Is microwave pressure cooking a real thing? Our best answer is "sort of." Microwave pressure cookers can speed up getting dinner on the table, they're safe, and most of them are easy to use and clean. But calling them "pressure cookers" is a bit of a misnomer.
We look at what microwave pressure cookers really do, safety issues, pros and cons, and more, plus we have some recommendations based on our research and testing.
Microwave Pressure Cookers at a Glance
These microwave pressure cookers were among the highest rated on Amazon. They all cooked food about the same in our testing. We recommend you buy based on size, included equipment, or brand name (Tupperware being the best, but also the most expensive).
Microwave Pressure Cooker | Features | Item 3 |
|---|---|---|
-3.4 quart -11.5" x 10" -Dual safety feature locking lid -Includes steamer plate, recipe booklet, quick start guide -BPA free -About $70 -Best for cooking for 4-6 people |  | |
-2.6 quart -8.6" x 5" -Turn lid to open/close steam vents -Very lightweight (cheap) -No steamer tray or recipe book -About $25 -Best for beginners, people on a tight budget, cooking for 2 (or sides only, like rice). |  | |
-2.5 quart/3lbs meat -8.2" x 9.5" x 9.5" -Basic recipes included -No steamer tray -Made in USA -About $75 -5 year warranty -Best for 2 people or side dishes. |  | |
-2 quarts -11.3" x 11" x 6.6" -3 safety features -Made of silicone -Steamer tray included -Easy seal lid -About $140 -Red dot winner 2014 -Best for 2 people or side dishes. |  |
What Does a Pressure Cooker Do?
A pressure cooker creates a sealed cooking environment that traps steam from cooking (you must use liquid or a pressure cooker won't work). As steam builds the pressure increases. Higher pressure raises the boiling point of liquid, which causes food to cook faster--up to 70% faster, depending on the pressure.
A stovetop pressure cooker can raise the pressure to 15 psi, which increases the boiling point to about 250F. An electric pressure cooker can raise the pressure to 11 psi, which increases the boiling point to about 240F. The lower pressure of an electric pressure cooker is why it takes longer to cook food than a stovetop pressure cooker (about 25% longer on average).
The closed chamber also traps more flavor (due to lack of evaporation), so it can be a great way to cook many dishes (it's an excellent way to make stock or bone broth).
Do Microwave Pressure Cookers Really Work?
Yes...sort of.
A microwave pressure cooker doesn't perform like a stovetop or electric pressure cooker. They can raise pressure about 4 psi, which raises the boiling point to about 225F. This isn't enough to significantly shorten the cooking time of your food. However, the microwave itself is a fast way to cook food, so when combined with the slightly higher pressure of a microwave pressure cooker, you can get a meal (or side dish) on the table pretty fast--usually less than 30 minutes.
This is why all microwave pressure cookers are touted as faster than other types, because you "don't have to wait" for the pressure to build before the food starts to cook: the microwave begins cooking it immediately.
IMPORTANT: You can get enough built-up pressure inside a microwave container, which makes it unsafe to open until it's de-pressurized. Foamy foods like rice and beans can clog the pressure valves and cause a real mess if you're not careful. Some cookers have screens that prevent foam from reaching the valves, but you still have to be careful.
You should follow all safety and use precautions for a microwave pressure cooker, including not filling the cooker above the fill line.
Are Microwaves Safe?
Microwaves are safe, as long as you use them correctly. Contrary to some popular beliefs, microwaves do not make food radioactive. Rather, they release energy waves (that are in the microwave section of the Electromagnetic Spectrum) that pass through food, causing water molecules to vibrate, which heats the food.
Note that microwaves are not in the radioactive part of the spectrum; they are very close to TV and radio waves. Though there is some controversy, there is no scientific evidence that any waves are harmful except the radioactive ones (e.g., X-rays and gamma rays).
Still, you want to be careful using a microwave. One concern is heating plastic, which can contain unsafe chemicals that are released when heated. BPA is the one we know the most about, and pretty much all food-grade plastics are now BPA-free, including all the microwave pressure cookers we looked at.
BPA is a type of phthalate, though, and there are other phthalates contained in many plastics. There are far fewer studies on other phthalates, but they are likely to cause the same problems as BPA.
Do microwave pressure cookers contain other phthalates? We don't know, because the makers don't disclose this information.
If you want to avoid the possibility of being exposed to phthalates, you should avoid heating any plastics in the microwave. This includes BPA-free microwave pressure cookers.
Use only glass or ceramic containers.
Do Microwaves Kill Nutrients in Food?
No, microwaves do not kill nutrients in food, at least, not any more than other cooking methods (all cooking methods destroy some nutrients).
The faster you can cook your food, the more nutrients it retains. Since microwaving is a fast cooking method, it retains a high amount of nutrients. In fact, steaming veggies in the microwave (an easy task in a microwave pressure cooker with a steamer tray) is one of the best ways to retain nutrients.
What Can You Cook in a Microwave Pressure Cooker?
You can cook just about anything you cook in a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot in a microwave pressure cooker, which includes any food with enough liquid to produce steam.
This includes vegetables, meats, rice, beans, stews, soups, stocks, and more.
Microwave pressure cookers also have similar limitations as other types. The main one is that they don't brown your food, so you should brown any meats before microwaving if you want to build maximum flavor.
They also do not crisp your food, so if you want a nice crispy crust on your meat, you'll have to finish it off in a skillet.
Are Microwave Pressure Cookers Safer than Other Pressure Cookers?
In some ways they are, and in some ways they aren't.
Microwave cookers don't build up as much pressure, so they are far less likely to explode. However, all modern pressure cookers have enough safety features to make them extremely safe, so no pressure cooker is likely to explode as long as they're used correctly (do not fill past the fill line!).
On the other side, there's the hot plastic, which may release phthalates or other questionable chemicals into your food. There is no evidence of this, but if you want to err on the side of caution, don't use any plastic in the microwave.
Microwave pressure cookers are also a little harder to regulate, probably due to the cooking speed. So you have to be careful to not overcook food. Foamy foods in particular, like rice and oats, can clog valves fairly quickly--so don't release the valve or try to open a cooker before it has depressurized.
Recipes for Microwave Pressure Cookers
There are many recipes online specifically for microwave pressure cookers. See Spark Recipes, the Tupperware blog, and Selected Recipes for starters.
You can also use recipes for standard pressure cookers--stovetop and electric both. The good news is that cooking times for most pressure cooker recipes are about the same for a microwave pressure cooker.
You can convert standard recipes to pressure cooking, too. Just be sure the recipe has enough liquid to create steam, or pressure cooking won't work. The easiest way to convert a recipe is to Google for the pressure cooking time of the main ingredients and use that time.
Give yourself time to get confident using your microwave cooker. When you feel you have the hang of it, you can branch out to more challenging meals.