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Instant Vortex vs. Vortex Plus vs. Vortex Pro: Differences and Reviews 2025

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Instant Vortex vs. Vortex Plus vs. Vortex Pro: Differences and Reviews 2025

The Instant brand is known for its kitchen appliances that are designed to be safe, dependable, practical and convenient at the same time. We all know the name from Instant pot electric pressure cooker but that’s not the only thing they manufacture. Air-frying is gaining popularity because the cooking technique creates deliciously crispy and crunchy food without using tons of unhealthy oil. And that’s where Instant vortex and vortex plus and vortex pro air fryers come in. Instant Vortex is about to become the year’s must-have cooking appliance. Now the real question is - which model should I choose? Do they really perform well? Can I get a discount for buying them?

3 Best Air Fryers of Instant Brand

3 Best Air Fryers of Instant

Instant is well-known for its kitchen appliances, having achieved cult status with the Instant Pot – a multi-cooker that can pressure cook, slow cook, steam, saute and even make yogurt. The brand even has a line of air fryers that offer several cooking methods in one device.

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Comparison Table - How the Hottest Instant Air Fryers Are Different

	Instant™ Vortex®	Instant™ Vortex® Plus	Instant™ Vortex® Pro

Functions	4-in-1 Functionality air fry, bake, roast and reheat in seconds	7-in-1 Functionality air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, and rotisserie	9-in-1 Functionality air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, rotisserie, toast, and proof
	4 customizable programs for one-touch chicken wings, roasted veggies, cinnamon buns and more	6 customizable programs for one-touch rotisserie-style chicken, garlicky potatoes, cookies and more	8 customizable programs for one-touch rotisserie-style chicken, juicy steak, perfectly roasted veggies, cookies and more
Capacity	6 quarts	10 quarts	10 quarts
	Cook up to 6 portions: perfect for perfect for growing families, side dishes, and meal prep	Cook 6+ portions: perfect for perfect for families, side dishes, and meal prep	Cook 6+ portions: perfect for perfect for families, side dishes, and meal prep
Power	1700 watts	1500 watts	1500 watts
Price	US$119.99	US $149.99	US $139.95 was $159.99
Control Panel	Touchscreen / Dial	Touchscreen	Touchscreen and bright display
Temperature Range	from 120 to 400 °F (49 to 205 °C)	from 120 to 400 °F (49 to 205 °C)	from 120 to 400 °F (49 to 205 °C)
Door	Basket Style	See-through glass door	See-through glass door
Material	Plastic	Plastic, brushed stainless steel accents and glass door	Plastic, brushed stainless steel accents and glass door
Weight	12.8 lbs	18.63 lbs	17.5 lbs
Dimensions	14.92 x 12.36 x 12.83 inches	13.23x13.23x14.37 Inches	13.75x14.37x13.23 Inches
Accessories	Cook & Crisp Plate	Accessories include a non-stick drip pan and 2 perforated cooking trays, as well as stainless-steel rotisserie basket, rotisserie spit and forks, and lift tool	Accessories include a non-stick drip pan and 2 perforated cooking trays, as well as stainless-steel rotisserie basket, rotisserie spit and forks, and lift tool
Safety Features	Auto Shut Off, Overheat Protection	Auto Shut Off, Overheat Protection	Auto Shut Off, Overheat Protection
Dishwasher Safe	Yes	Yes	Yes

Winner: Which Air Fryer Model Should I Choose?

Air fryers offer a faster, healthier way to cook fried foods using little to no oil and have become a kitchen must-have.

The Instant Vortex earns a spot on our list of the best air fryers because the streamlined control panel is easy to use, the large cooking basket is easy to clean, and the powerful air fryer features deliver near-perfect results.

If you're looking for a basic air fryer with some additional cooking features, choose the Instant Vortex Air Fryer. It's perfect for those on a budget and has 4 cooking functions - you can air fry, bake, roast and reheat in seconds.

Choose Instant Vortex Plus if you are looking for style and versatility.

Like its Instant Pot models, Instant Brands has built the Instant Vortex Plus with versaility in mind. It's got seven different presets: Air Fry, Roast, Broil, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate and Rotate "for rotisserie-style cooking."

The Vortex Plus generally offers a larger cooking capacity compared to the standard Vortex model.

This is $30 more expensive than Instant Pot’s original air fryer, the Instant Vortex. However, as we’ve already mentioned, the Vortex Plus offers an extra 3 cooking methods so the price hike is understandable.

Winner:

We're really happy that you can now get 9 cooking functions in a sleek and well-designed cooking device at a very reasonable price.

Currently, you can save $20 on the purchase of an air fryer that lets you air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, rotisserie, toast, and proof.

Originally, if you use the proofing and roasting functions more often, choose the Instant Vortex Pro air fryer, otherwise we recommend sticking with the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer.

But given that prices have dropped and more features are now available for less money, we really couldn't pass up the Instant Vortex Pro. Even better, you can save another 2% with the rebate offer.

Using 95% less oil than deep frying, it also lets you save 84% less energy than an electric oven and has a 70% faster cook time too.

You can get the air fryer now but you’ll need to be quick as they're selling fast.

Instant Vortex Plus Review

What is the Instant Vortex Plus?

The Instant Vortex Plus is a 7-in-1 multi-cooker.

It stands out by housing seven appliances in one: It can air fry, roast, rotisserie, broil, bake, reheat, and dehydrate.

#1. You can choose from 7 different presets

You can choose from 7 different presets.

All of these presets have programmed time and temperature, but if those programs don't work for you, you can use the knob on the front of the air fryer's control panel to adjust the defaults as needed.

You can also save your personal settings. Assuming you know the optimum temperature and cooking time for your chicken nuggets, you can save it so you don't have to adjust the program every time, and then use it with the push of a button.

#2. Reduce oil volume and save time

Just like regular air fryers, the instant vortex plus air fryer oven cooks food by using a super-fast fan that circulates super-heated air around the food. So it cooks quicker than traditional methods, but is crisp too.

The instant vortex plus air fryer oven’s 1500 watts of power combined with the ability to circulate super-heated air with the even-crisp technology gives you perfect cooking results.

The appliance can reduce cooking time by 20% as compared to traditional cooking methods.

Impatient folks will be glad to hear that the Instant Vortex only takes about 2-3 minutes to heat up, 30 minutes to roast, and less than 15 minutes to fry.

Air fryers use considerably less oil when crisping food – Instant claims you need 95% less oil – so they offer a healthier way to enjoy foods that would usually be deep fried, without compromising on the taste.

#3. One notable difference

One notable difference between the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer and others like it on the market is that it comes with a basket that rotates so unlike regular 'drawer air fryers' that you have to pull out and shake, this will rotate and evenly cook your French fries, tots, shrimps, etc.

There is a light in the cooking chamber which you can turn on/off to check on the cooking progress.

#4. An ideal tool for cooking for large families.

It's got a 10 quart capacity, which rivals many air fryers on the market, which tend to max out around 5.

That said, it has the capacity to cook for up to six people at a time when using both cooking trays and has enough room for a 4-pound chicken, according to the product description. That's dinner for the whole family on the table without preheating your oven.

With the seven different cooking presets, you can use it to prepare rotisserie-style chicken, create beef jerky, cook up a juicy steak, and even bake a cheesecake.

#5. More accessories

The vortex plus comes with everything that you might need in different settings. In addition to actual air fryer oven, you will get two perforated cooking trays, a non-stick drip pan and a stainless-steel rotisserie basket, spit, fork and a fetch tool. The accessories are included and you don’t have to purchase them separately.

#6. The rotisserie feature is our favorite!

Another interesting feature that we like is the rotisserie feature which continuously rotates and cooks the chicken or turkey in its own juice. It eliminates the need to rotate and shake the ingredients halfway through the cooking progress. Therefore, ultimate selling point of the Vortex Plus is the rotisserie function. It gives you the ability to roast your own restaurant-quality chicken at home. Using the rotisserie spit, we roasted a chicken and our 4-pounder turned out juicy, tender, and crispy brown in 50 minutes.

#7. Is Instant Vortex easy to use? How effective is it?

Air Fryer:

This is where the Instant Vortex Plus shines, and the air fryer cooks food evenly and quickly. Freeze chicken nuggets are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside in just 15 minutes. Frozen chicken wings take 30 minutes to become delicious. In just 18 minutes, the fries are crispy and golden.

Reheat:

Impressive. Single-serve frozen lasagna heats evenly after 15 minutes of cooking.

Dehydrate:

The other cooking function people love about air fryers is the dehydrator. You can make healthy snacks including dried fruit and vegetables, and can even learn how to make healthy jerky without the questionable preservatives usually found in store-bought jerky. We used the dehydrate function for 2 thinly sliced mangoes, and got dry, flavorful fruit, but only after 6 long hours.

Bake:

You can use the air fryer for any cookie recipe you want to bake! Just be sure to adjust the temperature—since the air fryer gets a lot hotter a lot quicker, you won't want to go past 325 degrees, otherwise your cookies will burn.

It's true that the Vortex isn't as good as a professional oven when it comes to baking, but it saves us a lot of prep time.

Broil:

Vortex isn't all that keen on the task. We put in some burgers and hit the broil button, but they came out more like baked than broiled.

Overall, we found it to be better for air frying, roasting, and reheating. Baking and broiling are also useful, just not perfect.

Still, the Vortex isn't expensive, and not only does it air-fry like a pro, but it also makes a delicious rotisserie chicken and dehydrates foods well—a task other air fryers do less than. So if baking and broiling aren't too important to you, and you don't own an air fryer yet, the Vortex is worth considering.

In short, it's primarily marketed as an air fryer, and it works well as an air fryer. Food gets a 180-degree spin for balanced browning, and the reminder to swap the top and bottom racks helps to promote consistent cooking. French cheese is "crispy and golden brown" after just six minutes of cooking.

#8. Reasonable prices and rebate offers

Finally, the price. At $149, the Instant Vortex Plus is cheaper than many other air fryers of its size on the market.

The Instant Vortex Plus is available worldwide through the Instant website; it is also available through websites such as Walmart in the US.

Through official sales channels, you can get cashback offers. If you’re already an Instant Pot fan and like the brand or if you’ve been trying to find the right air fryer to add to your kitchen arsenal, this is a great opportunity to take advantage of an awesome price on a brand-new product.

When it comes to style and performance, the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer is simply one of the best air fryers you can buy right now.

#9. What are the disadvantages of Instant Vortex?

One thing to really think about before you purchase? The size. The Instant Vortex Plus is more than a foot in any direction and weights a whopping 16.6 pounds. This isn't an appliance you'll want to be moving around frequently.

While many air fryers are egg-shaped, the Instant Vortex Plus looks more like a traditional countertop oven because it's boxy.

With its shiny black plastic and stainless-steel housing, it hits a middle ground aesthetically with a look that’s neither cheap nor upscale.

Not only does the transparent door let you monitor progress, but it comes off completely so you can wipe the inside clean.

It will certainly require a substantial piece of real estate on your kitchen counter, but when I considered that it is a 10-quart air fryer, I figured it might justify its size with its capabilities.

But it's the shape and size that set the Instant Vortex Plus apart from other models.

Instant Vortex Pro vs. Vortex Plus (9-in-1 vs. 7-in-1 Air Fryers): What's the Difference? Which is Better?

What is Instant Vortex Pro?

Instant Vortex Pro Air Fryer is an upgrade to the original 10-Quart Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven.

The two most famous Instant air fryers are Instant Vortex Plus is also known as the Instant Vortex 7 in 1 and the Instant Vortex Pro also known as the Instant Vortex 9 in 1. Here the term 7 in 1 and 9 in 1 means the number of appliances they are designed to replace.

The two Instant Vortex Air fryer Oven models can be used to replace multiple appliances in your kitchen. If you have small kitchen counters or limited storage space, this is a great benefit. By combining appliances you also save money by buying fewer small kitchen appliances.

What is the difference between Vortex Pro and Vortex Plus?

Unlike the vortex plus, the instant vortex pro has 9 cooking functions including air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, rotisserie, toast, and proof. Toast and Proof are two functions that vortex plus does not have, which is the biggest difference between the two devices.

Proof

The Proof smart program can be used to rise and rest the dough for bread. By default, it starts at 30 minutes with a temperature of 90F. You can adjust the time from 30 to 40 minutes within 90 to 120F.

Toast

The Toast smart program has 3 levels of darkness (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3). Each darkness level has a default time:

Level 1: 2.50 minutes
Level 2: 3.10 minutes
Level 3: 3.30 minutes

Toast isn't meant to just be dried, nearly burned bread. It's meant to still retain a bit of its lovely, soft, chewy consistency on the inside, while still being crisp and slightly charred on the outside.

The Vortex Pro retails for a slightly higher price given the added features. The Vortex Pro Air Fryer is available at Instant and Walmart for $149 ($10 more than the Plus), and if you're already in love with the Instant Pot, it might be time to invest in a capable equivalent.

Both Vortex air fryers we’re comparing in this guide come with digital displays. However, the main difference is that the Instant Vortex Plus shows only one at a time. You can only see either time or temperature. This is in contrast to the Vortex Pro, which simultaneously shows the time and temperature. You will find them side by side.

Compared to the original Instant Vortex Plus, the buttons are more readable. The Vortex Pro also offers a brighter display which makes it a whole lot easier to operate.

The Instant Vortex Plus is a “7-in-1 Air Fryer Oven” with a 10-quart capacity. With a similar 10-quart cooking capacity to the vortex plus, the Instant vortex pro is the largest size the Instant Pot has ever had, making it an ideal tool for cooking for large families and parties of six or more people.

The Instant Vortex Air Fryer is a multi-use countertop appliance that prepares dishes by circulating super-heated air around food, with little or no cooking oil, to achieve crunchy golden 'air fried' meals.

The size and weight difference between the two units is negligible, both are bulky and big. The Vortex Plus is slightly smaller in length and weight.

And they look very similar too. You can refer to our previous reviews. Thanks to its sleek design, it will also add a nice touch to your kitchen.

Instant Vortex vs. Vortex Plus (4-in-1 vs. 7-in-1 Air Fryers): What's the Difference? Which is Better?

Unlike Instant Vortex Pro, which has upgraded 2 more functions, Instant Vortex has reduced functions on Instant Vortex Plus.

Cooking Functions

The Instant Vortex has four pre-programmed settings to air fry, bake, roast and reheat similar to the Instant Vortex Plus's seven settings.

Broil, dehydrate and rotisserie are 3 additional functions that you get with Instant Vortex plus. Apart from that, both air fryers have customizable cooking programs for chicken wings, roasted veggies, cinnamon buns, and more.

The caveat here is the Vortex only has eight buttons, four of which are those programs, plus Start, Cancel, Time and Temp. The dial in the center of the screen easily allows you to adjust the temperature in 5-degree intervals and the text is large and easy to read.

Cooking Capacity

One of the biggest downsides of many air fryers is the size of the basket. Most only hold two chicken breasts or a couple of servings of fries.

The Instant vortex has a 6-quart capacity air fryer basket that holds approximately 2 lbs of fries and 4 lbs of chicken. This means you can cook in fewer batches and get food to the table faster.

The Instant vortex plus, on the other hand, has a 10-quart cooking capacity. It easily holds an 8" pizza, 2 lbs of fries, 2 slices of toast, and a 4 lb rotisserie chicken.

Smaller air fryer models can cook about 2-3 servings, while larger models can cook about 6-8 servings of your favorite meals.

Appearance

Aesthetics are important to us, and these two appliances have a sleek, modern look that we don't mind seeing them on our countertops every day.

One of the main differences in design is that the Instant vortex has a basket design, while the Instant vortex plus has a mini oven design with a glass window.

The vortex has a shiny black exterior, while the vortex plus has a stainless steel/black exterior, perfect for any kitchen theme.

The difference in size is small, but at about 13 pounds for the Vortex and 19 pounds for the Vortex Plus, it's pretty heavy to move around, so you'll need a permanent spot on your countertop.

Power

The two most important factors to consider when buying an air fryer are wattage, capacity, and the wattage-to-volume ratio. An air fryer with a higher wattage per quart heats up faster and has a stronger fan for the surface area, resulting in faster cook times and crispier food.

Plus, the Instant Vortex is a powerful 1700-watt appliance, while the Instant Vortex Plus is a 1500-watt air fryer. Compared to the Vortex Plus, the Instant Vortex preheats quickly and has powerful cooking performance.

Price

At $119, the Instant Vortex is cheaper than many other models out there with the same capacity and functions. If you use it once a week, its essentially a net cost of less than $2 a week for the whole year.

As far as air fryer ovens go, the Instant Pot 7 in 1 Vortex Air Fryer Oven is quite affordable when compared to other air fryers. At $149, it comes in lower than the best air fryers that include multiple functions such as dehydrating.

Verdict：Instant Vortex vs Vortex Plus vs Vortex Pro

Overall, the Instant Vortex is a functional oven that’s a fantastic value for the price.

When it comes to crisping and browning food, these 3 air fryers all excel at preparing french fries and chicken wings. All 3 are crunchy homemade fries with soft and fluffy potatoes inside, and succulent chicken wings that combine juicy meat with a crisp skin.

The difference between them is mainly multifunctional.

Instant™ Vortex® 6-quart Air Fryer -

4-in-1 so you can air fry, bake, roast and reheat

Instant™ Vortex® Plus 10-quart Air Fryer Oven -

7-in-1 so you can air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, and rotisserie

Instant™ Vortex® Pro 10-quart Air Fryer Oven

9-in-1 so you can air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, rotisserie, toast, and proof

Of course, due to the upgrade of functions, the price will increase.

But recently, we have been able to get some discounts and extra rebates, which makes it easy for large families to choose the 9-in-1 air fryer - Instant™ Vortex® Pro.