Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review: one of the best connected multicookers out there

T3’s Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review in a sentence: Packed with cooking options and now with Wi-Fi too, but it’s basically a variation on the theme.

We used to have a pressure cooker when I was a child and, boy, that thing was terrifying to see in action. You never quite knew what it was going to do. Thankfully, it never blew up and did cook ingredients really well. It just felt a little too unpredictable. Fast forward to now and Instant Pot is back with the reimagined Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi edition, which, in essence, is a pressure cooker armed with multiple functions. It’s also much the same as the non-Wi-Fi model but adds in connectivity and app support as a headline feature.

To be honest, I was less interested in the wireless functionality than the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi’s other features. This is a sizable multicooker with a whole host of functions. Central to the appeal is its pressure-cooking capability, which if it’s anything like my much-loved Sage Fast Slow Cooker, should be perfect for making one-pot meals and tenderising meat to perfection. This is one of the best things about pressure cooking.

However, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi also packs in a Nutri-Boost feature, which I think adds another dimension to this appliance. For example, it’s perfect for getting rice just right and not letting it stick to the pot by inducing a motion that means more efficient cooking. Much like other variations on this theme, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi can do a lot, but it takes some practice to get the best out of it. As I’ve been finding out…

If pressure cooking doesn't appeal, though, you're probably best going in search of one of the best air fryer models instead.

Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review: price and availability

Given the fact there is extensive competition in this market, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi comes very keenly priced. It’s got a RRP of £149.99 in the UK and can be purchased directly from Instant Pot or from other online outlets including Amazon. Instant Pot does have other very similar models, however, so when searching for this model it’s vital to add the Wi-Fi bit, so you’re sure to locate the right one.

Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review: what is it?

The Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi is one of several models in this range, many of which sound quite like the same product due to the slightly confusing nature of Instant Pot’s selection. The main difference with the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi is that it is a multicooker that comes with the added benefit of wireless connectivity. This can be used in tandem with the Instant Brands Connect app to enhance the cooking process by offering up recipes and control options from your smartphone or connected device.

Another aspect of the multicooker design is that this is not to be confused with an air fryer, which uses a fan and heated element to cook chips, wings and the like. By contrast, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi is incredibly versatile, but it isn’t able to air fry food or ingredients. In many ways, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi shares more in common with a pressure cooker, or a rice cooker, with a sealed pot and multi-mode functionality allowing it to cook many different meals, all within the space of one container.

So, alongside the obvious pressure cooking option, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi can be used to slow cook, sauté, create yogurt, be enlisted as a sous vide machine or simply for steaming foodstuffs as well as cooking rice. Complimenting this versatility is the way the app offers up over 800 different recipes, with the connectivity side of things helping to make the cooking process even easier. Anyone who is slightly intimidated by pressure cooking, for example, will find using the app a really great way to get the best from the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi without getting tied up in knots.

Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review: Is it any good?

One of the main reasons to get a multicooker like the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi is to streamline your mealtimes. The obvious bonus of a multicooker is that lots of meals can be cooked in one pot. Central to this is the Instant Pot control panel located on the front of the device. I like the way this is designed and contains all of the information needed in clear and concise detail. Much of it is icon-led, which is even more idiot-proof.

I found this a doddle to understand, with a quick look at the instruction pamphlet all that was needed to get up to speed. Using the app makes everything even easier as much of it can be done via that. If you’re finding your feet with this appliance, that might be the better way to go, especially when it comes to getting timings and heat settings just right. However, as most things can be done using the programming display on the front of the unit, you might not want to bother.

Multicookers can be a bit like air fryers in that they have a tendency to apply a lot of heat if you’re not sure what you’re doing. That can result in scorching, especially when it comes to ingredients sitting on the bottom of the cooking pot. Conversely, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi is also handy thanks to its keep warm functionality, which can be used to keep a meal just nice in case someone in the family is going to be late home from work. It’s a super useful part of the specification.

Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review: performance

This is one of those appliances that covers so many bases that I find it perfect for my needs. Having used my Sage for pressure cooking a lot, I found that the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi is just as good for tenderising things like joints of meat. In fact, I think pressure cooking is the way go go if you like soft, succulent cuts of meat that fall off the bone. My own favourite is a lamb shank, which the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi cooked to perfection.

Elsewhere, the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi is a great all-rounder. Cooking rice was a breeze although the bottom of the bowl can get a little too hot, so some sticking does occur. I also tried cooking a Bolognese in the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi, using the slow cook mode, and this was a very pleasant surprise. It allowed the flavour to really increase by using the longer but less heat approach to get the best from the ingredients.

I think one slight downside is that the cooking tray isn’t quite high enough, which can be a bit of a pain if you’re cooking something chunky on the bottom of the bowl. Aside from that though, the overall performance of the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi has been excellent. The touchscreen icons on the front of the unit are a breeze to use and nicely responsive. Sealing and unsealing the cooker is really good too and feels a little more precise than the locking mechanism on my Sage.

Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review: verdict

The Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi seems like a natural evolution of the Instant Pot Pro Plus tested a while back. In fact, if you’re not really fussed about having wireless connectivity and are confident enough to use a multicooker on your own, that model or one of the many other Instant Pots in the range will do the trick.

I do like having the back-up of recipes at my fingertips though. I cook the bulk of our meals and, while there are plenty of favourites on the list, it’s quite nice having some help and the opportunity to do something new from time to time. Setting controls via the app is still pretty cool and handy too.

One minor issue I suspect the Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi might be prone to is stale food smells emanating from the pot itself. I’ve had this issue with my Sage appliance, so if something like a curry is cooked inside it, the smell can tend to linger afterwards. However, this isn’t going to be an issue if you’re planning on hanging on to it and whiffs do tend to dissipate eventually.

Similarly, the inside of the pot does require persistence to clean properly depending on the meal being made with care required to ensure it doesn’t get damaged. Ingredients sticking to the hotter bottom part of the pan is a common issue too. These are minor points in the big scheme of things though.

Instant Pot Pro 5.7L Wi-Fi review: alternatives to consider

The Ninja Crispi is fairly unique at the moment, but there are oodles of options if you're after a more standard model or need something with extra capacity or more functionality.

Take a look at the Salter XL Dual Air Fryer I tested recently, which comes with a little more versatility thanks to dual doors and drawers. I also like the Tower 9 litre Dual Basket Digital Air Fryer, or the Tower T17076 Xpress Pro Combo 10-in-1 Air Fryer, which comes complete with a rotisserie that can handle a whole chicken.

Similarly, the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLidis a multi-faceted machine with brilliant air and steam-fry features.