The Instant Pot burn error is a common problem that many Instant Pot users come across, so you’re not alone! Find out why you’re getting the burn message, how to avoid the problem in the future, and what to do when the Instant Pot says Burn, and in the process, save dinner. See special instructions at the bottom to find out how to deglaze your inner pot and clean the burnt food easily.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, here are my guides on how to use some popular Instant Pot models:
What You Will Learn in This Article
What to do When the Instant Pot says Burn – How to Save Your Meal
If you’re getting the burn message i.e. your Instant Pot display says burn or food burn, this section will tell you what you need to do to save your meal.
I strongly urge you to read the entire article because there are many reasons for the burn message and you’ll need this information to successfully use the Instant Pot in the future.
Sometimes the Instant Pot says burn or food burn and then changes to On. If this happens to you, just say thank you 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.
In some rare cases, the scorched/burnt taste may penetrate the entire dish and you may need to start over. But in most cases, it’s possible to salvage your meal when you see burn on the Instant Pot display.
How to Correct the Instant Pot Burn Message
Supplies
Equipment
Instructions
Turn off the Instant Pot
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off the Instant Pot.
Do a Quick Release of Pressure
- If the float valve is up and the Instant Pot has sealed, move the steam release handle, button or switch (depending on your model) to the ‘Vent’ position.
Open the Lid
- Once the pressure has completely released, turn the lid counter-clockwise to open the lid. Lift the lid and remove it.
Remove the Inner Pot from the Base Unit
- Lift the inner pot out of the base unit and place it on a heat-resistant surface.
If there’s Nothing Stuck to the Bottom, Add More Liquid
- Let the Instant Pot cool down.
- Most likely, the original liquid may have partially evaporated.
- Add enough liquid to replace the original liquid that evaporated, plus an additional 1/2 to 1 cup.
- Lift the food with a spatula to allow the liquid to reach the bottom of the inner pot.
If Food is Stuck on the Bottom, Clean Inner Pot
- Transfer contents that are not stuck to the bottom to a separate bowl.
- Scrape and clean out the inner pot so there’s nothing stuck on the bottom. Find out more on how to deglaze your Instant Pot to clean it easily.
- Allow the Instant Pot unit to cool down.
- Most likely, the original liquid may have fully or partially evaporated. Add enough liquid to replace the original liquid that evaporated, plus an additional 1/2 to 1 cup.
Continue Pressure Cooking
- Resume pressure cooking the recipe. You might be able to reduce the original pressure cooking time since the food might have already partially cooked.
Reduce the Liquid
- If there’s too much liquid left after pressure cooking has completed, reduce the liquid by cooking on ‘Saute’ mode.
Option: Use the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Method to Finish Cooking the Dish
- Check out my comprehensive guide to using the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) pressure cooking method.
- This is a great alternative if you want to avoid any further hassles with the Instant Pot food burn error.
- Just transfer all ingredients to a separate oven-proof dish that will fit in your inner pot and use PIP to finish pressure cooking.
What is the Burn Error?
The Instant Pot has over a dozen safety features to protect you and the food you’re cooking. These safety mechanisms also protect the Instant Pot from being damaged. One of these safety features is a burn-protection sensor that monitors the temperature.
The Instant Pot gets very hot under pressure and this heat needs to be regulated and controlled during the pressure cooking process.
According to the Instant Pot company, when a high temperature is detected at the bottom of the inner pot, the burn-protection sensor suspends heating. On older Instant Pot models, the warning ovHt (overheat) is displayed. This message was changed to the burn message on later models and more recent Instant Pots say food burn .
Seeing burn or food burn doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with your Instant Pot. It just means that your Instant Pot works differently from previous models and so recipes written for older models may not work as written, and you’ll need to make a few modifications and follow some tried and tested pressure cooking techniques.
If you’re seeing the food burn error, the following sections tell you why this may be happening, how to avoid it in the future, and how to fix it when it happens to you.
NOTE: Some Instant Pot users notice that their Instant Pot is burning food at certain ‘hot spots’ on the bottom of the inner pot. Although this is rare, if you encounter this, you should file a ticket with Instant Pot customer support.
[You Should Also Read: Reasons Why your Instant Pot is not Sealing]
Why Does My Instant Pot Say Burn?
1. Sealing Ring Issues
If your sealing ring is not installed properly or if it’s missing, your Instant Pot will leak steam, and that will cause the food at the bottom to scorch and your Instant Pot display will say burn.
2. Steam Release is Venting
If your steam release handle is in the Venting position or the steam release button is accidentally stuck in the down position (Ultra model), your Instant Pot will leak steam, and that will cause the contents to burn.
3. Not Enough Liquid
Pressure cookers work by building pressure from steam generated in the pot, which in turn cooks food at high temperatures. This steam cannot be created if there isn’t enough liquid in the Instant Pot.
4. Food Scorched on Bottom During Saute Mode
If you’re using the Saute function, food can get stuck on the bottom of the Instant Pot and get scorched. This can block the heat sensor and trigger the Instant Pot burn warning when you start pressure cooking.
5. Recipe Contains Tomato Products or Prepared Sauces
Recipes containing products like tomato paste, tomato puree, tomato sauce, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and alfredo sauce tend to scorch on the bottom while the Instant Pot is coming to pressure.
These ingredients are not thin enough to build steam and some contain fillers like corn starch, flour or cheese which tend to scorch. I see lots of complaints about chili recipes and pasta sauces causing the burn notice.
6. Recipe Contains Starch (Pasta, Rice)
Stirring in and incorporating pasta and rice with all the other ingredients may give you a burn code. This may have worked for some older models of the Instant Pot and that’s possibly why the recipe you’re following directs you to do that.
7. Instant Pot is Too Hot After Sauteing
If you use the Saute function immediately before pressure cooking, especially if you’re using high heat, it can lead to a burn error during pressure cooking.
8. Recipe was Tested with Different Instant Pot Size
If the recipe was written for the 6-quart Instant Pot, 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.
9. Recipe was Tested with an Older Instant Pot Model
If you’re following a recipe you’ve found in a cookbook or on the internet, you could be getting the burn message because that recipe was developed using an older Instant Pot model (before January 2018) which didn’t have the burn error as a safety feature.
Back in the ‘old days’ of when the Instant Pot was first introduced, if there was an overheat condition, the Instant Pot would countdown as though it were pressure cooking even though the float valve wasn’t up and the Instant Pot hadn’t sealed.
How to Avoid Getting the Burn Warning
1. Install Sealing Ring Properly
You need to make sure that the sealing ring is pushed into the sealing ring rack all the way in and all around. Clean the sealing ring after use and don’t forget to put it back in place when you begin pressure cooking. Sealing rings can also get worn out or stretched out over time, requiring replacement.
2. Steam Release Should be in the ‘Seal’ Position
The steam release handle or button (depending on the model) needs to be in the ‘Sealing’ or ‘Seal’ position. If it’s venting, steam will escape and there won’t be enough liquid to pressurize the Instant Pot.
3. Add Sufficient Liquid
According to the Instant Pot company, your Instant Pot pressure cooker requires 2 cups of liquid. If you’re just starting out, you can prevent the burn notice by always using the minimum recommended quantity of liquid.
Through trial and error, I make recipes with less liquid, even as little as 1/2 cup. To figure out what your minimum quantity of liquid is, you can experiment by doing the water test or initial test run with different quantities of water. According to Jill Nussinow of The Veggie Queen, and author of Vegan Under Pressure cookbook, start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup, and increase the quantity with each subsequent test until you’re able to get the Instant Pot to come to pressure and stay under pressure for 5 minutes.
Keep in mind that many foods (e.g. vegetables, meats) release liquid and that counts toward the minimum liquid requirement. Canned tomato products and thick sauces don’t count toward the quantity of liquid because they are too dense.
Note: When you’re adding liquid, make sure it gets underneath any food that’s already in the inner pot. This prevents the food from scorching and creates steam.
4. Deglaze Inner Pot After Sauteing
After sauteing and before pressure cooking you need to deglaze the inner pot. Deglazing involves adding a thin liquid like wine, water or broth to the hot surface and scraping the bottom with a silicone scraper or wooden spatula to remove the caramelized and brown bits that are stuck.
Deglazing adds wonderful flavor to your dish, but more importantly, it cleans the inner pot. So any liquid that you add will make full contact with the bottom of the inner pot and that allows the sensor in the Instant Pot to properly register temperature and pressure.
5. Layer Ingredients
One pressure cooker technique that’s commonly used to prevent the Instant Pot from burning food and having it stick to the bottom is to layer problem ingredients such as tomato-based and starchy ingredients.
- Add the dense and starchy ingredients last e.g. tomato sauce, tomato paste, pasta, rice.
- Don’t stir.
- Gently push pasta, rice, and other starchy ingredients so they are submerged in the liquid.
- Close lid and pressure cook as directed.
The layering technique described above can also be used for starchy ingredients. Instead of stirring them in, add them at the end, right on top.
The pasta or rice needs to be submerged in liquid, so push down on it with a large spoon or spatula to make sure it’s covered in liquid.
6. Use Pot in Pot (PIP) Cooking Method
Another option is to use the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) cooking method to cook dishes that have thick sauces. You don’t ever have to worry about the burn message when you use the PIP technique.
7. Control Saute Temperature
Use medium temperature for sauteing and turn off and cool down the Instant Pot after sauteing and deglazing. You can cool it down quicker if you remove the inner pot from the unit and set it on a hot pad or cooling rack. Be sure to use gloves.
Alternately, you can saute on the stovetop and transfer the sauteed food to the Instant Pot to pressure cook.
Note: I find that allowing the Instant Pot to cool down after sauteing is one of the best ways to avoid the burn code.
8. Modify Recipes for the 8-Quart
If you have an 8-quart Instant Pot but you’re using a recipe developed for the 6-quart Instant Pot and the quantity of liquid is below the manufacturer-recommended quantity, either double the recipe or add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid. Keep the cooking time the same.
9. 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
- This works really well when the quantity of liquid in my recipe is minimal.
[Read all about the Instant Pot trivet types and how to use them.]
10. Grease the Inner Pot
- Use a cooking spray or oil to grease the inner pot before you begin pressure cooking. This can help prevent food from sticking to the bottom of the inner pot.
How to Use the Deglaze Technique to Clean the Inner Pot
- Select Saute mode and allow the Instant Pot to get hot.
- Add 1/2 cup of water to deglaze.
- Scrape the bottom of the inner pot until the food gets unstuck, adding more water as needed.
- Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Empty out the inner pot, wash, and dry.
Nothing Works and You Keep Getting the Burn Warning No Matter What You Do!
If you are not cooking with problematic (e.g. tomato-based or starchy) ingredients, you have enough liquid, and you’re not making any of the mistakes detailed above and your Instant Pot keeps saying burn, the first thing I suggest is you read the article on why your Instant Pot is not sealing.
If you’re not making any of the mistakes detailed in that article, the next thing to do is a water test.
How to do a Water Test
- Add 2 cups of water to the inner pot.
- Close the lid.
- Pressure cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure.
- If the Instant Pot does not seal or you get the burn message, you might have a defective unit.
If the water test fails, you should file a support ticket with Instant Pot support.
I hope this article has helped you learn about the burn message and how you can avoid it and fix the problem. Please share on social media using the links at the top and bottom of this article. Thanks so much!
You might also find these helpful:
RITa
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
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
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
“Deglaze” is the problem, and your tip/trick was the solution! Thanks so much. You saved dinner!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awesome! Enjoy your dinner 🙂
Kathy
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
Hi Kathy – it’s a rite of passage lol! I hope you had a tasty meal at the end of it all.
Gordon Gilges
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
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
Old time Carpenters installed countertops with a slight drop off toward the back so spills didn’t run onto the floor.
Tharina
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
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
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
I made the same mistake when I first started out with the Instant Pot 🙂 Glad you were able to salvage your rice!
patricia kleban
Help..my new instant pot has displayed burn on water test
Paint the Kitchen Red
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
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
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
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
Hey Caryn! I’m really glad I was of help to you; thank you for letting me know. Happy pressure cooking!
Jewel Honstein
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
Thanks for getting in touch, Jewel. It’s always good to be prepared!
Linda
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
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
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
Carmen, if your sauce is a thick sauce, you probably need to thin it out with some broth or water.
Lorien
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
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
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
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
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
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
Thank you for taking the time to share that! I’m sure it’ll be useful to others.
Amber H
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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!