This Easy Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo is the perfect restaurant-quality weeknight meal – perfectly cooked pasta in a rich, creamy sauce, on the table in 20 minutes!
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If you’ve ever felt intimidated by the thought of making classic restaurant-style pasta dishes at home, those days are over! This Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo is the perfect easy weeknight meal for anyone who loves creamy Italian flavours, and it’s just as good as Fettuccine Alfredo from a restaurant! Add some grilled chicken on top and serve it with a side salad, and you’ve got a delicious restaurant-quality meal the whole family will love!!
Cooking Pasta in the Instant Pot
Cooking pasta in its own sauce is the best way to create the most delicious, silky sauce because as pasta cooks it releases starch into the sauce – and rather than pouring all that starch down the drain with the pasta water, using the pasta’s own starch to create a thick and velvety sauce is absolute perfection. As this Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo cooks the Instant Pot does all the work (which is why we love it so much!) and leaves you with perfectly cooked pasta in a thick, rich and creamy sauce that’s SO delicious.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- Chicken Breasts (optional)
- Olive oil
- Garlic Powder
- Minced Garlic (fresh)
- Lemon juice
- White Wine (optional)
- Chicken Stock
- Salt and Pepper
- Fettuccine Noodles
- Heavy Cream
- Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo in the Instant Pot
Making Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo is SO easy! Use my PRO TIPS for the perfect Instant Pot Pasta every time!
- Sauté the chicken breasts first. Cooking the chicken first makes for a short pressure cooking time and it creates amazing flavour!
- Deglaze the pan to prevent burning. If you want to avoid that dreaded “burn” notice, deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine (or use a splash of stock instead if you don’t cook with wine) and scrape up any caramelized bits before pressure cooking.
- Layer the liquid and the noodles. Before pressure cooking, remove the chicken and layer the liquid and noodles until everything is added.
- Do NOT stir before cooking! Resist the urge to stir before cooking. Stirring makes the noodles clump up and causes the noodles to sink to the bottom where they’ll burn. For even cooking, cook the ingredients in layers (as mentioned in the instruction above) and wait until after the pressure is released to stir.
- Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes. The noodles only need 6 minutes to cook to al dente and absorb the liquid!
- Quick Release. Release the pressure manually. If you let the pressure release naturally the noodles will be WAY over-cooked.
- Add the cream and cheese, and stir well while it’s hot. Add the cream and Parmesan cheese and use a pair of tongs to toss the cooked noodles in the sauce. This will help any noodles clumped together to become unstuck, and it will distribute the noodles and the sauce evenly throughout the pot for easy serving. Toss well until the sauce is creamy and smooth.
- Serve immediately. Since the sauce contains a lot of starch from the pasta, it’s best to serve this dish immediately while the sauce is velvety smooth. Top with some freshly cracked black pepper and some chopped herbs (To reheat as leftovers, add a splash or two of water to a pan and reheat on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting).
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Can I make Dairy-Free Fettuccine Alfredo?
Yes! Instead of adding heavy cream and parmesan cheese, simply add your favourite dairy-free heavy cream alternative (coconut cream or soy-based cooking creams work well) and dairy-free parmesan cheese alternative. While the texture won’t be exactly the same (dairy-free cheese doesn’t melt and become as creamy as dairy-based cheeses), it will still be delicious!
Can I make Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo Vegetarian?
Yes! Simply swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock and serve this recipe without the grilled chicken.
Why Should I Buy an Instant Pot?
If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet and you’re navigating a busy life while trying to feed a hungry family 7 days a week, I’d highly recommend investing in an Instant Pot. Mine sat un-used on a shelf for 6 months until I finally had the courage to give it a try, but once I did I was hooked. I most often use the 8-Quart Instant Pot Duo (affiliate link) because I’m feeding a family (and we like having leftovers for the next day), but I test all my Instant Pot Recipes in the 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo (affiliate link) as well so you can be sure they’ll work for you too! If you’re looking for more delicious Instant Pot recipes, check out ALL my Instant Pot recipes HERE!
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I hope you love this Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite side dish to serve with pasta? I’d love to know!
Kitchen Products I Recommend:
Looking for even more delicious meal ideas? You’ll LOVE these ones I’ve linked below!
- Creamy One Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta
- Thai Chicken Spiralized Zucchini Salad
- Ginger Soy Grilled Chicken
- White Wine and Herb Marinated Chicken
- Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
- Skillet Pesto Caprese Stuffed Chicken
- Honey Garlic and Lime Chicken
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Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel
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Easy Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
Recipe: Equipment
- Instant Pot or other Electric Pressure Cooker (6 quart or 8 quart)
Recipe: Ingredients
For the chicken (optional):
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 chicken breasts
For the pasta:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- a pinch or two of salt
- 3 tablespoons white wine (substitute chicken stock, if desired)
- 1 pound fettuccine noodles
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- cracked black pepper and chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Recipe: Instructions
For the chicken (optional):
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the olive oil.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on all sides and rub the garlic powder onto the chicken breasts on all sides as well.
- Add the chicken breasts to the Instant Pot and cook the chicken breasts on saute mode for at least 5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts, you might need to cook the chicken breasts for up to 7 or 8 minutes per side) until they're cooked through to an internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit).
- To speed up the cooking process, once the chicken breasts are browning on the second side, add the lid to the Instant Pot (do not seal it) to keep the steam inside. This will help the chicken cook a little faster.
- Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot once it's cooked through. Place it on a plate and set aside.
For the pasta:
- Add the olive oil and lemon juice to the Instant Pot on saute mode.
- Add the minced garlic and a pinch or two of salt, and saute just until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
- Add the wine and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the Instant Pot (especially if you've just cooked the chicken in the Instant Pot).
- Add about 2 cups of the stock to the Instant Pot and cancel the saute mode.
- Break the fettuccine noodles in half and add about half the noodle gently into the stock.
- Add another two cups of the stock, and then gently add the rest of the noodles.
- Add the rest of the stock, and don't stir. Just make sure the noodles are submerged in the liquid.
- Add the lid to the Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes (the Instant Pot will take about 8-9 minutes to come to full pressure before the 6-minute cooking time begins).
- Once the Instant Pot has finished the 6-minute cooking time, release the pressure manually by moving the valve to venting. It's best to do this under a hood fan if you have one in your kitchen, and by using a long-handled kitchen tool to move the valve (to prevent burning yourself).
- Once the pressure has released completely, remove the lid immediately and add the cream and Parmesan cheese.
- Use a pair of tongs to toss the noodles, helping them separate. As you toss a creamy sauce will form as any liquid left in the Instant Pot will mix with the cream and the Parmesan as it melts.
- Serve the pasta immediately in its sauce. Slice the chicken breasts and add about 1/2 breast to each serving on top of the pasta (optional). Top with some freshly cracked black pepper and chopped fresh parsley (optional).
Recipe: Notes
Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.