Reheating soup in the instant pot is easy and one of the best methods to reheat leftover soup. The instant pot is my favorite cooking appliance and I have two of them. A 6 Quart and 8 Quart size. I use them often and one of my favorite meals to cook in the instant pot is soups! I love cooking chili, chicken soup, white chicken chili, Zuppa Toscano, lazy lasagna soup, potato soup, and so many other instant pot soup recipes.
A great benefit with the instant pot is the ease that it can be used to reheat leftover soup. It can be used to reheat the soup even if it is frozen soup making it a great option. There are actually several different methods that you can use to reheat soup and other leftovers.
There are so many advantages to using the instant pot for reheating soup compared to the stove top, crock pot or the microwave.
Reheating on the stove requires you to keep a close eye on the soup in the pan to make sure it doesn’t boil over or burn on the bottom. The stove method also requires stirring and when you turn the heat off the contents will instantly cool off. Using the instant pot, you can leave it unattended and go about your other activities and even when it is done, the contents will stay warm.
Using a crock pot for the reheating process takes a long time and is always on low heat. When using a microwave to reheat the food the texture of food, color, and taste will change, compared to cooking in an instant pot pressure cooker or on a stove. It leads to dehydration, as the water content decreases and food is more prone to drying, and the cooked food is sometimes unevenly cooked.
Pressure Cook Method
The first method to reheat soup with the instant pot is to turn the instant pot to pressure cook and let it come to pressure. First thing you do is pour the soup into the inner pot (or if frozen set the soup into the pot), then close the instant pot lid and turn the valve to the sealing position. Use the manual setting and press the pressure cook button and set the time to ZERO.
The instant pot will come to pressure, which during that time it is heating up and heating your soup. When it comes to pressure, since the time is set to ZERO, it will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” function and it will keep your soup hot until you are ready to serve it.
The quick release or natural release can be used with this method to release pressure depending on the amount of time that is needed.
Steam or Pot-in-Pot Method
The steam function or pot-in-pot method is another method to reheat soup. Add one cup of water to the bottom of the pot and set the metal trivet in the pot. Put your soup in a heat-safe container and set it on the trivet. Close the lid and turn the valve to the sealing position. Press the “Pressure Cook” button or “Steam button” and set the time to ZERO.
The instant pot will come to pressure which during that time it is heating up and heating your soup. When it comes to pressure, since the time is set to ZERO, it will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” function and it will keep your soup hot until you are ready to serve it.
Sauté Function Method
The second method is to use the saute function, which is another easy way to reheat the soup. First, push the “Sauté” button and allow the inner pot to heat up. Add the soup to the pot. For thick soup, like chili or clam chowder, stew, pasta, or rice, add a little water or broth to the pot. Give the contents a good stir. When the soup cooks, go ahead and serve, or put on “Keep Warm”. A little water or even a little olive oil can be added to a thicker soup to assist the reheating process.
The sauté and pressure cook methods take the less time compared to the following methods.
Slow Cooker Function Method
The third method is the slow cooker function. Push the “Slow Cooker” button and add the soup to the inner pot. Place the lid on the pot and cover it. You can also use the glass lid that came with the instant pot or the regular lid. Cook until the soup is warm. This method will take longer than the pressure cook or sauté method.
Keep Warm Method
This warm function is for if your contents are not frozen but need to be heated up. The cooking time using this method is longer than the above methods. First, push the keep warm button and add your contents to the inner pot. The contents will slowly heat up and will be kept warm for up to 2 hours.
For more of my favorite delicious recipes including easy instant pot recipes, plus posts about other homestead-type activities, such as gardening, canning, and raising chickens, go to my website at www.HawkPointHomestead.com. For updates, please follow my Facebook page at Hawk Point Hobby Homestead.
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