Easy Instant Pot Pasta Alfredo
Pasta has never been easier! This Instant Pot pasta alfredo is a lightened up version of a classic. It’s super creamy and delicious!
The world of pressure cooker pasta can be confusing and weird. Does it really work to cook pasta start to finish in the Instant Pot, you might be asking yourself??
With the right recipe, it sure does!
Taking notes from this uber-popular Instant Pot ziti recipe, I’m excited to introduce you to this stellar Instant Pot alfredo recipe. Hands-off and so easy, I’m in the camp that thinks pressure cooker pasta is a dream come true!
Lightened Up
There’s nothing fancy shmancy about this pasta. But that’s the appeal. It is simple and tasty.
And while it isn’t calorie-free, after a lot of testing, I perfected the ideal version: super creamy even with a lightened up switcheroo, swapping out most of the cream for milk.
All of the ingredients, minus the Parmesan cheese, go into an electric pressure to cook for a few short minutes.
Pro tip: to calculate the cooking time for pasta in an electric pressure cooker, take the al dente cooking time on the back of the pasta package, cut in half, and subtract an additional two minutes. So for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the pressure cooker time would be 4 minutes.
Give it a Minute
After letting the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, quick release the remaining pressure and remove the lid.
DON’T PANIC.
The pasta might look a little sketch. Too much liquid? Curdled? Deep breaths. Everything is fine.
Give the pasta a good stir and it will all come together. Add the Parmesan cheese, give another stir, and MAGIC. Creamy dreamy pasta goodness coming your way.
Serve Immediately
This pasta makes a fantastic quick lunch or eat-it-right-away dinner. As a make-ahead meal? I have to be honest, it’s probably not going to be stellar.
The longer the pasta sits, the less saucy it gets, and it can go from creamy to sticky and dry in a few minutes.
So, my recommendation is to make this easy Instant Pot pasta alfredo when you know you can eat it pretty much right away.
That’s not to say my kids haven’t gobbled up the leftovers without blinking an eye. But if you have slightly more mature taste buds than my teenagers, and you’re looking for a saucy, creamy wonder of a pasta dish, dig in immediately.
Optional but Delicious
If you happen to have leftover grilled chicken laying around OR want to grill chicken just for this, it elevates an already pretty darn yummy alfredo dish to stellar proportions.
Truly, though, the last four times we’ve made this, it’s just been for lunch. Without any frills or accoutrements. And since I believe in being fully transparent: most of us have eaten it straight out of the Instant Pot.
Life. When you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
No matter how you choose to serve this (and with what manners you choose to employ), I hope it makes your pasta loving heart happy and fulfilled!
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Six Years Ago: Sesame Chicken Pasta with Thai-Style Peanut Sauce
Seven Years Ago: Crunchy-Topped Swiss Chicken Bake
Eight Years Ago: Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili
Nine Years Ago: Cinnamon Apple Cider Muffins
Ten Years Ago: Texas-Style Blueberry Cobbler
Instant Pot Pasta Alfredo
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth (I use low-sodium)
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 16 ounces (454 g) pasta (see note)
- ½ to 1 cup (57 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart electric pressure cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the broth.
- Whisk or blend the milk and flour together until smooth. Add to the pressure cooker along with the cream, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and pasta. Stir to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to seal. Calculate the cooking time by taking the cooking time on the pasta package, cutting it in half and subtracting two more minutes. (So for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the IP cooking time would be 4 minutes.) Cook on high pressure for the calculated time.
- Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure. If liquid spurts through the valve, close the valve and try again in a few minutes. Remove the lid and give the pasta a good stir.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately with more Parmesan and/or grilled chicken, if desired.
Toddler approved. How could it not be though? Pasta and a yummy sauce? My only critique was that it was a little more on the watery side than a thick sauce. Maybe i did something wrong? I used macaroni and my kids ate seconds. Husband added shrimp and said it was good that way too.
Made tonight and my kids loved it. Thanks Mel! Keep the IP recipes comin’!
I made this for the first time last week and my family promptly gobbled it all up. It was delicious! Have you ever had any luck doubling the recipe in an Instant pot?
I haven’t, but as long as the quantity fits, it should work just fine! (Cooking time will stay the same for a double batch).
Yes! I double it all the time in my 8qt. In fact we’re making it again tonight!
You can do 1.5 the ingredients in a 6 qt.
I tried using half and half as a substitute for cream, and used small shell pasta. Followed all other directions, but kept getting a burn message on my IP. Any advice???
Hi Jessica, one thing that might help is to add the dairy ingredients last and then don’t stir before cooking.
Tried this tonight, adding grilled chicken. So yummy!! How would you adjust this to cook in a crock pot? Would you be able to add uncooked chicken from the start? Thanks!!
I haven’t tried this in a slow cooker so I’m not sure? You could experiment and try!
Oh Nevermind! Sorry you can delete that, haha! I LOVE your recipes!
Oh Nevermind! Sorry you can delete that, haha! I LOVE your recipes!
Hey you left out adding the broth in the recipe. Just thought I’d let you know 🙂
Never have I ever thought pasta in the instant pot could be so perfect! Thank you for this recipe! So delicious!!
Good ! We used large shells and added frozen peas and green beans to the pot before cooking. Afterwards a generous sprinkling of cayenne helped the dish pop.
I can’t wait to try this. Can you substitute with a different cheese? I want to make this today and do not have any parm on hand.
You could definitely play around with the cheeses – I think other types could work fine.
My husband’s favorite meal is the garlic alfredo sauce with fettuccine, but I started a new full time job recently, so the hands off nature of this recipe can’t be beat! I added more pepper and parmesan, and I used minced garlic instead…I am trying to get it closer in flavor to his favorite garlic alfredo. I’ve been making this with penne, and my husband’s only real complaint is the texture of the pasta: too mushy. So tonight, I’m only going to wait 5 minutes before quick releasing instead of 10. Fingers crossed that is the trick!
Hi Hillary, you might get liquid spurting out of the valve if you wait only five minutes, so instead you might want to cut 1-2 minutes off the cooking time and then wait the full 10 minutes to release the pressure.
Wow, I can’t believe I missed this response from last year! Thanks for the suggestion, Mel! My pasta brand only cooks for 2 minutes at pressure, so I was worried about decreasing that even further. Good news though! I just throw a towel over my release valve to catch any extra liquid spurting out when I naturally release after 5 minutes, and I haven’t had any issues.
Man… I really had my hopes up on this one. But.. it just didn’t do the trick for me. It wasn’t horrible… it wasn’t great. My husband and I looked at each other and immediately both agreed that we would rather have your quick and easy alfredo sauce instead. It cooks up SUPER fast for us, and then we just boil noodles separately. The flavor, in my opinion, is far better and the texture is silkier and smoother than this instant pot version. 🙁 Bummer. Ah well, I think we’re still at a 97% success rate with Mel’s recipes!
We had this for dinner tonight and it was SO good! My whole family loved it! We actually squeezed some fresh lemon juice on top and it was like icing on the cake!! Thanks Mel!
Delicious! Easy and everyone gobbled it up. My 7 year old asked if we could have it everyday. Lol Next time I will add a few extra tablespoons of cream after it cooks to give it a bit more creaminess.
Loved it! Sometimes I end up with half a container of cream, and this was a great way to use it up. I served it with your Pesto Grilled Chicken and a salad.
What a delicious combo, Jen!
Made it for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Incredibly easy to put together and very filling and delicious.
Thanks, Madison!
Sooo good, Mel! And soooo easy! We loved it. I usually have all these ingredients on hand, and those are my favorite kinds of recipes. I added a little nutmeg because I love that in Alfredo. Especially in the Fall. Thanks for be awesome, as usual. Snuggle the piglets for me!
Nutmeg sounds like such a yummy subtle flavor, Michelle! Thanks for letting me know what you thought.
Made it today, very nice, I added some extra Italian herbs and a bit more pepper.
Great additions, Ron!
I bet this would adapt well to stovetop too! Very much like your stovetop Mac and cheese! I may try it that way as I don’t have an insta-pot, substituting the flour for a cornstarch slurry at the end.
Great idea, Caitlin!
Saw the recipe this morning, then made it for lunch! We really enjoyed it, and it’s nice to have a lunch option that’s fairly hands-off but still a step above sandwiches.
I’m glad you liked it, Sarah! Thanks for letting me know!
So, so good, Mel! We loved it. So easy and tasty. You gave us another winner. Thank you.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know, Marie!
Mel,
Made this last night for just my son and myself, so I halved the recipe and put in my 3 quart InstantPot. It was AMAZING! I was skeptical but it came out great. Definitely making this again ASAP and sharing this as much as I can. I knew I would not be disappointed with anything you make <3
Thank you!
I’m so glad a half batch worked out well, Nancy! Thanks for adding the details for that!
Looks delicious! Can I substitute milk for cream?
You can try doing that – the end result might not be quite as thick or creamy.
I’m going to try this with Gluten free ingredients- I’m in love with this idea! It should translate well?
Thanks Mel!
LOTS of people have made the instant pot ziti with gluten free pasta, so I think it should work well! (And gluten free flour for the all-purpose)
Yes! Yes! Yes! So quick, so yummy! An instant pot recipe with white sauce! Everyone gobbled it right up. Will definitely make it again. Thank you, Mel! Dinner would be way gross without you
I can’t believe you made it so fast, Angela! Thanks for the review! Also, you make me laugh. 🙂
I am fairly new to IP cooking! Have you tried to double this? Would it scale easily? I have an 8 quart pot. I have a lot of family coming into town for Christmas and I’m looking for easy side dishes!
Hi Tiffany, it’s probably too much to double in a 6-quart, but it should double just fine in an 8-quart!
Hi! Is there any chance you could share the cream, milk (if any), and flour (if any) quantities before you began lightening the recipe? Just three cups of cream perhaps?
You could try three cups cream in place of the milk and cream
This is the recipe I have been waiting for. I never would have thought to do pasta in the Instant Pot, but I love your Baked Ziti Instant Pot Recipe! I can’t wait to make this. Probably tonight!