How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot

Cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is so easy! Get a printable chart for how long to cook pasta types and how to cook different types of pasta at once. I'm even sharing the easiest spaghetti recipe ever!

bowl of penne pasta on a black countertop.

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The Instant Pot is great for complicated soups, rice dishes, and even tough cuts of meat; but there are so many individual elements of a meal that can be easily cooked with one as well. I thought I'd share another one of my secret kitchen hacks that makes cooking so many dishes a breeze.

pasta on a dark counter, next to an instant pot.

The Instant Pot makes cooking any kind of pasta 10 times easier. Rather than wait for water to boil on a stove, you can simply combine the pasta and water in one easy step. In just minutes, you have perfectly cooked pasta!

There are a couple of ways you can get perfect pasta dishes with your electric pressure cooker; let's start with the easy one.

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot

Step 1: Add pasta and water

pasta and water in an instant pot.

All you need to do is place your pasta in the liner of the pressure cooker and fill with water just to cover the pasta. Not putting too much water in your pressure cooker will save you time and prevent having to drain your pasta before using. However, not using enough liquid will almost always burn the pasta.

A good formula to remember is to double the amount of water for the ounces of pasta you have. What you see above is 8oz of penne pasta. I added 16oz of water to the pot. It does need to be submerged, but just barely. It's ok if a piece or two of pasta is sticking out of the water (you'll see I have a couple sticking out).

And if you'd like a little flavor kick, use chicken broth instead of water! See how I make my own chicken stock with an Instant Pot.

Step 2: Add salt and olive oil

adding salt to pasta and water in an instant pot.
adding olive oil to pasta and water in an instant pot.

Next, give that water a good shake of salt (about a teaspoon per 4oz) and a little bit of olive oil (about a tablespoon per 8oz). Just estimate though - it doesn't have to be exact. This will help flavor the pasta and keep it from sticking together.

Step 3: Pressure cook

setting an instant pot to 4 minutes

Now, the time you'll need to cook your pasta kind of depends on a few factors. Generally, my times range from 1-4 minutes. This depends on a couple of things...

  • The amount of water in your pot: if the water line is towards the bottom (like I have pictured above), you'll want more time, closer to 4 minutes. If your pot is around half full, closer to two minutes; if it's almost full, go 1 minute. This is because it will take longer for your pot to come to pressure as it gets fuller, meaning there is more total cook time with more water.
  • The thickness/amount of pasta: this kind of goes with the water rule, but the thicker your pasta, the more time you'll need. Angel hair would need less time than something like a rigatoni. Go closer to 1 minute for angel hair, closer to 4 minutes for penne or ziti, depending on your water level.

I made a quick reference chart below with a few popular types of pasta! These times will get you to al dente pasta - i.e. just a little bit of a texture/bite left to them.

Pasta Cooking Time Chart

Type of PastaCook Time
Angel Hair1 minute
Standard Spaghetti2 minutes
Fettuccine/Linguine3 minutes
Rotini3 minutes
Macaroni3 minutes
Penne4 minutes
Ziti4 minutes
Rigatoni4 minutes

Note: this chart is for standard pasta, not gluten free pasta. I've never had luck with gluten-free pasta in the Instant Pot, it always seems to get mushy quickly. Stick with the stovetop for any gluten-free varieties!

One more note: whole wheat pasta is totally ok! You'll see I use whole wheat pasta below. No need to adjust cooking times.

Step 4: Natural release, then quick release remaining pressure

Once your cook cycle is done, allow pressure to naturally release for 2 minutes. Then, quick release remaining pressure by turning the pressure valve on your Instant Pot lid.

Why does water shoot out while releasing pressure?

You'll probably notice that the pressure release valve spews a little bit more than normal when cooking pasta or rice. The starches in the water cause this; it's totally normal!

If this happens, you can carefully set the pressure release valve back to sealed for a few seconds, then try to re-release (wearing some kind of glove to protect your hands). Adding extra oil to your pasta water before cooking can also prevent this.

stirring pasta in an instant pot.

And just like that, perfect pasta. There might be a little bit of extra water, but as you stir your noodles over the next few minutes, the starch should get rid of any excess moisture.

Cooking Different Types of Pasta at Once

three types of pasta in steamer baskets in an instant pot.

Now, let's get a little complicated! 🙂 I use steamer baskets to cook multiple types of pasta (or even veggies) at once. This is my go-to trick for pasta nights around here. (Unfortunately, they don't sell this kind of basket set anymore - the closest I could find is this one.)

I bet most of us have 4-8oz of uncooked pasta in a bunch of bags in our pantry, just because we didn't use the whole box when cooking a dish. Take those random leftovers and do a pasta night! You can give your family the option of a few different sauces, a few different kind of protein (like chicken, shrimp, sausage), and a few different pastas. My kids love doing this.

This time around, I had penne pasta, whole wheat rotini, and macaroni noodles. Simply place them in the steamer basket, put that in the Instant Pot liner, and fill until there is just enough water to cover it all. Give it that salt/olive oil shake, lock your lid on, and set for a lower time, since there is more water and pasta. For this batch, I would do 1-2 minutes.

steamer basket lifted out of an instant pot

Once it's done, use an oven mitt to simply drain the pasta from the water!

Cooking Pasta in the Instant Pot with Jar Sauce

And finally, let's cook a whole pasta dish! I'm about to introduce you to the absolute best dinner shortcut I have.

looking down on a bowl of spaghetti on a dark countertop.

You can have spaghetti ready in about 15 minutes in the Instant Pot. Brown your meat, cook your noodles, and mix the sauce all in one pot. It doesn't get much easier!

Here's how to make the easiest Instant Pot spaghetti...

Step 1: Cook ground beef and onion

cooking ground beef and onion in an instant pot.

Set the Instant Pot to sauté function and add a little bit of oil. Once hot, add 1 chopped onion and a pound of ground beef. Season well with salt and pepper.

Ground pork, Italian sausage, or even ground turkey would all be great substitutions as the protein in this recipe! The name of the game is easy; use what you have.

Cook meat through and onion until translucent. Drain any grease.

Step 2: Add sauce and water

sauce over ground beef and onion in an instant pot.

Next, add a 24 oz can of tomato sauce (about 3 cups). To this, add 2 cups of water. Stir until combined.

water and tomato sauce in an instant pot.

(Note: I wouldn't use an Alfredo sauce or anything cream-based for this. Creamy sauces and pressure cooking typically don't mix. If you do want a creamy sauce, cook without the cream base and add after pressure cooking.)

Step 3: Add pasta

pasta noodles in tomatoes and water in an instant pot.

Add spaghetti noodles into sauce mixture, making sure as many noodles are submerged as possible.

Lock on the Instant Pot lid.

Step 4: Pressure cook

Set the Instant Pot to manual, 2 minutes. Once cycle is over, allow pressure to naturally release for 2 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure.

Serve spaghetti topped with parmesan cheese.

spaghetti in an instant pot.

I'm telling you, if I never have to boil a pot of water for pasta again, I'd be just fine. Cooking Instant Pot pasta is so easy!

spaghetti in a bowl in front of an instant pot.

Now that you're an Instant Pot pasta pro, go forth and serve all the carbs! 🙂 If you're interested in trying a few more Instant Pot pasta recipes, I'd recommend this easy macaroni and cheese (one of my favorites!) or Chili Onion Crunch Pasta (great if you love spice).

How-To Video

FAQs

Oh yeah, pasta can most definitely be overcooked (pretty easily) in an Instant Pot. That's why I'd recommend sticking to 1-4 minutes for your cook time. Check out the chart above for more specific times. When in doubt, round the number down!

Here's the beauty of cooking pasta in an Instant Pot - you boil the water and cook the pasta all in one step! No need to boil the water first - simply add room temperature water to the Instant Pot with your noodles (double how much pasta you used, in ounces, to determine how much water you need).

Yes, I always recommend adding olive oil to the Instant Pot when cooking pasta. This helps make sure the noodles don't stick together and, as an added bonus, helps prevent starchy water spewing everywhere when you release the pressure. About 1 tablespoon per 8oz should do the trick.

xo, Leslie - signature at the end of blog post.
bowl of penne pasta on a black countertop.

How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot

See how to cook different types of pasta in just a few minutes with your Instant Pot pressure cooker. You can even cook pasta in its own sauce!
5 from 31 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 241 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

If cooking plain pasta...

  • 8 oz pasta of your choice
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • water just to cover pasta

If cooking with sauce, add the following...

Instructions
 

If cooking plain pasta...

  • Add pasta of your choice to the Instant Pot. Add just enough water to cover the pasta.
  • Add salt (1 teaspoon per 4oz) and olive oil (1 tablespoon per 8oz) to the pasta water.
  • Set Instant Pot for time in the chart below for your selected pasta.
  • Once cook cycle is finished, allow pressure to naturally release for 2 minutes. Quick release remaining pressure.
  • Stir pasta well to absorb any remaining water.

If cooking with sauce...

  • Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add a little bit of oil. Once hot, add 1 chopped onion and a pound of ground beef. Season well with salt and pepper.
  • Cook meat through and onion until translucent. Drain any grease.
  • Add a 24 oz can of spaghetti sauce (3 cups). To this, add 2 cups of water. Stir until combined.
  • Add spaghetti noodles into sauce mixture, making sure as many noodles are submerged as possible.
  • Set the Instant Pot to manual, 2 minutes. Once cycle is over, allow pressure to naturally release for 2 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure.
  • Stir spaghetti well.

Notes

  • If your Instant Pot spews water when releasing pressure, you can carefully set the pressure release valve back to sealed for a few seconds, then try to re-release (wearing some kind of glove to protect your hands). Adding extra oil to your pasta water before cooking can also prevent this from happening.
  • I don't recommend cooking gluten free pasta in an Instant Pot. However, whole wheat pasta works wonderfully; no need to adjust cooking times.
  • I use steamer baskets to cook multiple types of pasta (or even veggies) at once. Simply place them in the steamer basket, put that in your liner, and fill until there is just enough water to cover it all. Give it that salt/olive oil shake, lock your lid on, and set for a lower time, since there is more water and pasta.
  • Follow this chart for estimated pasta cooking times:
    Angel Hair
    1 minute
    Standard Spaghetti
    2 minutes
    Linguine/Fettuccine
    3 minutes
    Rotini
    3 minutes
    Macaroni
    3 minutes
    Penne
    4 minutes
    Ziti
    4 minutes
    Rigatoni
    4 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 241kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 7gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1166mgPotassium: 127mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate it in the comments below!

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3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We really enjoyed this recipe! It was so easy to follow!

  2. John Dough says:

    5 stars
    Love these recipes. Have you tried fresh pasta?

    1. Leslie Lambert says:

      Hi John, I haven't in the instant pot. Fresh pasta usually requires much less cooking time, so not sure it would translate to pressure cooking. But I would love to give it a try!