How to fix burn on Instant Pot message on machines, what it means when it appears on your screen and what do I do if Instant Pot says burn? We will show you how to avoid it the next time you cook so everything goes smoothly!
Whether you’re new to cooking in your Instant Pot or you’ve been using it a long time like I have, there’s nothing worse than seeing the dreaded BURN on Instant Pot! Well let me share what I’ve learned over the almost 2 years and 101+ Instant Pot recipes too. (affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Burn Code
First, Watch this Video where I show you exactly how to prevent the Instant Pot burn message. This can happen with a Ninja Foodi too when using the pressure cooker function. The main reason is that you have stuck on food left on the bottom of your inner pot, that’s a no no.
Once you get the hang of this you won’t even think about it, it will just become second nature after that. It only takes a minute or two after sauteeing especially meat.
Jump to
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
What does it mean when Instant Pot says burn?
When it first happens you will or probably already have freaked out and not know what to do or how it even happened. Especially if you open it up and nothing is in fact burning….what does it even mean?? I can say it hasn’t happened to me very often, but it has happened on occasion. The first thing you need to wrap your head around when you are learning how to use your Instant Pot is that you need liquid inside your pot or the burn warning will turn on for sure.
Can I ignore burn message on Instant Pot?
No, it will turn off and stop cooking when this alert pop up on the screen. You have to do something or it will stop and just sit there. You can save the meal still but of course it is better to avoid it to begin with. A bit of extra liquid and scraping the bottom of the pot usually does the trick but it will have to reach pressure all over again after.
What Does Burn Mean on my Instant Pot
Instant Pot Burn Message after Saute
So….that is tip #1, if there isn’t enough liquid the Instant Pot burn message will surely appear on your Instant Pot screen for sure. Tip #2, many times this is a false alarm and nothing is in fact burning so don’t worry….we can fix it! Tip #3 you need to deglaze your Instant Pot after cooking meat, here’s how to do that.
Instant Pot Food Burn Reset
How to Fix
- If you don’t have enough liquid in your pot – as stated above
- Solution – open the lid then:
- ensure there isn’t burnt food inside
- another 1/2 cup of liquid
- make sure sealing ring is in place
- close lid and steam valve again
- press off/cancel
- set your pressure high/low again
- set your time again
- Solution – open the lid then:
- Something is burning
- Solution – open your pot and remove your food, salvage what you can
- Next time:
- make sure to deglaze your pot (<—-instructions in this post) after searing/cooking meat
- leave meat on the bottom and do not stir contents when setting pressure, see how I explain it with my Instant Pot spaghetti
2. If you haven’t deglazed your Instant Pot – after cooking, and especially after searing meat on the saute function you need to do this
- Solution – remove meat, turn pot off/cancel & scrape the bottom to remove food stuck to bottom of the pot
-
- allow pot to cool
- return meat (and other ingredients) to pot
- put lid on and close pressure valve again
- set to pressure high/low again
- resume cooking and that should solve the problem
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- You’ve used thick sauces – this isn’t recommended when pressure cooking, thick tomato sauce or honey bbq sauce are often culprits
There’s something stuck on your heating element – lift pot up and check underneath for this
I will say that in the years I have been using my Instant Pot I have only maybe had the burn notice come on a handful of times, and I use it almost every day. Once I understood that liquid was key it helped a lot. Also, most of the time burn came on there was nothing in fact burning so don’t freak out. If you read and understand the reasons why your Instant Pot says burn you will have a lot better chance avoiding burn on Instant Pot machines in the future and enjoying your pressure cooker on a daily basis like we do.
To all of those who have had to deal with the “burn” issue, I have the solution. I always use onions on the very bottom, then mushrooms, then the well seasoned meat, and then pour in at least cup of liquid (broth of some type) and you should be good to go. I have never had the burn issue cooking meat this way.
Like this!! Thanks for the tips 👍🏻!
burn burn burn
F the InstaPot
Love the pot for some things but I have not been able to cook rice or oatmeal in it without the burn warning. Gave up trying
First I HIGHLY recommend getting a non stick pot. I list it on my favorite things in my about me section. If you use 2:2.5 water ratio for rice it is perfect. Have a post about that too.
I place 1 c. steel cut oatmeal and 2 c. hot water in a high-sided pot or oven safe bowl and put it on the trivet in the inner pot. I then put 1-2 c. of water in the bottom of the inner pot, depending on the size of your instant pot. I pressure cook manually on high for 5 min. and let the pressure release manually for 20 min and then finish releasing. I stir in cinnamon, fruits and nuts according to my family’s taste. Because the oats are not sitting directly on the heat source, they will not burn. I used to cook oats in a double boiler so they wouldn’t stick and so I still use the same principle in the instant pot.
This is my second time using my Instant Pot to make stew and both times the “BURN” message came up. Shuts the machine down automatically…there was lots of liquid still…pulled everything out, cleaned it and restarted it…and it happened again. Took everything out and used the stove…very disappointed.
Make sure you immediately turn your pot off after using saute as well as deglaze your pot.
I was making pasta and sauce in my 6 quart instant pot and about 2 minutes into my cooking I got the burn message. There is like a jar and a half of sauce plus two cups of water in there. I know it’s not lack of liquid so all I did was give it a little shake back and forth slowly to kind of stir it if you will and it went away and back to cooking. Thought I’d share in case this helps anyone else! Good luck!
I find some pots are more temperamental than others. lol Thanks for the tip
Get to the fucking point already!!! you suck
Lol … yeah I feel like it’d be better for the author to get to the frickin point instead of wasting time saying it’s okay and I’m gonna tell you why over and over
D,
My mother taught me that if I didn’t have something nice to say to not say anything at all. Maybe that’s something you could try out?
Another option might be to choose words that add value to your statement. Using profanity really takes away value from your point, so does your grammar.
Lastly, you stated, “you suck” This is a fragment, not a proper sentence. You leave the reader with questions. What does she suck? A straw? Lemons? Her thumb?
You may feel frustrated that the blogger was long-winded in her post, but the value of your opinion is lost in your immaturity.
Have a lovely day, “D.” I can come up with many words that start with a “D” that could describe you.. but instead I will follow the aforementioned advice from my mother.
Right on, Jessica! Very well said. I agree.
Yep. Just tried to cook a roast in my new Insta Pot and the Burn notice came on every 10 minutes. None of the above mentioned items nor any in the directions or on the Internet helped. Now I have a house full of hungry people. Piece of crap which I will be returning tomorrow!
Agreed! Biggest piece of garbage I have ever used! They talk about cook times and this thing takes longer than my oven when it comes to the preheat, cook and release time!
YES!!! We’ve had many LATE dinners because I was like “ cool 20 mins, that’s awesome, this is WHY we have the instant pot” … and after the preheat, and release – even quick release – it comes to be closer to an hour ?
I never wait that long for it to cool, I just turn off immediately after using saute and add other ingredients. By the time I’m done adding, stirring, etc…it’s been just fine to put on pressure without a burn.
A good product ruined.
Unlike my older Instant Pot, this new pot has a “BURN” feature that practically makes it useless for most of the recipes that this cooker is famous for–like stews, for instance.
I’ve had what appeared to be the same Instant Pot for over a year so bought one for my friend in England because she loved the recipes I turned out–especially stews.
The new pot had a slightly different panel but otherwise was identical. I put together my usual stew recipe, searing the meat first and loading everything else including the usual can of crushed tomatoes and about 2 cups of liquid, lid on, hit ‘Meat Stew’, 35 mins on high pressure is normal. About 5 minutes later before pressure was even showing, up comes a warning “BURN” and the whole process shuts down. What’s BURN? Mine has never shown BURN. Consult online advice and they say “layer the tomatoes on top ensuring liquid is on bottom”. What kind of nonsense is this? One of the beauties of the One Pot is making a big stew and reheating it for days following.
What has happened to this once- wonderful utensil? This BURN addition to the program makes it totally useless.
I then gave the stew a stir, added more liquid than should be and turned on the “Slow Cook” for 4 hours after which the stew was lukewarm and the veg totally raw. In desperation, I emptied the One Pot into my cruset and finished the stew on the stove top.
Very, very disappointed that my gift was a bust. Why would anyone take a good idea and completely ruin what has become a marketing phenomenon?
I have to agree with David S. Made a beef stew tonight as a new IP user to test it out. Recipe had 1/2 can of tomato paste and one small can sauce. Mixed everything together. 10 minutes later, BURN. Removed pot, dumped contents in to large mixing bowl, cleaned out pan to mirror finish. Started process again. Ten minutes later: BURN. Finished meal on stove. Plenty of liquid in pot so I have to think it is tomatoes or something else burning. I even browned meat and vegetables in separate dutch oven then added the batch to IP with plenty of liquid. No luck.
Either I just don’t know how to use the thing, the stainless pan needs to be seasoned or made of non-stick, or the program is defective. Saute function is useless as the food always gets too hot and sticks.
The only thing “Instant” is the BURN, as in my buying this equipment. Recommend to avoid. Model: Viva.
Ha! I said the same thing, the only thing INSTANT is the BURN feature..
Just got my instant pot and made chili last night kept getting the burn message I think it was to little liquid. Question i noticed it did not work like a timer on the stove I.e. I didn’t know how much time was left is that correct? Should it work like a timer?
Thank you so much!! I want to use my pot and get in the groove quickly :)))
Thank you for this!! I didn’t know what to do!