How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
Published Dec 10, 2019•Updated Jan 28, 2026
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Use these easy step-by-step instructions to cook perfectly al dente pasta in a 6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker. I tested this method with 20+ varieties of pasta to insure that it works every time. With over 1 million page views and 300+ positive reviews this method is tested and perfected.
Reader Julie says: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Three years after finding it, I’m still using this formula!
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).
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Pin It NowThe Instant Pot Pasta Formula
To cook any type of pasta perfectly in the Instant Pot (note: you do NOT need to do this math yourself – just wanted to show you how I did it):
- Find the recommended cook time on any box / bag of pasta.
- Take the lowest, even number in the range. (Example: if the range is 9 to 10 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. Just use the chart below:
**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 5-10 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. (Stirring it can cause it to stick.)
- 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.
Gluten-Free / Alternative Pasta
There is no need to make any adjustment to the formula if using gluten-free, 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 gluten-free pasta (lentil, chickpea, and black bean pasta).
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
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How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot
Equipment
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Pasta, any type or shape
- 2 cups Water
- 1/2 teaspoon 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 exactly 5 minutes. (Note: Be very careful not to let it sit for any longer or the pasta will overcook.)
- Use manual release to release any remaining pressure. (Note: Hot and starchy pasta water may spray out of the pressure valve when you release it. Cover the valve with a dish towel as it releases to keep this contained and minimize the mess.)
- 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 5-10 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 enough water into the Instant Pot to completely cover the pasta (note: there is no set amount, but only add water until every strand of pasta is submerged). Add salt.
- Do not stir before cooking. (This will help prevent the pasta 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 loosen any strands that are stuck together.
- Drain well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It worked for me so well. I am not sure the taste for many time I did but this time, it came out so impressively
Thank you for sharing!
This was such a lifesaver! It’s August, and our air conditioner has been out for a week. I had no desire to fire up the gas stove to boil some pasta for dinner, and this was great. Not only for not hearing up the house, but it also cold the noodles perfectly. I think it’s even quicker than on the stove because my Instant Pot builds up pressure faster than my stove can get a pot of water boiling. It also uses less water. Super efficient!
Dallas – I’m so glad this was helpful! Thank you for the note!
Just a quick note to say that I used the formula with Banza, chickpea macaroni pasta and it did not work. Ended up with a gummy hunk of overcooked pasta. That doesn’t mean I won’t be trying this with semolina pasta. Thanks for this easy guide!!
I use a small IP which may account for my issue that when I manually release the pressure after the 5 minutes I get a fountain of gooey spray that makes a huge mess. But the pasta is GREAT! I added lightly steamed veggies, olive oil, salt & pepper, and some hummus to make a delicious vegan pasta dish served hot or cold. I love this recipe except for the pressure release issue. Does anyone else experience this? Any recommendation to contain the spray?
That pasta combo sounds delicious! I suspect that the small IP was the cause of the extra spray at the end of cooking. Pasta can definitely cause a lot of foam to form, but in the larger IP there’s a bit more space for it to expand. That said, I do sometimes get the spray even in my larger IP, so I’ll often just drape a dish towel over the valve as the pressure releases. The lid still gets messy but at least the rest of the kitchen doesn’t! Others may have tips on this too!
One trick I’ve found to reduce the foam that works great is, once you have your pasta and water in the pot, place the trivet that comes with the Instant Pot on top of everything. Keeps the foam down sort of like putting a wooden spoon over a boiling pot of pasta.
Oh what a great tip! I’ll try that!
I made ditalini; according to the recipe it would’ve been 3 minutes cooking time but I did 2 minutes since I planned to dump the pasta and any remaining water into my other ingredients already on the stove and cook a little longer. Turned out great! I even had to add a little water to make enough sauce, but wow, it’s thick starchy water and brought the sauce together nicely. (Sautéed shallots, garlic, diced Canadian bacon, fresh peaches, Brie chunks, lemon juice, and a quart of fresh basil)
Thanks so much for the note, Julie. That flavor combination sounds AMAZING!
2nd time I cook pasta by this recipe and both time the pasta got REALLY mushy.
a) Do you think I’m converting wrong? I live in Europe and our pasta is in grams, so I counted 100g == 8oz, was that wrong?
b) Even if I did count right… what would you recommend? Less water or less cooking time?
Thanks!
Hi Schantall – I’m so sorry to hear that! 8 oz of pasta by weight is 226 grams, so try adjusting that amount. If you’re getting mushy pasta, it is sometimes because you didn’t release the pressure at exactly 5 minutes (even a minute more when left in the IP with some pressure in the bowl will turn the pasta to mush). You can also definitely try reducing the cook time by 1 minute (don’t reduce the water).
Thanks Jess, I will try it again, let you know how it turns out 🙂
Perfect – please do Schantall!
Hi Jess, I adapted the water and the pasta turned out perfectly. Thank you for this recipe.
I then tried to experiment a little with one pot pasta dishes but they didn’t go very well. Just to learn the pasta cooking I made simple tomato sauce, however, the two times I tried it went rather poorly.
The first time I counted the tomato sauce as ‘water’ and everything burned completely, the second time in addition to the tomato sauce I added the amount of water according to your recipe and the pasta was mush again.
It must be something inbetween… Do you have a tip for me?
Thanks.
Shantall – that’s great! I’m so glad that helped!
Okay – yes about the one pot pasta dishes – you’ve totally identified a key challenge with pasta sauces in the IP. Tomato sauces are really prone to burning on the bottom of the pot. My guess is that you had too much liquid overall when you added both the amount of water listed here and the tomato sauce. You’ll have to play around with it a bit to get the right amount of liquid. I usually water my tomato sauce down by about 1/2 cup (120 mL) water for each 8 oz of pasta. Maybe try it again with a bit less water and you could even reduce the high temp cook time by a minute. Like I mentioned – you do still have some wiggle room by leaving the lid on after the cooking is done, so in my opinion, it’s better to try a lower cook time if you’re experimenting with a new method.
Also – did you see that I have an IP Chicken Spaghetti recipe here on the site? That has the measurements I use to make that spaghetti + sauce (though it cooks a bit differently since I add chicken).
Thanks for the formula! We found a recipe a while ago for elbow noodles but it was for a pound with no aid on different portions. We love that pressure cooking the pasta with broth gave it extra flavor & would always make our mac&cheese 16oz at a time. While not always a bad thing, it will be nice being able to make smaller portions & know the cook time for other shapes to impart the same flavor punch. For the long pasta you say “this is more water than you add for other pasta shapes” but there’s no reference for how much water to add other than the same measurements provided for the other shapes. Should you use the same amount or does there need to be more than the typical 2oz per 8oz of pasta? Thanks!
Hi Felicia – so glad this was helpful! Even for my family of 5, a pound of pasta often seems like too much. If using long noodles, just add as much water as needed to completely cover them. There’s no set amount since it will vary depending on how much pasta you use, but just pour the water in until the pasta is covered. I’ll update the wording on that so it’s more clear!
Used this to cook bow tie pasta and it came out so perfect! Best pasta I’ve had in a while 😊 I have the mesh strainer basket and found with using it I didn’t need steps 8 or 9. I just strained after the pressure release and it was perfect.
-Jess-
What a mess! So confused by all the subtraction, addition, and division of things listed in your instructions. I was never great at math, now I feel even worse. Pasta is in instant pot, with some sort of water measurement, and timer set. I can only hope that something comes of it. Please send thoughts and prayers cause Jesus take the wheel!
Hi Nico! No need to do any math – just use the chart to determine the correct cooking time. I just wanted to explain where my math came from in this method. Enjoy!
You make it too complex. 1 1/2 cup water for 8oz pasta. Meat bottom then the pasta then a jar of pasta on the top. Don’t stir in. Cook half the time on the box. 5 minutes works. Immediate release stir and eat.
Hi Heidi – this method for pasta made without sauce or meat, but your method for meat + sauce pasta sounds awesome! That’s very similar to how I make my red sauce pasta in the IP.
I disagree Heidi…your recipe for some of us is too simple…I’ll stick with her recommendations having already used them to success. Perhaps, rephrasing your suggestion…you could have said it a more kind and polite and less aggressive way maybe like…”another way you can do it and it is a bit easier” instead you come out rather aggressively…”you make it hard” eyeroll…geesh! Where is your Instant Pot article offering help? Yep, you don’t have one that’s why your here looking for help, right? Peeps, what happened to manners? She’s trying to help us and to that degree even if you don’t agree you could at least be polite.
Samsarose, Glad you said something!💞