How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot: We're talking the magical formula for making perfectly cooked pasta in the Instant Pot that involves no stirring, babysitting, or foamy overflows all over your stovetop! All made possible by my true love, the Electric Pressure Cooker.
This recipe has been updated for even better, al dente, less foaming pasta. See notes in the recipe for more info.
FREE PRINTABLE: FORMULA FOR PERFECT INSTANT POT PASTA
Never look up how to cook pasta in the Instant Pot again! To receive your handy Pressure Cooker Pasta printable, simply fill out the form below.
Why make Perfect Pressure Cooker Pasta when the most common method is simply a matter of boiling water? I've got reasons for days.
Nothing drives me more crazy in the kitchen than dealing with a pot of pasta on the stove that WILL NOT STOP FOAMING! You stir, stir, stir, and when that doesn't work, you take it off the heat, let it settle, only to put it back on the heat and have it quickly foam to the top and you repeat the entire process all over again.
I've tried all the gizmos, the wooden spoon trick, the oil trick, etc, etc, and I have resolved to lose the stovetop pasta battle.
To my rescue, totally awesome pressure cooker!
I can throw the pasta, salt, and water in and walk away. In fact, I can even have my daughter do it while I take a nap!
There are several different cook times and water to pasta ratios out there, and after a lot of experimenting, I've finally narrowed it down to my ideal time. Lots of good info here, let's get started!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE MAKING PASTA IN THE ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER
- Your days of babysitting pasta are OVER. Add your ingredients, push some buttons, do some yoga
- NO MORE STARCHY WATER FOAMING OVER ONTO YOUR STOVETOP – that's the golden reason right there
- With this magical formula, you are almost guaranteed perfectly cooked pasta every time. As always, times may vary slightly depending on the brand, model, and altitude
- So easy your kid can do it. That's worth the cost of an Instant Pot (or 2) right there
HOW TO COOK PASTA IN THE INSTANT POT – THE MAGICAL FORMULA
Let me leave a caveat here and say that this method may not work on every single pasta variety out there. There's lentil pasta, quinoa pasta, buckwheat pasta, and so on. HOWEVER! I do think this is a perfect starting place for all of these kinds of pasta. If you find your favorite version of pasta was slightly under or overdone, then just make a note to add or subtract a minute the next time. Easy Peasy.
- Add pasta to the pressure cooker pot
- Add liquid: 1 1/2 cups of liquid for every 4 ounces of pasta
- Add salt: 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt for every 1 1/2 cups liquid and 4 ounces of pasta
- Add fat: 1/2 tablespoon oil or butter for every 4 ounces of pasta
- Cook pasta for half the lowest package time, minus 2 minutes (examples below). When pressure cooking is complete, do a quick release of pressure (see below for what to do if starchy liquid spurts through valve)
- Reserve some of the starchy pasta water if you're combining it with a sauce, then drain the pasta. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process if you're not using it right away. A light drizzle of oil will keep it from sticking
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
And there you have it! Perfectly cooked pasta without the mess!
HOW TO DETERMINE COOK TIME FOR INSTANT POT PASTA
To determine the best cook time, check the suggested package cook time. Take the lowest package time, divide it in half and subtract two minutes. Here are some examples so you can feel confident in choosing the best time.
- The Whole Wheat Spiral Pasta here says to cook for 7-9 minutes. Take the lowest time (7 minutes), decrease it to 6 to get an even number, divide in half (3 minutes) and subtract 2 minutes = 1 minute cooking time
- The Brown Rice Macaroni Pasta here calls for 15-16 minutes. Take the lowest time (15 minutes), decrease it to 14 to get an even number, divide in half (7 minutes) and subtract 2 minutes = 5 minutes cooking time
- The Whole Grain Penne pasta here has a cook time of 10-12 minutes. Take the lowest time (10 minutes), divide in half (5 minutes) and subtract 2 minutes = 3 minutes cooking time
HOW TO REDUCE PASTA FOAM
I've learned some great tips and tricks from all of you in the comments below, here is a summary of the knowledge I've gathered over time:
- Add Fat
- Oil or butter will reduce foaming. I add about 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of pasta
- Rinse pasta
- Rinse the pasta 2 – 3 times before you cook it – I wouldn't say this is the perfect solution, but it does seem to help
- Place a trivet over the pasta
- As bubbles start to rise, the trivet will pop them and keep foam from reaching the valve. This doesn't work perfectly every time either, but again, it seems to help especially if you use a slow pressure release (discussed below)
- Intermittent Pressure Release
- Turn knob to quickly release the pressure. If starchy water starts to spray through the valve, switch the knob to a sealed position, wait 30 seconds, then switch the valve back to release, repeating this process as many times as needed – usually 2 -3 times
- Slow Pressure Release
- Turn the knob only slightly so the pressure is released slowly. This will take a bit longer but will cut down on foaming considerably and prevent overcooked pasta
- My personal go-to method
- Add fat, place a trivet over the pasta, use a quick release of the pressure and wait and see if there is going to be enough starchy water spraying out for me to want to close the knob again. Then I use the intermittent or slow-release method to release the remaining pressure.
BEST TYPES OF PASTA FOR THE PRESSURE COOKER
- Short cut pasta is ideal. Examples are elbow macaroni, penne, small to medium seashell, rotini, rigatoni, ziti, wheels, farfalle (butterfly), and cavatappi
- Small, delicate pasta like alphabet pasta will overcook too easily
- Gnocchi, stuffed pasta, and homemade pasta will fall apart. Add these varieties after pressure cooking is complete, then use “saute” to simmer for a few extra minutes to cook the pasta
- Long strand pasta like fettuccine and spaghetti work okay, but you need to break them in half, scatter them unevenly into the liquid so they're not in one big clump, and know there is a risk that they might stick together a bit
BEST COOKING LIQUID FOR PASTA
The best liquid for cooking pasta is water and broth, with perhaps a splash of lemon juice for flavor. Recipes that call for cooking pasta in marinara sauce or milk need to be diluted with water or broth to avoid the starch and sauce from burning to the bottom of the pot.
FAVORITE PASTA BRANDS
- Favorite Everyday Brand: De Cecco
- This brand has great flavor and the most perfect al dente chew. It also comes in a huge variety of shapes and sizes
- Favorite Whole Wheat Brand: Simply Balanced
- This brand can be found online or at Target. They have the greatest shape and size variety of whole wheat pasta for a good price
- Favorite Gluten Free Brand: Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta
- This is actually my all-time favorite pasta. It is whole grain, but mildly flavored with a wonderful soft chew
- Favorite Bean Pasta: Banza
- This is by far the best tasting and textured bean/legume pasta out there with a nice variety of shapes and sizes
IS PASTA HEALTHY?
This is a bit of a loaded question, right? Like so many foods, it depends on how they are processed and prepared. Here is my personal statement on the matter.
Refined/Enriched pasta tossed in a heavy, salty cream and butter sauce = DELICIOUS, but not so healthy.
On the other hand, Whole Grain Pasta is lower in calories and higher in fiber which is already a better scenario. To make your bowl of pasta even healthier, serve it with a vegetable-based sauce (like this Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce or Tomato Marinara) and load it with steamed or roasted veggies and healthy proteins like meat or tofu.
If that's what pasta eating looks like at your house, then high five to you, pasta is absolutely a healthy choice!
EASY PASTA RECIPES FOR THE INSTANT POT
- Whole Grain Mac and Cheese – lots of intense cheesy flavor at a fraction of the calories
- Sweet Corn and Tomato Pasta
- Pizza Mac and Cheese
- Spring Minestrone with Ricotta Chicken Meatballs
RECOMMENDED TOOLS/INGREDIENTS TO BUY AND MAKE INSTANT POT PASTA
FREE PRINTABLE: FORMULA FOR PERFECT INSTANT POT PASTA
Never look up how to cook pasta in the Instant Pot again! To receive your handy Pressure Cooker Pasta printable, simply fill out the form below.
Perfect Instant Pot Pasta
Cook your pasta to perfection without stirring, watching, or spilling starchy water all over your stove top! Pressure Cooker to the rescue!
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- pasta
- water – 1 1/2 cups for every 4 oz of pasta
- kosher salt – 1/2 teaspoon for every 1 1/2 cups of water and 4 oz of pasta
- 1/2 tablespoon oil or butter for every 4 oz of pasta
Instructions
- Add pasta, water, kosher salt and oil or butter to the pressure cooker pot (see ratios in the ingredient list).
- Note: Pasta should be just barely covered by water. If there is pasta above the water, add extra to cover.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for half of the pasta package cooking time minus 2 minutes (see notes for examples of this).
- When pressure cooking is complete, use a quick release. If liquid sprays from the knob, close knob, wait 30 seconds then release pressure again. Repeat until foam stops coming through valve. May also turn knob half way so only a small amount of steam is being released.
- Use pasta immediately or rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.
Notes
- When I published this recipe in 2017 the directions were to use 2 cups liquid to 4 ounces of pasta. I've decreased that to 1 1/2 cups liquid now because it cuts down on foaming and still cooks the pasta perfectly without sticking. I also originally wrote to divide the box cook time in half and subtract by 1 minute. I now subtract by 2 minutes for perfect al dente pasta. Feel free to use this original method if it works for you or give this new method a try and let me know how it compares for you!
- Nutritional Facts are for 1 cup of dry whole wheat pasta. Facts will vary depending on what kind of pasta is used
- Cook time Examples from above for easy reference:
- The Whole Wheat Spiral Pasta here says to cook for 7-9 minutes. Take the lowest time (7 minutes), decrease it to 6 to get an even number, divide in half (3 minutes) and subtract 2 minutes = 1 minute cooking time.
- The Brown Rice Macaroni Pasta here calls for 15-16 minutes. Take the lowest time (15 minutes), decrease it to 14 to get an even number, divide in half (7 minutes) and subtract 2 minutes = 5 minutes cooking time
- The Whole Grain Penne pasta here has a cook time of 10-12 minutes. Take the lowest time (10 minutes), divide in half (5 minutes) and subtract 2 minutes = 3 minutes cooking time
Keywords: pressure cooker, instant pot, instant pot pasta, easy pasta, perfectly cooked pasta
Welcome! I’m Marci, wife to my motorcycle dream man and mother of 3. I have a passion for creating and cooking delicious masterpieces in my kitchen and am ecstatic to share my discoveries on TIDBITS! I like my food tasty, wholesome, memorable, and always, ALWAYS followed by dark, salty chocolate.
Thank you for sharing. I really like your content and would like to improve my cooking pasta skill. Keep sharing amazing content!
WOW!! Just wow! It was absolutely delicious! Better than I thought it would be!
★★★★★
Dayne, isn’t it great?! I Love this trick too!
This recipe worked perfectly tonight after our hot plate died. I used Banza shells. We’re trying to eat healthier and my husband is working nights (meaning dinners are at 10:15pm) so specific dishes are lifesavers right now. Appliances failing can feel overwhelming. This gave me an awesome Plan B. Thank you so much!!!!!
★★★★★
Liz, I love Banza pasta! I’m happy to hear it worked well with it. I have to decrease the cook time by about a minute when I use Banza. It is so great to have a back up appliance when things like that fail. I hope it’s up and working again for you soon!
I am right now eating the pasta I cooked via your method, and am amazed. It is perfect. Shared your recipe on Facebook. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to work this out. I will be following your blog now! So many cooking blogs are unreliable, because the reviews are by people who have never cooked the recipe and are giving each other 5 star ratings. Your blog is not like that. Thank you!
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Liz, Thank you and so happy to have you here! Pressure cooking pasta is a pretty amazing trick, I love it!
I will never have to boil water for pasta again. This is the easiest method ever. I have actually also made this a complete dish by reducing some of the water and adding pasta sauce on top.
-Add all ingredients (reducing the water), pour an even layer of pasta sauce on top.
-Follow timings as listed in this recipe
-Once pressure is released, quickly add in grated cheese, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and stir.
Absolutely delicious dinner done in a jiffy!
★★★★★
Bella, amazing! Thanks for sharing a tip back!
Hi Marci,
Quick question, is that 4oz of pasta by weight or by volume?
Lindsay, That is the weight.
Thanks for a fantastic shortcut, Marci! I really hate making pasta the conventional way and this is SO easy. I also adapted your recipe to make Barilla cheese-stuffed tortellini (the dry one on the pasta shelf) in the IP. I used 2 c of water for 4 oz, added .5 T oil, and cooked it on the Soup setting (gentler heat) for 5 min with a 5-minute wait before releasing the pressure. They didn’t fall apart and were perfectly done! Not sure this would work for other delicate pastas but these were quite yummy.
★★★★★
Kathy, Oh now I’m excited to try this! I’ve always worried tortellini would fall apart. Thank you so much for that tip. And yes, I agree, boiling pasta makes me crazy, Instant Pot all the way for pasta!
Ummmm… ok!!! I was totally skeptical about making pasta in the instant pot. I imagined a giant pot of mush!
I only looked for an IP pasta recipe, cuz all of my big pots were being used. This is seriously amazing! I will never, ever cook pasta on the stove top again!! Thank you for sharing this!!!!
Yvonne, I’m so glad you’ve discovered the magic 🙂
Do you have any advice for egg noodles? I tried the 1/2 time – 2 minutes amount and my egg noodles were too soft, not quite mushy but very soft. Would 1 minute work for egg noodles rather than 3 minutes?
Susan, I can imagine egg noodles might be a bit more temperamental. I would do 1 minute with a quick release. Let me know if you try it!
Your method worked great with bucatini (durum wheat semolina; Kroger Private Selection)! I like al dente pasta, but next time I will add a minute to your equation when making bucatini again.
I cooked 8 ounces. The lowest cooking time was 9 minutes. Using your formula the cook time was 2 minutes (9 minutes, rounded down to 8 for an even number, divided in half (4 minutes) and subtract 2 minutes = 2 minutes. After a quick release and tasting the pasta for doneness, it was bit too sticky to the bite. I then immediately closed the lid and release valve for 2 minutes. It came out perfect!
I pre-rinsed the pasta, added 3 C of water, used 1 tsp of salt, 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and placed a trivet on top of the pasta. There was only a slight release of foam. I did an intermittent release once and voila, no more foam. Thanks for coming up with this ingenious cooking method!
Chris, Those are amazing notes, thank you for sharing! Do you feel the pre rinse made a big difference? I’m going to test this out next time.
Worked perfectly for Barilla whole grain rotini! Served with alfredo sauce – muah!
I don’t know what I did wrong but this formula did not work for me :/ I used gluten free rice pasta and it came out really soupy, almost like casserole consistency. I’ll try playing with the ratios and time.
Cassidy, Are you using brown rice pasta? I use that often. Try cutting back the time 1-2 minutes and let me know if that works.
I cooked mini shells from a box meal. Cook time is 7 minutes. I cooked for 2 minutes and it still was soft. So cook for 1 minute. I bet it would be perfect. I drained excess and added a cheese sauce and it was delicious. Thank you. It was 12 oz of pasta and I used 4.5 cups broth.
Rachel, Yep, I think 1 minute will be right on the money. Was it a homemade cheese sauce?
Hi! I’m excited to try this and have a question – I’d like to add pasta to an IP chicken soup recipe. Any suggestions for putting the pasta in the soup uncooked? Or should I cook it first then add it later? Cook time for the soup is 10 minutes. Thanks~!
Long, if the cook time is too long for the pasta, I simply cook the pasta on the stovetop while the pressure cooker is cooking the soup, then add the pasta after. It’s an extra step but better than overcooked pasta :). Or you could always add it to the soup after it’s done and use the Instant Pot to boil it until it’s done. But that could over cook the other ingredients. Let me know if that helps or if I misunderstood your question!
Perfect! As suggested in previous comment, stir up the pasta in the water before cooking.
Just tried this on spaghetti and it worked wonderfully. I broke the spaghetti in half and used 3/4 cup water. I was so happy it worked, thank you so much for this post!
Karens, It’s pretty great, right!? I’m glad you liked it!
I usually like your recipes but this one was a miss for me. I cooked elbow macaroni according to your recipe and the pasta came out really soft. I definitely wouldn’t call it al dente pasta. The pasta was still edible but too soft for my liking.
For reference, I used a 16oz box of elbow macaroni and 6 cups a water, cooked it at high pressure for 2min (OG time is 8), and used quick release.
Mary Beth, Oh no, I’m sorry it didn’t work for you! Was it just regular pasta or a bean or rice pasta?
Sounds like you put too much water. Recipe states 1.5 cups per 8 ounces of pasta. I’ve seen some that say two cups. Either way, if you used 6 cups, that is at least twice the amount of water called for. If you put too much liquid, your instant pot would have taken longer to come to pressure, cooking the whole time. That could be why your pasta was overdone.
Correction to my last comment (if it happens to show up here), the recipe doesn’t state 1.5 cups per every 8 ounce, but I still think the problem is too much water.
Perfect!!! I’ll never cook pasta the old fashioned way ever again!
I love this much. Thank for sharing!
★★★★★
Kelly, it’s so handy, right!?
This was amazing. I forgot to save pasta water but it was still good. I added some vegan Italian sausage 🙂
Sounds like a great recipe. I like the idea of cooking the pasta separate from the sauce and I plan to try it soon. I was wondering how I would add some sliced mushrooms or green beans to this recipe. I am pretty much a newbie and I’m using the 3 qt. IP. I can’t wait to try this recipe. You explained everything so clearly. Will be hard to mess up. Thanks.
★★★★★
Chelsea, I’m sure you could just throw them on top of the pasta to cook, or you could saute them on the side and stir them in at the end. Depends how you like them cooked!
Worked perfectly! It was my first time trying the instant pot. I make pasta frequently and this is so handy to do it all in one pot. Perfectly cooked and not too watery. Thanks.
★★★★★
Have you tried cooking lasagna noodles?
I haven’t, I suspect they would stick together pretty bad.
I was dubious about this but it came out really great. I thought it was just a tad sticky so I may add back a little of the water, but over all I was super pleased with it. Perfectly al dente penne so simply!
★★★★★
I am. Following a keto diet. There is a very low carb pasta out there. It’s put out by the people that own the Gnom-gnom site. The pasta is called Gnooda. (I really like it). The primary ingredient is lupin flour. Would you know if this is able to be cooked in the IP, or do you think it might fall apart?
Carol, I’ve never heard of this pasta. I would very curious how it did. I’ve tried many different types of pasta though and haven’t had issues really. I’ve noticed I have to cook garbanzo bean pasta an extra minute less, but that’s about it. So maybe try it with one less minute and see. Let me know if you try! I’d love to try that pasta out.
I find every noodle works great except Spaghetti or linguine-and no matter if i break up the noodles or not, it still seems to clump, which is annoying! The recipe works amazing with all of the other ones though, I wonder if it is due to them being a bit thicker? My fam has just gotten used to me making spaghetti with rotini noodles and that’s just fine with them!
Yes, I prefer other pasta anyways! It definitely likes to clump unless I have lots of water.
I love pasta and I always want to try new versions. Thank you for your sharing because I can cook it for my family.
★★★★★
This recipe seems to be faster to cook the pasta in an instant pot than a normal pot or a pan. I can make other dishes while doing this pasta. Thanks for your sharing!
★★★★★
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. Moved to 9000+ feet above sea level over a year ago, and boiling pasta is a nightmare. I don’t think I’ve even heated the water to 212 degrees yet (but boiling starts much sooner). This looks like a great option for high altitude living… and we’re looking to build at almost 11,000 feet, so I’ll need it!
I just received my new Insta pot mini ultra today and this was the first recipe I made. It sputtered and spewed foam with the quick release but I threw a towel over it and let it go. I used 2 cups of water for 8 ounces (one cup) of pasta because at 2 cups the pasta was already well-submerged. Could that have been the reason for the sputtering and spewing? I normally cook this pasta for 15 min on the stove so I did this one for 5 min pressure cook high.
★★★★★
Michelle, some pasta foams more and it might have also been the smaller pressure cooker since there wasn’t much room for the foam to expand before coming out of the valve. If thee pasta was submerged, I wouldn’t have added the extra water either, so I think you’re good there. Next time just flip the valve back shut and wait a few minutes for the bubbles to settle. The 5 minute cook time for 15 minute pasta sounds great.
This was such a lifesaver! It’s september, 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!
★★★★★
Beryl, yes! Exactly, so many positives to this method. Also, my daughter can do it and I don’t have to worry about her getting distracted and leaving a foaming pot of pasta on the stove.
Not al dente enough for me. Maybe next time, I will try 45 seconds rather than a minute (which was the time the formula gave me). Agree? Anyone have a better idea? Thanks!
★★★★
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!
★★★★★
A Perfectly cooked pasta in the Instant Pot
★★★★★
Used this to cook bow tie pasta and it came out so perfect! Best pasta I’ve had in a while 😊 I just strained after the pressure release and it was perfect.
★★★★★
I followed the recipe
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I use this formula all the time
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I use this formula all the time, but I like pasta on the softer side, so I use the longer cook time with the formula. Perfect pasta every time.
★★★★★
Worked perfectly! We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel so all I had to cook with was my instant pot. This boiled the pasta so perfectly I’ll probably use it instead of boiling on the stove even when the kitchen is done!
★★★★★
Kati, isn’t it wonderful!? I love not having to watch for pasta water to foam over.
Worked great for me!! Cooked a 12 oz box barilla tri color rotini for 1 min high pressure. Perfect!! Making pasta salad and was able to cut up all the veggies without keeping a constant eye on the stove. Thanks!
★★★★★
Leann, Yes! That’s why this trick is so great! Multi-tasking at its finest.
I had to cook my 6oz of pasta for 5 mins instead of 1 min if i cook according to the magic formula. It just wasnt even done at 1 min and was almost done at 3 so i cooked another 2 more to perfect.
Was disappointed as I spent more time than needed in front of the instant pot.
★★★
Jessica, oh wow, that didn’t work at all how I would predict! What kind of pasta was it?
It was spaghetti.
I plan on making Instant Pot pasta tonight. Will your recipe work for a 3 at mini Instant Pot?
Thank you!
Firelei, I’ve never tried it myself, but others have told me that it works so give it a try!
This turned out excellent. I admit I worried that it was so watery—that is a lot of water, but after a few mins it was perfect! Thank you!
I just followed the instuctions to the t for 12 oz of bow tie pasta and it worked PERFECTLY!
★★★★★
This could not be easier or more delicious. Holds up well for meal prep and freezer. Try it, you will not be disappointed!
★★★★★
Easy to do it. No need to have much preparation. I did it so well for many times. Thanks you much for sharing!
★★★★★
Soba Pasta are delicious both hot as well as cold. Soba Pasta is a common dish in Japan and often makes an appearance on the menu in Japanese restaurants in America. This thin Pasta made from buckwheat flour is much more than just a typical Japanese pasta dish.
★★★★★
I followed the recipe to the “T” and my instant pot registered “BURN” long before the noodles were cooked. Wasted noodles and doubled the amount of time it took to make dinner. Had to wash and scrape burnt noodles out of instant pot before I could start again. Garbage.
MK, I’m sorry it didn’t work for you! What type of pasta did you use and how much pasta?
oh my goodness just tried the pasta came out beautiful and so easy sticking with this one Thank you <3
★★★★★
Desire, Worth owning a pressure cooker for, right?!
I want to make tuna mac salad to go with our subs for dinner tonight. It’s a hot one today and I don’t want to fill my house with more heat from boiling water so I’m going to give this a try with Ronzoni Gluten Free Rotini. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks!
Liz, how did it go? GF pasta can sometimes be a little finicky.
Well, it’s safe to say I will NEVER boil pasta the old way ever again! Thank you so much Marci! I think my rotini came out better than normal, they seemed puffier. Is that an appropriate word to describe pasta? lol
I loved not having to wait for the water to boil, make sure I set the timer for the correct time and still having to check for doneness, make sure I’m stirring the pasta during cooking, make sure it’s not boiling over, etc.
Can’t wait to try gluten free spaghetti noodles!
Thanks for reporting back! It’s fabulous, right?!
The “magic formula” worked like a dream! At least on our first attempt. Classic spaghetti cooked to perfection in less time that it would take to heat water to boil in a pasta pot. Greatly reduced the heat and steam in the kitchen, which was the original reason for giving this a try. The bonus was the quality of the product. Sure hope this was not just a beginner’s luck type of thing. We will find out soon if it was as we intend to try again in the very near future.
Thank you – for a great “magic formula” for pasta in an Instant Pot.
Carl, I hope it keeps working for you! I’ve used the same formula for years 🙂
I use this formula all the time, but I like pasta on the softer side, so I use the longer cook time with the formula. Perfect pasta every time.
Thank you
★★★★★
I really wanted to try this but I’m gonna pass. Your magic formula doesn’t match up with your examples, why round down to an even number instead of just following your formula accurately? Why do you need to add so much oil to something that’s already high in calories, it’s not healthy and negates the choice of any of those healthy pastas. I appreciate you taking the time to put this together but it seems a bit contrived to me.
Bradley, plenty of other recipes out there! I hope you find the perfect one for you 🙂
Must time be adjusted when using regular spaghetti not whole wheat? Or do you follow the same formula (Lowest time, divide in half and subtract 2 minutes )? And does it need adjusted when you have other ingredients in the pot (i.e. chicken)?
I always use this equation as my go-to, whether it’s whole wheat pasta or I’m adding other ingredients. Sometimes I need to make some minor tweaks for the next time, but it typically works perfectly.
Hi! Thanks for the excellent tips!
I’ve added gnocchi to bean and pea (i. e. legumes) soups as a replacement for regular flour dumplings in my instant pot versions. They survive fairly well, but will get a bit gummy if overcooked. I’m going to follow your cooking advice with a batch and see how it turns out!
★★★★★
Kay, let me know! I’m so curious!
Feeling lazy so I thought I’d try making my pasta in the IP. Your recipe was perfect. 17.9 oz. of Costco’s organic Garofalo durum wheat semolina cork screws washed three times, 3 TB olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 6 cups water, NO trivet, set to 2 minutes. Quick release with a kitchen towel on top to catch any spurts. When you hear the button pop, remove pot, drain and add cold water. Perfect and heavenly tasting. I wanted to eat it all just like that.
Stella, It’s fantastic right?! I love this trick.
Awesome recipe guide. Now I feel I can make this one by myself. Thanks
★★★★★
I’m forever indebted to you for this method! Just made chicken parm in my Ninja Foodi using this pasta ratio with Banza shells and it worked perfect. Plus, only 1 pan to clean. Thank you!
Kelsi, I love Banza Shells! It works really well for that brand to. Isn’t it great!?
I cooked rotini. It never came to pressure and gave the ‘burn’ notice so I released and opened. The pasta was more than fully cooked and the water was fully absorbed. I waited over 30 minutes for it to come to pressure, which it never did. The valve sputtered and steamed the whole time. I looked online and saw others have had the same problem. One said that she now puts the pasta on top of the water and doesn’t stir and hasn’t had that problem since. Another said to be sure that the top rim of the pot is completely clean (mine was) or it won’t seal. Another said maybe food or cracks in the sealing ring, which is not the case with mine. I’ll give the first suggestion a try next time and if that doesn’t work I’ll go back to my pasta pot.
Should all the pasta be submerged in water? I have to admit that I eyeballed half the box of pasta (8 oz.) and amount of liquid (about 3 cups). But the pasta isn’t quite under water, maybe because of the irregular shapes of the pasta. Thanks!
Lili, It will be submerged for the most part, but if there are a few corners here and there poking out, it will be totally fine!
I want to do this now with thin spaghetti noodles, do I have to use a trivet or can I just put it directly into the pot? Also I usually break the spaghetti in half because it doesn’t fit into my pots, can I do that too?
Ceci, I never use a trivet and I would break them in half and scatter them unevenly into the pot. This will keep them from sticking to each other. Enjoy!
I couldn’t find the no boil lasagna noodles so I got the oven ready ones. Can I cook those in an Insta Pot on simmer/sauté? I live in an RV full time
Holly, Yep, that will work just great. Adjust it to saute – high.
I am new to the whole quick cooker game. Made our first meal in it last night. My question is I’d like to do a recipe for Chicken and Orzo using chicken thighs. Have you tried cooking the pasta with the meat with any success?
Tennie, I haven’t tried this yet, but I have done small bite-size pieces of chicken with quinoa before and it worked perfectly. I cooked it for 1 minute with a full natural release. I imagine orzo might do well with the same method. Let me know if you try it!
Thanks for the method and printable. Which trivet or type of trivet did you use – and is it resting on the pasta? I only have the one that came with the Duo Evo Plus. Thanks!
Oops, just noticed your link to a tall trivet on Amazon. I’ve been meaning to get one, so thanks!
I love it. Quick and easy
Perfect! Thank you:)
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Great info. I was pretty against cooking pasta in the instant pot, because I’m so picky about the texture of pasta. This worked perfect for me and I may have just changed my mind about cooking pasta in the instant pot.
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Richelle, yay! Another believer!
This was really helpful. Our gas stove was out and I had never tried pasta in the IP. A few things though:
The amount of water didn’t seem right. I had a 500g box of pasta, which is about 17.6 ounces. That would have been 4.4 cups of water. I ended up using 6 cups of water to cover the pasta. I added 1 tsp salt. I almost never cook with oil, but I added about 1 Tbl to the water. Yeah, I had a lot of foam spurting out, but followed your slow release directions and it subsided.
The pasta (whole wheat penne) was not quite done after I released the pressure. I just put the lid back on and let it sit another three minutes (no pressure). It was perfect.
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Hi Traci, thanks for your feedback! The directions used to call for more water, but I was trying to reduce it as much as I could so that there wasn’t so much water spurting out of the pot. You did exactly what you should have though because it needs at least enough water to cover the pasta. I might alter the directions a bit to call for extra water, I’ll have to think about it a bit. Thank you!
How many cups of pasta could I make at once in a 6 quart IP? Thanks’
Errign, I’m not sure. The most I’ve ever done is a pound at one time. How much are you wanting to do?
I have the same question! I am cooking for the volunteer firemen/first responders and trying to do as much as possible at once but I can’t find a resource that tells how much is possible in one go!
Ashely, I’m afraid I don’t have a perfect answer for you, but I’ve done up to 2 pounds without a problem.
Thank you for this incredible cooking hack. The gas in my apartment building was turned off due to a gas leak and it will take over a year to replace every apartment’s gas pipes. As a result, all cooking is done via my Instant Pot and hot plate. This technique has been a life saver!!!! FYI: a silicone sling with 1.5” holes works very well in reducing spray splatter on release.
Thanks again.
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Don, What!!?? Tell me more about the silicone sling, what do you do?
Sort of a fail for me. Cooked 8 oz of elbow macaroni, 1 cup water. NO water left at the end, in fact, pot was completely dry. Some of the macaroni was cooked very al dente, some completely undercooked. How do you fix it when half is cooked and half is not? I think I’ll try more water next time.
Debi, OH no, that’s disappointing. I would add an extra cup next time for that pasta.
Debi. Yourbasic math was off. When the instructions say 1 1/2 c water for 4 oz pasta and you cooked 8 oz in just 1 cup, the expected outcome is no water in pot.
Math: 2x 1 1/2 c = 3 cups liquid, not 1 cup. I think you are lucky it didn’t burn. Hopefully all is better now with the passage of a few months.
My pasta came out perfect. I had bronze plate rotini and I followed the process exactly and I was rewarded with perfect pasta that was not sticky or mushy! I will make my pasta this way from now on.
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Alex, It’s an amazing little hack, isn’t it!?
PERFECT macaroni in 2 mins.. LUV THIS! Box lowest time was 9, down to 8 dived in half equaled 4 minus 2 equal 2 mins cook time… used 4 cups water 1 tsp salt 2 Tbls butter, quick release NO foam.. PERFECT! THANKS!
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Shawna, it’s awesome, right! I Love this trick 🙂
Could I use all of a 16oz box of pasta with this formula? I would like to try ‘bow tie ‘ pasta.
Susan, absolutely! I do it all the time.
Can’t wait to try this but will this work if I wanna do raw spaghetti and pasta sauce all at once? This recipe calls for whole jar of pasta plus 1.5 jar of water but 8min pressure which seems like so much. The reviews r also really positive so I’m tempted to do 8 mins like recipe calls but your technique would be much less like 1 minute after I do the math. Thoughts on why huge discrepancy? Here’s the recipe I wanna try https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/instant-pot-spaghetti/
Cynnia, I can’t say I’ve tried that recipe before, so I’m not sure, but I would think that by the time all of that liquid comes to pressure and then cooks for 8 minutes, it would be mush. I could be totally wrong though! My sister does this quite often and uses the formula from this pasta post. I checked out that link though and the comments are quite positive If you try it though, I would love to hear your feedback!
I decided to go with ur method for pasta and merge with this recipe and it turned out al dente for 1 min high pressure but the pasta started to get mushy as it sat in the pot so when we got seconds it was not al dente anymore. Maybe next time 0 mins?
Cynnia, Yes, I think 0 minutes would work great in that situation. What kind of pasta was it?
I was really skeptical about this. I have heard people say that their pasta was mushy, etc. I had just cooked some chicken in the instant pot, so rather than get out another pot, I figured I’d give it a shot. It came out perfect! Thanks so much for posting this.
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Amy, One of my favorite IP hacks! I’m glad it worked so great for you!
Love this way of cooking pasta. I have a simple tip for all the starchy problems out there. Simply put a towel over the steam gasket. Rinse off lild when finished, as you normally would.
I just made egg noodles…perfect…thank you…what a time saver!
Wow great recipe love my instapot and your recipe it is true pioneers like you brave ring to show us the rest of the way
Catherine, haha, well that almost made me feel important 😉
This was my first time cooking pasta in the instant pot. I used this exact method with whole grain penne pasta. I rinsed the pasta beforehand, added olive oil and used the slow pressue release. I also places the trivet that came with the pot on top of the noodles. l had no issues when releasing the pressure slowly and the pasta came out amazing!!! Thanks so much!!!
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Hillary, That’s so good to know! Thank you!
Made spaghetti today for a baked casserole. I feel like it may need a bit more water than the 4 cups simply due to the way you have to ‘pick-up stick’ layer it in the pot, my top layer was not covered in water and after release that portion was a bit clumpy. It was all good though I drained it and mixed it and that seemed to cook those pieces a bit more and since I am using it in a baked dish, I know it will cook a bit more in the oven. Next time I’ll just add more water. Thanks for the recipe and the tips, I’ll be making my pasta like this pretty much all the time now!
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Tammy, Pick up stick ;). That brought back some memories! Great tip, thank you!
I do small and/or delicate pasta all the time in my IP and it all has turned out great. I rinse multiple times to remove as much extra starch as I can, add a bit of EVOO, water to barely cover, and then cook on Low pressure for 0 (yes zero) minutes. I then leave it in the IP for about a minute, cover the IP with a damp cloth, and do a manual release. Any foam that might come out is captured by the damp cloth. I also use my IP on my stovetop beneath the hood as often as I can.
I’ve done the 0 minute method with alphabet pasta, orzo and thin spaghetti-style edamame pasta. It all comes out perfect for us. For spaghetti-style pasta that can clump together, I rotate the pasta around the IP like a clock when I’m putting it in: a small batch at noon, a small batch at 3, 6, 9 and so on. This keeps it from forming a big clump. I’ve been doing this method for over a year now for small pasta and it’s been great.
Jack, so many awesome tips there! Thank you! I’m so surprised that worked with alphabet pasta and I can’t wait to test it out. Thanks so much for taking the time to write that out.
Jack,
Using your Instant Pot on your stovetop beneath the hood – what a great idea. I have a smooth cooktop, so it would work perfectly – unless I also needed to cook something else on my cooktop. However that doesn’t often happen as I’m usually cooking the entire meal in my Instant Pot.
Ok, I am a little confused about the formula. Part of the instructions say, “take the lowest cook time, minus 2 minutes”, but another part says, “take the lowest time, DIVIDED BY 2, then minus the 2 minutes….that’s a big difference. Then there are posts that say they only took 1 minute, after dividing by 2, and it worked perfectly. So I’m still scratching my head about how to make pasta. Please help me understand…I love pasta and want to cook it in the IP. TIA .
Marysue, I apologize, I corrected that. I must have accidentally deleted the divide in half line. I fixed it! In the notes section of the recipe I explain that I recently switched from subtracting 1 minute to 2 minutes because I was getting more consistent results across the board that way. Are you meaning in the comments you are seeing the “1-minute” comment?
I wanted this pasta cooking method to work, but it did not and I don’t know why. This is what I did. I wanted to cook 8 oz of regular, not whole wheat or gluten-free, bowtie pasta which I’d guess could take a little longer to cook than would regular pasta. Brand was Private Selection, a Kroger house brand. I even weighed the pasta to make sure I took 8 oz. from the package of 16 oz. Package instructions said cook 7-9 minutes. Thus I took the lower number (7 minutes) and subtracted 1 minute to get an even number (7 minutes – 1 minute = 6 minutes). Then I divided that result in half (6 minutes divided by 2 equals 3 minutes). Finally I subtracted 2 minutes from that total to get 1 minute of cooking time.
Never having used this method before, 1 minute sounded like an awfully short time, so using the Manual setting, I set the IP to pressure cook 3 minutes instead of 1 minute. After the 3 minutes was up, I quick released the pressure and opened the lid. My bowties were not even close to being cooked. Concerned that even another 3 minutes wouldn’t do it, I placed and locked the lid back on and again using Manual, set the time for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes I again quick released the pressure and opened the lid. We ate the pasta but I really think it could have cooked a tad bit longer. It bordered on al dente but wasn’t quite there.
I should also add that I used 2 cups of water as instructed (1 cup for each 4 oz. of pasta), 1 t. of kosher salt (1/2 t. for every 1 cup of water) and 1 T. of butter (1/2 T. for every 4 oz. of pasta).
I am at a total loss to understand why my cooking process didn’t work even though I cooked the pasta for significantly longer than Marci’s instructions call for. I’d appreciate any thoughts on why what I did, did not work. Fortunately I was cooking for only my housemate and I so I didn’t mess up with guests here. Thanks.
Sigrid, that is strange. That should have easily cooked your pasta through! Have you had any issues with your pot undercooking things before? Was the water just covering the pasta?
Marci, to answer your question, no I’ve not had any problem with my Instant Pot undercooking food previously. It’s been working perfectly. When my original 3 minute cooking time was complete the water was just covering the pasta, but water was more than covering the uncooked pasta when I started. When I decided to cook my pasta 4 additional minutes, perhaps I should have added some more water. However that doesn’t explain why my pasta was so undercooked after the first 3 minutes.
It at least appears as if I followed your instructions correctly. I have more of this same pasta in the bag so soon I’ll try it again. I’ll follow your same instructions but perhaps use a little more water?
If anyone else has any suggestions as to why this method didn’t work for me, I’d be appreciative of your ideas.
Sigrid, I’m sincerely confused. I would think the pasta would be so overdone at that point. If you figure it out, please let me know!
I have been cooking pasta in my instant pot for a long time now and have been successful just about every time with a much simpler method. I add enough water to barely cover the pasta (having some bits of the noodles sticking ip out of water is fine too), turn pressure too low and I cook the pasta for half the amount of time on the package. Because I mostly buy noodles from the bulk bin (with no package, therefore no cook time) I use 3 minutes as my default and it’s always been fine. I then do quick release (intermittently turning to vent because often the water is “spurting” out).
I agree about the instant pot revolutioning the cooking process for pasta!
Stephanie, thank you for your tips! I appreciate it!
Does this also work with noodles (not pasta) Like wide egg noodles?
Elizabeth, I wouldn’t use it on fresh, but dried should work just fine!
I use 100% red lentil pasta from pasta Lensi (white box, Walmart). I do 20 ounces dry pasta in my 8 qt IP, 3 minutes, using your method. It’s perfect, thank you! Makes temporary RV life bearable not having to wait forever boiling water on the stove. 🙏🌱
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Kirsten, Thanks for letting me know! I use a chickpea pasta that seems like it needs 1 minute less so I appreciate hearing others experiences. The IP is perfect for RV living!
Thank you so much! I finally was able to make perfect rigatoni in the IP thanks to you! I have failed so many times. ❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
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E, You conquered the rigatoni!
I made wheel pasta with 7-9 min noted in directions on the box for al dente pasta. Added water to the instapot pot, placed trivet, kept a steel bowl on the trivet with grated carrots and pasta on top. Added water just enough to cover the pasta. Manual/pressure cooked for 2 mins. Natural pressure release for about 10 mins and then did quick release. Then added some milk, cream cheese and salt. Pasta turned out perfectly, thank you so much!! Don’t want to cook pasta on stove top anymore!
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Sushma, so you cooked the pasta inside a bowl, inside the pressure cooker pot?
Yes Marci, pot in pot. That way I don’t have to clean up the big instant pot pot, lazy me 😊
Cooked the same thing again this morning and it works like a charm!
Wow, that’s a great idea. How did you determine your cook time? I would think it took longer where it wasn’t in contact with direct heat.
Went with your formula for cooking time. Instapot manual suggests cooking rice using manual mode for 6 mins. I tried pot in pot for rice for 6 mins and that worked everytime. So I guessed pot in pot would work out for pasta too, and it did! Also, I usually let pressure release naturally when cooking pot in pot. That might have helped too.
I used to avoid making pasta for lunch since it takes long time on stovetop. Thank you Marci, you have made packing pasta for lunch a lot easier now!!!
You’re sweet and you’re so welcome:). That’s a great trick, thanks for sharing it with me!
My pasta was complete mush and I followed the instructions exactly. What did I do wrong?
Jenna, what kind of pasta was it? What’s the cook time on the box?
I’m curious… I’d love to try making pasta in my InstantPot, but we prefer angel hair. The regular cooking time is only 3-4 minutes. Therefore, making it an even number and taking half of the lowest would be only one minute and subtracting one would leave you with nothing. Is it not possible to cook angel hair in an InstantPot? 🙁
Melanie, I’ve never actually tried it, but I doubt it would work out very well. Quick cooking pasta will be overdone by the time the pot builds up pressure. I’m a little curious if it would work to cook it for 0 minutes (the Instant Pot brand allows you to cook things for 0 minutes in case you’re wondering what I’m talking about). It might just work and when I try it, I’ll let you know! In the meantime, if you give it a go, report back please!
The timing method was great thanks! Another way to say it would be just to divide the lowest cooking time by half and round down. That would take care of the odd numbers and probably be less confusing.
Also I am a total newbie to instapot cooking so for anyone else out there who is as well, I put the water pasta salt and oil in and clicks the rice setting. and you can’t just set your timer for X minutes because it is not actually cooking until you hear the pressure start. I did not realize that my pressure cooker timer would automatically start once it is “cooking,” but that is when you start counting the time you calculated. I haven’t quite figured out how to change the minutes on the instapot because the plus/minus buttons don’t seem to adjust it. Any way for now I just watch the timer or turn on the stove timer.
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Rocky, yes, I like that rewording. Thanks! Do you have the Instant Pot brand? I’m a little confused by what you meant there. I never use the rice setting to time things.
I have one of these: http://www.kuhnrikonshop.com/product/kochblume-spill-stopper-black.
It works perfectly to stop pasta from foaming over.
Wow, this is terrific. I immediately made penne pasta. I used 1/2 box (so, 8 oz) and then covered them with water so they were all covered. Added salt and a couple drizzles of olive oil. Since mine said cook for 11 minutes, I rounded down to 10, divided by half (5) – 2 = 3 minutes. I then quick released the pot and drained the pasta; added my jar of tomato sauce, my pre-cooked italian sausage, and the cooked pasta, and set it on for 1 minutes and then quick released. RAVE! husband thought it was great.
What a great idea!
Tried this on Knorr fettuccine in chicken flavored sauce. Package said 4.3 oz and 2 cups of water for 7 minutes. So 6/2=3. Put the contents in with 2 cups of water for 2 minutes in my IP 3qt Mini.
I love these noodles and make them all the time. However, these came out better than ever. Only a couple were loosely stuck together and done perfectly.
I did quick release but let them sit in the pot a couple minute to thicken as the package suggested.
Larson, fettuccine can be tricky so I’m so glad to hear your feedback!
Thought I’d add that I tried the spiral cheesy noodle from Knorr, too. Mostly to see how th IP would do with a recipe involving milk 🙂 I
think they need 3 minutes as 2 was just a little under done for my tastes.
Larson, good to know, thank you!
This was the very first thing I cooked in my InstantPot, I didn’t have the foaming issue at all! I used vegetable oil and released in spurts until it was a lower steam release. Voila’ perfect elbow macaroni for chili! We put our chili in
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LuAnn, it’s a magical thing, isn’t it!
Used egg noodles, took the lowest cooking time 10mins/2 = 5 -1 = 4mins and they were absolute PERFECTION! The best way to cook pasta. Thanks so much Marci!
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Danille, works like a charm doesn’t it 😉
This was literally the best pasta I have EVER made. I made wheat fusilli and it turned out perfectly!! Thank you so much!! I’m going to use this all the time now.
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Katie, it’s a great trick, huh!? I haven’t boiled pasta on the stove top for a very long time!
The reason for the foamy release is the superheated water starts to flash boil when the pressure drops. My suggestion is lower your time to like 2 minutes or even a minute and do a natural release. Or wait 4-5 minutes after your time expires to release the pressure. But as long as that water’s temperature is higher than its normal unpressurized boiling point (212deg f) it will always flash boil when you release the pressure, so the foam thing may he uncontrollable unless you adjust your times very low and natural release which will likely always result in overcooked pasta. The towel over the valve thing is probably the best solution.
Christopher, great tips, thanks. I’ll have to play around with this more. What confuses me is I never have a problem with my mac and cheese recipe foaming. I’ve tried to figure out what about that one is different but so far I haven’t cracked it. Thanks for your input!
Thank you for the recipe and tips! I packed lunch for the work week.
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Susab, way to be on the ball!
Followed recipe exactly. Used bow tie pasta and it was terrible. Very over cooked. Going to try a lot less water next time and maybe even less cook time. Only did it for 4 mins so maybe 2 mins next time.
Danielle, dang! What was the cook time on the bag? Did you do it in an 8 quart pot by chance? I’ve done bow tie a few times without problems. Was it just regular pasta?
I tried this tonight and I think I messed it up. I followed the recipe (I think) and it was mushy .and just awful. I used Orecchiette (hat noodles) and the minimum is was 13 mins so I did 5. I used12oz pasta and 6cups water and the butter and salt… idk what I did wrong?! Help please!
Anna, That’s the time I would have done as well. Hmmm…was it regular pasta or a speciality pasta like gluten-free, bean, lentil, etc? Did you make it in a 6 or 8 quart pot? Did you let the pasta soak in the water for a while before you cooked it?
I have to cook spaghetti pasta (no sauce) for approximately 50 people. How much can I cook in the pressure cooker at one time? I have an 11 quart nesco.
Samia, Oh boy, that’s hard to know there. I’ve had issues with spaghetti pasta clumping in the past so I think that could be a bit risky to do that kind of volume. Personally, I would stick with the stove top on that one.
I am new to electric pressure cooking, or any pressure cooking to be honest. My mother surprised me with the Pampered Chef Quick Cooker ( I had been considering the Instapot, and would never have shelled out the money that Pampered Chef costs.. insanity! ). Looking for recipes I go to Instapot. I love my PC QC so I’m thrilled to be able to try new & fun things. I saw your post about pasta, and I just so happened to have needed a bag of wide egg noodles for dinner tonight. Your recipe is spot on. ( though, like you, I had to release the steam in spurts due to foam). Then the big reveal ( which needs some type of amazing drumroll each time I open it ) and it was the very best looking pasta I had ever seen. Nothing stuck together. I drained it and went immediately to assembling my casserole. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m so glad I searched pasta cooking with electric pressure cookers and your recipe was the first that popped up. I will be coming back for more recipes. ( if you find a solution to the foam, please let me know. ). God Bless you & yours!
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Juanita, So happy to hear you’re loving the pressure cooker! There are some great suggestions from others in this thread I plan on trying such as rinsing the pasta or putting a tall trivet in the pot to help stop the foam from rising. I plan on testing these out.
Another trick to ditch the foaming: Rinse the pasta 3 times… as in put the pasta in a bowl, submerge, agitate with your fingers a little, pour out water, repeat 2 more times. This gets rid of the bulk of the starch that causes the foaming in the first place.
Also, your timing formula is perfect for al dente pasta. If someone wants slightly softer pasta, don’t subtract the last minute. So 7 minutes would be 3 minutes instead of 2. We do a lot of gluten free and heartier pastas so that extra minute helps but if I were doing macaroni, I would definitely subtract the extra minute.
Laurie, Great tips! Thank you a million times. I’m so excited to try this.
Hi Harold.
I also have been using a pasta machine for about 5 years now and have no plans to go back to “the boxes” on the shelves!
A few weeks ago I bought an IP and use it every day. However, my fresh pasta brings me to a standstill and I was wondering if you found a solution.
Thanks
Vinnie, I wouldn’t use the IP for that pasta gold you’re making. I really need to learn this skill!
I have read your cooking times for making pasta in the instant pot. It all makes sense. But what is the cooking time and water amount for the instant pot when I am making homemade pasta with my pasta machine?
Beth, I’ve never tried it with homemade pasta, but I have read that you shouldn’t pressure cook homemade pasta because the cook time is so low. So jealous of your homemade pasta situation though!
I don’t think I will ever make pasta on the stove top again, super yummy! I put the oil in first, 1 cup of water, then pasta, the 1 more cup of water. No foam with quick release method. It was gluten free pasta, but I’ve tried it with regular pasta and no foam. Hope it helps!
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Wendy, that’s interesting, I’ll have to play around with that. Thank you!
I didn’t read through all the recipes to see if someone had suggested it yet, but I’ve been taking a trivet and turning it upside down over the pasta and that seems to help a little with the foam coming out. You still get some but it does help 🙂
Sarah, Whatttttt! That’s so smart! I can’t wait to try this. You are a total genius. What type of trivet? Like, does it have small holes or one of the racks with wide spaces?
I only make pasta shapes (not long pasta like spaghetti) and I add enough water so it just peeks through the dry pasta. It’s a bit inexact but it works for all shapes-the amount of water filling the gaps seems to be just enough to cook it perfectly. Because of the minimal water there’s no draining and I find that half the time on the box works for me. My time at pressure is longer but it makes sense since it’s not in contact with the heating water while coming to pressure which is why your shorter times work. Same difference, really. I have very little splurting on QR.
I’ll try your way next time. Not saying my way is better, just sharing my experiences.
Also do the sauce +water method for sauced pasta.
I really love my IP, well, both of them, I have two.
Diane, Thank you! I love to hear others experiences. And 2 IP’s (at least) is a must!
Hi! Going to try this this week. If I need to make 2+ boxes of pasta at the same time (cooking for 8 adults) do I change the amount of time?
Jill, No, I would leave the cook time the same, just adjust the water and salt amounts.
Just made this with Banza Chickpea pasta and I was amazed at how perfectly it turned out – even better than when I’ve made this same pasta on the stove! I didn’t have any issues with starch coming out of the valve which was nice not to have to worry about or babysit! Thanks for the post! I’ve bookmarked it for next time.
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Lindsay, I love Banza! And I love that my kids love it. I haven’t sat over a boiling pot of pasta for over a year 🙂
Great article and website. I just bought a electric pasta maker and before discovering this website. Are you telling me that my homemade pasta will break up and fall apart in a pressure cooker; that I shouldn’t even try? I was thinking about applying a wet then a dry cloth when quick releasing the pressure or try to develop a formula for natural release of pressure as one other commenter suggested. By your experience, is my heart broken and should not try?
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Harold, I’ve actually never tried cooking fresh pasta in the pressure cooker but since it only takes just a minute or 2 to cook it, I think the pressure cooker would destroy it. If you decide to go for it, please let me know your experience!
Hi! I followed your method and cooked Trader Joe’s red lentil pasta. WOW! It was perfectly cooked! Much better method than stove top! Thank you SO much for sharing!! Can’t wait to try it again!
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Lisette, Isn’t it such a great trick!? I haven’t ruined a package of pasta since doing it this way. It works great on bean pastas
This worked wonderfully. Thanks!
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Danielle, it’s a great trick, right?!
If this helps: copied directly from the article: I will put into all caps indicating where I got confused, I’m not yelling LOL 😉
This is in the article in all caps not the source of my confusion: ” COOK PASTA FOR HALF THE LOWEST PACKAGE COOKING TIME, MINUS 1 MINUTE
This can get a little confusing since there are often ranges of time on the package. So here’s a few examples so you can get the idea.”
“The Whole Wheat Spiral Pasta here said to cook for 7-9 minutes. ”
(BELOW IS WHERE I WAS CONFUSED, BUT I USED THIS FORMULA AND COOKED MY RICE PASTA 2 MINUTES FROM A 7-10 MINUTE PACKAGE DIRECTIONS)
“I took the lowest time (7 minutes), decreased it to 6 to get an even number, divide in half (3 minutes) and subtract 1 minute = 2 minutes cooking time.
The Brown Rice Macaroni Pasta here called for 15-16 minutes. I took the lowest time (15 minutes), decreased it to 14 to get an even number, divide in half (7 minutes) and subtract 1 minute = 6 minutes cooking time. By the way, this Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta is my FAVORITE pasta of all time. It’s whole grain and gluten-free and has the best texture of any pasta I’ve ever had!
The Whole Grain Penne pasta here had a cook time of 10-12 minutes. I took the lowest time (10 minutes), divide in half (5 minutes) and subtract 1 minute = 4 minutes cooking time.
Make sense?”
Nicole, I’ll put some examples directly in the recipe card. Hopefully that will help clear things up better. Thanks for helping me out on this!
Glad to help. I like the additions you made to help overthinkers like me ;P
Nicole, haha, thanks for your feedback!
I am planning on trying this very soon but I am a little confused. Is the cooking time “lowest package time minus one minute” as stated in directions or “lowest cooking time, minus one minute to make an even number, divide by two and subtract one” as stated in the examples you give???
Nicole, the recipe card directions says to cook it for half the package cooking time minus one minute. Is that what you’re referring to? I only subtract a number in the examples to get it to an even number
Hi Marci,
Yes. That is what I am referring to. I tried it last night with a rice penne pasta from trader joe’s that i have had success with in the old method.
It says 7-10 min. I subtracted the 1 minute and had I cooked it for the 6 minutes described on the recipe card, it would have been mush.
Within the article, you give some examples where you subtract the minute from a pasta whose directions say a minimum of 15 min t get it to an even number. Now you have 14 minutes but then in the article you go on to say that you half that time and subtract another minute. That is what I did with mine. 7 minutes less 1 minute is 6 minutes. Half of that was 3 minutes less one more was two minutes. That is how I cooked it and it was fine. The recipe card only says to subtract one minute from the lowest cooking time, again that would have been mush at 6 minutes. Good thing I read your entire article.
Nicole, I’m making myself crazy reading my directions over and over to see if I missed something, haha! The directions in the recipe card say “Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for half of the pasta package cooking time minus 1 minute”. Does that not clarify enough what I say in the article?
I put the pasta in the instant pot and pour a jar of spaghetti sauce over it, then fill the jar with water and pour that over it. When I do the quick release there is no water to drain off. It’s ready to eat. I cook at high pressure for 4 minutes for regular pasta. (You can also saute onions and brown ground meat first in the instant pot and add the pasta, sauce, and water on top of that.)
I just made Jovial penne brown rice pasta and it took 5 minutes which is exactly what you said. The box said 12. I forgot to rinse the pasta as someone suggested. I would definitely rinse it the next time.
Jeanette, I have yet to try rinsing the pasta first, I forgot about that tip! Jovial brown rice pasta is hands down my favorite pasta brand.
Jeanette, Yum! I’m going to try this, thank you!
Great recipe, thanks for sharing.
Vinh, Thank you 🙂
I am really confused. I just opened mu instant pot, cleaned, tested, and am ready to try to cook pasta. With the formula I need to cook it for 6 minutes. When I go to pressure cook and set timer it stops at 4 min. I feel stupid. What am I doing wrong?
RaeAnn, That is strange! What kind of pressure cooker do you have? I’ve never had my instant pot or fagor do that.
Add on to previous review…
And it did stick a bit… But was able to stir it all up, and everything turned out good. FYI
★★★★
Very good. Next time I will cut the salt in half for the pasta. I tasted the pasta before adding the cheese, and it already was too salty, IMO. And of course, the cheese adds more. But very tasty. And I’m enjoying cooking pasta in the IP. Yesterday I made fettuccini for a asian cold noodle salad, and it came out great. I subscribed yesterday, but continually get asked about subscribing again (?) Thank you! I’m going to try Cami’s Chicken Salad recipe next. 🙂
★★★★
I just used this method for making a cold macaroni salad, and it is cooked perfectly. Thanks!
★★★★★
Nancy, Thank you so much for letting me know! I use this method all the time!
Any tips for making 1Pound of dried Orzo pasta in the Instant Pot? Thanks for your help!
Suz, I’ve never tried orzo, it’s possible it’s too small. If I tried it I would use the same method I talk about in the post of cutting the box directions in half and subtracting another minute. I’ve also read before that smaller pastas can clog the vent when pressure is released, but I’ve done couscous before and it was fine.
I tried this today with vegetable pasta. Your directions were spot-on! I have an IP mini and cooked 8 oz. of pasta with 4 cups water. I only cut the time in half believing that no way could pasta be done in 4 minutes, but you were right. The pasta was a little over-cooked for my taste so I will subtract the extra minute as you suggested.
I don’t know what it is about cooking in the IP but everything comes out so evenly done with perfect texture.
Thanks for your tips. I’m signing up!
★★★★★
Cyndi, That is so great to hear! I’ve tried it on every kind of pasta and it always works! I’m crazy about my IP. It really just makes cooking fun 🙂
I made pasta for the first time last night. It was as simple as cooking pasta on the stovetop except that I was freed up to tend to other tasks. The orecchiette pasta was perfectly al dente. The releasing of the steam in spurts was rather disconcerting. Does anyone have any tips?
Tess, I love cooking it in the pressure cooker for the hands off, no overflow factor. But I agree, the spurts are a bit annoying sometimes. I’m still on the hunt for getting rid of pasta foam once and for all!
I’m not giving any stars because I haven’t tried your method. I use only one cup of water for 4 ounces of noodles. 1 pound package, 4 cups of water.
I cook white pasta 4 minutes and wheat pasta 5 with quick release. I live at sea level. I don’t know if that makes a difference.
Jamie, Thanks for sharing!
Stupid question…are you measuring 4 oz by weight or by volume (4 oz = 1/2 cup)? I have a pack of pasta that’s 750 g…..
D, By weight. Good question!
Hi. I just cooked red bean penne pasta for 1 minute and then let it come down naturally (probably took about 6-7 min). I kept it on warm and opened the lid at about the 10 minute warm mark (so a total of 11 minutes in IP), and it turned out great. The stove top recipe calls for 8-10 minutes. Also, I use chicken broth and just put enough to barely cover the penne (sorry, no measuring) so that I don’t have to drain. I used this same pasta to liquid ratio technique in the rice cooker (pre-IP) and it always worked out perfectly.
TT, What a great idea, I’m going to try this!
I used some industrial insulation experience to deal with the quick release of steam.
I wet one washcloth and let it rest over valve, and used another sorta rolled up as my insulatior to depress valve…the wet cloth absorbed the starchy stuff and the bit of run down was taken care of with the dry one.
Your formula for cooking time was dead on!
Oh! My pasta was good old fashioned penne…
If I get the recipe name can we collaborate? Got a Craft Beer BBQ sauce you might like
Loved the recipe, my spaghetti noodles came out perfect, my daughter loves her pasta with butter, parsley and grated parmesan. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Juanjo, I’m so happy to hear that! I love plain ol’ butter and parm pasta too, smart girl 🙂
I am new to the instant pot world. The few things I have made state a set time but, nothing is ever done. What am I doing wrong?
Made simple sweet potatoes wrapped in foil.
Time stated 15 minutes, I did 20 because they were a little bigger. I ended up doing 15 minutes more. Total of 35 minutes. They were done beautiful and were amazing but, why the time difference.
I want to do pasta now but I am afraid of under/over cooking.
Can you help?
Mary, That can be so frustrating! I do think it takes time to learn the ins and outs of pressure cooking and what works and what doesn’t for you. I do medium size sweet potatoes and russet potatoes for 25 minutes, unwrapped, for fluffy, wonderful potatoes every time. I believe the foil would slow the cooking process a bit. I bake my pasta with these instructions every time and it hasn’t failed me yet. I’ve done it with white pasta, whole wheat, brown rice pasta, lentil pasta, etc, and it works perfectly. Be brave! Give it a go!
Mary if you are located over 2000 ft above sea level you have to adjust your cooking time by increasing by 5 percent for every 1000 feet (starting at 3000 ft). Don’t know if this is your problem but thought it may be your problem.
That foam you’re getting is starch and extra flour from the outside of the pasta. When it’s shipped, it rubs and jostles together and starch ends up covering the outside of the pasta, just like it does to rice. You simply need to rinse your pasta a few times before you cook it, just like you should with rice, and that should reduce the amount of foam. Have a happy day!
Tina, that I have never tried! I will try this out the next time! Thank you!
Have you tried a splash of vinegar? On the stove top it keeps the pasta from boiling over.
Clara, I haven’t tried that! But I’m gonna! If it works I’ll be updating the post and praising your name!
Thanks for this…I’ve been struggling to get this just right for a while! So excited to try your formula! Love you guys!
★★★★★
Jill, We love you too ????. I hope it works good for you!