The Instant Pot Food Burn message can be scary the first time you encounter it! The good news is that it’s a fairly common error, especially with new users. Find out why your Instant Pot says burn, what to do when you see the dreaded burn message, and how to avoid it in the future.
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➡ Learn more about other Instant Pot error codes and how to solve them!
What does Food Burn Message Mean on my Instant Pot?
I’ve had my share of burn messages over the many years I’ve been using the Instant Pot. I rarely get them now, but they do happen occasionally!
The Instant Pot has over a dozen safety mechanisms and one of them is the burn-protection sensor that monitors the temperature.
You may see a burn notice when the Instant Pot has detected that the temperature inside the pot has gotten too hot.
When you get the burn notice, the Instant Pot will not reach pressure i.e. the float valve will be in the down position. All the buttons will light up, there’ll be multiple beeps and the display will alternate between the words burn and food.
Although it might seem scary, this is a good thing. The Instant Pot burn notice is protecting you and your food. It stops cooking so you can fix the problem and continue!
Learn more about your Instant Pot…
- Natural or Quick Release: What is Instant Pot natural release vs quick release and when should you use them?
- Instant Pot Tips and FAQs: What are Instant Pot frequently asked questions?
- Instant Pot Not Sealing: Why is your Instant Pot not sealing and what can you do to fix it?
- Common Instant Pot Problems: This Instant Pot troubleshooting guide explains common problems and errors and how to solve them.
- Sous Vide Button: How to use sous vide Instant Pot function for perfectly cooked foods.
Why Does the Instant Pot Say Burn?
Let’s troubleshoot this Instant Pot message by going over the most common problems and how to solve them.
1. The sealing ring isn’t put in correctly
If your sealing ring is not installed properly or if it’s missing when you use your Instant Pot, your pressure cooker will leak steam, and that will cause the food at the bottom to scorch and your Instant Pot display will say burn.
💡 Solution: Make sure the sealing ring is in place and pushed in all the way every time you use your Instant Pot.
2. Steam release valve is in the venting position
The different Instant Pot models have different mechanisms for steam release. If your steam release is in the Venting position, the pressure valve will leak steam, and that will cause the contents to burn.
💡 Solution: Make sure the steam release valve is in the sealing position before pressure cooking.
3. There isn’t enough liquid
Pressure cookers work by building pressure from steam inside the pot, which in turn cooks food at high temperatures. This steam cannot be created if there isn’t enough liquid in the pot and you can get a burn notice.
💡 Solution: Make sure you add enough thin liquid (water or broth). The minimum quantity of liquid depends on the size of Instant Pot:
- 3 quart: 1 cup
- 6 quart: 1 ½ cups
- 8 quart: 2 cups
- 10 quart: 2 ½ cups
Canned tomato products and thick sauces DO NOT count toward the minimum quantity of liquid because they are too dense.
When you’re adding liquid, make sure it gets underneath any food that’s already in the stainless steel liner. This prevents the food from scorching and helps create steam in the pot.
4. Food is stuck on the bottom of the inner pot during Saute mode
If you use the Saute function before you use the Pressure Cook function, food can caramelize and stick to the bottom of your pot.
When you begin pressure cooking, that food debris can get further scorched. This can block the heat sensor and you can get a burn warning.
💡 Solution: After you’re done sauteing, make sure you deglaze the pot. To deglaze the pot, add water or broth to the hot inner pot and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
The brown bits should get incorporated and the bottom should be clear of all stuck-on food. Try not to use the Saute function at a very high temperature.
5. Instant Pot Recipe contains dense or starchy ingredients
Recipes containing dense or starchy ingredients can be problematic.
Thick liquids such as tomato products (e.g. tomato paste, tomato sauce), prepared soup concentrates (e.g. cream of chicken), and thick sauces (e.g. alfredo sauce, mole sauce) can cause a burn error.
These ingredients are not thin enough to build steam and some contain fillers like cornstarch, flour, or cheese which tend to scorch.
Starches such as rice and pasta, and dairy products like cheese and heavy cream can also cause the Instant Pot to say food burn.
I frequently see complaints about chili recipes and pasta sauces causing the burn error. Take a look at this Instant Pot vegetarian pasta, and how I’ve layered the ingredients.
💡 Solution: To avoid the burn error when pressure cooking tricky ingredients, add ingredients in the following order in your Instant Pot recipes:
- First, add liquid such as water or broth.
- Next, add vegetables and meats.
- Next, add any pasta, rice, or other starchy ingredients, and push down gently with a large spatula so they’re covered by the liquid but DON’T stir!
- Finally, add any dense ingredients on top e.g. tomato sauce, tomato paste, and DON’T stir.
- Close the lid and pressure cook as directed.
6. Recipe contains starch
It’s common to use cornstarch and flour to thicken dishes such as soups. You can use these ingredients in the pressure cooker but you need to add them in after pressure cooking.
Stirring in and incorporating starchy ingredients like flour with all the other ingredients may give you a burn code.
💡 Solution: If the recipe calls for starches such as flour or cornstarch, add them in at the end, after pressure cooking. Heat through in Saute mode.
7. The recipe was tested with a different size of Instant Pot
If the recipe was written for the 6-quart, and you are using an 8-quart, it’s possible that there may not be enough liquid for the 8-quart to come to pressure.
💡 Solution: If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot and the quantity of liquid in the recipe is below the manufacturer-recommended quantity (see #3 above), either double the recipe or add an extra ½ to 1 cup of liquid. Keep the cooking time the same.
8. There’s a hot spot on the bottom of the pot
Some people notice that scorching happens at certain ‘hot spots’ on the bottom of the stainless steel liner. If you consistently notice food sticking to the bottom in one particular spot, you may have this issue.
💡 Solution: Although this is rare, if you encounter it, file a ticket with Instant Pot customer support.
What to do if you get the Instant Pot Burn message
If you’re getting the burn message, it’s usually possible to salvage your meal.
- The first thing to do is turn off the Instant Pot.
- Do a quick release of pressure if the float valve is up.
- Open the lid and take out the inner pot. The pot may be very hot, so use silicone gloves to remove it.
- Allow the Instant Pot unit to cool down for a bit.
- If there’s nothing stuck on the bottom of your pot, add more water or broth. Lift the food with a spatula to allow the liquid to reach the bottom of your inner pot.
- If there’s burnt food on the bottom of the pot:
- Transfer the contents to a large bowl, taking care to avoid the burnt parts.
- Scrape out the burned food from the pot and clean the inner pot so there’s nothing stuck on the bottom. The best way to clean out burnt food is to use very hot water and scrape out the burnt bits.
- Add water to the pot. Most likely, the original liquid may have fully or partially evaporated. Add enough liquid to replace the original liquid that evaporated, plus an additional ½ to 1 cup.
- Return the food to the pot.
- Resume pressure cooking the recipe. You might be able to reduce the original pressure cooking time since the food might have already been partially cooked.
- If there’s too much liquid left after pressure cooking has completed, reduce the liquid by cooking on Saute mode.
FOOD BURN MESSAGE FAQS
Many foods (e.g. vegetables, meats) release liquid and that counts toward the minimum liquid requirement. My Asian pulled pork recipe and chorizo and potato recipe are good examples. They have less than the minimum required liquid but come to pressure with no issue.
Sometimes my Instant Pot says food burn but the display changes to On. If this happens to you, you can just ignore the message and let it keep cooking. You’ll probably have some food stuck on the bottom, but you should be able to salvage most of it.
The fire symbol (a flame under a pot) is not the same as the burn error. It just means that the heating element is on and the Instant Pot is cooking.
Since the food burn notification is a safety feature, there is no way to override the error. You will need to open the lid, clean out the inner pot, add more liquid, and resume the pressure cooking process.
Bonus Tips to Avoid a Burn Message
1. Use pot in pot (PIP) cooking method
One way to avoid the burn notice in the future is to use the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) cooking method to cook dishes that have thick sauces, starchy foods, or minimal liquid.
You cook the food in a container that’s placed on a rack in some water. You don’t ever have to worry about this problem when you use the PIP technique.
2. Raise the food using a trivet
- I frequently put the food I’m pressure cooking (especially meat) on a trivet to raise it up a bit so that the liquid can cover the bottom of the inner pot. What is a trivet?
- This works really well when the quantity of liquid in a recipe is minimal.
3. Grease the inner pot
- Use a cooking spray or oil to grease the pot before you begin pressure cooking. This can help prevent food from sticking to the bottom.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR – Too Long; Didn’t Read)
I get it. You’re in a time crunch and just want to know why your Instant Pot says Food Burn. Here are the important points in this article but I suggest you come back and read the whole post so you can avoid the burn message in the future!
- Make sure the sealing ring is in place and the steam release valve is in the Sealing position.
- Deglaze after using Saute mode.
- Add adequate liquid to your recipes.
- Layer your food with starchy and dense ingredients on top.
✅ Why Trust Neena at Paint the Kitchen Red?
I’m Neena, and I have a lifetime of experience working with pressure cookers. I know how to maximize the potential of a pressure cooker to consistently produce delicious and easy meals. With my Instant Pot expertise, I can provide valuable insights, troubleshooting advice, and innovative recipe ideas so you can trust me on all things Instant Pot!
➡ New to the Instant Pot? Get my Instant Pot instructions for beginners.
RITa says
I have made ribs and red beans in my new Duo Instant Pot with no issues, but just tried to make a chicken and green chile stew, a horrible failure. Apparently rice doesn’t play well with the new sensors or the heating element, I never could get the pot to get pressurized, just kept getting the BURN message. I had a mess of burnt rice at the bottom of my pot. Seems like the pressure cooker mode can’t be used if there is rice in the recipe. Very frustrated with the lack of guidance on how to use a fairly expensive appliance. Takeout tonight while I try to figure out how to salvage this mess!.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Sorry for your troubles, Rita! If it helps at all, I also went through a learning curve when I first got my Instant Pot and hope you’ll stick with it! You will get it figured out. I don’t think it’s the rice per se, but most likely the quantity of liquid AND possibly the types of ingredients (assuming you deglazed well). You might have needed to layer the ingredients. I also highly recommend cooling the IP down a bit after deglazing (if you’re having trouble with a recipe). Without knowing the recipe, I would just be guessing.
Melissa says
This was delicious! I added a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a chopped potato and it was better than any restaurant version by far. And blending it all at the beginning made it so easy! I did get the burn message but, as usual when it appears AFTER the float is up, I just ignored it and it came to pressure no problem.
Christopher Keller says
“Deglaze” is the problem, and your tip/trick was the solution! Thanks so much. You saved dinner!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Awesome! Enjoy your dinner 🙂
Kathy says
I just received my new pot and guess what? Burn notice! I did sauté and did not cool the pot down before putting the chicken in! I removed the pot, saved the liquid, washed out the pot and started over. So far so good. My chicken is almost finished! Thanks for all of your help!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Kathy – it’s a rite of passage lol! I hope you had a tasty meal at the end of it all.
Gordon Gilges says
Why would you need a carpenter to help you with your “burn notice!?” Well, you really don’t, but the carpenter that installed your counters may NOT have helped! We have a brand-new 8qt and got a burn notice. The sauté portion of the recipe, the recipe instructs to scrape loose all the brown stuck parts in the bowl, which I did. We got a burn code even after that, I took the chicken out and saw that indeed, there was a “hot spot.” I was suspicious, so on a hunch, I grabbed a level, and sure enough, our counter falls away toward the wall, so all the liquid was running to one side of the pot! The other side burned! I stacked a couple magazines under the back side and violà! A good carpenter never blames his tools!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Wow, Gordon! What a very insightful and helpful comment. I hope others will see your comment and check the level of their Instant Pots. When I have a chance, I will have to update my post to include your comment! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
Susan says
Old time Carpenters installed countertops with a slight drop off toward the back so spills didn’t run onto the floor.
Tharina says
Hello! I could use some input. About half of the time I make jasmine roce in thr IP I get a burn notice. I am following the water to rice ratio in the manual it came with. I would first assume I need some more water for my pot based on what you said but the rice is often overlooked and mushy after. So I doubt I need more water? Thoughts? What are the ratios you use for jasmine and basmati rice?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Tharina, I use 1:1 for basmati and 1:1.25 for jasmine. What size of Instant Pot do you have? Have you tried cooking a larger quantity? You might try to experiment and see if doubling the recipe makes any difference. Sounds very frustrating 🙁
Dad says
Thanks for such a great post. Saved me and my meal. my meal was burning, so I’m thankful for the sensor. It was rice and coconut milk that caused the issue. Should have started with water first and layered. Was able to salvage most and as directed add liquid and continue.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I made the same mistake when I first started out with the Instant Pot 🙂 Glad you were able to salvage your rice!
patricia kleban says
Help..my new instant pot has displayed burn on water test
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Patricia, if you made sure the vent was on ‘sealing’, you had the minimum quantity of water, and the Instant Pot came to pressure, then it sounds like a defective unit to me. I would either return it or open a support ticket on the Instant Pot website.
Craig Schaffer says
Thanks for this article. My wife and I are new IP users so hints and tips like this are a big help. The pasta dish I made tonight pretty much ticked off all the possible causes in this article. Luckily it had been under pressure long enough that I could just shut it off and saved the meal.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Craig – welcome to the Instant Pot cult 🙂 I’m glad you salvaged the meal. It’s a learning process and you’ll figure out what works best for you. Thank you for commenting, it means a lot to me!
Caryn says
I am so glad I pinned it. I’m pretty new to the IP world, and got the burn notice today while making spaghetti sauce. Thanks to this post, I was able to figure out the problem and salvage my sauce!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Caryn! I’m really glad I was of help to you; thank you for letting me know. Happy pressure cooking!
Jewel Honstein says
this has not happened to me yet but glad you have posted about the burn notice So IF it does happen I can take action Thanks for the info
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks for getting in touch, Jewel. It’s always good to be prepared!
Linda says
First time use, made beef stew, burn notice. Thought it might be from sauteing first so took pot out, scraped it clean, cooled it down, put stew back in, turned it back on, got to pressure and burn notice. Plenty of liquid. Am so frustrated. Turned it off, unplugged, letting it sit. Dont know what to do, ready to throw the pot, meal and all out!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Linda – without knowing what recipe you used, it’s hard to say what happened. Maybe the liquid was too thick – did you have a thickener added in already? Try the layering technique next time, maybe?
Carmen Bourgeois says
Was trying to cook a red gravy with browned ground meat and browned pieces of pork. Set my Insta Pot to pressure cook on high and received the burn notice. I turned it off and checked the level and it was on the max mark. I took some of the sauce out and tried again. Same thing happened. I am stumped. I checked the sealing ring and it was fine.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Carmen, if your sauce is a thick sauce, you probably need to thin it out with some broth or water.
Lorien says
This was just what I needed! I have had a lot of burn signals! I was losing faith! Every time it happened it was likely due to your examples! 1st recipe. Chili was too thick, which we like and do in a slow cooker. — should add some water/tomato sauce, and decrease bean amount. 2.Chicken was sauted first in oil and got stuck– should deglaze before adding sauce and let liquid/sauce go under meat. Sauce was added while pan temp was still too high– should remove pan and bring down temp./or saute on stove first. 3.Chicken sauce had tomato paste in place of ketchup as well as added cornstarch for thickening sauce–should stick with called for wet ingredients like ketchup or add water, and cornstarch should be combined with water at the very end on saute again with no lid. Learned a lot. ONE QUESTION: about the escape of steam. As soon as things start to really sizzle in the closed pot I see steam obviously escaping from somewhere at the back of the closed lid. it possible that it’s coming up through the sides of the red steam preassure plug prior to its popping up? Or that it’s coming up through the venting plug eventhough it’s set to SEALING? Or is a little steam escaping normal?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi there Lorien – I’m happy to be of help. Steam should not escape from the sides i.e. where the sealing ring is located on the lid. However, before reaching pressure you will see steam escaping from the pressure release valve even if it’s in ‘sealing’ position, and also possibly the metal float valve. That’s normal. Once it’s under pressure it should not leak steam. Once in a while when I am steaming something with a lot of water, I might see a little steam leaking from the pressure release valve, but that’s just the Instant Pot maintaining a safe pressure – this happens very rarely for me.
Sue Marie says
I have a newer model that I bought on Black Friday. My 6 qt Duo has the newer buttons as well. When I got a burn message 3x when most members of the IP FB site I belong to had no issues with Wendy’s Copycat Chili, I thought it was the pot because I also heard newer poss were more sensitive. I made it again a 2nd time, being very mindful of what not to do. and even though nothing was stuck to the bottom, I got the dreaded burn message 3x again. One of the tips I read here (which I’ve never seen elsewhere) is to let the pot cool down a bit after using saute. I will try that. Thanks for sharing!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Sue Marie – did you try and layer the ingredients? That and increasing the liquid and letting it cool down. Another thing to do is to saute in a separate pan – kind of defeats the idea of having the saute function though! If you try it again successfully and get a chance, please give us an update 🙂
Anneleen Viviers says
Hi Sue I just read your message and the Message C6L came on after the Burn Message went away and they said in book to contact support 👀 I Did ask them to call me but nobody did so I send a message so I’m still waiting 👀 I’m also from Australia and I hope the Pot is ok to use here I’m. To scared to use it now 👀 Did you also get the code message ?
MacDaddy says
A quick way to clean the bottom of the instant pot is to sprinkle about an 1/8 of an inch of baking soda on the bottom then pour in a half to one cup of white vinegar and leave for 30 to 60 minutes. It lifts burnt deposits off with less frustration of scrubbing. Hope this helps other Instant pot owners.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you for taking the time to share that! I’m sure it’ll be useful to others.
Amber H says
Thanks for the info! I have the 6 qt. Ultra and have gotten this notice twice. Last night I was making pasta with sauce (also added vegetable broth for the liquid) but he recipe I was using was for the Duo so maybe it needs to be adjusted. The food was still fine but I had to soak the pot with hot water and soap to get the burned parts off. Next time I’ll have to use more liquid.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Amber – Duo vs Ultra shouldn’t really matter. Next time you make it, add the liquid first (increase the quantity, like you said), then the pasta and sauce and submerge the pasta; don’t stir. See if that helps.
Eleanor Steiger says
First let me state I have 2 Instant Pots (Ultra 6 qt. & DUO 8 qt.) I love my pots and use them all the time. I don’t this is a user problem something is wrong with new sensors on the newer PC. Instant Pot must have gone with a cheaper sensor to make more money. I am just glad I have the pots from early in 2017 and I never had a burn notice. This is the company’s fault and I think they should admit to it like they did with the Gem pot burning up and getting recalled.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Eleanor – I have no idea what exactly has changed, especially since not everyone seems to have a problem, but obviously something is different. Let’s hope these complaints go away with the next iteration. Thanks for commenting.
Lydia says
Totally agree! My old pot worked just fine. I do the same recipes in my new pot and constantly have things burning. It’s so frustrating! The annoying thing is, my old IP stopped working while still under warranty, and the newer model was the replacement. As a result, they won’t do anything about my burn issues. 🙁
Gillian Didier Serre says
Hi Neena
I hope you are well cpensated by the INSTANT POT CORP for excellent and we’ll researched information,
Keep up the good recipes and info?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Gillian – that’s so kind of you!! No, I’m not paid by Instant Pot – I’m just a user like you! Thank you for visiting the site and your sweet comment – it means a lot to me.
Tina says
Thank you!! I’m a new IP user and just got the “burn notice” today!! Really appreciate your suggestions for dealing with the situation when it happens, and for avoiding this error in the future. Very helpful.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Tina – good timing, since I just published it yesterday! Yes, it’s fairly common so you’re not alone. I hope you’re able to work around it next dish you make. Thanks for commenting!