Just in time for the Christmas season in 2019, Instant Pot dropped a hot one on everyone — a lid that converts the Instant Pot into an Air Fryer. It sold out quickly and was restocked sparingly throughout February, and I set a notification on Amazon to let me know when it was back in stock. I ordered one in time for it to arrive for Patrick's early March birthday. The Instant Pot air fryer lid came in a little early, and with no exterior box, so he saw what it was.
I resisted the air fryer for a while after doing an appliance swap with a friend. She used my IP, and I used her air fryer for a week. I came out on the other side only having air fried two things, and I struggled to find things to air fry beyond mozzarella sticks. Part of my resistance to the machine was the amount of space it takes up. I didn't want to like it, honestly. But once IP came out with this lid, it seemed like it would take up much less room than a whole air fryer on its own.
Then, the box arrived. It was huge, but turns out most of it was styrofoam to keep the components in place. The lid itself is a little larger than the diameter of the Instant Pot, and a little less than half the height. It comes with a hard plastic circle to place the lid on when it's hot, because it gets very hot.
It also comes with an interior basket which fits inside the metal insert of the Instant Pot. These two pieces combined take up the same space an air fryer would. If you put the basket inside the insert for storage, this one comes out taking up less space.
At this point, we have owned this air fryer lid for the Instant Pot for a whole year. I don't use it weekly necessarily, but I am using it more since I'm trying to find recipes to make it in. Air fryer vegetables are a few party trick I am very happy about, but keep reading to see what else I've air fried.
Air Fry Frozen Stuff
As for its performance, it does as promised: fries with the use of air. It gives a crispy welcome to frozen-food aisle purchased mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, and crinkle fries. Wet battered food doesn't do well in the air fryer. Some frozen food boxes now have an option for how long and at what temperature to air fry their product, but for the ones that do not, try the air fryer calculator. Even I can do it.
Air Fry Vegetables
This hot tip came from my friend Sherri: air fry vegetables! I had some vegetables from a few recipes, like bell pepper, snow peas, an onion, and baby carrots. I tossed them in oil and air fried them for 12 minutes at 360 F. Then I put some Magic Unicorn salt on them and they were amazing. Being my first go, I put a little too much oil on them but they were still super delicious. I just had a Tums right after for dessert, just in case.
Air Fry Leftover Pizza
One of my favorite uses though, is to revive leftover pizza to 90% of its original glory. No, seriously! The microwave doesn't do the job. The toaster oven doesn't do the job. But the air fryer will have your pizza looking like it was delivered more recently than the day before.
It also works well on frozen pizzas, like these mini pizzas from Trader Joe's! And since you noticed them here, I absolutely recommend getting a pair of long handled silicone tongs to pull your food out of here, otherwise you will definitely burn yourself on the hot metal.
Don't Get an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid If...
The one drawback I've found doesn't apply to us, but would for larger families: the size. The air fryer insert reduces the capacity of the inner chamber by a considerable amount. You can really only air fry enough food at once for 1-3 people, maximum. This means the Instant Pot air fryer lid is great for a single person, a couple cooking together, or for someone who wants air fried snacks for themselves. But if you're hoping to make enough wings to feed five people at once, you'll have to eat in shifts.