How to double Instant Pot recipes: Do you have a large family and want to double an Instant Pot recipe? Want to know if you need to change the cooking time? Here are the things you need to know to get started.
For best results and to understand more about the Instant Pot read this entire article. You may also want to read How to Halve Instant Pot Recipes.
How to double Instant Pot recipes (plus video)
I get a variation of the question “how do I double this Instant Pot recipe?” a lot! Most of the time I answer with “simply double all the ingredients and keep the same pressure cooking time.” However this isn’t always the answer. Read on (or watch my video) for more information…
Most often the cooking time will be the same when you double a recipe. Pressure cooking cooks each piece of food equally. That means that each piece of chicken (2, 4 or 8) will require the same cooking time, and so will each grain of rice. That’s because the pressure cooking time is determined by the size and not the quantity of food. In other words, the pressure cooking time is the amount of time the food requires to be cooked all the way to the center.
Doubling the THICKNESS of meats, veggies, and other foods DOES require increasing cook time. This is why someone else’s recommended 8 minutes for a whole potato won’t cook your super duper sized baking potato. However remember that a 2 pound roast is not necessarily twice as thick as a 1 pound roast. If you double the time just due to weight you might get unsatisfactory results.
More items in an Instant Pot will make it fuller which means it will take longer for the pot to reach pressure. Remember: the food is cooking the entire time the pot builds pressure, not just when the timer starts counting down. For recipes that are more finicky and get overcooked quickly, like pasta or vegetables, you’ll actually need to decrease pressure cooking time the fuller the pot is.
Here is formula for a doubled recipe in a full pot that might help you. The Instant Pot usually takes an average of 10 minutes to reach pressure. For every 2 additional minutes (after 10) the pot needs to reach pressure, subtract one minute from the pressure cooking time.
What if you’re making a recipe that was written for a 6 quart Instant Pot but you’re using an 8 quart pot? A larger pot takes longer to reach pressure. This means the food will be cooking for a longer amount of time. Depending on the type of food you may want to subtract time from the cooking time. For example with pasta, diced potatoes and other delicate foods you’ll need to subtract time. For dried beans and roasts, you should be fine to keep the same cooking time.
If the recipe is meant to be steamed with a steamer basket or the food is on a trivet you don’t need to double the amount of liquid. Use the minimum liquid requirement under the steamer basket for the cooker to build pressure (1 cup for a 3 quart, 1.5 cups for a 6 quart and 2 cups for an 8 quart).
If the recipe contains rice or grains – the liquid ratio needs to remain the same. What that means is if you double a recipe, you should double the liquid.
Make sure you do not overfill your pot. Do not fill the inner pot higher than 2/3 full. When cooking foods that expand or foam such as rice or beans or pasta, do not fill the appliance over half full.
To help double recipes, remember:
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
1 fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons
1 pound = 16 ounces (weight)
1 pint = 2 cups
2 pints = 1 quart
1 quart = 2 pints
To double a recipe:
| Original Amount | Double the Amount |
| ¼ tsp | ½ tsp |
| ½ tsp | 1 tsp |
| ¾ tsp | 1 ½ tsp |
| 1 tsp | 2 tsp |
| 1 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp |
| 2 Tbsp | ¼ cup |
| ¼ cup | ½ cup |
| ⅓ cup | ⅔ cup |
| ½ cup | 1 cup |
| ⅔ cup | 1 ⅓ cups |
| ¾ cup | 1 ½ cups |
| 1 cup | 2 cups |
Keys on how to double an Instant Pot recipe
I hope this article was helpful to you and you feel a little more confident in using your Instant Pot. As a summary here are the basic points on determining how to double Instant Pot recipes…
- Pressure cooking time is determined by the thickness/size and not the quantity of food.
- Doubling the THICKNESS of meats, veggies, and other foods DOES require increasing cook time.
- The fuller the pot the longer it takes for the pot to reach pressure. Also the larger the pot, the longer it takes to reach pressure and release pressure.
- More finicky foods that get overcooked quickly will require you to decrease pressure cooking time.
- If the recipe is meant to be steamed with a steamer basket or the food is on a trivet you don’t need to double the amount of liquid.
- If the recipe contains rice or grains – the liquid to grain ratio needs to remain the same.
- Do not fill the inner pot higher than 2/3 full. And for expanding foods, such as dried beans, don’t fill more than 1/2 full.
You might also like…
7 Most Common Instant Pot Mistakes I’ve Made
What is natural and quick pressure release?
Printable Instant Pot Guide for Beginners
How to Deep Clean Your Instant Pot
5 Things Not to Do with Your Instant Pot
How to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot
What Pressure Cooker Do You Use?
I have 3 different Instant Pots. However my go-to pot is my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Hi K! Just wondering if I want to make really mushy basmati..ratio being 1:3.5…which I made in my old fashioned pr cooker..came out great..in the IP..that wld mean 4 c rice to 14 c water..i have never used so much water in the IP before..wld I have to change the cook time..minutes? I usually do 6 minutes. Any suggestions?
Thanx in advance..🌺🌻
I’m not 100% sure. Why mushy? I would start with a small batch and see how it goes and then go from there.
Thank you so much for this… I came here with a “what if I double a dry beans recipe” and all my questions were answered. Very informative for other recipes too.
So glad it was helpful Brittani!
Hello…
Using a 7 qt Express Pot, I want to sear and cook 2 – 3lb tri tips…do I use 2 cups broth or just one… will 25 minutes get me where I want to be and will I use the Uto steam release…?
You can do just 1 cup of broth. I think 25 minutes will be enough time. I have never cooked tri tip in my IP yet!
I have a 12 qt pressure cooker and I plan to make 2 butterflied legs of lamb each about 3-3.5lbs would you increase the cooking time to cook both legs of lamb at once?
Nope! Keep the same cooking time.
I appreciate this info. Hope it works out for me. I have 5lbs of corned beef using a 3lb recipe. I have always wondered if I need to increase the time for extra meat. Thank you
You may…depends on how thick it is! But 90 minutes should be good I bet.
Doubled sauce in a recipe for chivken tikka madala and got half cooked chicken. I was using small breasts which I quartered. (The recipe said cut into “large pieces” and listed boneless skinless breasts as an option.) My pueces were about an ounce each. I’m left wondering if I was too chunky, too wet, or… Thoughts?
Do you remember how many minutes you cooked for?
I want to double the number of servings for my Shrimp and Risotto recipe, using frozen shrimp and frozen veggies as the recipe calls for. What adjustments in amount of liquid or cooking time will I need to make? Using an 8 Qt. Instant Pot.
Double the recipe ingredients and keep the same cooking time
Hi Karen, I am trying to make beef stew for the first time in my insta pot. I am using a 6qt pot. I need to double the recipe and I have no idea how much time I need to adjust the recipe. It’s beef stew so there’s stew meat, stock, carrots, potatoes etc. the recipe calls for 2lbs of meat but I want to use 4lbs. The stock calls for 3 cups so I’m assuming I would double that to 6 cups. I’m worried about the carrots and potatoes turning to mush. Can you help please? The original recipe says to cook on manual for 35 minutes with a 10 minute natural release (for 2lbs of meat). How long would I do for 4lbs of meat? Sorry for the lengthy question but I want to make sure I do this right. Thank you for your help.
Hi Kari,
I would double all the ingredient amounts. I would cook the meat and stock together for 30 minutes. then quick release. Then add in the veggies and pressure cook for another 5 minutes with a full natural pressure release or at least a 10 minute one. This will ensure that your veggies don’t overcook
Thank you so much, I will let you know how it turns out😃😃
I don’t understand about the veggies I am new to the one pot. I’ve only cooked chili , Hawaiian chicken,& BBQ Chicken. Do you have a Recipe that only focuses on the Instant pot. I want to buy the Hard Cover
Hi Pam, you can purchase my new Instant Pot cookbook here: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/order-your-cookbook-now/
Hi I was wondering if I make a pasta recipe that’s was made in a 6qt instant pot would I decrease the time by how much if I have an 8qt?
You can keep the time really close or the same as the original recipe. Should be okay!
I cooked pinto beans and sausage and doubled the recipe because I used more beans but I ended up with too much liquid. Was I supposed to double liquid?
Usually for dried beans I would say to double the liquid, sorry it didn’t work out well for you.
I’ve made a lot of your recipes and they’re always delicious! I often like to double recipes and freeze leftovers. I don’t always know if there is room in my 6 quart IP to double them or if they will freeze well. Could you include those items in your recipes?
I can try to include the info about doubling. As far as freezing goes I hate to make a recommendation to freeze or not if I haven’t tried it myself and my meals usually don’t last long enough to freeze lol! But I’ll do my best.
Thanks!
I am feeding a large family. I want to make a beef stew with 7 lbs. of beef using a 10 qt. Crockpot Express machine. This is only the second time I used this large machine. If a recipe calls for 1 1/2 or 2 lbs. of beef, I know I multiply by 3 or 4 for the vegetables and seasonings. Should I do the same for the liquid used in making the stew? Can you give me a suggestion for the possible cook time for such a large quantity of stew in this large machine?
That’s what I would do with the liquid, multiply by 3 or 4. Should work fine. It will take a long time to come to pressure in such a large pot and so I worry about the veggies turning to mush.
Agree with what you said about veggies becoming mushy, Karen. I just learned a helpful trick. I was making Pressure Luck Cooking’s Best Ever Pot Roast. Besides the beef it calls for carrots & baby white potatoes. To avoid mushy veggies, Jeffrey suggests wrapping each veggie separately in aluminum foil and placing the packets on top of the roast. IP will be very full but that’s OK as it’s not up to the top full of liquid which would be a problem. This technique worked perfectly. Pot roast was perfection & veggies were not mush.
Cool! Good idea 👏
Hi Karen, love your site the instant pot instructions can be confusing, your tips are not. Just peeled off the film off the display, sure didn’t know it was there, like you said. I made pizza dough and proofed it in the pot on the yogurt setting for 30 minutes hooray first time ever rolling it out it stayed put, no snapping back that was so annoying.
So glad to hear!
My recipe calls for 2 lbs pork tenderloin but if I double it, do I keep the time the same but just double the liquid ? I’m using a 6 qt insta pot.
Yes that’s what I would do!
Good morning,. I will be making grape jelly and chili sauce meatballs tonight and I’d like to double the recipe. The meatballs are precooked and frozen. After getting up to pressure they only take 5 minutes. Do you think I need to increase cooking time?
No, keep the same cooking time 🙂
I plan on making chicken fajitas for first time tonight. The recipe calls for 2 lbs chicken but I have 3.5. Also has 3 bell peppers. It’s saying only 1/2 cup water. I’m new to instant pot and 1/2 cup seems like it’s not a lot. Recipe says 15 min with quick release. I have an 8 qt
I would double the amount of water for the 8 quart pot.
I am going to double a pizza pasta with meat recipe. Wondering if I should double the amount of water as well?
Yes because the pasta will need the extra liquid to cook.
Hi if I doubled the recipe for chili and for one is 10 minutes do I increase the time? The meat is cooked.
No keep the same cooking time when you double the recipe!
I’m making. 7 lb pot roast ( basically doubling the recipe. )How long do I cook it in a 6 qt instapot?
Wow that’s a big roast! How big is the thickest part of the roast. I would do 20 minutes per inch. So if it is 4 inches thick at the thickest I would do 80 minutes plus a natural pressure release. Good luck!
Hello, I am making chicken breasts in the an 8 qt instant pot, can I use the double trivet accessory to make a larger amount?
Yes absolutely
I am making a double batch of pork back ribs in an 8 quart instant pot using the meat/stew function. There will be apple juice and apple cider vinegar (combined 2.5 cups of liquid) in the base with the meat sitting on a trivet. I will need to reserve half a cup of this juice to add later to a bbq sauce. Do I still maintain the single recipe liquid and cooking time for double the meat on this function. (Ps. The recipe does not specify the weight of the ribs, it only states, “one rack”)
Many thanks
Hi Patty, that’s what I would do because otherwise the ribs will be sitting in liquid. Sounds like a yummy dinner!
Hi Patty,
Your rib recipe sounds amazing, could you tell me where to find the recipe please?
Patty, I wouldn’t reserve the apple juice for the BBQ sauce, I’d just use some of the apple juice-flavored cooking liquid for extra flavor in the BBQ sauce you’ll be making.
I’m making chicken burrito bowls in my 6qt instant pot, and I need to double the ingredients do I increase the time?
Nope! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
What if i am doubling the chicken burrito bowls but using an 8 qt?
Double all the ingredients keep the same cooking time 🙂
If I’m making a huge batch of beef tips, how much liquid do I use?
At least 1 cup.
Hi Karen, I love your site & use it often. I am visiting my daughter in VA & am planning to make the corned beef dinner which I have made several times. My dilemma is that I have the 8 qt pot & she has the 6 qt pot. The second dilemma is that I need to cook 2 four lb corned beefs. Can I cook both at the same time in the 6 qt pot? I’m hoping I can. If so, what adjustments do I need to make? Thanks a million!
Sonnia
Don’t worry too much about the 6 and 8 quart. I think it will work out fine. You could cook one in the 6 and one in the 8. Or if they both fit in one pot you could do that. Corned beef is so forgiving. I’m sure you’ll love it and have great results.
If I double a Mac and cheese recipe, do I double the water, and do I change time?
Yes double the water. Keep the time the same.
Can I double your Tuscan Chicken Pasta recipe in my 6 quart instant pot? Will cooking time need to be decreased since it will take longer to come to pressure?
Thanks,
Maureen
Yes you can double it and I’d keep the cooking time the same.
How long would you cook a double batch of spaghetti for?
Probably 4 minutes with a 5 minute NPR
I’m making glazed baby carrots. The recipe calls for 2 lbs of carrots with a 4 minute cooking time. I want to double to 4 lbs. would I keep the time the same or,increase, and if so, to what time? Thanks!
I would keep the same time or decrease by a minute.
I’m making mushroom barley soup in the Instant Pot. If I double the recipe, do I need to increase the cooking time? I have an 8 qt. pot. Thank you!
No.
Hey Karen
I have 3lbs of cubed beef..I need a beef stew recipe for this amount of meat..
If I happen to find a recipe for 1.5lbs meat should I double the liquid in the recipe for the original 1.5lbs
Usually I do. I double all the ingredients and keep the same cooking time.
Using an instant pot, How long should I cook 2 boneless turkey breast roasts that are about 2.5 lbs each….
Honestly, I’ve never tried turkey breast roasts yet in the IP. I would just google it!
Thank you, Karen, for this very helpful information and your clear way of presenting it. I’m making IP Spanish Rice for a crowd today, and I’ll be following your instructions carefully. God bless you!
Thank YOU Judy! Good luck. Spanish rice sounds amazing. I’d like to see your recipe!
I would also like to see your recipe.
Can I successfully double my rice recipe in my 6 quart IP? I need to make rice for 26 people. If I double the recipe in 2 six quart IP’s, will that be enough rice?
Yes I bet you could do that. Just make sure neither pot is more than 1/2 full with expanding ingredients like rice.
I want to double an instapot recipe for cabbage rolls. Do I need to increase cooking time?
no
Thank you for this helpful information!
Glad it was helpful to you Debbie!
I’m with Dave, only two of us, how to halve a recipe?
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-halve-instant-pot-recipes/
If I increase the size of the reciepe in the instant pot / pressure cooker do I have to compensate also the amount of spices / seasonings called for ?
Hi Isobel, I’m not sure I understand your question? Are you asking if you need to add extra spices? I usually just double all the ingredients including seasonings.
I am also interested in the other side of the question – how to halve IP recipes – there are only 2 of us and leftovers become a problem
This will help you Dave: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-halve-instant-pot-recipes/
Dear Jennifer, I personally use a 6 qt. Instant Pot, and it’s a Rosewill, so it has a Tefloned inner pot, making it much easier to clean, but I may get an 8 qt. for larger groups, but instead I may use my Sous Vide, because it’s the latest in my arsenal of food cookers, it’s a fantastic tool, you might want to buy one, just to test it, I use mine frequently, in fact I’m considering a much more efficient model, but the best I’ve read about and found is the Anova.
I’m intrigued!