Informational

Can You Use an Instant Pot for Canning?

By PantryGear Lab Editorial Team

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Quick answer

No. The USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation do not recommend multicookers like the Instant Pot for pressure canning low-acid foods, because they are not tested to reach and hold the required conditions. Use a canner designed and validated for canning instead.

It is a fair question, a multicooker builds pressure, so why not can with it? The honest answer, from food-safety authorities, is that you should not, and the reason is worth understanding.

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The guidance is clear: the USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation do not recommend multicookers (including Instant Pot) for pressure canning low-acid foods. They are not tested and validated to reach and hold the precise conditions that make those foods safe.

Why it matters

Canning low-acid foods safely depends on reaching a specific temperature and holding it for a tested time, the standard that destroys botulism spores. Purpose-built pressure canners are validated against those standards; general multicookers are not, and their behaviour can differ from a true canner. With botulism, "probably fine" is not good enough.

What to use instead

A tested stovetop pressure canner for low-acid foods.
An electric appliance specifically designed and validated for pressure canning, used per its own instructions, see the best electric pressure canner.
A water-bath canner for high-acid foods only.

Learn the process in how to pressure can and the safety basics in is home canning safe?

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Sources & food-safety authorities. The safety guidance on this page follows recognised authorities. For any preservation you do, always defer to their current, tested instructions and recipes:

National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) — tested home-preservation methods and the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) — Food
FoodSafety.gov

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to can low-acid food in an Instant Pot?

No. Food-safety authorities do not recommend multicookers for pressure canning low-acid foods, as they are not tested to reliably reach and hold safe canning conditions. Use a purpose-built canner.

What about the "canning" button on some models?

A button does not make a multicooker a tested canner. Authorities still advise against relying on multicookers for low-acid canning; follow their guidance, not marketing.

Can I use an Instant Pot for anything canning-related?

You can cook and prepare food in it, but not safely process low-acid foods for shelf storage. For that, use a tested pressure canner.