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Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1

By Instant Pot · Pressure Cookers · Kitchen & Cooking · More from Instant Pot

  • 8 quart capacity
  • 1200 watts
  • Stainless steel inner pot, 15.6 lbs
  • 13.6D x 14.8W x 14H inches

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Summary

An 8-quart, 1200 W multi-cooker whose real upgrade over the plain Duo is a self-sealing quick-release lid, aimed at cooks who want one pot for pressure cooking, slow cooking and sautéing. Check whether you can still get parts and support: owners say Instant no longer makes this line, so availability is the thing to verify before you buy.

Strengths

  • The auto-sealing quick-release lid keeps your hands out of the steam jet.
  • 14 one-touch programs with Less, Normal and More levels suit beginners.
  • Sauté browns properly inside the pot; pressure cooking renders tough meat tender.
  • The stainless pot and removable gasket are dishwasher safe.
  • Lid fins let the lid stand in the base handles while you work.
  • A 10-quart size exists for larger households.

Weaknesses

  • Rice and steaming results are inconsistent, and three reviewers landed on the same weakness.
  • The inner pot has no lift handles and is heavy when full.
  • Pressure release is loud; TechRadar measured 75 dB.
  • The stainless exterior and lid get very hot in use.
  • The line appears retired, and owners say Instant no longer makes it.
  • Instant Brands rates the model only to 12 psi and says it is not safe for pressure canning.

Verified specifications

ModelDuo Nova 80, the 8-quart member of the Duo Nova line.
Volume8 quarts / 7.6 litres.
Electrical120 V~60 Hz, 1200 W.
Weight15.6 lb / 7.08 kg.
Dimensions14.8 in × 13.6 in × 14 in (37.6 cm × 34.3 cm × 36.8 cm).
Inner potstainless steel, dishwasher safe, no lift handles.
Smart Programs14 one-touch programs, 10 pressure-cooking and 4 non-pressure.
Pressure levelsLow 35–55 kPa (5–8 psi); High 65–85 kPa (9.4–12.3 psi).
Minimum liquid for pressure cooking2 cups (16 oz / 500 mL).
Maximum fillPC MAX 2/3 for pressure cooking; 1/2 for expanding or foaming foods.
Yogurt volumes6 cups (50 oz / 1419.5 mL) minimum, 6 quarts (240 oz / 6.8 L) maximum.
Lidquick-release button separate from the valve, resets to Seal on lid closure.
Lid storagelid fins fit into the base handles.
DisplayLED with status messages and a progress indicator.
Soundcan be muted; audible safety alerts cannot.
Sealing ringstwo included; replace every 12 months (EU manual: 12–18 months).
Power cordattached on the 8-quart; the manual’s detachable cord is 3- and 6-quart only.
Delay Startup to 24 hours, unavailable for Sauté and Yogurt.
Keep Warmon by default; unavailable for Sauté and Yogurt.
In the boxinner pot, lid, steam rack that doubles as a trivet, condensation collector, two sealing rings, quick-start guide and cooking-times chart.
Not includedladle, rice paddle, measuring cup, printed recipe book.
Sous vide programnot present.
Warrantyone-year limited, United States and Canada only.
Full research notes and sources

The lid is the difference

The core numbers match the plain Duo: 1200 W, 8 quarts, stainless inner pot. What Instant changed is the lid. The quick-release button sits apart from the valve and returns to Seal automatically when the lid closes, so you do not reach into the steam jet to reposition a switch. The lid’s fins let it stand in either base handle. Reviewed.com put it bluntly: “There’s not much else that differentiates this model from the Duo,” while giving thumbs up to the auto-seal and easy release. GearLab called the release button the part it liked best about the machine.

Cooking results

Pressure cooking and sautéing are the strengths. TechRadar, testing the exact 8-quart, slow-cooked a beef chilli for 6 hours on More and got a good result at 176 °F / 80 °C with cool sides and a lid at 113 °F / 45 °C. Its sauté did not stick despite no non-stick coating. GearLab rendered a tough brisket tender and browned diced onions quickly. Tom’s Guide found stewed beef “succulent, tender, and more flavorsome.”

The consistent weakness is grains and steaming. TechRadar’s brown basmati on Multigrain took 43 minutes end to end and came out slightly al dente, and its green beans were soggy. Tom’s Guide’s basmati was soft but not fluffy, with uneven cooking, and its green beans overcooked. GearLab’s rice and quinoa were “a bit more moist and sticky rather than fluffy.” Pressure release is loud, and the metal exterior gets hot.

Ownership, parts and running costs

Two sealing rings ship with the unit, and the manual says to replace them every 12 months, or 12–18 months in the EU manual, or sooner if stretched or deformed. That is the recurring consumable cost; there is no capsule or proprietary lock-in, and recipes are free through the app and site. Recipes written for 6-quart cookers need modification in the 8-quart, and larger cookers take longer to reach pressure.

The manual routes every internal fault — a warped sealing-ring rack, a damaged inner-pot base, a failed pressure sensor — to Customer Care rather than to a user-serviceable part, which points to a return-to-base service model. Documented error codes include OvHt, BURN, FOOD BURN, C1, C2, C6, C6H, C6L, C5, C7, NoPr, Lid and PrSE. The warranty is one year from original purchase, US and Canada only, with repair or replacement at Instant Brands’ discretion and a 30-day registration request.

Is it worth it?

It makes sense while it is cheap. Kroger lists the 8-quart at $89.99 (Kroger, 2026). Instant’s own site lists the Duo 8QT at $129.99 and the Duo Plus 8QT at $159.99 (Instant Pot, 2026), so the Nova undercuts the current Duo while adding the auto-seal lid. Best Buy listed the 10-quart at $149.99 but marked it sold out (Best Buy, 2026). Older review pricing — Tom’s Guide had the 8-quart at $99 in 2022, GearLab listed $120, Reviewed.com quoted a $60 MSRP for the 6-quart in 2020 — shows how far street prices have moved.

Above roughly $130 the current Duo 8QT or Duo Plus 8QT are the safer buy on parts and support grounds alone. Because this is a retired line with a one-year warranty, buy from a retailer with a solid return window.

Which model this is

This page covers the Duo Nova 80, the 8-quart model in the 2019 Duo Nova family. The family runs Duo Nova Mini (3 quart), Duo Nova 60 (6 quart) and Duo Nova 80 (8 quart), with a 10-litre Duo Nova 100 in the EU/UK manual; per-size wattages are 700, 1000, 1200 and 1440 W. The Amazon listing for the Duo Nova is ASIN B07RCNHTLS, and the size tied to that ASIN is not stated on the pages read.

Do not confuse it with the plain Instant Pot Duo or the Duo Plus, which have different panels and program counts, or with the Walmart-exclusive “Instant Pot Nova,” which has an aluminium pot with ceramic coating instead of stainless steel.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Stores:

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