Use these easy step-by-step instructions to cook perfectly al dente pasta in a 6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker.
Pasta has been my Instant Pot nemesis ever since I fell in love with the kitchen gadget of the moment. In the past few years I’ve become pretty confident when cooking in the pressure cooker. It only took a few weeks to get over my fear of releasing the pressure valve. 😉
These days, I use the pressure cooker a couple times a week to make everything from rice, to a big pot of Crispy Pork Carnitas, to 20-minute weeknight meals like Chickpea Curry with Rice. But pasta is tricky.
That is, until I learned the Instant Pot pasta formula. It involves a tiny bit of math, but the payoff is perfectly tender pasta every time. Here’s how it’s done.
Why Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
There are three reasons to cook pasta in the Instant Pot / pressure cooker.
- It’s a true one pot dish. No need to strain the pasta after it’s done because the pasta will absorb all of the water as it cooks.
- Set it and forget it. There’s no need to keep an eye on the pot to make sure it doesn’t boil over. Just turn the machine on and walk away.
- Keep the starch – Since the pasta isn’t strained, all of the natural starch from the pasta stays in the pot and serves as a natural thickener for any type of sauce you add – whether it’s marinara sauce (as in Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti) or creamy cheesy sauce (as in Instant Pot Mac and Cheese).
The Instant Pot Pasta Formula
To cook any type of pasta perfectly in the Instant Pot:
- Find the recommended cook time on any box / bag of pasta.
- Start with the lowest, even number in the range. (So if the range is 9 to 11 minutes, use 10 minutes. If only one time is given and it’s odd, round down. So 7 minutes becomes 6.)
- Divide in half.
- Subtract two minutes.
- Pressure cook on high.
- Use 5 minute natural release and then release any remaining pressure manually.
But there’s no need to do all that math each time. Just use the chart below to calculate the pressure cooker time for any type of pasta:
**0 is a real setting on the Instant Pot / pressure cooker. For small pasta shapes with a short recommended cook time, set the timer to zero minutes. The pressure cooker will fully pressurize but won’t hold for any amount of time.
How Much Water to Use for Instant Pot Pasta
Use 2 cups water for every 8 oz of pasta. So…
- 8 oz Pasta + 2 cups Water
- 16 oz Pasta + 4 cups Water
- 24 oz Pasta + 6 cups Water
You can disregard this if you’re cooking pasta in a lot of liquid or sauce (like in a soup or ragu), but the cook times still hold true.
How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
- Combine pasta and water (using measurement above) in the bowl of the Instant Pot. Give everything a stir so that the pasta gets a bit wet.
- Seal and lock the lid.
- Pressure cook on high. (Use the chart above to determine the cook time.)
- Leave the pasta on natural release for 5 minutes (do not let this sit any longer or the pasta may overcook) and then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Unplug the machine or check to be sure that all heating / warming functions are off.
- Open the lid and give the pasta a very good stir – about 20 to 30 times. Put some muscle into it so that the pasta gets really well incorporated with the small amount of water that remains. (Note: When you start stirring the pasta, there may still be a few dry spots on the pasta where it was sticking out of the water. Don’t worry – as you stir and let the pasta steam in the next step, it will continue to absorb the small amount of liquid in the pot.)
- Return the lid (no need to lock it just set it on top) and leave the pasta to sit for about 5 minutes more. (Note: This step is the most important because the pasta will continue to absorb any remaining liquid and continue to cook just a bit in the residual heat of the machine. This is the key to pasta that is cooked, but not over-cooked.)
- Serve!
Cooking Spaghetti, Fettuccini, or Linguini in the Instant Pot
Long, straight pasta like spaghetti, fettuccini, and linguini can be a bit finicky to cook in the Instant Pot. The method for cooking these is slightly different than other shapes, though the cook time remains the same.
- Break the pasta strands in half before adding them to the Instant Pot so that they can easily be submerged in water.
- Pour water into the Instant Pot to completely cover the pasta (note: this is more water than you add for other pasta shapes).
- Do not stir before cooking. Resist the urge to stir the pasta. This will help prevent it from sticking.
- Pressure cook pasta according to the time on the chart.
- Leave pasta on natural release for 5 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- After cooking, stir the pasta well to insure the strands are not stuck together.
- Drain well.
Whole Wheat / Alternative Pasta
There is no need to make any adjustment to the formula if using whole wheat or alternative pasta. Because this method of cooking pasta is based on the recommended cook time on the package, any type of pasta can be cooked this way.
We tested this method with several varieties of whole wheat pasta and with several varieties of alternative pasta (lentil, chickpea, and black bean pasta).
Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – This method of cooking pasta in the Instant Pot works so well with Mac and Cheese. Because the starches in the pasta thicken the cheesy sauce, you get an extra creamy mac without needing a ton of cheese or butter.
- Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti – Classic and comforting, this one pot meal is a family favorite around here. Check out that post (if only for the photos of our baby devouring a giant bowl of this saucy dish).
- Instant Pot Italian Pasta Salad – This pasta salad uses a different method than the one described here. For Instant Pot pasta salad you boil the pasta above the other ingredients using the pot-in-pot method. But it’s such a fun Instant Pot trick, it deserved a mention here. 😉
How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
Equipment
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 8 oz Pasta, any type or shape
- 2 cups Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- First, determine the cook time for the pasta you are using. See the notes below to determine the right time.
- Combine pasta, water, and salt in the bowl of an Instant Pot. Give everything a stir. (See note below if cooking long, straight pasta like spaghetti, fettuccini, or linguini.)
- Close and lock the lid.
- Set the vent to “Sealing”.
- Pressure cook on high for the time determined in Step #1.
- Leave the pasta on natural release for 5 minutes. (Note: Do not let this sit any longer or the pasta may overcook; it's fine if your automatically switches to "warm" at this point.)
- Use manual release to release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and give the pasta a good stir, 20 to 30 times. (This will get rid of any dry spots that remained where the pasta was sticking out of the water during cooking. If adding sauce, stir it in at this point.)
- Return the lid to the top of the pressure cooker (no need to lock it just set it on top) and leave the pasta for about 5 minutes more. (Note: This step is the most important because the pasta will continue to absorb any remaining liquid and continue to cook just a bit in the residual heat of the machine. This is the key to pasta that is cooked, but not overcooked.)
- Serve!
Notes
**0 is a real setting on the pressure cooker / instant pot. For small pasta shapes with a short recommended cook time, set the timer to zero minutes. The pressure cooker will fully pressurize but won’t hold for any amount of time.
Spaghetti, Fettuccini, or Linguini - Long straight pasta shapes like these (and angel hair, bucatini, etc.) need to be treated a bit differently than other pasta shapes.
- Break the pasta strands in half before adding them to the Instant Pot so that they can easily be submerged in water.
- Pour water into the Instant Pot to completely cover the pasta (note: this is more water than you add for other pasta shapes). Add salt.
- Do not stir before cooking. Resist the urge to stir the pasta. This will help prevent it from sticking.
- Pressure cook pasta according to the time on the chart.
- Leave pasta on natural release for 5 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- After cooking, stir the pasta well to insure the strands are not stuck together.
- Drain well.
Nutrition
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Thank you for this! due to the current covid-19 crisis, I have found myself without any housing options but house-sitting an unfinished residence with electricity (and a finished bath & bedroom). So I have moved in with nothing but my dorm waterheater & the owner’s instapot.
This is the best instapot pasta website I have found. thanks you!
Hi Dia – oh my goodness – it’s no small feat cooking under your circumstances. I’m so glad that you have an Instapot. There really are so many things you can cook with that even if you don’t have other tools. Definitely try my Instapot Mac and Cheese! Take care and best of luck getting through this strange time.
This formula for cook times does not work at high altitudes.
Hi Barbara – thanks for your note. You’re absolutely right. As with most recipes, this one will needs to be adjusted for use at high altitudes.
I just followed the instuctions to the t for 12 oz of bow tie pasta and it worked PERFECTLY!
Yay!! Thanks so much for the note Kari!
Question for you….so is the pasta weight measure, or a measuring cup full?
Hi Karen. Pasta is all measured by weight.
What about fettuccine and linguine noodles – do you stir them before cooking or just stir after cooking like the spaghetti?
Hi Pam. Treat fettuccine and linguine like spaghetti. We’ll add a note for that!
What if I want to add pasta to an instant pot dish that doesn’t have those instructions incorporated? How do I do that? Example: Italian chicken breast recipe that makes a ‘sauce’ that removes chicken and will require sauté function following the chicken cook time. I’d love to cook it all together to infuse the flavor into the noodles but no idea how…thank you so much!!
Hi Jessica! Use the times listed as a guide, and plan to add a bit more liquid than the recipe you’re using calls for. It always takes a bit of experimentation to add pasta to an existing recipe, but with the times as a guide, it should work out.
Followed recipe exactly. My seal was shut. Used correct amounts of pasta to water to cooking time to release and it was not edible😭 I wondered how this was enough liquid and indeed,it was not.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Rosanne! What type of pasta did you use?
Normally when cooking pasta you heavily salt the water. How do you account for the missing salt in this recipe?
Hi James – thanks for your question! Typically you heavily salt the water for pasta because the water is drained off. In this method, the salted water is completely absorbed by the pasta and no water is drained off. You’ll find that 1/2 tsp of salt is to season 8 oz of pasta.