The trendy multicooker hits its stride this time of year and there are some excellent Black Friday deals on Instant Pots if you’re looking to add one to your arsenal or are searching for the perfect gift for a foodie. With the holidays upon us, the Instant Pot is great for making quick main courses such as short ribs or pot roast that taste as if they took hours. You can also make side dishes like creamed spinach or mac and cheese, and there are easy recipes for hearty soups, stews, chilis, warm dips and a whole lot more. You’ll get a lot of multicooker bang for your buck, especially if you pounce on one of these Black Friday Instant Pot deals at top retailers such as Macy’s, Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy.
Read more: Best Instant Pots of 2020: Duo, Ultra, Lux and more models compared
And that, of course, is the challenge. Instant Pots come in more variations than laptops, it seems, and pricing is often all over the map. The good news is that the holiday season is the best time to buy, whether you’re getting a real Instant Pot or one of the many (still capable) knockoff brands.
The main rule: $50 to $70 is the sweet spot for a 6-quart Instant Pot. Most Instant Pots come in 3-, 6- and 8-quart sizes, with the 6-quart models being the mainstay for most families. The best deal this season on that size remains the 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Nova at Macy’s, Target or Best Buy for $50 but the 6-quart Viva for $49 at Walmart is also a solid buy. Otherwise, we’re seeing some models with more features (like a crisping lid that turns the Instant Pot into an air fryer) in the $60 to $70 range.
If there are any better Instant Pot sales or discounts between now and the end of the year, we’ll be sure to root them out, so check back here for the best Black Friday deals on Instant Pot for the 2020 holiday season.
Instant Pot
The Duo Nova is an updated version of the Duo and is considered one of the best models for beginners. It has all the important cooking functions including pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming and sauteing but also has an easy-seal lid that automatically seals the Instant Pot without you having to flip a toggle (one of the more annoying nuances of the original Instant Pot). It also has 14 one-touch Smart Programs for making specific foods such as ribs and chili.
For $10 more you can get the same model in a sleek black finish. If you’re feeling a larger size, Macy’s also has the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Nova on sale for $70, down from $150. All of these Instant Pots ship for free.
This deal is also available at Target and Best Buy.
Instant Pot
The Viva appears to be an offshoot of the popular Duo model with the addition of sous vide and cake-making (!) options, according to Instantpotology. This Instant Pot does just about everything you’d want or need a multicooker to do and under $50 is about as low as you’ll see it go. It features 15 cook settings including soup, meat/stew, chili, cake, egg, slow cook, pressure cook, saute, rice, multigrain, steam, sterilize, porridge, warm and yogurt. Six quarts is the most popular size: It’s large enough to cook for groups but not so huge that you’ll find it difficult to store. It also has OverHeat Protection, a safety lock to ensure safe pressure cooking
The only minor drawback of the Viva is that it’s limited to four hours of cooking time. For context, most slow-cooked meals won’t take you more than four hours, including pot roasts, pulled chicken and pork shoulder. In fact, if you cook anything for longer than that, it’s likely to turn mushy, so this isn’t something that would deter me from buying.
This Instant Pot Viva also qualifies for Walmart’s free shipping and should be to you by next week at the latest. Note that this deal appears limited to the black model, though it appears more silvery in the photos.
Instant Pot
Last year, we would’ve said “don’t ever pay more than 60 for a 6-quart,” which is why that $49 at Walmart is still such a sweet deal, but if you want some luxury features like enhanced power for 70% faster cooking and a nifty progress indicator to track each recipe with precision, then the Dup Evo Plus is a worthy upgrade. All told there are about 20 enhancements from the previous model, including intuitive cooking programs for specific recipes and a precision dial for getting temps and timings exactly right. It’s arguably the most advanced Instant Pot and $70 is by far the lowest price we’ve seen since launching earlier this year. (The previous low on Amazon was $95).
Instant Pot
This Instant Pot with air fryer crisp lid attachment gives you the most bang for your buck and saves you space in the kitchen if you’re also considering getting an air fryer. Normally the lid — which turns your Instant Pot multicooker into an air fryer for making crispy wings, fries, mozzarella sticks and veggie sticks with little or no oil — costs $80 all by itself. This limited Black Friday deal includes the popular 6-quart Instant Pot Duo with a crisping air fryer lid, all for under $80. This is a no-brainer excuse to break the “no 6-quarts over $60” rule and a good deal in general.
Instant Pot
This is the update on Instant Pots’ all-time best-seller, the Instant Pot Duo. It may not have all the bells, whistles and cooking presets that the brand has added to premium models, but it will absolutely do everything you expect an Instant Pot to do. It has seven main functions including slow cooker, pressure cooker, saute, warm, rice cooker, steamer and yogurt maker. Perhaps most importantly, it has the necessary safety functions to ensure there are no unexpected kitchen fireworks.
The 8-quart is a great size if you’ve got a bigger crew to cook for or find yourself hosting large groups and watch parties on the regular. This is about a low as we’ll see an 8-quart Instant Pot go, price-wise.
Insignia
This model does all the things an Instant Pot does but you’ll pay a third of the price. It also scores super high marks in a whopping 4,000-plus verified purchase reviews, so don’t stress if you’re not as familiar with the brand name. We’ve done the digging and this discounted multicooker checks out.
Read more: Best Instant Pot accessories for 2020
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