Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo

Our easy Instant Pot fettuccine alfredo recipe with homemade sauce 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.

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.

Ninja Foodi Fettuccine Alfredo

If this is your favorite meal at the local Italian restaurant you will love that you can now make it right at home. With just 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 just 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.

Tips and Tricks

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, I did the same thing when I make Instant Pot spaghetti.

In my 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. To add meat just put in shredded rotisserie chicken (or drained, canned) after the pressure cooking process is done. It’s super easy.

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.

Homemade Alfredo 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. I 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. I 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. I 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 I do use a bit because I like the texture of it really 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 add chicken?

Yes. If you want to add leftover chicken just 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 shrimp, or 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.

Instant Pot Fettuccini Alfredo with Jar Sauce (Option)

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. Pour this into your pot now. Sprinkle in 3 cups of medium shells or other small uncooked noodles, stir.

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

What can you add to fettuccini alfredo?

I 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’ my 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.

You could also easily add a can of drained canned chicken to either one. If you just want a fast meal that will take 10 minutes start to finish, use the jarred recipe. 

Second to our Kraft Mac and Cheese in a pressure cooker, this is a quick meal I can throw together with 3 ingredients.

Looking for other Instant Pot pasta recipes to enjoy?? Look at this post!

How do you revive fettuccini alfredo?

If you have leftovers slow cooker chicken alfredo, or this you either way would store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When reheating, move to a microwaveable dish and add 1-2 tbsp of broth or water. Cover with a paper towel and heat in 30 sec. intervals. Stir every time you add more time so it can be heated evenly.