When I started to think about the best instant pot for one person, I went back to my student years.
My family was poor, and in combination with both parents working hard, there wasn’t much time or space to prep and cook anything. I was made to fend for myself. And as time went by I have found out that instant pots are worth it.
I had to learn how to cook to have at least something warm for lunch. It may sound harsh, but my parents were hard-working people. Often they came late at night, scrape a few leftovers from the instant pot/pressure cooker, and went straight to bed.
So I’m approaching this from the point of view that you might be a student or single person or just someone who doesn’t care about cooking that much.
At the same time, you would most likely like to make your life easier and cook something quick and simple and do it in something that doesn’t require a lot of space and can do many good things for you.
Before I dive deeper, let me make this simple for you. In my honest opinion, the best instant pot for a single man, woman, or student is: Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker.
Not too expensive, not too cheap, and it fulfills its function while not overburdening you with options. Is there anything else you would wish for?
For more options, please take a look down below. I have made a little table that gives you a better idea about your options in terms of instant pot for a single person.
| Name | Size |
| Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 | 3 quarts |
| Yedi 9-in-1 Total Package | 6 quarts |
| Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1 | 3 quarts |
With that out of the way, let’s look at the criteria you might want to be looking for while picking the best instant pot for yourself.
Picking up here, if you’re interested in how does Instant pot work, I have a beautifully written article right here.
The size of an instant pot for 1
If you are living alone, the size of an instant pot is one of the most important things. In this case, you’re looking for or a device that can do a lot of super short amount of time. At the same time, you don’t want it to be in the middle of your room just standing there as all huge beasts saying: Look at me, I will devour your soul and living space!
You are most likely looking for something that can have its space, besides the microwave, in a kitchen corner, especially if you have a small kitchen.
The smallest instant pot you can get starts from 12×10.5×11 inches (30x26x28 cm). And can cook for you up to 3 quarts (2.8 liters) of food at once.
The best advice I can give you is to measure the space you have allowed for instant pot. Mark the measurements down and double-check the size of the instant pot you are looking at.
The small instant pots work on the same principle as their bigger brothers. More on how exactly can be found here.
The functions
It is always nice to have a lot of functions. Still, if you’re living alone, you might want to have something simple, which has just a few possibilities and options. I would personally aim towards some small instant pot with only a few functions, preferably the main one and just a couple of others, nothing too fancy.
I am almost sure that you are not going to need a unique function for sterilizing. For that is a hot water bath good enough.
I think that’s a reasonable amount of functions for one person is around 10. Anything more than that is starting to get a bit too complex for my taste.
So my advice in this regard would be to stick with less, that is, in many cases, more. This aligns with my philosophy of having a specialized tech for whatever style of cooking you are going to do.
Devices created with a singular purpose perform better than those with 100s of functions. And still, they cannot do any of them correctly.
On top of the complexity, I feel it bothers some to remember all the different functions, settings, and possibilities you have.
The price
Last but not least important part of your decision will most likely be the price of the instant pot.
In this regard, it depends mostly on your personal preference and current financial situation. But if you’re planning to use the instant pot as your primary cooking device at least a couple of times a week. I would recommend getting something slightly more expensive, something in the range of $100.
The reason for this is, as my mother is used to say, you are not that rich that you can afford to buy cheap things.
Whenever I wanted to buy something cheap, she always told me that it would break sooner rather than later. And that I will have to rebuy a new thing, which would cost me way more than the 1st more expensive option.
As you will use this often, you want to have something that you can rely on. Something that won’t betray you. Something that has some sturdiness, some life expectancy, some quality. Something you can depend on and be sure that will deliver every time.
How Can I Use My Instant Pot for Canning and Preserving Food?
Preserving made easy with instant pot: Using your Instant Pot for canning and preserving food is a convenient and efficient way to make homemade preserves. The powerful pressure-cooking feature allows you to quickly and safely seal jars, preserving the freshness and flavors of your favorite fruits, vegetables, and jams. Simply follow canning guidelines and recipes, and let your Instant Pot do the work for you. Enjoy the taste of homemade preserves all year round with this handy kitchen appliance.
Final word
So to sum it up.
Look for size, functions, and price. These will help you to pick the best instant pot for you. Or you can stick with my picks, and they should cover you just fine.
Don’t be scared to use your instant pot. If you are careful and mindful, there is nothing to worry about. Detailed information about the safety features of instant pots is here.
And that’s it. These are my thoughts on what’s the best instant pot for one person. I do more personally believe that whoever you might be.
A student who wants to party, but enjoys some warm and cheap home-cooked food from time to time.
A parent doesn’t have enough time to prep and cook everything daily.
A teenager who has to learn how to cook. Yes, I had a tough childhood.
Or you are just someone who is not interested in cooking and sees it as a necessary evil.
You deserve something with the right money/value balance that can last a long time while providing great-tasting food every occasion.
I hope that I have been helpful to you with the decision, and I wish you the best instant potting for the foreseeable future.
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[…] in various sizes, ranging from 3 quarts to 10 quarts. The most common sizes are 6 and 8 quarts. The 3-quart size is ideal for singles, couples, or small families, while the 6-quart size is perfect for most […]