Instant Pot Burn Message - what happens when your IP displays "burn", what is the cause, how to fix it and how to prevent it in the first place.
Seeing the burn message on your Instant Pot, can lead to a slight panic moment but remember: this is a smart appliance and it's just telling you that the temperature at the bottom it too high and it turned off the heating element. It gives you a chance to fix the issue.
INSTANT POT BURN MESSAGE
Chances are that while cooking pasta dishes or chili in your Instant Pot, you saw the "burn" message on the display. The most common dishes that will cause that are pasta dishes and chili because of the thick sauce. If you read my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, you know that the Instant Pot needs a thin liquid to come to pressure so a thick tomato based sauce is not ideal and it will cause the dish to burn on the bottom.
WHAT DOES BURN MESSAGE MEAN ON MY INSTANT POT?
If you see "burn" display on your Instant Pot, do not panic. The IP detected a high temperature at the bottom of the stainless steel insert and because this appliance has a burn-protection sensor, it turned off heating of the pot which means it stopped cooking. This is a very smart feature and it will prevent your whole dish from burning and smoking up your kitchen, as it would happen in a regular saucepan or pot on the stove.
The "burn" message can be caused by:
- lack of thin liquid or not enough thin liquid (8qt Instant Pots require more liquid than 6qt IPs),
- burnt food pieces on the bottom of the inner pot caused during sauteing mode,
- missing or improperly placed sealing ring,
- thick tomato or cream-based sauce or starch-thickened sauce.
INSTANT POT BURN MESSAGE FIX
When you see the burn message on your Instant Pot:
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- Press the cancel/off button.
- Switch the valve to "venting" position to quickly release the pressure.
- Carefully open the lid away from your face.
- Check if there is any food stuck to the bottom of the inner pot. If so, remove the food onto a plate or bowl and add water or stock to the pot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any food bits from the bottom of the pot. If there is no food stuck, add more thin liquid to your dish. Stir to make sure the liquid is at the bottom.
- Let the Instant Pot cool down and proceed with cooking.
To ensure the best final result, always follow my 4 Steps each time you use your Instant Pot. Print the image below and place on the fridge for easy access.
HOW TO AVOID BURN MESSAGE ON INSTANT POT?
To avoid the burn message on your Instant Pot, always make sure there is no food stuck at the bottom of the inner pot (especially if you sauteed the food before pressure cooking). The best example is my recipe for the Instant Pot Chicken Thighs. You need to saute the thighs first, then remove them onto a plate, deglaze the bottom of the pot by adding required liquid and scraping it with a wooden spoon, then placing a trivet inside and arranging the meat on top.
If you are making pasta dishes (like my Instant Pot Baked Ziti or Instant Pot Spaghetti), always make sure you scrape any food bits from the bottom of your inner pot after sauteing onions and garlic. If adding tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, add them last and in the center of the dish, avoiding it touching the sides of the inner pot. Do not stir the dish. Pressure cook according to the instructions in the recipe.
It is recommended by the Instant Pot brand to avoid thick cream sauces when pressure cooking, as it will prevent the IP from coming to pressure. Add cream cheese, heavy cream or thicken the sauce with cornstarch and half and half after your food is cooked. Use the saute mode to thicken the dish.
It seems that 8qt Instant Pots tend to get burn message more often, and my assumption is that while the 8 quart IP requires more liquid to come to pressure than the 6 quart IP, most recipes do not include the info to adjust that according to what IP you are using.
To learn more about the Instant Pot and how to use it almost daily, make delicious dishes and love it, check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners.
I hope this information will help you avoid the burn message and moments of panic. Cooking with your Instant Pot should be fun and stress-free!
Steve-AO says
I am completely over my instant pot. I was using a early 6 quart IP for years. No problems at all, everything always cooked perfectly. So I’m fairly experienced now. It gave up last month and I managed to get a 6 quart Duo Plus. A big mistake.
Every single item I cook, I get a burn notice. Rice? Burn. Chicken? Burn. Pasta sauce? Burn. Stew? Burn. It managed to throw a burn notice containing nothing but chicken bones, water and herbs to make stock.
It even achieved a burn notice using pot in pot with a trivet and plenty of water in the base. Recipes I’ve made literally hundreds of times now burn, same ingredients, same technique, same settings.
Anna says
You are not alone, Steve! I've heard from many Instant Pot users that the newer versions show the burn notice quite often. I suggest contacting the brand to let them know what is happening.
Toots Geyer says
I have an Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 and got Burn Notice, as it would release all liquid from the pot before the lid would seal. After 10 minutes I push down on the lid and that cured it. No burn notices since. I got my IP for mostly Yogurt making. I used your recipes and have been using it daily for meals.
Best kitchen item I have ever bought.
Joshua Harper says
This has made my IP worthless to me. It says " food burn" no matter what I do and the amount of liquid that seems to he needed to prevent it is absurd and destroys the recipes I'm trying to cook. I ordered over $100 worth of accessories after buying the thing and now recipe after recipe is just wasted time and money. Try removing a whole lasagna to yet ANOTHER cup of liquid to the bottom and then get it back in the pot.
Kristy says
When making lasagna you will want to use a spring form or push out bottom pan. It needs to fit Into the inner pot. At the bottom of the innerpot add 1cup to
1-1/2 cups water 6/8qt pot. Then add a sling to p7ll the pan out w ontop of the water. Make lasagna in pan, cover, place in pot, on sling close & cook for time specified. Make sure you put tab on lid to seal. And that the ring is in lid properly. Cook, follow directions to release and pull out. Let rest 20 min.
Carol says
I make my lasagna I using oven ready noodles and the pot in pot method. Comes out vwey flavourful popping hot. Doing lasagna in just the pot liner will result in the burn notice. I also use the pot in pot method when I make rice, quinoa, couscous, porridge. We are just 2,so I normally make 1/2 of the recipe. Hope this helps.
Jose says
Thank you so much, Anna!! I got the IP burn message and freaked out! So glad you covered the thick tomato sauce. I was using the 505southwestern green chili sauce. I turned it off, let it vent on its own, cut up the previously frozen chicken breast, moved the chicken and sauce around a bit, and turned it back on. The message came back after pressure built back up, but it cleared on its own in just a few seconds.
Thank you for sharing!!
Janet Tomlinson says
I have a newer IP Ultra Pot. I read the instructions and thought I knew how to use it -- DID NOT!
Put this dish together that took over an hour just to pull all the ingredients together -- super pot roast.
I turned it on high, set the timer, closed the lid and pushed the steamer button on the back down. WRONG!!!
The lid on the IP Ultra Pot does not require you to push any steamer buttons. It seals automatically when you close the lid.
It made a huge hissing noise while cooking and I looked on Google and it said these pots will hiss. So I thought I was good. Then I saw the burn message -- oh, yah, there was no saving this dish. Truly burned. Remember the Ultra seals itself and do not push any steam buttons in the beginning -- only at the end to release steam.
Bryan says
We are ready to return our 8qt IP Duo Plus for this issue. We had an 8qt Farberwear instant-y pot that we used before this. Never had an issue with our recipes but having to add additional liquid affects the texture and body of the soups and foods we cook. Seems like a major fail on IP side.
One thing I am curious on...does the IP Duo Plus pot being stainless and not non-stick like our previous one have anything to do with it?
DEREK HEYNSDYK says
If you don't want to endure repeated "burn food " messages, I still pressure cook using the "pot in pot" method -as I discovered in Miss Vickie's great book on the subject. Today, I made a rich, thick spaghetti meat sauce in my 12 month old , 8 litre Insta -pot...and got the dreaded burn message. ( I started the IP at low pressure for 4 mins.) After opening the pot ,there wasn't really a bad patch of burnt material...just too thick , even though a 1 litre carton of stock was used. The sauce must have absorbed too much heat and couldn't produce enough steam. So ,I emptied the uncooked sauce into a smaller stainless steel bowl and cleaned the inner pot and placed a trivet with 2+ cups water in it .Placing the sauce bowl on the trivet ,now cooking on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes. I cook the tubular spaghetti with this same method before the sauce, cooking it in 4 minutes on high pressure. Also, to prevent sticking ,add a few teaspoons of veg, oil into plastic packet , manipulating the oil around the pasta to get it spread before breaking bundle in half.
sarah says
In my presser cooker experience I get the "burn" notice (with my newer IP and also with my previous Cuisinart) when the recipe has sauté instructions before pressure cooking. It is true that typically these are tomato based sauces, but is there something to the sauté happening prior to cooking? Thank you for these helpful insights
Anna says
Hi Sarah! If the recipe has saute step, you have to deglaze the pot with liquid before pressure cooking. That means you have to add at least 1/4 cup to the dish and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to make sure nothing is stuck. I hope this helps!
Jane says
Very happy to find this site. I have a brand-spanking new 8 qt Instant Pot and just used it for the first time. Got the dreaded "Food Burn" message. I'll be reading the Beginner's Guide. 🙂
Anna says
Thank you so much, Jane! I hope it is helpful!
Jeri Webb says
I got the burn message cooking brocolli. The recipe called for 1/2 cup of water. When I got the burn message I added more water and got the message again. At least this time the broccoli was ready. I’m not certain the doohickey turnkey doesn’t settle into seal correctly. It’s awfully loose. Do you have suggestions? Thank you!Jeri
Dan says
Clean edge of pot and gasket thoroughly
Etta Evans says
I have a 6 qt that I have never had a problem with. My 8 qt lasted about 2 meals and came up with the burn message. I have cleaned and cleaned it and still get the burn message. Is the only answer left is to put it in the garbage? Not at all happy.
Anna says
Hi Etta! I don't have the 8qt IP but I know it requires more liquid for each recipe. Are you adjusting them?
Karla says
Very disappointed should not have so many burn episodes! First use on new 8 qt. Making stew shouldn’t stick and burn so easy trying to pressure cook. Finally had to give up and use my electric roaster!
Carolyn says
I kept getting the burn message for ip Meatloaf and gravy. I made it pot in pot on a trivet and solved the problem
Barbara says
Is it possible that these newer IP have a thinner metal pot, causing food to cook too quickly? I am so frustrated with my IP after initially being so excited. I haven't been able to cook hot cereal with almond milk because the hot cereal grains sink to the bottom and stick. My vegetarian chili burned after using the liquid from the diced tomatoes and I was afraid that adding veggie broth would make it watery. Should I take it back and scrap the idea of using an IP? There are so many complaints about this so there has to be something the company can do to remedy this.
Anna says
Hi Barbara! I can't say if the newer IPs have thinner bottoms but I know from experience, that it is always better to add more liquid. It will evaporate when the cooking time is done and you stir the dish. If you look at my Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe, I recommend waiting 10 minutes so the excess liquid can evaporate and the sauce thickens. The liquid from diced tomatoes should not be counted as thin liquid required for pressure cooking because it can cause scorching, burn. I hope this helps!