NutriPot NuWave Pressure Cooker Review

The NuWave NutriPot Pressure Cooker is a nice beginner pressure cooker with some higher-end features like a push-button steam release and an easy carry handle. I’ll tell you everything you need to know to get it out of the box and into your kitchen.

Jenn here! We have been getting a number of questions about the NuWave Nutri Pot, so we thought we’d buy one and test it out. 

If you’ve recently purchased a NuWave Nutri Pot, here’s what you’ll need to know to get started.

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How to Set the Cook Time on the NuWave NutriPot

In my recipes, you’ll see the phrase “Select High Pressure and set a ## minute cook time.” To do this on the Nutri Pot, it takes three simple steps:

1. Press the Time button.
2. Press the Plus [+] or Minus [-] buttons to adjust to desired time.
3. Press the Start/Stop button to start the cooking cycle.

What You’ll Love About the NuWave Nutri-Pot Pressure Cooker

✅ The Nutri Pot comes with a cool-to-the-touch lid. The entire lid is covered with plastic and has no exposed metal, so there are no hot spots to avoid while cooking.

✅ The pressure release valve points toward the back of the machine when releasing pressure. (Make sure you position it to avoid any upper cabinets.)

✅ The lid also features a push button steam release. I love this feature because it keeps your hands away from the valve. The steam release locks open when you press it, but resets when you press the button again. This is useful for recipes that may require an intermittent steam release, like pastas and potatoes.

✅ The Nuwave Nutri Pot comes with a removable carry handle. (I haven’t removed it since I got it out of the box. It makes it easy to grab out of lower shelves or cabinets.) 

✅ The Nutri Pot offers multiple sizes: 6-quart, 8-quart, and a giant 13-quart. (Keep in mind that most pressure cooker recipes are written for the 6-quart size. If you are using one of the larger sizes, you’ll need to use more liquid in your recipes.)

✅ The NuWave pressure cooker comes with a manual, rice paddle, ladle, and 1-cup measuring cup (not the smaller rice measuring cup that many other pressure cookers come with).

Check Out Our Other Reviews

Looking to Buy? If you haven’t decided on a specific pressure cooker model, here are some of our most popular reviews:

• Instant Pot Duo Nova
• Instant Pot Duo Crisp
• Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus
• Power Quick Pot
• Pampered Chef Quick Cooker
• Mealthy MultiPot

What You Need to Know Before Buying

🔺 The manual pressure cook button isn’t intuitively named. It’s called the Time button. You can also set a custom cook time with any of the pressure cook functions (like rice or poultry) and press the [+] or [-] buttons to adjust the time. 

🔺 The NuWave Nutri Pot lid is placed on a hinge. This allows you to leave the lid in place when sautéing or serving your food. The lid can slide out of the hinge, but it takes a little getting used to at first.

🔺 The Nutri Pot does not have a low pressure setting. Almost all of the recipes on Pressure Cooking Today call for High Pressure, so you should be fine. However, I know some readers like to use low pressure settings for items such as eggs or yogurt.

🔺 The cooking pot is a nonstick coated pot. Some of my readers like this for the easy clean up. Because the pot is nonstick, you’ll need to use wood or plastic utensils with your pot so you don’t scratch the coating. However, if you do prefer a stainless steel pot, you can purchase it directly from NuWave. 

🔺 The Keep Warm setting does not count the minutes since the pressure cooking cycle ended. Rather the display has a little

🔺 The NuWave’s cord is not removable.

Which NuWave Nutripot Button to Use

Along the bottom of the display, there are six black buttons: 

• Time: This button is your “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button. You can use this button to set a custom High Pressure cook time.
• Texture: This button simply adjusts the default preset cook time to Less, Normal, and More. (Not sure why they call it a texture button?)
• Delay Start: Allows you to set a certain number of minutes before your pressure cooker begins your selected pressure cook setting. You push the Delay button, then use the [+] or [-] buttons to adjust the time. The Delay display bar will light and then you put in your settings for what you want it to do after the delay is complete.
• Warm: This is the Keep warm setting, but it works differently than in most other brands of pressure cooker, where it doesn’t always turn on and sometimes counts down from a certain number of hours. (More on that below.) Keep in mind that foods will continue cooking on this setting, so the longer you leave it on, the more likely it becomes that food can stick on the bottom.
• Sear: You can brown and saute your foods using the Sear button. (This button only has one temperature and does not adjust to low or high.)
• Slow Cook: This lets you use your Nutri-Pot like a slow cooker. Leave the lid in the unlocked position when you’re using the slow cook button. (I’d press the release button just in case.)

You can use the Hours/Minutes center button if you want to set a custom cook time over 1 hour. 

All of the preset buttons cook at High Pressure. These are the default cook times if you adjust between Less, Normal, and More. (You can also use the [+] and [-] buttons to customize the cook time even more.)

* If you use this preset button, the Warm function will stay on indefinitely.
** If you use this preset button to cook, the Warm function does not come on after pressure cooking.

For the remaining preset buttons the Warm function comes on for between 1 and 4 hours after the pressure cook setting ends.

The NuWave NutriPot is programmed to a set pressure of 70kPa or 10 PSI for all of their pressure cook buttons

IS IT SAFE TO CAN FOODS IN THE NUWAVE NUTRI-POT PRESSURE COOKER?

The canning button is a big issue in the pressure cooking world. So many brands offer a canning function built into their pressure cookers; however, all of them have caveats in the user manuals. For example, the Nutri Pot user manual says “Meat and seafood are not recommended to be pressure canned.”

Ultimately, the user manual says “Consult an instructional book written specifically for pressure canning.”

If you’re interested in canning in your Nutri-Pot, see pages 25-28 of the Nutri-Pot NuWave Pressure Cooker Manual. 

So what are the USDA’s guidelines for canning with an electric pressure cooker? 

The USDA’s National Center for Home Food Preservation specifically discussed canning in an electric pressure cooker in February 2019, saying they “do not support the use of the USDA canning processes in the electric, multi-cooker appliances now containing “canning” or “steam canning” buttons on their front panels.”

They list several reasons behind this recommendation:

• “No USDA thermal process work has been done with jars inside an electric pressure cooker, tracking the actual temperatures inside the jars throughout the process.” In other words, NO BRAND of electric pressure cooker, including the NuWave Nutri-Pot, has been proven to meet the temperature and pressure levels necessary to ensure the food canned inside is safe.
• USDSA recommendations “were determined for stovetop pressure canners which hold four or more quart-size jars standing upright.” The jars recommended in the NuWave Nutri-Pot manual are pint-size jars, which would have different cooking requirements and have not been tested.
• “What matters is temperature, not pressure. … In order to ensure the safety of the final product, the temperature in the canner must stay at minimum throughout the process time.” Since electric pressure cookers work by turning the heating element on and off, the USDA hasn’t yet been able to verify that the foods in the jars stay above the temperature required to kill the botulism bacteria.”
• “Bacteria are not killed in the food only during the process time; the time it takes the canner to come up to pressure, the process time, and the cool-down time all matter.  There is no way at this point in time to know exactly the percentage of contribution from cooling for each of the canning recommendations.

At this time, we DO NOT recommend pressure canning in the NuWave NutriPot.

However, you can do hot water bath canning in your Nutri Pot (and other brands of electric pressure cooker), as long as your mason jars are short enough to sit on the trivet and still allow an inch or two of boiling water to cover the jars. You can also make awesome freezer jams and compotes that will keep for up to a year in the freezer and 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. 

If you’re up for experimenting with steam canning high-acid foods (like fruits, jams, or pickles), my friend Frieda has done some extensive testing with steam canning in the Instant Pot, and her instructions are easily adapted for the NuWave pressure cooker.

What Do the NuWave Pressure Cooker Error Codes Mean?

The Troubleshooting section on their user manual is found on page 29. There are four types of error codes you may see on your NutriPot. 

Here’s what to do when you see an error code on your NuWave Nutri-Pot: 

E3 is the most common error code, similar to Instant Pot’s “Burn Notice.”

It indicates that food may be burned onto the bottom of the cooking pot.

When you see this error:

• Use a quick release to release any pressure in the pot.
• Open the lid and transfer the contents to a separate bowl.
• Check the bottom of your pot for any scorched or stuck food. (Keep in mind that the cooker will be hot, so you may need to let it cool to thoroughly check.)

Wait for your Nutri-Pot to cool down before trying to use it again. If food has burnt onto the bottom of your pot, you’ll need to use more water to finish your recipe or transfer it to a pot and cook it on the stove.

Also avoid using ingredients containing thickeners, such as jarred tomato sauce or canned soups.

Other Errors:

For the other errors, NuWave recommends contacting customer service at 1-877-689-2838 (Monday through Friday, 7:30am – 4:30pm CST) or help@nuwavenow.com. 

• E1: Broken circuit or sensor.
• E2: Short circuit of sensor.
• E4: Signal switch broken.

Do you have the NuWave Nutri Pot Pressure Cooker? How do you like it? Let us know in the comments!

Get Great Recipes for Your NuWave Pressure Cooker

Here at Pressure Cooking Today, we believe in making real food with fresh and familiar ingredients.

🥘 Browse my collection of the best pressure cooker recipes here on my website (some of my most popular recipes include Pressure Cooker Beef and Broccoli and Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding).

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🥧 If you’re interested in more than just pressure cooker recipes, I share my other adventures in the kitchen over at Barbara Bakes. You’ll find some amazing breakfasts and breads, along with the best dessert recipes! Check it out today!

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