Instant Omni Review
Instant (aka Instant Pot) just recently came out with their Vortex and Vortex Plus air fryers (read my Instant Vortex Plus Review). Now they have released a larger toaster oven version, the Instant Omni 9 in 1 (also known as Instant Pot Omni) and the Instant Omni Plus. The ovens have the following functions: Air Fry, Toast, Bake, Broil, Roast, Slow Cook (a Plus only feature), Reheat, Proof (for raising dough, a Plus only feature), and Dehydrate. I finally got my hands on an Omni, so here is my Instant Pot Omni review all updated based on my model.
For a Comparison chart of all of the Instant air fryer and toaster oven models See my Instant Vortex v. Instant Omni Comparison Chart.
Overview of the Instant Omni and Omni Plus
The Instant Omni is larger and sturdier than the Vortex. However, while it has a rotisserie, it lacks the rotating rotisserie basket of the Vortex. See our full Instant Pot Vortex review for more on the Vortex versus the Omni.
There are now reports that Instant customer service has verified that there will be both an Instant Omni and Instant Omni Plus. The plus will reportedly have the same dimensions but will add the proof and slow cook features. An Amazon listing of an “Omni Plus” with a listed availability in several months was up for awhile and then removed. Customer service did tell a person that the Plus would be sold on Amazon. A reader sent me screen shots that she took of listings for the Plus before it was removed and it does indeed appear to have the same dimensions, this is assuming that customer reports of the Omni dimensions are correct.
You can see Instant Pot’s sneak peek announcement about the Omni here.
Instant Pot Omni Review
The Omni is slowly rolling out to Walmart and I suspect it will be widespread around the country shortly. Just in time for holiday and Christmas shopping. I found mine by searching stores for the SKU number and placing pickup orders, Several were cancelled because they had already sold out, but then I finally got one!
The Instant Omni is larger than the Vortex and can fit a 12 inch pizza. Of course this also means that it will take more counter space. But for larger families, the larger size is good news as the Vortex does not fit enough food to feed a larger family. The oven is 1800 watts and bakes up to 450 degrees. It gets hot to the touch on the outside just as any toaster oven does, and in fact I found that it got quite hot, but it also does not heat up the whole kitchen, so it doesn’t radiate too much heat.
I found that it took longer than expected for the Omni to preheat to 400 degrees. In fact, when I made a ham and cheese sandwich later for lunch, I put it in while it was preheating and the sandwich was almost done by the time the oven reached full temperature.
I later timed the preheat. It took between five and six minutes to get to 400. Another minor complaint is that, unlike the Vortex Plus, which beeps a lot and tells you to “add food” when the unit is at full temperature, the Instant Omni, just gives one fairly quiet beep.
The quick start manual says to keep 5 inches of space on all sizes of it. That in turn also requires quite a large counter area, and it makes me a bit nervous keeping it under my cabinets.
The rotisserie is all metal,which is an improvement over the Vortex, which has a plastic part that has at times melted (reports are that newer versions have replaced this with a metal part, but I have not been able to verify this). The spit also inserts much more easily than the Vortex and will likely hold a larger chicken (still to be verified). Like the Vortex, it comes with a removal tool for when it is hot.
The hooks for the spit are pretty much the same as the Vortex, but Instant did improve the screws a bit my giving them a larger head. That makes them a bit easier to use.
While having the rotisserie is a great feature, the lack of a rotisserie basket is disappointing. Personally, the rotating basket is the biggest draw of the Vortex in my opinion, and a rotating basket on the Omni would have been fabulous. With that said, flipping food is not that big of a deal, especially in an oven style air fryer such as the Instant Pot Omni.
The Omni does also have a basket tray, which is useful for holding things like french fries. It is not particularity deep and it does not hang. It must be set on the bottom or on a rack. An initial user review on Facebook reported that the basket tray did indeed make great fries and it worked fine for me for onion rings.
The Omni also comes with a solid baking tray and a regular rack. I found the racks tended to stick a bit when putting them into the unit. They did not slide in smoothly. Not a huge complaint, but I noticed it enough be be a bit annoyed by it. I also found that care is needed removing the racks to not accidentally touch the sides of the oven, which could cause a burn. My Vortex trays slide out much easier.
There is no Teflon. The racks and basket are stainless metal and the baking tray is metal with a black color that is not Teflon. Perhaps an enamel?
I had seen reports that the top features a grid that is useful for placing hot pans on. But in reality, it is just a solid metal top and the quick start guide says not to place anything on top of it.
Aside from the larger size, on big bonus over the Vortex is the addition of toast feature is also nice. The Omni has top and bottom heating elements so you can toast without flipping. The presets (aka “smart programs” affect the initial starting temperature, which ranges from 85-450 degrees (the unit can also be set to display Celsius) and whether convection is used. Convection can be set to both high and low, which is a great feature.
The toast settings allow you to set the desired level. You can make up to 6 pieces of toast at a time
Omni Heating Element Functions
The upper and lower elements heat as follows.
Both top and bottom on: Toast, Bake, Reheat and Dehydrate.
Top only on the rest. For example, on Air Fry and Broil.
Cleaning the Instant Omni
Cleaning is not as easy as the Vortex. The Instant Omni has a removable crumb tray, which is very easy to clean when all you have to deal with are crumbs. But once you have cooking grease, it makes for a much messier clean up. I ended up essentially using the baking tray as a drip pan. But I worry that will effect the overall convection.
On air fry only the top heating elements are used but some settings use both top and bottom elements. Plus I don’t really want grease on those bottom heat elements even when it using them. The door is also not removable for cleaning like the Vortex.
Overall, the pain of cleaning is a downside for me. Although I love the size of the unit.
The crumb tray does come all the way out.
The exterior dimensions were given by an initial purchaser as 17.68 x 16.34 x 14.39 inches, but my own measurements are roughly 17 x 14.5 x 13 for the exterior, and the interior is 14.5 x 12.5 x roughly 10. That is rather large for sitting on a counter. But good news for those who want a larger air fryer. The baking rack is 14 1/2 x 12. It holds 13 x 12 inch pans. I have seen reports of it being 23 Qt, 26 L and 27 L capacity. So there is some uncertainty there.
The back has a stopper so that it won’t accidentally touch the wall.
Overall, the stainless steel appearance is nice. There were initial reports that the Omni is not as loud as the Vortex. I Initially disagreed and found it equally loud, or perhaps even slightly louder when on high convection. But after running them side by side, I decided that the Vortex Plus is slightly louder, but not by much. Either way, the sound does not bother me though.
Instant Pot Omni Manual
Just as they did with the Vortex, the Omni initially shipped without a full manual. It seems like Instant Pot likes to rush things like this at times.
Update: the manual is now available here: https://instantappliances.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Omni-Toaster-Oven-26L-Full-Manual.pdf
The Instant Omni Plus Manual is here: https://instantappliances.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Omni-Plus-Toaster-Oven-Full-Manual.pdf
Among common early questions that could be addressed by a manual is the weight that the rotisserie can hold. According to a Facebook moderator in the Instant Pot air fryer group, the rotisserie can handle at least 4 pound chicken. This is the same as the Vortex. A consumer who spoke with customer support has said that she was told that it can handle up to 6 pounds. Hopefully a manual will clarify this. Update: The manual does not seem to clarify this unfortunately.
The manual does clarify the official protocol for cooking greasy items, which it to use the baking tray as a drip tray, although that then also blocks the lower heating element.
Instant Omni or Instant Vortex?
I prefer the Vortex because it is more compact, easier to clean, heats faster, and takes up less counter space. It also is cheaper. But I am a family of two and do not need something the size of the Omni. I also do like having both now though since I can now cook multiple things at once. But if I had to choose only one, my personal choice would be the Vortex.
Instant Omni Plus
The Instant Omni Plus has a bit different appearance. While it adds a couple of features, it is just the two additional presets and heat settings and buttons on the front for them. Otherwise the product is the same. The proof preset does allow the Omni Plus to go down o 70 degrees, but you could still proof bread dough in the Omni without a preset for that. Simply put it in on the lowest heat setting (85 for the Omni).
Omni Plus does also add an automatic keep warm feature is rather nice. But you can always manually set a temperature and time for keeping food warm in the Omni.
Instant Pot Omni Recipes
You can essentially make any air fryer recipe in the Omni, plus can use it bake, dehydrate etc. For air fryer recipes that work well with oven style fryers, see our list of Instant Pot Vortex Recipes. You may need to adjust cooking times slightly because of the larger oven size.
Where to Buy the Instant Omni and Omni Plus
Right now the Omni is only sold at Walmart. However, I suspect it will eventually roll out to other stores.
Update: Here are purchase links: Instant Omni and Omni Plus
Update: My local Walmart was able to look up the Omni in their internal system and tell me that they are getting a couple in October and that another local store has some on order. To have your local store look for you tell them the SKU and UPC codes:
Omni SKU # 575848559 and Omni UPC # 085756100862
At some point you might also be able to use BrickSeek to find it using the SKU or UPC code, but Walmart needs to get it put in the system for that to work.
As I get more information on the Instant Pot Omni Plus, I will update this post.
Links to buy the Instant Omni and Omni Plus
Link for a reader recommended alternative (see comment section): Breville Toaster Oven (no rotisserie in this)
The picture above is for the Omni Plus. But, I believe that the Omni Plus dimensions are actually larger. The dimensions you show are for the Omni. Those are the ones that some people are able to pick up right now. The Omni Plus, per Zola.com and Amazon will be available the beginning of October.
Dimensions I gave are from a user who measured the Omni. But I am working on verifying and getting an actual unit to measure. The listing of an “Omni Plus” on Amazon was removed and I cannot find a listing on Zola.
A lot of this information is hear say. Not sure why you would review an item you do not actually own. Waste of a article. Also you say instant pot omni… its instant. The instant pot is a different item. The brand name is INSTANT.
Hi G. Thanks for your engagement on this. I will be updating the post with a full review as soon as I can actually get my hands on the Omni. It is very hard to find right now. For now, I am putting out the information that is available from various sources because people are asking me for it and are looking for that information in one place. As I note in the article, yes, there are various uncertainties about the product at this time. Hopefully the Omni will become avaialbe to me soon and I will be able to definitely clear them up. I went out this morning and it is still not yet in my area. As to the name, The formal name is Instant Omni but people tend to often refer to the company’s air fryers as “Instant Pot” followed by the name, such as “Instant Pot Vortex.” I have use both versions of the naming throughout the article as I do with the Vortex too. I made a few edits to clarify all of this.
Thank you for this! It has been a pain to search through Facebook groups for information on this. I appreciate you rounding up the information even if there are still some unknowns. Looking forward to when you get one and can update more!!!
Happy to help! Now I just need my local Walmart stores to get the Omni in stock!
Thank you, I appreciate the information that you were able to find without actually being able to have the appliance.
Happy to provide what ever info that I can! I’m checking my local Walmart stores daily, so hopefully I’ll have an actual Omni soon!
As an update, my local stores are still lacking in the Omni but one said that they would set one aside for me from their October shipment and said that another store has an order in but they do not know the arrival date for it.
Something I didn’t see in the review was the temperature accuracy. I’ve recently bought and returned 3 of these type of devices due to the fact that the inside temperature is up to 100 degrees higher that the temperature I set. I can’t speak for everyone, but I feel people just assume the temp is close to accurate.
Would you consider doing a temperature accuracy test?
I’ll see what I can do. A temperature test might be a bit difficult because the fan likely keeps the temperature from being perfectly even throughout the oven. It also will certainly be higher on air fry at the top than at the bottom etc. But I might be able to use our grill thermometer in there on bake in the center with no convection and see what it registers.
I saw ONE unit of the Omni at my local Wal-Mart tonight (9/11/19) for $159.00. It was in a sealed box; unfortunately, there was no display model.
Update! I was able to search Walmart today by SKU # and it pulled up one unit near me. I will be picking it up later today or tomorrow and will hopefully have my new photos and review up in a couple of days!
Thank you for taking the time to share the info. about the Omni and Omni Plus. Do you know if the Omni Plus has any teflon on the pan? As I am looking at the pics, the racks are metal but the pan I’m not sure. Thank you
There is no Teflon. The baking tray is metal and black in color, but it is not Teflon coated. It seems like the color is from an enamel of some sort.
Hello,
Where is the fan ? How big is it ? I don’t see it in your pictures.
The Nuwave Bravo XL has a small side fan which has no heating element. The Tristar/Emeril 360 has a larger side fan with a 5th heating element behind it .
Thanks
I’m away from home at the moment so I can’t double check the fan location. Give me a day and I will get back to you! I’ll try to get a photo too.
The fan is located at the top center. The angle mad it difficult to take a photo. It also has a heating element that I have not yet seen heat up on airfry or bake mode.
Lana Under Pressure did a video comparing both the Vortex & Omni. It’s on Utube & is quite informative. !
Hi could you explain the benefit of the omni plus slow cooker? Doesn’t the omni dehydrate? Isn’t that the same as a slow cooker? If not is it more like slow cooking a brisket?
Until the Omni Plus officially is released, I can’t say for sure. But if it is like all of the other Instant products, it will most likely just be a preset function for heat/convection settings. Maybe something like a low bake temperature setting. If so, that means that you could do the same thing with the Omni. The Omni dehydrate setting is basically just a low heat convection setting. I personally manually set things when I use the Instant products, so I worry very little about their presets.
I got my Instant Omni 11 in one and have cut myself twice cleaning it. It does not clean as easily as I would hope.
Yes, that has become the main downside of it for me too. I don’t like having to clean the bottom heating elements and it is difficult to clean grease from it in general.
I just got the Omni Plus and it is very noisy! You mentioned it is a little loud but mine is obnoxiously loud, besides the fan it also has a really loud vibration along with it. I am wondering if this is normal, or did I get a bad one? Also when air frying is it ok to put the baking pan on the lowest rack position so stuff doesn’t drip on the elements, or would this effect the air frying process?
Hi! It should not be obnoxiously loud, definitely should not have a loud vibration. Normally it is just fan noise. If you hear a vibration, check that it is not touching anything that might vibrate and that the racks in it etc are firmly in there. With air frying, I put the baking sheet on the bottom if I am able to put my food on a rack above it such that there is air movement below the food, which is much of the time. Air frying uses only to top heating elements. It becomes more of an issue with doing a rotisserie chicken where I need the full space. You can clean the elements after, but I do like to try to keep them clean.
I just bought an Omni Plus 11-1 toaster oven/air fryer. I need to be an additional rack and air fryer basket. Any ideas where I can order? Amazon site was no help
Hi! Right now Instant does not offer official Omni accessories. That makes it hard to get an additional rack. I’m hoping that they start offering some things like that soon. But for a basket, you can try searching for convection oven baskets. Also, there is a rotisserie basket made for other air fryer ovens that fits in the Omni. People have been putting it on the spit that came with the Omni. This is the link: https://bit.ly/2rVNN7d I also just did a post on Vortex accessories and do plan one on Omni accessories soon, and I am researching trays that might work in the Omni for that. While the Vortex post wont help you with a tray, some of the other items in there might be of interest to you. That post is here: https://instantpotcooking.com/awesome-instant-vortex-plus-accessories/
Hello… I bought the Instant Omni Plus. The toast function worked ok and was not as brown at the same setting that I used on the Breville toaster oven that I previously owned. Air frying french fries was awesome…crispy and crunchy..the way they should be. Wings were a different story as the smoke detectors were set off by billowing smoke from the drippings , so that was not good. Next was a pork loin roast using the rotisserie function. I decided to use the cooking tray and was again overcome by smoke. The drippings went into the pan but the bottom elements were heating as well and again we had smoke detector alarms. Overall, I am probably going to return this unit and keep my Breville
Thanks for that info! It is good to get some comparisons to other brands. You can prevent the bottom elements from heating when cooking things like wings and pork loin etc by using the air fry function instead of the roast or bake function. I haven’t had issues with smoke that way. However, I do still prefer the Vortex Plus for cooking those types of things because the Omni is not the easiest to clean, especially when drippings get on the bottom heating elements.
For readers, here is a link for a Breville toaster oven (affiliate link) https://bit.ly/2P5nNzk
Hi
Is the vortex also free of Teflon completely?
No, the Vortex and Vortex Plus have Teflon coated trays. If you want to avoid Teflon definitely go with the Omni.
Where did were you able to find that there is no Teflon or PFOA in the Omni 9 in 1? I keep finding different answers and I’d like to know for sure before buying one.
I own the Omni. There is no Teflon in mine. The baking rack is enamel.
I love my Omni but the downside is the lack of instructions and basic how-tos. What settings would you recommend for defrost?
I would probably use a very, very low bake setting for defrosting.
Thanks for this. If you choose the bake function, is it possible to turn the convection feature fully off? Or just low or high? It’s important to me to be able to bake without convection for some recipes. Thanks!
Hi! The convection does not appear to have an off function that I can find. It defaults to low and offers a setting for high.
I don’t understand how to adjust the temperature during the baking process. The oven appears to get much much hotter than what it is set to. How do I adjust my cooking temperature for baking cakes at 350?
Becasue it is a convection oven, it will bake things much faster than a standard oven. Usually you should adjust the recipe by lowering the temperature about 25% and/or the cooking time by 25%. This article might be helpful for you: https://home.howstuffworks.com/calculating-convection-oven-cooking-times1.htm
My Instant Omni turns itself on (actually it selects a mode such as “Air Fry” and flashes). This is a bit scary. What if it turns on completely while no one is home?
Interesting. I keep mine unplugged except for when I am using it.
Can you fit in several trays to cook multiple good at once? If so how many?
I have used the solid tray and the rack together with he sold on the bottom for multi=tray cooking and I have used the rack on the top and the basket on the bottom for the same thing. That is about the extent of what can fit in there.
I need a replacement light for the top of my Omni, how do I go about getting that?
I suggesting contacting Instant Brand here: https://instantpot.com/instant-brands-contact-us/
How has the Omni worked with cabinet clearance? I have 16.5 inches so not 5 inch clearance but looks like I’d have similar problem with Vortex?
Both the Omni and Vortex are close to the same height. They will fit under a 16.5 clearance. I pull them out from under mine when in use. The Vortex puts out a lot less heat in my opinion and I sometimes have used it without pulling it out very far. I always pull the Omni fully out. I have 18 inch clearance.
What are those two angled metal “hooks” on the left side for? They get in the way when I try to push the rack or the tray in, they don’t seem to serve any purpose whatsoever.
My Omni is currently packed up for a move, so I can’t go look at it at the moment, but I think those are tray rack guides to help keep the tray in place in certain positions. Not sure how necessary they are though as I think there are regular guides there too.
I DO like using the Omni Oven/Toaster. The only problem I have with it is the rubber on the door is started to peel off. I assume it is from the oven heat, but its an OVEN!! i really do not know id I would recommend to anyone if this is going to keep happening. What do you suggest I do?
It definitely should not do that. You might try contacting Instant Brands about it.
Does the Omni to auto-shutoff, such as after air frying?
Yes, it has a cooking time function so that you can set the time. You can see the manual here to see all the functions: https://instantappliances.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Omni-Toaster-Oven-26L-Full-Manual-inter.pdf
I bought this model when it first became available on amazon. it is terrific. the fans work great to make this a very functional air fryer and convection oven. I do not like the toast function. I do not get crisp toast. I get dry barely browned bread.
Also, you can see in the review images that the buttons have NO labels. I did not see the reviewer comment that the labels easily rubbed off while cleaning the unit. I always have to pull out the manual to make sure i’m in the correct mode if I don’t have its position memorized.
Again a great unit, but it doesn’t replace a toaster.