A multi-cooker, also known as an Instant Pot, is one of the most versatile and convenient kitchen appliances on the market. This all-in-one pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, and more can save you tons of time and effort in meal preparation.However, these multi-functional cookers can be quite an investment. Prices typically range from $60 up to $200 or more depending on the model and features.

Naturally, you’ll want to buy at the best possible time to get the lowest price on the multi-cooker you have your eye on. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to find the very best deals.

Why Buy a Multi-Cooker?

Before we dive into the timing, let’s review the basics of why a multi-cooker is worth buying in the first place.

Saves Time

A multi-cooker can prep an entire meal up to 70% faster than traditional cooking methods. It can drastically cut down on hands-on cooking time, allowing you to focus on other tasks.

More Convenient Than Multiple Appliances

Rather than clutter your kitchen with a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, pressure cooker, etc., a multi-cooker combines all these functions into one convenient appliance.

Uses Less Energy

By cooking faster under pressure, a multi-cooker consumes significantly less energy than running separate small appliances to cook a full meal. This makes it more energy-efficient.

Enhances Flavor

The pressurized environment helps food retain moisture and absorbs flavors more intensely. Your dishes will turn out more delicious and tender.

Easy to Use

Multi-cookers come with preset buttons that take the guesswork out of cooking times and temperatures. They’re designed for simplicity.

Safer Than Stovetop Pressure Cooking

Today’s electric multi-cookers automatically regulate temperature and pressure. This enhances safety compared to old-fashioned stove-top pressure cookers.

Promotes Healthier Eating

The convenience of a multi-cooker makes it easier to cook tasty homemade meals from scratch rather than relying on processed convenience foods.

When Are the Best Sales for Multi-Cookers?

Now that you know why a multi-cooker is worth the investment, here is an overview of the best times of year to buy one at the lowest prices:

Early November

Early November tends to offer some of the very best discounts on multi-cookers and other kitchen appliances.

This lines up with early Black Friday and pre-Black Friday sales in anticipation of the peak holiday shopping season. Retailers will often roll out deep discounts on popular kitchen gadgets like Instant Pots at this time to drive early holiday spending.

You can expect to save 25-50% or more on select multi-cooker models during early November sales events. However, the most in-demand models may sell out quickly at the very best prices.

Late November/Early December

Of course, Black Friday and Cyber Monday themselves, along with other holiday sales leading up to Christmas, also present great opportunities for Instant Pot deals.

Discounts may not be quite as deep as early November in some cases, but there will be a wider variety of deals across more multi-cooker models, sizes, and collections.

Brick-and-mortar retailers like Kohl’s and Target will also heavily discount multi-cookers and other small kitchen appliances over Black Friday weekend both online and in stores.

This is the most popular time of year to buy a multi-cooker. But again, don’t wait too long or you may miss out on the specific model you want. The most popular lines sell out extremely fast even at full price.

January

Once the holiday shopping season winds down, January sees retailers offering clearances on remaining inventory to make way for new products.

While selection is more limited than November/December sales, January is an excellent time to score post-holiday deals on discounted multi-cookers. Expect to save 35-60% or more on remaining stock.

January also brings New Years’ health and wellness resolutions, so retailers tend to discount kitchen appliances that support healthy eating habits.

Amazon Prime Day (July)

Amazon’s annual Prime Day summer sale lasts 48 hours and delivers Black-Friday-caliber discounts exclusively for Prime members.

Multi-cookers like Instant Pot are consistently one of the most heavily discounted categories. Amazon slashes prices by 30-50% or more both on its own private label multi-cookers as well as big-name brands like Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, etc.

However, many of the best lightning deals sell out extremely quickly during Prime Day. So if you have your eye on a particular high-demand model, you’ll need to grab it fast.

Wedding Registries

Here’s an under-the-radar tip for scoring discounts: create a wedding registry on Amazon, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, or other retailers even if you’re not actually getting married.

Registries often come with welcome freebies or percentage-off coupons that you can apply to a multi-cooker purchase.

For example, Target currently offers a 15% discount for creating a new registry. Amazon gives a free $100 gift card to use on your registry items.

So if you don’t urgently need a multi-cooker, building a fake registry can be an easy way to save on popular models. Just remember to cancel it afterwards so you don’t receive unwanted gifts from imaginary wedding guests!

Where to Find the Best Multi-Cooker Deals

Now that you know the best times to buy, here are the top retailers and deal sites to monitor for maximum savings:

Amazon

As the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon offers unmatched selection and excellent prices on multi-cookers year-round.

Sign up for a free Prime membership for access to extra savings on Prime Day plus free 2-day shipping. Amazon also allows easy price comparisons across all available models.

Walmart

Walmart competes heavily with Amazon on small kitchen appliances. Their online selection rivals Amazon’s, and they offer frequent sales with Rollbacks and Special Buys promotions both online and in stores.

Target

Target discounts multi-cookers across popular brands like Instant Pot, Ninja, Crock-Pot, and more, with both online and in-store deals around the major shopping holidays. They offer free curbside pickup on online orders.

Kohl’s

Kohl’s is another retailer competing for the holiday kitchen gadget market. They run frequent percent-off promotions stacked with Kohl’s Cash rebates around the winter holidays and other seasonal events.

Bed Bath & Beyond

In addition to common national brands, Bed Bath & Beyond offers some exclusive multi-cooker models under names like Sensio. They regularly discount both online and in stores with 20% off coupons.

Instant Brands Online Store

The official Instant Brands website is the exclusive seller of certain collections like Instant Pot Pro. They offer sitewide sales around major holidays along with bundle deals, free accessories, and special colors.

Deal Sites Like Slickdeals

Check community deal sites like Slickdeals to spot when multi-cookers go on lightning sale across various retailers. Users will post the very best limited-time discounts they find across the web.

How to Save Even More on Your Multi-Cooker Purchase

To maximize savings on a multi-cooker, stack additional discounts using these tips:

Use Cash Back Sites and Apps

Apps like Rakuten, Ibotta, and TopCashback offer cash rewards for purchases made through their sites at hundreds of retailers. These can add up to 10% or more back.

Apply Promo Codes

Search for active promo codes on sites like RetailMeNot before making a purchase. Bloggers and influencers also often share coupon codes.

Buy Open Box Deals

If you don’t mind an open box item, you can save 35% or more on Amazon Warehouse, Best Buy Outlet and other retailer outlets. Items are inspected and tested.

Price Match Guarantees

Take advantage of price match guarantees at retailers like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond if you spot the identical model cheaper elsewhere.

Use a Cash Back Credit Card

Pay with a credit card that offers bonus cash back at department stores, wholesale clubs, online shopping portals or on all purchases to put additional discounts back in your wallet.

Buy Refurbished Models

Consider a manufacturer refurbished multi-cooker model listed significantly below full retail price. Refurbs undergo extensive inspection and testing to function like new.

What’s the Best Multi-Cooker to Buy?

With prices ranging from around $50 to $400, deciding on the right multi-cooker depends on your budget and cooking needs. Here is a comparison of top options:

Best Overall: Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1

With its sterling reputation and affordable sub-$100 price point, the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 remains the bestselling multi-cooker for most home cooks.

Its intuitive interface effortlessly pressure cooks, slow cooks, sautés, steams, warms, makes rice, and more. Convenient automatic keep warm and delay start functions add flexibility.

The 6-quart model prepares meals for up to 6 people – perfect for most families. Instant Pot is continually improving upon a tried and true winning formula.

Best Splurge: Breville Fast Slow Pro

Home cooks obsessed with precision will drool over the Breville Fast Slow Pro. Its auto steam release and hands-free progress tracking bring commercial-grade performance home.

You can meticulously dial in time, pressure and temperature to achieve absolute perfection. Automatic altitude adjustment and guided recipes take the guesswork out.

At $250, it’s a serious investment – but one that could replace several other small appliances for serious home chefs.

Best Budget: Crock-Pot Express Crock Multi-Cooker

With all the core multi-cooker functions at less than $80, the Crock-Pot Express Crock is the best budget-friendly option out there.

It pressure cooks, slow cooks, sautés, steams and more while still offering key features like delay start. The digital display makes meal prep easy for beginners.

Reviewers confirm you’re still getting legit multi-cooker performance and quality at a fraction of the price.

Best Large Capacity: Instant Pot Max

When cooking for a crowd, choose the Instant Pot Max. Its huge 8-quart capacity serves up to 8 people comfortably.

It still comes in under $200 even with the highest pressure rating of any model on the market along with added conveniences like an automatic steam release switch.

Serious home cooks have plenty of power and capacity to experiment with party-sized batches and dense ingredients.

Best Smart Wifi: Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker

The Ninja Foodi connects to your phone via wifi to monitor cooking progress from afar. Its crisping lid also adds air frying and grilling functionality.

While pricier than standard multi-cookers, you’re essentially getting a pressure cooker and air fryer in one appliance. Wifi lets you adjust or shut off cooking anywhere.

Best Design: KitchenAid Multi-Cooker

With its classic KitchenAid silhouette and premium metal and glass construction, this multi-cooker looks stunning on the countertop.

It still packs in 9 intelligent cooking presets ranging from pressure cooking to steaming to sautéing into a streamlined, easy-to-use interface.

At around $250, you’re paying for looks – but it’s a worthy kitchen staple you’ll want to leave out.

Multi-Cooker Comparison Chart

Model	Price	Quart Capacity	Functions	Rating
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1	$79-$99	3, 6, 8 quart	Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté Pan, Yogurt Maker, Warmer	4.7/5
Breville Fast Slow Pro	$249.95	6 quart	Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Steamer, Sauté Pan, Auto Steam Release, Precision Time/Temp Controls	4.6/5
Crock-Pot Express Crock	$69.99	6, 8 quart	Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Steamer, Sauté Pan, Delay Start	4.6/5
Instant Pot Max	$199.95	6, 8 quart	Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Sauté Pan, Steamer, Large Capacity, High Pressure Rating	4.8/5
Ninja Foodi 10-in-1	$229.99	6.5 quart	Pressure Cooker, Air Fryer, Slow Cooker, Steamer, Crisping Lid, Wifi App Controls	4.8/5
KitchenAid Multi-Cooker	$249.99	6, 8 quart	Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Steamer, Sauté Pan, Beautiful Design	4.5/5