How to Use the Instant Pot Sous Vide Smart Program

Find out everything you need to know about the Instant Pot Sous Vide functionality that’s built into some Instant Pot models. Use this easy cooking technique to perfectly cook restaurant-quality meals in your Instant Pot.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide (pronounced soo veed) means “under vacuum” in French.  It’s a cooking technique that’s been around for decades but has recently become very popular not only with professional chefs but home cooks too.

Uncooked food is sealed in a plastic bag and immersed in a temperature-controlled water bath.  The food is cooked at a lower temperature for a longer time. The result is perfectly and evenly cooked food.

Originally sous vide cooking was done using vacuum-sealed bags, but these days you don’t have to have a vacuum sealer. Freezer bags work great.

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Sous Vide Immersion Circulator vs. Instant Pot Sous Vide Function

There are two ways of doing sous vide in the Instant Pot. The first is an immersion circulator and the second is a built-in Sous Vide smart program available on some Instant Pot models.

Immersion Circulators

The traditional and most popular method of sous vide cooking is an immersion circulator clipped onto a large container of water. The Instant Pot company makes immersion circulators that can be used with any container including any model of Instant Pot that is 6-quarts or larger.

Immersion circulators look like hand-held blenders. They usually clip onto a container with a wide base and heat the water to a precise temperature and circulate the water by agitating it. There are numerous brands that make sous vide circulators, including:

• Instant Pot Sous Vide Circulator
• Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker
• Breville Joule

Instant Pot Sous Vide Smart Program

In this manual, I focus on the Instant Pot’s built-in Sous Vide smart program and not the sous vide immersion circulator.

You should know that the Instant Pot’s sous vide functionality isn’t truly sous vide because water isn’t circulated. However, the function works pretty well and is a great alternative if you don’t want to purchase an immersion circulator and you already own an Instant Pot with sous vide functionality.

If you want to have very precise temperature control and circulation of the water bath, you may want to purchase a sous vide immersion circulator.

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Why Use Sous Vide?

Pressure cooking is fast, high-temperature cooking requiring at least one or more cups of liquid. Sous vide is long, low-temperature cooking with no liquid required.

Sous Vide Advantages

Here are some reasons you might want to try out sous vide:

• It’s a very forgiving method of cooking. It’s hard to overcook foods due to the low-temperature cooking. Once the desired temperature has been reached, the food will stay at that temperature. A medium-rare steak will stay medium-rare. Most recipes offer a range of sous vide cook times. As long as you remove the food within that time, your food will be perfectly cooked.
• It requires little to no liquid. This allows you to make recipes in the Instant Pot that aren’t suited for pressure cooking.
• Tough meats and lean meats can be cooked perfectly. Lean meats don’t do so well in the pressure cooker but chicken breasts cooked using sous vide can be cooked perfectly tender in the Instant Pot!
• It’s essentially hands-off cooking; you can walk away while the food is cooking.
• Sous vide allows you to cook food ahead of time and finish it on a grill or pan right before serving. This is especially helpful when you’re entertaining since food can be cooked ahead of time and left in the water bath until you’re ready to finish it and serve.
• Sous Vide is a great way to simplify meal prep. You can cook your food ahead of time, leave it in the bag and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it.

Sous Vide Disadvantages

• You may have to finish foods on the grill, in a pan or broiler. This means more dishes to wash.
• Sous vide cooking times are long.
• The water bath can take time to heat up to the desired temperature.
• Some people may not be comfortable with the idea of cooking food in plastic.
• Food safety can be an issue IF you don’t follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Make sure you avoid contamination, store food properly, follow directions for minimum cook times and temperatures.
  

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Is Sous Vide Safe?

Heat destroys bacteria, and since sous vide involves low-temperature cooking, you might be concerned about food safety.

There are two factors that destroy bacteria: temperature and time. With enough time, most food pathogens are killed at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. If food is kept at this temperature for a long enough period, the microorganisms will be destroyed.

Sous vide recipes normally give you a time range for cooking. It’s important to stay within those parameters and cook your food for at least the minimum amount of time.

Once the food is cooked, make sure you either eat it immediately or chill immediately. Sous vide food, in particular, should be chilled in an ice bath before refrigeration.

For more detailed and technical information, read this Cook’s Illustrated article about Sous Vide Food Safety.

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Instant Pot Models with the Sous Vide Smart Program

The following Instant Pot models (6 quarts or larger) have sous vide functionality:

• Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus
• Instant Pot Ultra (using the Ultra smart program)
• Instant Pot Duo Plus (newer versions only)
• Instant Pot Duo SV (available at Costco)
• Instant Pot Duo Crisp
• Instant Pot Max

The Duo, Lux, Nova, and Viva do not (as of when this article was published) have the Sous Vide function.
[Update March 24, 2020: I was recently informed by a reader that the newer Viva models do have the Sous Vide function]

If you’re new to the Instant Pot, here are some Instant Pot Guides that might be useful to you:
– Instant Pot Ultra Quick Start Guide
– Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Quick Start Guide

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Recommended Equipment

The first thing you’ll need is an Instant Pot with the Sous Vide smart program. Here are some other items that are recommended for sous vide:

• Freezer bags *
• Digital thermometer
• Silicone oven mitts
• Silicone tongs

* Use good quality freezer bags like Ziploc brand. * You can also use a vacuum sealer and vacuum bags or reusable sous vide bags.

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The Displacement Method

What is the Displacement Method?

You’ll hear about the displacement method in sous vide recipes. The displacement technique allows you to remove air bubbles and seal a freezer bag while you submerge it in the water bath.

Why do you Need to Remove Air Bubbles?

Air is a poor conductor of heat and acts as an insulator. If there are air bubbles in the bag, they will keep the heat from reaching the food, which slows down the sous vide cooking process.

Removing the air bubbles allows the food to have more contact with the heat, which results in quicker and more even cooking.

How to Use the Displacement Technique

When you immerse the bag in water, the water exerts pressure on the bag in all directions, which forces the air out of the bag.

• After you place food in the freezer bag, press out as much air as you can and zip the bag closed except for 1 inch.

For purposes of demonstration, I used a glass bowl in the above photographs. You will do this in your Instant Pot.

• Gradually lower the bag into the water bath. You’ll see the bag self-seal: the bag will close in around the food. Use silicone tongs or a wooden spoon to gently push the bag down, if needed.
• Making sure you keep the opening above the water level, lower the bag until all the air is forced out.
• Zip the bag completely shut.

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How to do Sous Vide in the Instant Pot

Program the Instant Pot Duo Plus OR the Duo SV for Sous Vide

1. Press the Sous Vide button.
2. Press + or – buttons to adjust the temperature.
3. Press the Sous Vide button again.
4. Press + or – Time buttons to adjust the time.
5. After 10 seconds, the display will change to On.
6. Once the temperature has been reached, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will change to the sous vide cook time and start counting down to 00:00.

Program the Instant Pot Duo Crisp for Sous Vide

1. Press the Sous Vide button.
2. Press + or – Temp buttons to adjust the temperature.
3. Press + or – Time buttons to adjust the time.
4. Press Start.
5. The display will change to On.
6. Once the temperature has been reached, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will change to the sous vide cook time and start counting down to 00:00.

Program the Instant Pot Max for Sous Vide

1. Select the Sous Vide smart program.
2. Select Hour and turn the knob to set the desired sous vide cook time.
3. Select Minute and repeat the process to adjust the minutes.
4. Select Temperature and turn the knob to adjust the desired sous vide temperature.
5. Select Start.
6. Once the temperature has been reached, the Instant Pot display will change to the sous vide cook time and start counting down to 00:00.

3. Add Food to Sous Vide Bag

• While the Instant Pot is heating up, prepare your food to be cooked by placing it in a resealable freezer bag in one layer.
• Squeeze out as much air from the bag as possible and seal the bag, leaving a 1-inch opening.

4. Place Sous Vide Bag in Water Bath

• Once the sous vide temperature has been reached, gradually lower the bag into the water. Use a wooden spoon or tongs if needed.
• Air will get forced out as the bag gets lowered. This is called the displacement method. Keep the bag opening above water at all times.
• Finally, close the bag all the way until the bag is completely sealed.
• Close the lid.

5. Remove Food When Cooking is Complete

• When the sous vide cooking time is up, the Instant Pot will beep.
• Press Cancel, open the lid and using tongs, remove the bag(s) of food.
• Open the bag and transfer the food to a plate or cutting board lined with paper towels.
• Allow the food to rest for 10 minutes.

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Instant Pot Sous Vide Cook Times

The sous vide temperature determines how well-done your food will be. The higher the temperature, the more well-done your food will be.

When you’re trying out your first sous vide recipe, I suggest following a tried and tested recipe.

There are so many great resources on the web. I really like America’s Test Kitchen. I also suggest that you read your Instant Pot manual for recommendations of sous vide cook times.

Here are some rough guidelines for cooking times. The actual cooking time will vary based on how well-done you want the food to be cooked and the size and the cut of meat.

Food	Temp (F)	Time
Chicken breast	145 to 150	1.5 to 4 hours
Chicken thigh	148 to 165	2 to 4 hours
Turkey breast	145 to 151	3.5 to 5 hours
Steak	130 to 140	1.5 to 3 hours
Pork tenderloin	140 to 150	1.5 to 3 hours
Pork chops	135 to 150	1 to 3 hours
Firm fish (e.g. salmon)	125 to 130	30 to 45 minutes
Delicate fish (e.g. trout)	120 to 130	20 to 30 minutes
Scallops	140	30 minutes
Shrimp	135 to 140	30 to 45 minutes

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