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Best 8 Quart Instant Pots (2023) Top Large Pressure Cookers
8 quart Instant Pots offer generous cooking real estate. Suppose you love inviting your friends and families over the weekend. In that case, an electric pressure cooker this size can cater to eight to ten people. It’s an amazing cooking appliance for small gatherings.
As a side note, Instant Brands append the number 80 to their large-capacity pressure cooker. Instant Pot Duo 80, for example, is the 8-qt (7.6 L) model of their classic pressure cooker.
Large Instant Pots are sadly not compatible with the air fryer accessory. If that’s something on your list, make sure to pick a model that already includes that attachment.
And without any further delay, I present to you the Best Large Instant Pot Pressure Cookers of the year.
- Best Overall – Instant Pot Pro 80 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker
- Best Value – Instant Pot Duo Plus 80 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker
- Best Premium – Instant Pot Pro Crisp Pressue Cooker & Air Fryer
- Best Duo – Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer
- Best Classic – Instant Pot Duo 80 Classic 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker
- Best Digital – Instant Pot Ultra 80 Programmable Pressure Cooker
That’s the TL;DR version of this buying guide. Feel free to click any of those links to read the full review of each 8 qt Instapot. Or let’s continue discussing all your options down below.
Top 8 Quart Instant Pots
8 Qt Instant Pot Pro – Best Overall
The Instant Pot Pro 80 is the best 8 quart Instant Pot that you can buy. It’s one of the most decked-out pressure cookers from the brand, boasting 10-in-1 cooking capabilities.
Aside from tenderizing your meat, you can also sauté with it, cook rice, sterilize, bake, steam, make yogurt, sous vide and it also has a function for keeping your food warm.
And if you’ll add all its other extra functions, you’ll have a total of 28 walkaway cooking presets.
The best thing about it though, is the inner pot design. It comes with a rubberized handle that works with your cooktop. You can literally sauté on your gas range or convection cooktop, and then, when you’re done building up the flavor, you can let the machine finish the cooking.
My complaint about the traditional pot is its too high for mixing ingredients. The handled pot design is really a game-changer in the pressure cooker market. You won’t find this feature with any of the Ninja Pressure Cookers.
Another reason to get this large capacity pressure cooker is the optional Quick Cool Tray. Instead of waiting for 30 minutes when naturally releasing pressure, it’s just 10-15 minutes with this accessory.
I haven’t even mentioned the five programmable buttons.
Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself.
Truly, the Instant Pot Pro is a professional-grade kitchen appliance for a household with a huge appetite.
You can read the full review of the 10-in-1 Instant Pot Pro here.
8 Qt Instant Pot Duo Plus – Best Value
Now, if you’re tight on budget, the 8 qt Instant Pot Duo Plus is of the most affordable pressure cookers from the brand. It’s not as fancy as the Instant Pot Pro, but it does the job just fine.
Though it’s a classic model, it’s been refreshed with the latest features. Compared to the IP Lux, it’s sleeker and features a safer vent release which has been the standard lid design for newer models.
In terms of cooking functions, it’s a 9-in-1 pressure cooker with 15 smart programs. On top of pressure cooking, it can also slow cook, make yogurt, rice, steam, sauté, sous vide, sterilize and keep your food warm.
It doesn’t have any smart features like the Instant Pot Pro, but you’ll get the best bang for your buck with the large capacity Instant Pot Duo Plus.
You can read the full review of the 9-in-1 Instant Pot Duo Plus here.
8 Qt Instant Pot Pro Crisp – Best Premium
Getting the Instant Pot Pro Crisp would be a no-brainer if budget is not an issue.
You see, when you opt for an 8 quart Instant Pot, you don’t have an option to get the Air Fryer Lid attachment as it’s only compatible with 6 quart models.
If you think you’ll be needing a pressure cooker that also doubles as an air fryer, that’s what the Instant Pot Pro Crisp can offer. It’s an 11-in-1 kitchen appliance with air frying capabilities.
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
You’ll unlock all these cooking methods with this premium kitchen appliance—pressure cook, slow cook, steam, sauté, air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, sous vide, and food warmer.
Sadly it’s one of the most expensive pressure cookers on this list, but it’s still cheaper when getting a separate air fryer.
8 Qt Instant Pot Duo Crisp – Best Duo
The good news is Instant Pot Duo Crisp can offer the same functionality without the premium price tag.
It’s also equipped with the same eleven cooking functions—pressure cook, slow cook, steam, sauté, air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, sous vide, and food warmer.
As a matter of fact, the Duo Crisp is the official 11-in-1 Instant Pot.
With that said, it’s equally capable as the 8 quart Instant Pot Pro Crisp. It doesn’t have the looks, but it’s a dependable kitchen appliance with a generous cooking capacity.
You can read the full review of the 11-in-1 Instant Pot Duo Crisp here.
8 Qt Instant Pot Ultra – Best Programmable
The Instant Pot Ultra product line is one of my favorite models. It’s equipped with a touch interface and a modern turn dial. Minimalism is one of its best traits, but it doesn’t make it what it is without talking about the”Ultra Mode.”
It’s more like a bonus function where you can adjust the temperature, pressure, and duration, more like a programmable function, but I’m not sure if you can save your settings like the Instant Pot Pro Crisp.
Still, it’s a powerful feature as far as the pressure cooker world is concerned.
In terms of cooking functions, it’s a 10-in-1 cooking equipment without factoring in the “Ultra Mode.”
Among its capabilities are pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming, sautéing, making soup broth, cooking rice, pressure canning, making yogurt, keep your food warm, etc.
The sous vide preset is not on that list, but it’s doable with the Ultra Mode. All-in-all, it has 16 smart programs.
8 Qt Instant Pot Duo – Best Classic
Last but not least, we have the classic 8 quart Instant Pot Duo.
It’s the oldest model on this buying guide, but the brand has been updating it with the latest features like the Duo Plus. To date, their classic Duo electric pressure cookers are still their bestsellers.
Unlike the plus model, it only comes with seven core cooking functions.
It can pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam, cook rice, yogurt, and keep your food warm. You won’t find sous vide and sterilizing functions with this classic variant.
On the bright side, it’s the cheapest large pressure cooker on this roundup.
Compare Large Instant Pots
We only featured six 8-quart Instant Pots above. To date the brand already released eleven 8-qt models, however more than half of them have already been discontinued (marked with * asterisk). For the sake of educating our readers, we’re still be including all of them in this comparison table.
 | Instant Pot Pro ✔ 10-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 28 smart programs ✔ Automatic sealing + safer pressure release ✔ With stovetop compatible handled inner pot ✔ Programmable (5 extra favorite programs) ✔ Faster natural release (with quick cool tray) ✔ Can sous vide |
 | Instant Pot Duo Plus ✔ 9-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 15 smart programs ✔ Automatic sealing + safer pressure release ✔ Can sous vide |
 | Instant Pot Pro Crisp ✔ 11-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 11 smart programs ✔ Automatic sealing + safer pressure release ✔ Faster natural release (with quick cool tray) ✔ With stovetop compatible handled inner pot ✔ Can sous vide ✔ Can air fry |
 | Instant Pot Duo Crisp ✔ 11-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 8 smart programs ✔ Automatic sealing + safer pressure release ✔ Can sous vide ✔ Can air fry |
 | Instant Pot Ultra ✔ 10-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 16 smart programs ✔ Automatic sealing + safer pressure release ✔ Programmable “Ultra” mode ✘ No sous vide button, but you can still do it using the “Ultra” mode |
 | The Original Instant Pot IP Duo ✔ Available in Star Wars Edition ✔ 7-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 13 smart programs ✘ Traditional pressure release ✘ Manual sealing ✘ No sous vide function |
 | *Instant Pot Duo Nova ✔ 7-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 14 smart programs ✔ Automatic sealing vent + safer pressure release ✘ No sous vide function |
 | *Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus ✔ 8-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 48 smart programs ✔ Faster natural release (quick cool tray) ✔ Automatic sealing + safer pressure release ✔ With stovetop compatible handled inner pot ✔ Can sous vide ✘ Discontinued |
 | *Instant Pot Viva ✔ 9-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 15 smart programs ✔ Automatic sealing + safer pressure release ✔ Can sous vide ✘ Discontinued |
 | *Instant Pot Lux ✔ 6-in-1 pressure cooker ✔ 12 smart programs ✔ Traditional pressure release ✘ Manual sealing ✘ No sous vide function ✘ Discontinued |
One thing that’s not included in this list is the Chewbacca Instant Pot. It’s the only 8-quart Star Wars pressure cooker, sadly it’s already been discontinued.
So all in all, you only have six options if you’re looking for a large Instapot pressure cooker.
What to consider when buying an 8 Quart Instant Pot?
Budget
Our premium pick, the Pro Crisp Instant Pot, is the most expensive on this list. It will cost you more than two hundred bucks, making it on the same league as the Ninja Foodi Steam Fryer line.
If you don’t want to spend that much on an 8 qt Instant Pot, the classic duo models are the most affordable options. There’s the Instant Pot IP Duo, and the Instant Pot IP Duo Plus.
Safety
For those who haven’t used a pressure cooker, you might find it intimidating. Personally, I’m afraid that it might explode on me. However, after using my Instant Max for several months, it never did.
I later discovered that all Instant Pots are equipped with ten safety features.
These safeguards include close lid detection, leak protection, anti-block vent, automatic temperature controls, high-temperature warning, pressure detection, automatic pressure control, excess pressure protection, extreme temperature, and power protection, and pressure regulator.
Newer models like the Instant Pot Pro and Instant Pot Ultra have an extra overheating protection.
In short, Instant Pots are incredibly safe. However, it doesn’t exempt you from reading the product manual if you’re totally new to pressure cookers.
Capabilities
The most capable pressure cooker on this list is the Pro Instant Pot. That’s why it’s the best 8 quart pressure cooker. With 28 smart programs at your disposal, you’ll surely have plenty of recipes to try out.
Now, if you want the air frying function, you only have two options—Pro Crisp and the Duo Crisp.
8 quart Instant Pots are not compatible with the optional air fryer accessory. So if you need that function, this is something that you need to consider right off the bat.
Inner Pot Design
This feature is not that much of a deal-breaker, but the handled pot design IMHO is really convenient. You can safely lift it without using oven mitts. In addition, it’s stovetop compatible. You can saute in it in a more comfortable position.
The 10-in-1 Instant Pot Pro 80 and the IP Pro Crisp come with this ergonomic inner pot.
Smart Features
The Instant Pro and Instant Ultra are somehow intelligent. The pro model has five programmable buttons, and the ultra mode works the same way.
However, none of these models are truly smart kitchen equipment. If you’re looking for an electric pressure cooker that you can control with your smartphone, check out the Pro Plus. Sadly, it’s only available as a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Maintenance
Thankfully, cleaning your pressure cooker is the least thing that you should worry about. Washing the inner pot is very straightforward. Just make sure you don’t lose any of the small components when cleaning the lid.
There will be times when you’ll have to face tough-to-remove grease, but filling your inner pot with soapy water overnight always does the trick.
Over To You
If you want generous cooking real estate, 8-quart is the maximum cooking volume the brand has to offer. They are no longer selling 10-quart Instant Pots.
I won’t make this conclusion any longer as you already have everything you need to make an educated buying decision.
Let me part with you by leaving the best 8-quart Instant Pot—Instant Pot Pro.
