How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot

This trusty guide for How to Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot takes all the guess work out of cook times, water amounts, and more. Say goodbye to standing over the stove and stirring multiple pots, and say hello to perfect pasta and a super easy dinner that practically makes itself with the most minimal cleanup! Plus, pasta is the perfect trial if you’re new to the Instant Pot.

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Pasta Recipe Guide 

• No stove top cleanup or multiple pans. Easy cleanup!
• The absolute easiest way to cook a box of pasta. Set it and forget it!
• Using the trusty guide, no questioning cook times. No more undercooked or overcooked pasta.
• Super easy dinner in a short period of time. You can even cook pasta and marinara sauce at the same time!
• Cook pasta right in its own starch.
• Pasta is the best thing to try out in your IP if using for the first time!

Recipe Ingredients

Pasta – choose your favorite dry pasta and check the reference guide for amount of time needed

Water – or broth. 2 cups per 8 ounces of pasta

Salt – 1 tsp per 4 oz pasta

Olive oil – 1 tbsp per 4 oz pasta

How To Cook Pasta in the Instant Pot

Refer to the “Pasta Cooking Times” section below and determine the appropriate amount of water and cook time for the pasta you are using. 

Combine pasta, water, salt and oil in the Instant Pot and stir*.
*Don’t stir long pasta. See the section below for specifics.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set to sealing. Cook on high (use pressure cook setting) for the time determined from the chart. 

Perform a natural release for 5 minutes, followed by a quick pressure release for any remaining steam. Remove the lid and stir the pasta. If the pasta is not entirely cooked through or there is unabsorbed liquid, place the lid back on the Instant Pot for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir again.

At this point you can add butter, pasta sauce or what you’re adding to your pasta.

Cook Times for Pasta in the Instant Pot

Like with the traditional stovetop method, pasta cooking time will depend on the type of pasta. But of course the IP cooks the pasta much, much faster. Use this handy reference to figure how long to cook your pasta for the perfect texture.

Angel hair/capellini – 1 minute
Rotini – 2 minutes
Spaghetti noodles – 2 minutes
Elbow macaroni – 2 minutes
Egg noodles, regular – 2 minutes
Shells (medium or small) – 3 minutes
Fettuccine – 3 minutes
Rotelle – 3 minutes
Egg noodles (extra wide) – 3 minutes
Linguini – 3 minutes
Wagon wheel – 3 minutes
Farfalle/Bowtie – 4 minutes
Penne pasta – 4 minutes
Shells (jumbo) – 4 minutes
Ziti – 4 minutes

DIY Cook Times

To figure out how long to cook your favorite pasta, remember this simple formula. I recommend writing this down and keeping it on your fridge.

Take the lowest cooking time listed on your pasta box, divide it by two, and subtract one. That’s your Instant Pot number.

So, if your package of penne says 10–12 minutes, take 10, divide by 2 (5), subtract 1… that’s 4 minutes.

How Much Water to Cook Pasta in an Instant Pot

There’s an easy way to make sure you use enough water to pasta ratio for the Instant Pot. As a general rule of thumb, use 2 cups of water for every 8 oz of pasta.

24 oz pasta = 6 cups water
16 oz pasta = 4 cups water
8 oz pasta = 2 cups water

How to Cook Long Pasta in the Instant Pot

Long noodles like spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, angel hair, bucatini need a slightly different approach when being cooked in the Instant Pot. And this might hurt some of you to hear, but you’ll need to break the pasta.

Pour water, salt and oil into the pot first and stir. Break the pasta in half and layer it in a crisscross pattern (do not stir!). This helps prevent the noodles from sticking together.

Gently press the pasta down until it’s mostly submerged in the water. If it’s not fully covered, add a bit more water until every strand is under liquid (you can always drain off any excess after cooking).

Secure the lid, and cook according to your pasta time chart. Let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes before doing a quick release of pressure for any remaining steam. Give it a good stir to separate the strands, then drain well (if needed).

How to Cook Gluten Free or Whole Wheat Pasta in the Instant Pot

No changes are needed to the cook times whether you’re using regular pasta, whole wheat, or gluten-free pasta! Simply follow the recipe and pasta to water ratio as-is.

Recipe Notes & Tips

• Refer to the cooking time chart or write down the easy formula and put it on the fridge for quickly figuring it out on your own.
• Make sure you have enough water for the amount of pasta you are making.
• Long pasta needs to be broken up and not stirred before cooking for best results. See the “Cooking Long Pasta” section of this post.
• Different pasta shapes need to cook for differing lengths of time.
• If you don’t see your pasta in the chart, select a similarly sized pasta shape.

The Pot-In-Pot Method – Cook your Pasta and Sauce at the Same Time!

Okay, you’ve nailed the pasta. Now let’s make the whole dinner happen in one shot and one pot. Instead of cooking your sauce separately on the stove, use the pot-in-pot method.

After you add the pasta, water, salt, and oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot, set the trivet that comes with the IP on top. Get a small, oven-safe bowl or stainless steel container and pour your sauce – Marinara, Alfredo sauce, Homemade Pesto, whatever you love – into that bowl. Set the bowl carefully on the trivet.

Seal the lid and cook using the same time and method as listed in the recipe. When the timer’s done, let it naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick-release the rest.

Dinner’s ready! Perfectly cooked pasta and warm sauce waiting to be poured on top. It’s honestly kind of magical to watch it all come together.

How to Make One-Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce in the Instant Pot

This Instant Pot Spaghetti With Meat Sauce Recipe is absolute perfection! Quick, easy, made with simple ingredients, and it turns out perfectly every single time for a delicious meal the whole family will love. Every time I make this simple recipe, we devour the pot in its entirety.

What to Serve with Pasta

Serve your pasta with lots of Homemade Garlic Bread, and a Chopped Green Salad or some Roasted Vegetables.

How to Store Pasta

Store leftover pasta in the fridge. Eat within 3-4 days.

Spaghetti is a great dinner option to freeze. Place into resealable freezer bags and freeze for up to 4 months. When you are ready to enjoy the spaghetti, let it thaw completely (preferably in the fridge overnight).

How to Reheat Pasta

You can reheat unsauced pasta by dropping it in hot water for a couple minutes or just pouring hot water over it. Sauced pasta should be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. You might want to spritz a little water on first to loosen everything up as it heats.

Pasta Sauce Recipes

• Spaghetti Sauce Made from Tomato Paste
• Pasta Sauce Using Fresh Tomatoes
• Spaghetti Sauce Made Using Tomato Sauce
• Instant Pot Pasta Sauce