We're talking about perfectly cooked pasta in the Instant Pot pressure cooker today that involves no stirring, babysitting, or foamy overflows all over your stove top. 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.
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 stove top 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 cup of liquid for every 4 ounces of pasta
- Add salt: 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt for every 1 cup 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 combing 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
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 espeically 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 over cooked 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, cavatappi, 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
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT PASTA
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 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- pasta
- water – 1 cup for every 4 oz of pasta
- kosher salt – 1/2 teaspoon for every 1 cup 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).
- 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 cup 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
Method adapted from Hip Pressure Cooking
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!