Pressure Cooker Time Converter
Turn a stovetop, oven or slow cooker recipe into an electric pressure cooker recipe. Choose the food, enter the original time and liquid, and get the minutes at high pressure, how much liquid to use, the release method and the total time.
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Pressure time depends mostly on the food, so the converted time is kept inside a tested range for it.
Whole roasts and birds are timed per pound when you enter a weight.
Broth, water, wine, sauce. Leave empty to skip.
Add about 5% per 1,000 ft above 2,000 ft.
How to use the Pressure Cooker Time Converter
- Pick the original method: stovetop simmer, oven braise, or slow cooker on LOW or HIGH.
- Choose the food type that best matches the main ingredient.
- Enter the original cooking time and the liquid in the recipe (or the dry amount for beans and grains).
- Set your cooker size and, if you live above 2,000 ft, your altitude.
- Read the pressure time, liquid and release, then check the table for other recipe lengths.
How the conversion works
A pressure cooker at high pressure (about 15 psi above the air, roughly 250°F / 121°C inside) cooks wet foods about three times faster than a simmer at 212°F. The converter follows the same three steps a test kitchen would use:
- Bring the recipe to a stovetop-simmer equivalent. A stovetop or oven braise counts as is. A slow cooker on LOW takes about four times as long as a simmer and HIGH about twice as long, so 8 hours on LOW ≈ 2 hours of simmering.
- Apply a food factor. Tough cuts that need collagen to break down keep about a third of the time; beans, chili and soups need much less, because their long stovetop times are mostly for flavor or softening that pressure does quickly.
- Keep the answer inside a tested range. Each food has a minimum and maximum time at high pressure (shown below), so an unusually long or short recipe still gives a safe, sensible result. Whole roasts and birds can be timed by weight instead.
Liquid barely evaporates in a sealed pot, so braises and stews need about a quarter to a third less than the original recipe, but never less than the minimum of thin liquid your cooker needs to build steam (typically 1 cup for 3 and 6-quart models and 1½ cups for 8-quart; check your manual). Beans and grains are measured by ratio instead.
High-pressure times by food
| Food | Time at high pressure | Release |
|---|---|---|
| Beef pot roast / chuck roast (whole) | 55–100 min (≈18 min/lb whole) | Natural release 15–20 min |
| Beef or lamb stew meat (1–2 in cubes) | 20–40 min | Natural release 10–15 min |
| Short ribs, brisket chunks, oxtail | 35–55 min | Natural release 15 min |
| Pork shoulder / pulled pork | 45–90 min (≈15 min/lb whole) | Natural release 15–20 min |
| Pork ribs (baby back or spare) | 20–30 min | Natural release 10 min |
| Chicken pieces, bone-in (thighs, drumsticks) | 9–15 min | Natural release 10 min |
| Chicken breasts, boneless | 6–10 min | Natural release 5–10 min |
| Whole chicken | 18–36 min (≈6 min/lb whole) | Natural release 15 min |
| Chili, ground meat sauce, meatballs | 8–20 min | Natural release 10 min |
| Soup with meat or chicken | 10–30 min | Natural release 10–15 min |
| Bone broth / stock | 45–120 min | Full natural release |
| Dried beans, soaked overnight | 6–15 min | Natural release 15–20 min |
| Dried beans, unsoaked | 22–45 min | Natural release 20 min |
| Lentils or split peas | 6–15 min | Natural release 10 min |
| White rice (long grain) | 3–6 min | Natural release 10 min |
| Brown rice | 20–25 min | Natural release 10 min |
| Steel-cut oats | 4–12 min | Natural release 10–15 min |
| Risotto (arborio rice) | 5–7 min | Quick release |
| Potatoes / root vegetables (chunks) | 5–15 min | Quick release |
Times are for fresh or thawed food in an electric pressure cooker at sea level. Stovetop pressure cookers that reach full 15 psi may need a minute or two less. Always check meat with a thermometer: 145°F (63°C) for whole cuts of beef, pork and lamb with a rest, 160°F (71°C) for ground meat and 165°F (74°C) for poultry.
Tips for converting a recipe
- Brown first using the sauté function, then deglaze the pot well so nothing sticks and triggers a burn warning.
- Thicken afterwards. Flour, cornstarch, cream and cheese can scorch under pressure; stir them in on sauté after cooking.
- Split long-and-short ingredients. Cook the meat first, release, then add delicate vegetables for 1–3 minutes more.
- Respect the fill lines: 2/3 full for most food, 1/2 full for beans, grains and anything that foams.
- Natural vs quick release. Natural release lets meat relax and keeps starchy foods from spraying; quick release stops vegetables and seafood from overcooking.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a stovetop recipe to a pressure cooker?
As a rule of thumb, pressure cooking takes about one-third of the stovetop time for tough meats and much less for beans, chili and soups. The converter applies a factor for the food you choose and keeps the answer inside a tested range, for example 20 to 40 minutes for beef stew cubes.
How do I convert a slow cooker recipe to an Instant Pot?
Choose Slow cooker LOW or HIGH as the method. Eight hours on LOW is roughly two hours of simmering, which becomes about 35 minutes at high pressure for stew meat or about an hour or more for a whole pot roast. Slow cooker recipes already use little liquid, so keep the amount but make sure there is at least the minimum of thin liquid.
How much liquid do I need in a pressure cooker?
Enough thin liquid to make steam: typically at least 1 cup in a 3 or 6-quart electric cooker and about 1½ cups in an 8-quart, but follow your manual. Because almost nothing evaporates, braises and stews usually need a quarter to a third less liquid than the original recipe.
Does the time include coming to pressure?
No. The main result is the time at high pressure, which is what you set on the cooker. The total adds an estimate for heating up (about 8 to 15 minutes depending on pot size and contents) and for the release.
Should I use natural or quick release?
Use natural release for meat, beans, grains, broth and anything starchy or foamy; it keeps meat tender and stops spraying. Use quick release for vegetables, seafood and risotto so they do not overcook. The converter suggests one for every food.
Do I need to change the time at high altitude?
Yes. A common guideline from cooker manufacturers is to add about 5% to the cooking time for every 1,000 ft above 2,000 ft. Enter your altitude and the adjustment is applied automatically.
Does a bigger amount of food take longer to pressure cook?
Not for pieces of the same size: 2 lb of stew cubes and 4 lb take about the same time at pressure, though the larger batch takes longer to come to pressure. Whole roasts and birds are different, because time depends on thickness, so enter a weight for those.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.