Our Instant Pot fettuccine alfredo with homemade sauce recipe can be made in a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker too. Add meat like our Instant Pot shrimp alfredo or make plain and it's an inexpensive meal winner of a dinner.

This easy Instant Pot fettuccine alfredo recipe is creamy and buttery goodness everyone in your house will love. If you're looking for another new meal in our long list of Instant Pot recipes We have one right now!

You could even add diced chicken for a heartier dinner idea but as is it is wonderful. It is definitely one of our cheap Instant Pot recipes because you only need a few ingredients and they're inexpensive to pick up.

If this is your favorite meal at the local Italian restaurant you will love that you can now make it right at home. With a few ingredients you can use traditional or smaller noodles that will taste the same but cost a lot less. If you have a Crockpot Express or make as a Ninja Foodi recipe those will work the same way.

If you are going to use this brand there is one change to the directions below. All you need to remember is to use the lid that is not attached for the high pressure function. You don't need to crisp anything for this meal so the other lid won't be used.

A wooden cutting board showcases uncooked spaghetti, a stick of salted butter, grated cheese, a measuring cup with liquid, a cup of cream, and a clove of garlic—solid ingredients for whipping up instant pot fettuccine Alfredo. The board rests on a rustic wooden surface.

There are a few tips, tricks and basic steps that you'll need to break your fettuccine noodles in half to fit them properly in your pot, we did the same thing when we make Instant Pot spaghetti.

In our opinion it is easier to eat when they are a bit shorter anyway. Now you can make this alfredo as thick or as thin as you want. Use more or less half and half and/or cornstarch to adjust it to the thickness you desire.

Recipe #1 using homemade sauce is listed below as to what you need to get started. You could use vegan plant based butter and/or coconut milk for a vegetarian dairy free option for this.

Ingredients, pasta cooking, cheese adding, and a close-up of creamy instant pot fettuccine alfredo noodles on a fork in a four-panel collage.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ingredients

You are going to need some liquid to make the sauce as well as cook the noodles in the sauce. Chicken broth or stock is better than water to give it more flavor, obviously.

You are going to want to add a decent amount of minced Garlic. We use jarred minced but could roast your own like our air fryer garlic if you would rather.

Butter will make it creamy for a homemade sauce. We like to use Kerrygold because it is the best of the best, creamiest with the richest flavor. If you wanted it dairy free there is a great type from Country Crock that is plant based. We would add another pinch of salt in that case.

A bunch of grated or shaved Parmesan cheese gives it that classic flavor that you want. You can shave yourself or buy in a tub already done which makes it even easier.

Then to make it creamy you want to add Half and half or heavy cream are best, don't count the calories on this.

Cornstarch is used as a thickener, optional of course but we do use a bit because we like the texture of it coating every noodle well.

How to Make Spicy

When you make sauce from scratch you can tweak it to your liking many different ways. One that is popular is to make spicy like our cajun alfredo sauce. If you'd rather make that then use the directions in that post.

Can you use jarred sauce?

Yes you can alternatively add 1 jar of alfredo sauce – 15 ounces. Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth. Then pour the 2nd cup of broth inside your alfredo jar, add the top and shake before pouring that in to remove as much sauce as possible.

Can you add chicken?

If you want to add leftover chicken dice and fold that in at the end to warm together. If you want to add shrimp on top here is how to defrost frozen Instant Pot shrimpor cook fresh. You could add some shrimp to the top too which is fabulous too. Same flavors as this fettuccine recipe with meat, both are great.

We mentioned shrimp, chicken and canned tuna above. In the first step when you're adding the noodles you could include 1/2 cup of frozen peas too. That is kinda' our go to. If you have leftover ham that is good too. Dice it small and add it with all other ingredients at the start so it can heat together.

How Long to Cook Fettuccine Alfredo in Instant Pot

Pour sauce in with 3 cups of medium shells or other small uncooked noodles and then set to pressure cook high for a 4 minute cook time. Allow steam to naturally release for 2 minutes. Then quick release the pressure and open lid. Turn pot off, add salt and pepper to taste, stir and serve hot, add parmesan on top if you'd like

Second to our Kraft Mac and Cheese in a pressure cookerthis is a quick meal we can throw together with 3 ingredients.

A white bowl of creamy Instant Pot fettuccine Alfredo topped with parsley, with an Instant Pot in the background.

Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

By Easy Instant Pot fettuccine alfredo recipe with a jar sauce or homemade is quick to make with a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker your whole family is sure to love. Inexpensive meal. Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 8 minutes minsTotal: 18 minutes minsServings: 4 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

16 oz fettuccine noodles, or small noodles like shells or rotini
3 c chicken broth
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
2 tbsp butter
3/4 c parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2-1 c half and half, depending on how thick you want it
3 tbsp cornstarchoptional, depending on how thick you want it
1 can chicken, drained, optional

Instructions

Place pasta, broth, garlic, salt and oil into the instant pot and mix well. You may have to break the pasta in half in order for it to fit.
Place the lid onto the instant pot and close the pressure release valve. Set the pot to manual, high pressure for 8 minutes.
When cooking cycle is complete, quick release steam. Carefully open pot and separate pasta with a fork. Add drained can of chicken now if desired.
Stir in butter, cheese and half and half. Set pot to saute. In a small bowl add cornstarch mixture and some of your hot liquid, whisk together and add back into pot. Heat until bubbly and thickens.
Serve immediately with chopped fresh parsley garnish.