DUO-60 is the 6 inch Push Pan.
Of course, if you own an Instant Pot DUO-80, you can use an 8 inch Cheesecake Pan and just double the recipe.
Now that this whole super important Cheesecake issue is out of the way, let’s begin the review of this marvelous machine.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 (Mini *Plus* to me)
Besides being adorbs, as I said above, this Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is the perfect size for Dorm Rooms, Recreational Vehicles (“RVs”) and Boats.
But, the reason I love it for my RV, is not because of the ease of storage.
It’s not because of the small amount of counter space.
Can you guess?
Instant Mini is Great for RV and Boat SINKS!!!
As with all Instant Pots, the Cooking Pot for the Instant Pot DUO Mini 7-in-1 is Health Food Grade 18/18 Stainless Steel. The larger IP Cooking Pot in the photo above, is a 6 Quart Cooking Pot, so you can see the difference.
The Instant Pot DUO Mini 7-in-1 Inner Cooking Pot Dimensions are 7.8 x 5 inches/19.8 x 12.7 cm.
My first Instant Pot was an Instant Pot LUX. It was purchased back in 2011, specifically to use on my Recreational Vehicle (“RV”) to save room and take the place of my slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer and more.
The Instant Pot LUX was the perfect answer and saved me all kinds of room. Well, it would have saved me room, had I not decided to pack up extra appliances anyway.
But, there was just one teeny issue. The RV sink. It is not easy to wash a large pot in an RV sink.
It’s so small!!!! Even with the tall faucet we installed to make cleaning large pots easier, it was still a challenge.
Instant Mini is Great for RV and Boat SINKS!!!
Okay, so if you have not guessed by now, the best news for RV owners, the 3 Quart Stainless Steel Pot, easily fits into RV sinks. You know what that means, right?
No more fighting with the sink. No more water splashing all over the place!!!!!!! No more aggravation. I am sold! There is even room to spare!
For more RV talk, check out my RV Life – Recreational Vehicles, Motorhomes, 5 Wheels, Travel Trailers Facebook Group.
Size Comparison – 6 Quart v 3 Quart
Besides RV’s this new Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is perfect for apartments and kitchens with limited space. The 3 Quart Instant Pot DUO Mini, is also great for any size family.
The Mini, does everything the Instant Pot DUO60 does and more!
For larger families, the Mini size is great for side dishes, such as my Pressure Cooker Green Bean Casserole, Homemade Barbecue Sauce (serve right from the Pot), Cranberry Sauce, my Simple Sweet ‘N Sour Dipping Sauce recipe, desserts, like my Slow Cooker Apple Crisp Recipe and more.
As shown above in the Cheesecake photo, you can even cook recipes using the Pot in Pot method.
Upgraded Performance Buttons
More good news. The Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, is not JUST a smaller DUO. In my opinion, it is a smaller Instant Pot DUO-60 PLUS, (just without the egg, poultry, multi-grain and cake preset buttons).
The Instant Pot 7- DUO Plus Mini is more user friendly than the Instant Pot DUO60/80 Models.
Just one button for Yogurt!!!! Press it once and it says “Boil.” Press it again and you will see the More, Less or Normal Settings! No more confusing Adjust button.
You can easily use one-half gallon of milk and make your own Homemade Instant Pot Greek Yogurt.
I’ve added instructions for using the buttons on the Instant Pot DUO Plus / Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, as both models work the same.
Another similarity to the Instant Pot DUO Plus, is the Sauté button. At any time while Sautéing, you can adjust to Less, Normal or More, without first turning of the Pot!
Which leads me to the next cool upgrade. All the preset buttons have Low, Normal, High with various preset time, which you can see by pushing the button over and over again.
For instance, push the Meat button and it displays Low/20 minutes. Push it again and it displays Normal/35 Minutes. Push it once more and it displays High/45 minutes. I love this option.
It is great for recipes like my Pressure Cooker Beef Stew with Root Vegetables, which cooks for less time than my Pressure Cooker Classic Pot Roast recipe, which would use the longer time setting.
The Pressure Level button adjusts between High and Low Pressure.
The Pressure Cook button takes the place of the Manual button.
The Poultry preset button was removed, which I feel is a good thing. The cook time for Poultry is very little and it is easy enough to push the Pressure Cook button and set the time.
The Timer Button is now called “Delay Time,” which makes it more clear to users of its function.
The One-Touch Button operation, remembers the way you cook and each program remembers your last customization.
One feature unique to this Model (and not covered in the instruction manual), is that you have a choice to engage or not engage the “Keep Warm” feature when you press the “Pressure Cook” button (which replaced the “Manual” button).
When the Pressure Cook button is pressed, the “Keep Warm” button will illuminate. After the cook time is complete, your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 will automatically go into the Keep Warm mode and the “Natural Release Pressure” (“NPR”) begins. Most of my recipes, like my Instant Pot Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork) recipe and my Pressure Cooker Hard Boiled Egg Loaf recipe, calls for NPR, meaning, do nothing and let the pot release on its own. This allows the food to slowly finish cooking.
If you press the “Keep Warm” button, after pressing the Pressure Cook button, the light goes off. After the cook time is complete, the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 will turn itself off and the “Off” button will illuminate.
With either option, you can begin a “Quick Pressure Release” (“QR”) by gently pushing the Pressure Valve towards you. Using controlled intermittent movements is best, so that you don’t make a mess all over the counter. For recipes like my Pressure Cooker Picnic Potato Salad, this is a great feature.
As is standard with all Instant Pot models, there are 10 Safety Features built in.
Stuff that Comes with the Instant Pot Mini
You will get in the box with your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, the following:
Rice Cup
Rice Paddle
Soup Ladle
Short Legged Trivet
Condensation Collector
Detachable Power Cord
User Manual
Quick Reference Guide
Recipe Booklet
Condensation Cup Installation
The Condensation Cup is to collect excess liquid and steam.
All Pressure Cookers and Instant Pots work on Steam. The Steam powers the cooking.
You’ll want to use enough liquid to so that Pressure (steam) will build to cook your food.
But, you don’t want to use excess and boil your food….unless of course you are making Soup or Stew.
Even then, if converting your own Slow Cooker or Stove Top recipe, the amount of liquid will be less.
Remember, the food in your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, cooks in a tightly sealed vessel and will not cook down and lose liquid, like other methods.
The Sauté feature is for reducing liquid to achieve a thicker sauce or gravy.
Condensation Collector Snaps into Place
With a quick snap, your Condensation Collector is attached.
Make sure to remove it often and wash it out.
Mold will grow, if you let it sit for a while with the accumulated gunk excess liquid.
Instant Pot 7-1 DUO Mini Heating Element
This is the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Heating Element. Do not put any food directly on the Heating Element.
Your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 will have an Orange sticker over the element.
Remove it right away.
Always Use the Cooking Pot
Folks, this is not negotiable.
Always, use the Cooking Pot to cook ANYTHING in your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1.
The Cooking Pot goes directly over the Heating Element.
RV’ers and Boaters, your Stoves usually come with Marble or Wood Covers.
Never put your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 directly on the Burners of your Stove. Make sure your Covers are in place.
Also, a good idea is to pull the knob off the Stove, so you don’t accidentally turn on your Stove!!!
For those wanting a cover for your home Stove, these wood covers do double duty as Burner Covers and Cutting Boards.
Markings for Locking the Lid
When you go to Lock your Lid in place, note the Arrow on the front of the Lid. That indicates that your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is locked in place.
In order to Lock the Lid, you will need to place the Lid on the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 at about 10:00, and then twist the lid to the right.
Some people use Nail Polish and paint over the Arrow to make it easier to see.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Valve and Pin
The Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Valve needs to be in the sealed position in order for your pot to reach Pressure.
The Pressure Valve toggles and easily pulls off for cleaning. It is important to clean the Value after every use.
Use your fingers and push the Valve away from you to seal.
If you are Slow Cooking, push the Valve towards you, so that excess steam will escape.
When the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 reaches Pressure, the Float Valve (the little silver pin, to the right of the Pressure Valve will pop UP.
The Float Valve is held on with a tiny silicone gasket. It is important to keep the pin and gasket clean. The Float Valve and gasket are easy to remove from the Lid.
Never, ever try to force open your Pot when the Float Valve is in the UP position. Never! There are safety features built in, so that you cannot open the lid, so don’t try to force it. Instant Pot took all the precautions to make their products very, very safe. 10 separate safety features!
Parents of college kids, fear not. These 10 Safety Features will keep everyone safe!
- 1. Pressure Regulator, ensures working pressure below the safety limit
- 2. Anti-Blockage Vent, prevents food debris from blocking the vent
- 3. Safety Lid Lock, prevents accidental opening of the cooker while it is pressurized
- 4. Designed with a sensor for lid position detection, monitors whether the lid is in an unsafe position for pressure cooking
- 5. Automatic temperature control, regulates temperature based on the type of program being selected
- 6. High Temperature monitoring, avoids burning food
- 7. Automatic Pressure Controller, keeps pressure always in the safe range
- 8. Electrical current and temperature fuse cuts off power if the current or internal temperature exceeds safety limits
- 9. Excess Pressure Protection, releases excess pressure into internal chamber in a dangerous situation
- 10. Smart detection of leaky lid (e.g. steam release is in the open position)
When the Float Valve has dropped and it is time to release the Steam after Pressure Cooking, use controlled jiggles, so that a little bit of Steam escapes slowly from the Pressure Valve.
Don’t be afraid. Use your fingers on the side of the Pressure Valve, like you see in the above photo, not on top. Make sure your face is away from the top of the Pressure Valve.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Lid Holder
As is standard with the DUO models, the handles of the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, doubles as a Lid Holder!
This is especially great for people with small kitchens and limited counter space.
Condensation will drip from the Lid and guess where it will end up?
Yep, in the Condensation Collector. Keep it clean. 🙂
It is 2 quarts!!
This is great or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Pressure Cooker Potato Salad, Pressure Cooker Hard Boiled Eggs and more.
RSVP 2 Quart Stainless Steel Strainer Basket
Three “Rice” Cups of Rice, Fluffed
You could easily cook five “Rice” cups of rice in this Mini Pot. That would yield about 10 servings of rice.
Remember, a “Rice” cup is 3/4 of a cup, which is 6 oz (dry).
You don’t need many accessories, if any at all, really, for this Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1.
You will want a Bowl to heat up leftovers and to steam Vegetables, like Broccoli (so they don’t fall through the Trivet.
If you are making my Mashed Cauliflower, you can just put the Cauliflower on the included Trivet or use the Smaller Colander Bowl.
This 1.5 Quart Stainless Steel Bowl is perfect for Pot in Pot Cooking. It’s the one I recommend on my Instant Pot Favorite Accessories Page, so you may already own the Bowl! However for steaming Veggies, I recommend the Smaller Colander Bowl.
Pot in Pot Cooking
For Broccoli, I set the Pressure Cook time to “0” minutes. For my preference, it is over cooked. For my husband’s preference, it was perfect.
Timing is a personal preference and what is good for one, isn’t necessarily good for the other.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 (Mini *Plus* to me)
In conclusion, this Instant Pot 7-1 DUO Plus Mini is great for everyone, not just Students in Dorms, RV’ers and Boaters.
You can cook for one person, or you can cook for two or more. For larger families, this 3 Quart size is perfect for side dishes and desserts.
I didn’t mention much about the specs, because everyone else always does that, right?
But, in case you are wondering, the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is 3 Quarts and 700 watts. It is 11.4 x 10 x 11.2 inches and weighs 8.2 pounds.
I hope you have enjoyed my Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review and that I was able to answer any questions you might be wondering about this cute little model.
Feel free to post questions in the comment section below and I will be happy to answer.
The Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is now available, so if you want one, click here to buy yours.
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Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Loved the information. I am wondering when using a recipe for 6 qt instant pot how would you cut this down for the 3 qt? Is there a rule of thumb? Does the times to cook change for the pressure cooking or slow cooking?
You can cut the recipe in half. Jill
I just purchased the mini tonite after spending hours watching videos and reading articles. Your article above is one of the best regarding the mini. I am very concerned about the limited number of recipes for the mini and converting the many Duo 6 qt recipes out there.
I cannot find a hard boiled egg recipe for the mini. I need to cook 18 eggs weekly and hoped the mini would make it easier to peel the eggs as presented for the 6 qt.
Finally, can you recommend a really easy to understand mini recipe book, website, etc.?
I am not much of a cook so I need all the help I can get.
Thank you!
All my recipes are for the mini. All my recipes are for every brand of pressure cooker and all sizes. Jill
How many would the 3 quart comfortably cook for? I’m a single person looking to invest and trying to figure out if I should save money and get the mini or spend a little bit more and get the 6 quart.
Hi Nikki. You can’t go wrong with either size. You can easily cook for two in the 3 quart and have some leftovers. Jill
Just adding a thanks. I’ve been constantly cooking in my mini since cyber Friday purchase. There’s just 2 of us. I found you and others on FB. I find the mini cooks most all the recipes. I took inside dimensions and found lots of extras to use. I already had Oxo extendible handle steamer basket that fits perfect. Bento stainless tiered round boxes fit for having 3 small bins. Pyrex glass storage bowls as well as small French suffle dish work for most cakes, puddings, etc.
Now you’ve sold me on the air fryer. With these I don’t need to use the large oven! Still use our toaster oven, like I just broiled a chicken recipe of yours after cooking in IP to brown skin top- but soon use air fryer!. (Another side- I’ve been making tartine style sourdough bread for years, yesterday I made up your HokkaidoMilkBread, but my starter is so thick, added more- enough to moisten levain.)
Thanks for all the information. There are just the two of us at home, so I purchased the 3qt mini. The only problem I’m having is finding recipes specifically for the mini. I don’t want to over fill it and most recipes are for the larger unit. Is there a generL rule for converting larger recipes?
I was so pleased to read this article about the instant pot duo mini. We just got ours from Amazon, but there were very limited instructions in the little recipe book, which was the only book we got with our instant pot.
I will be interested in seeing some other recipes too.
How much yogurt does this make? Going to be making Greek style ! Trying to decide what size pot I’ll need. Really like the 3 Qt –
How do I convert recipes for the 6 qt. to use in my mini, most recipes are written for the 6 qt.?
Thanks, Judy
Hello Jill, thanks for posting this informative review. I just purchased the mini (my first pressure cooker too) Had been undecided about just a rice cooker or this. Figured this was much more versatile and I could grow with it! Hoping you can clear up the RICE button option. I did try my first batch but had to use the Pressure Cook button to se the time. When pressing the Rice button, I could not seem to customize the time for my Jasmati rice. How does that Rice function work? The manual does not explain it well enough. I would appreciate your input! Lesa
Just read farther down in the comments and found the answer to my question. Thanks!
Zoe
Most IP recipes seam to be for the larger pots. I have the mini if I cut amount in half do i cook for half the time?
Thank you for the great info. We just ordered one for our rv. It will take the place of multi appliances that we just dont have room for.
Hi Debra. Wonderful. I am sure you will enjoy the Mini. It’s plenty big enough for two and even for company. Jill
What great reviews you are doing! Thanks! I am wondering how it is to saute in the mini, as compared to the 6 quart. I wonder how many folks saute in a larger pan and transfer to the IP. I have already purchased the 6 qt at a great price during Christmas sales – less than I’d now pay for a mini. So it isn’t a question of price. It’s just my husband and I, not much meat cooking, and some leftovers are great.
I am new to the world of Instant Pot and this has been the best resource I have found to explain the Duo Mini and how to use it. Especially the explanation about the Pressure Cook button being the same as the Manual button, which all recipes seem to reference. I now feel more confident in cooking in it. And love that you have included a list of accessories that can be used, which I have not seen elsewhere either.
Thank you for all the informative and helpful information you posted about the duo mini What size whole chicken will fit in it for rotisserie chicken. I bought a small Cornish hen and use it for all my chicken salad recipes. I save the bones in a bag in the freezer to make broth in future. I am going to be 80 in May and love cooking and love the Duo Mini
Thanks so much for the wonderful review for the duo mini. I just rec’d mine tonite and am just a bit afraid of it. This review has given me the confidence to tackle my first recipe tomorrow.
Hi Jill,
I’m a total novice to the IP (just got my Duo Mini yesterday) and cooking in general.
I’ve noticed most of the recipes online for hard boiled eggs are for the 6 quart IP and they say to use 1 cup of water. So my question: With the Duo Mini, should we use 1 cup of water or 1/2 cup of water since it’s 3 quarts? (Sorry for the dumb question. I really have no idea.)
Thanks,
Hadley
Jill, you are the best resource, hands down, for everything Instant Pot!
Thank you, Denise. 🙂 Jill
If I get the 6 quart pot, can I easily use recipes designed for the mini? Occasionally I’d like to have the full size but mostly I’m cooking for two people and don’t want a lot of leftovers. Thanks.
Sure, Peggy. Any recipe can be made in any size pot, just like any recipe can be made in any size oven. Adjust ingredients for the size you are using. Jill
Thank you so much for doing a review on the Mini (including pictures and accessories.) I just bought one myself and have been having a challenge of finding items or reviews that will work for the 3 quart model. I always see the 6 quart but I have a small apartment and live alone. So the 3 quart is just right. Looking forward to making some delicious meals.
Congrats, Aaron. Jill