Honey, they shrunk the air fryer! Instant Pot debuts Mini appliance collection

Honey, Instant Pot has shrunk the air fryer! While every air fryer brand is supersizing its appliances, Instant Pot is doing the opposite with its new Mini collection, featuring three compact, small capacity air fryers and multi-cookers.

Within the Instant Pot Mini collection is the 4Qt Rio Mini Multi-Cooker, the 4Qt Vortx Plus and the 4-Slice InstantHeat Mini Air Fryer Toaster Oven. All the appliances are super small with a 4Qt or 4-litre capacity, so it’s ideal for single uses, small kitchens and for those heading off to uni.

The Instant Pot 4Qt Rio Mini Multi-Cooker has seven cooking functions, including pressure and slow cooking, steaming and sauté. I’ve tested a few Instant Pot multi-cookers and its rice cooking function is my personal favourite for meal prepping and quick dinners.

Despite its small size, the Instant Pot 4Qt Rio Mini Multi-Cooker has enough cooking space as an 8-inch pan. It also has an anti-spin pot to make it easier to stir, a progress indicator so you can see what’s happening inside without having to take off the lids, and a front-facing steam release.

Moving on to the air fryer, the Instant Pot 4Qt Vortx Plus has six programmes – air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate and reheat. It uses EvenCrisp technology to make delicious, crispy food without having to use too much oil. It looks the part too, and is also easy to clean.

But if you want a slightly bigger air fryer, the Instant Pot 4-Slice InstantHeat Mini Air Fryer Toaster Oven has more functions for extra versatility. It looks more like a toaster oven than an air fryer – hence the name – and has a large viewing window so you can see how your cooking is getting on.

The Instant Pot 4-Slice InstantHeat Mini Air Fryer Toaster Oven is still small and won’t take up too much space, but it can fit an 8-inch pizza or whole chicken inside. It also has seven cooking features, and comes in black and stainless steel.

As of writing, the Instant Pot Mini collection is only available in the US at select stores, like Walmart, Target and Best Buy. There are small versions of Instant Pot air fryers and multi-cookers on the UK website too, but for the official Mini line, we’ll have to wait and see if they’ll drop in the UK.