The Best Instant Pot Accessories (Review) in 2020

You need instant pot accessories to get the most out of your instant pot, but if you’re not keen on which ones to get, that’s okay. Hatrigo has the most basic, but most necessary item you could ever need.

This simple stainless steel steamer basket is 100% steel, so you won’t run into any weird rust issues with lesser-grade metals. Choose from a six quart or an eight quart basket size, and get everything going. Because of the smooth touch silicone handle, you can grab it easily (preferably with some mitts to prevent hurting yourself) and pull it up with food in it, without spilling it. There’s also silicone on the feet to prevent it from slipping on the counter when you plop it down. This works in the Ninja Foodi, but it also works in other instant pots as well. If you want to get one of these to use in other circumstances, there’s also an eight quart option available.

Do lids count as pressure cooker accessories? Absolutely. Lids are the first thing to go with most instant pots (and rice cookers, for that matter). Whether it’s moisture buildup ruining the screws, or the handle starting to wobble and screwing it back in doesn’t help—you want to have an extra lid laying around.

Built with stainless steel, this lid is designed to create a solid seal on your instant pot, while retaining its shape and not coming unhinged from the glass. The steel essentially forms a ring around the glass, but from moisture, dishwasher use and time, these tend to sort of loosen up. These stainless steel rings are usually sealed at one specific point in the ring. Old-school Crock-Pot lids were notorious for this happening, by the way. This instant pot lid basically removes that potential, while also ensuring the steamer spout and handle are solid as well. This lid can withstand temperatures of up to 428° F, and while that might not be the most impressive, it’s more than enough to get the job done.

You know how we just talked about the seal on lids? Well, some instapot accessories are designed to create a seal on the actual inside of the machine for pressure cooker options.

Your seal is important. If you don’t have it, pressure isn’t going to build, and your instant pot is effectively going to be useless for pressure cooking. It can still work well for steaming and other functions, but pressure cooking is kind of the whole point of getting one. These rings come in a two pack for six quart instant pot containers. You can get 3 quart or 8 quart rings as well, it just depends on what you want. On that note, you can get a clear ring instead of the red and blue pack, but getting these two colors is recommended so you have zero problems mixing them up when it’s time to switch one out. In an effort to maintain your seal, these are actually by the Instant Pot brand, so they’ll line up with your machine requirements where the inlays are cut, and with the precise size of the rings as well. On the sales page for this ring pack, they list every individual model that this will work for, effectively taking all the guesswork out of matching these to your instant pot.

Did you even know that you could make cupcakes in an instant pot? It’s not only possible, but it can be delicious. However, I wouldn’t want to peel soggy papers off the outside of my cupcakes, and I don’t think you would either.

Instead, food-grade safe silicone is the answer. This simple, inexpensive pack of a dozen liners come in a rainbow of colors, and include a fully BPA- and PVC-free design, giving you the most amount of surety that you can get. It’s important to know the chemical composition of any plastics that you use, whether they’re food-safe labeled or not. Pantry Elements has made the safest cupcake liners for your instant pot, and they stand by their quality as well. If you run into an issue and these tear, for whatever reason, you’ve got 365 days worth of a warranty to return these liners to them. That, or heat-related damages, because these are supposed to stand the test of time. You can choose between simple round cupcake liners, or jumbo-sized—the world’s your oyster, so check out the sizing options as well.

The pots in an instant pot get piping hot. That’s kind of the point, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it comes time to remove the entire thing to either move your dish, or clean it. If it’s still ridiculously hot, you can’t really fit your silicone mitts into the edges and wedge it out, which is why OXO designed this life-saving tool.

Position this underneath your instant pot bakeware piece, and then start cooking—this silicone is food-grade rated to the point that it’s dishwasher safe, and designed for long-term use. It’s not easy to make such a heat-resistant design, but the honeycomb-style tray slats on the bottom help to distribute weight and prevent tearing. Silicone really is a wonderful addition to any kitchen, but when you put it into a simple and inexpensive design like this, it becomes even better than what we all thought it could be. I personally wouldn’t use my instant pot unless I had this by my side; it makes everything so much faster, and safer.

Boiled eggs are one of those insanely inconvenient foods to make… when you do it on the stovetop. It can take a long time, and the eggs don’t always cook evenly (in fact, they usually overcook).

This simple egg rack gives you the ability to cook nine eggs at the same time in record time compared to a saucepan on the stovetop. While OXO talks about double stacking these to cook 18 eggs, I’d personally avoid against it, but nine eggs at a time is still great. This silicone, food-grade construction rack is inexpensive as can be, but it’s also relatively tear-resistant, so you’re not going to run into many problems when you’re pulling it out of the instant pot. It really doesn’t get more convenient than this.

These might be one of the silliest accessories for instant pot users yet, but it actually serves a good purpose. Did you know that your instant pot can damage your kitchen cabinets?

Sounds crazy, but those streams of steam shooting off are all pressured water vapor, and the warmth from the steam can expedite the growth of mold. If the steam is just shooting underneath the counter, you could get moisture buildup behind your cabinets (between the wall mounting), or inside the cabinets. Water finds a way to get everywhere. Or, you can use this adorable dragon to redirect the steam to go right under your hood range, and allow it to get sucked out through your kitchen chimney. Snap this on, let it redirect the steam, and live a little safer. The steam stream coming out of your instant pot is no joke—so many people have burned their hands to a serious degree on this. It’s a pressure cooker; you don’t want to mess with it. Consider this a safety precaution for your home, but also to prevent injuries when you go to mess with the instant pot controls or check the timer. It’s fun to see this dragon blowing steam, by the way. Kids get a kick out of it.

Full-sized silicone mitts aren’t really going to cut it here. These instant pot mini mitts are able to wedge in between the edges of your instant pot and help you pull the basket out, which is probably the most attractive benefit of these.

The ridged silicone lining allows you to have a great grip, even if it’s on a slightly slick steamer basket, or whatever it is that you’re trying to get out of your instant pot. They’re flexible, but I’m going to say this now, they’re not going to last forever. Even though they’re straight up from the brand Instant Pot, silicone does have a limited durability in the kitchen. With all the bending and pressure on these, you have about three to five years on these if you exclusively use these for your instant pot. They’re still worthwhile (especially when you find out how cheap the are), just not a forever purchase.

You can make just about anything in your instant pot. Seriously; it’s insane the amount of recipes you can create in your instant pot, but just because you can doesn’t always mean you should. I love instant pots, but they’re not almighty.

At least, not without HapWay’s steamer rack. Made out of stainless steel with a height of 6.3”, this silicone-handled rack allows you to cook hens, pies in dishes, and other foods smack dab in the middle of your instant pot without moisture or water buildup on the bottom being an issue. The good thing is that the diameter measures at 7.7”, which is just a little bit smaller than the rim of your instant pot. This allows you to easily grab the silicone handles and pull it up so you aren’t scraping up the sides of your pot.

An electric pressure cooker accessories list wouldn’t be complete without the best way to, you know, actually grip the instant pot in the first place. These simple clips are able to clasp onto the side of your instant pot so you can raise it up with ease.

Built with plastic handles and a textured inlay, you’d initially think these wouldn’t last, but the proof is in the pudding. Plastic isn’t the best, but it’s the stainless steel springs and frame that really make this worth it. Not only are they less prone to rusting (provided that you hand wash them), but they’re durable and will stand the test of time. These springs stay—it’s as simple as that. As one of the most inexpensive instant pot accessories you could possibly own, it makes every interaction with your instant pot easier. Use these with air fryers or whatever you like. The great thing about these is that you can definitely find other uses for them, such as moving a metal bowl across the counter or holding onto steam baskets. The sky’s the limit, just find other ways to apply these, and use the lock-in clips when you’re done to keep them in order.