Instant pot fettuccine alfredo is a creamy delicious bowl of pasta that can be eaten as is or be used as a tasty side dish to any fun Italian-themed dinner menu, such as this air fryer eggplant parmesan!
Something is amazing about taking a traditional comforting pasta dish that everyone loves and turning it into something that can be made quickly and easily without having to wait for the weekend to enjoy it! This Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo is perfect for busy weeknights when you have no idea what to make for dinner!
Just like Instant Pot spaghetti, I've turned a classic alfredo pasta dish into a simple one-pot recipe that is still from scratch but uses a few shortcuts! You most likely have all the ingredients already, as there aren't many and all you have to do is dump the ingredients in, uncooked pasta included, and set it to cook. You don't even need to drain anything afterward!
The results are tender pasta noodles smothered in a rich, creamy, alfredo sauce every time. This Italian-inspired alfredo dish is exactly the restaurant-style meal you'd wish for in a hearty bowl of pasta.
It's customizable so you can add in any protein you like or extra veggies. Serve with a side of Caesar salad and garlic bread and you've got a complete meal ready in no time!
Why We Love Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
- So creamy! Ok, so authentic alfredo sauce doesn't actually contain any cream, but not many people know that, so I won't tell if you don't 😉 We use heavy cream to get that rich, luscious, silky sauce that coats the noodles exactly the way we like it!
- It's easy. Seriously, it couldn't be any easier! Kids love this meal and ask for it probably every week, so it needs to be something I can whip up quickly.
- Makes lots of leftovers. Making pasta in a pressure cooker is great for make-ahead and batch cooking. Take some pasta to work for lunch or reheat leftovers for dinner.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Chicken broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fettuccine noodles, broken in half
- Heavy cream: There's no substitute! Milk or half and half will curdle.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated from a block. It's better tasting and melts easily into the sauce.
How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo in Instant Pot
Step 1: Turn the Instant Pot on by pressing the sauté button. Once it says “HOT” melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant.
Step 2: Pour in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pot. This means scraping off any brown bits so that they don't burn. This also adds so much flavor to your sauce. Stir in salt and pepper.
Step 3: Layer the fettuccine noodles in about 4 criss-cross layers. You may need to break the noodles in half for them to fit. Spread the noodles out while you're layering them so that they don't clump together when cooking.
Step 4: Pour heavy cream over the noodles and DO NOT STIR.
Step 5: Close the lid and move the pressure release valve to the sealing position. If this isn't done, the pressure won't build. Pressure cook on high/manual for 5 minutes.
Step 6: Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 4 minutes. There will still be quite a bit of pressure after that, so control the release by moving the valve in short spurts until the pressure is gone.
Step 7: Once the pin drops, open the lid and stir in the parmesan cheese. Let it sit for a bit until the sauce thickens and the cheese has melted.
Serve immediately with extra parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for garnish. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Break the fettuccine noodles in half to fit into the pot and arrange the noodles in crisscross layers so that they don’t stick together. This is a trick that works for any long-noodle dish cooked in an Instant Pot.
- If you don't have fettuccine, you can use regular spaghetti noodles, or linguine too.
- The reason for the controlled release at the end is because of the amount of pressure that is built up. If you release it all at once, there will be a ton of splatter and heavy cream spewing everywhere!
- To do a controlled release, turn the knob to the venting position, wait 30 seconds (or until stuff starts spewing out), close the knob for 5-10 seconds, then vent for 30 seconds, and, repeat until all the pressure is released.
- It will be thin and runny when you open the lid. Add the parmesan cheese and it will thicken right up. It will also continue to thicken as it cools.
Variations
Instant Pot fettuccine Alfredo is amazing on its own or as a side dish. To make it an even heartier pasta dish there are a few extra ingredients you can add!
- Shrimp
- Chicken
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Diced ham
- Bacon crumbles
- Peas
- Spinach
- Red bell peppers
- A bit of extra seasoning!
What to Serve with Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
On days when I want to keep things simple, I usually just have a loaf of air fryer garlic bread and a simple side salad to go along with it.
There are times when I want to ramp up the menu and these are some of what I like to have it with:
- Instant Pot artichoke
- Instant Pot asparagus
- Air fryer scallops
- Instant Pot lemon garlic chicken
- Air fryer stuffed mushrooms
FAQs
Nope! Heavy cream has a high-fat content and it does not curdle. I've tested this recipe several times.
There are a few tricks to make this happen. You can use a bit less chicken broth initially that way it'll be thicker when you open the lid. Keep in mind, that parmesan cheese will naturally thicken the sauce up.
Part of what's great about this recipe is there is room to play around with the consistency to make it exactly how you and your family enjoy it.
Add a splash of heavy cream or water to thin it out. You may find you do this anyway when you reheat it as some of it will have absorbed into the pasta.
Keep it in an airtight container for up to 1 day. It's got a ton of dairy in it, so you'll want to move it from the Instant Pot to the fridge as soon as it cools and you're done serving it.
Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces fettuccine noodles, broken in half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- To the instant pot, press [SAUTE]. Once the pot is hot, melt the butter; add garlic and cook until fragrant. Then, deglaze the pot with chicken broth. Stir in the salt and pepper.
- Layer the fettuccine noodles in a crisscross pattern of about 4 layers. Use your fingers to separate any noodles that are too close to each other. This will prevent it from sticking together and not cooking properly. Pour heavy cream over the noodles. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, making sure the pressure release valve is in the sealing position. Press [PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL] on high pressure for 5 minutes (for al dente).
- Once the timer goes off, let it naturally release pressure for 4 minutes (display will say L0:04) before doing a controlled release of short spurts until the pressure is fully released.
- Open the lid and stir in the parmesan cheese. Then, let it sit for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt and the sauce to thicken up.
- Serve immediately with additional parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Notes
Helpful Tips:
- To thin out the sauce: add a few splashes of heavy cream or broth.
- To thicken the sauce: add more parmesan cheese or select the [Sauté] mode on the instant pot and let the liquid boil off. (Note: Hold off on doing this step right away. Once it cools down, the pasta will soak up most of the liquid).
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