Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo with milk and Parmesan is creamy, saucy and absolutely like a heavy cream restaurant quality Alfredo. Everyone will love this easy 25 minute weeknight dinner!
We love pasta dishes like Instant Pot mac and cheese and Instant Pot spaghetti around here.
Instant Pot Alfredo
I keep this Instant Pot chicken alfredo recipe in my back pocket for nights when we are super busy. Absolutely everyone loves pasta in my house and entire world.
This is skinny alfredo with milk, Parmesan cheese and whole wheat noodles (if you wish). And it is creamy, saucy and absolutely like a real heavy cream restaurant quality alfredo.
It is kid friendly, perfect for picky eaters and Instant Pot beginners. And like my friend, Joy, said in the video below we made alfredo “legal” by adding 3 cups of veggies at the end.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken: You want to start with boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts. Frozen, half thawed or fresh work. You can also omit meat for vegetarian alfredo.
- Pasta: Fettuccine, linguine or even spaghetti. White, whole wheat or gluten free works.
- Chicken or veggie broth and milk: Broth will create steam and cook everything. Milk is added at the end for sauce.
- Parmesan: I highly recommend to use freshly grated Parmesan and not from a shaker. Completely different taste.
How to Make Alfredo Pasta in Instant Pot
There is video and detailed recipe card below. This is summary.
- Cut chicken or not. I like to cut chicken into 1″ cubes with kitchen shears right above pressure cooker. Or you can lay whole pieces on top and shred after.
- Add liquids: Then add chicken, stock, oil, salt and pepper.
- Layer pasta to prevent from sticking: Break noodles in half and add criss cross in about 6 layers. Doesn’t have to be covered with liquid.
- Pressure Cook on High for 8 minutes for all types of noodles except 5 minutes for gluten free noodles. Wider your noodles, the more bite to them. So, if you like your fettuccine pasta really soft – cook for 10 minutes. I used linguine this time.
- Quick Release the pressure and open the lid. It will be liquidy – do not worry.
- Add slurry, Parmesan and garlic. Whisk cold milk with cornstarch and add to the pot along with cheese and garlic. Stir with tongs separating the noodles.
- Press Saute and cook until thickened. After 2-3 minutes sauce will start bubbling and will thicken.
- Add veggies (optional). As my friend Joy says “we are going to make it legal” with 3 cups of frozen peas. No need to thaw. Stir and let pressure cooker chicken alfredo sit for a minute to melt the peas.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- You open the pot and it’s not pretty? Don’t worry. Follow the recipe and it will get there. At first, we just cook pasta and chicken and after work on making it creamy.
- Pasta seems undercooked? Stir, put the lid back on and let it sit for 10 mins. It will become softer because pasta absorbs liquid like crazy.
- Sauce thickness: You can adjust thickness by letting alfredo sit more or add more milk at any time.
- Pasta: You can also use penne or any short pasta.
- Milk should be cold otherwise cornstarch will lump. I use 3.5%, higher fat content – creamier sauce. I wouldn’t recommend using any plant-based milk.
- Peas: They don’t have to be cooked. That’s why I like to let peas sit only for a few minutes so they don’t turn pale green and cooked.
- Don’t have Instant Pot? Make this stovetop chicken alfredo.
- More help: Check out this Instant Pot guide and which one I recommend to buy based on your lifestyle and family size.
How to Serve, Store and Reheat
Serving: Sprinkle alfredo with fresh parsley and proudly serve warm to your family. Now, did you hear a lot of “Oh’s” and Ah’s”? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Store: Alfredo will keep well in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Pasta gets soggy fast.
Reheat in a small pot by simmering on low while covered with a splash of milk. Stir often and add more milk if necessary.
Do not freeze.
More Healthy Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
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- Instant Pot spaghetti
- Instant Pot mac and cheese
- Instant Pot ground beef stroganoff
- Instant Pot parmesan chicken pasta
- Instant Pot lasagna
- Browse all Instant Pot one pot meals.
Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1" pieces
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock low sodium
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 11 oz any fettuccine linguine or spaghetti
- 1-2 cups cold 2% or 3.25% milk
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 3 cups frozen peas
- 2 tbsp parsley for garnish
Instructions
- To Instant Pot, add chicken, stock, oil, salt and pepper.
- Break noodles in half and add criss cross in about 6 layers. It helps to prevent noodles from sticking.
- Close the lid and move pressure valve to Sealing, and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual for 8 minutes if you like pasta al dente, 10 minutes - very soft, gluten free - 5 minutes.
- Release pressure using Quick Release method – turn pressure valve to Venting.
- Open the lid when safe to do so. It will be liquidy and not pretty - do not worry.
- Press Saute.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup (if using chicken thighs) or 2 cups (for chicken breast) of cold milk with cornstarch.
- Add to Instant Pot along with Parmesan cheese and garlic. Using tongs, stir gently while separating the noodles.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until sauce starts to bubble and thickens.
- Optional: Add peas, gently stir and let chicken alfredo sit for a minute to melt the peas. If it is still a bit runny, you can let dish sit for another 5 minutes or so, it will thicken.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can adjust thickness of the sauce with more milk anytime.
Reheat in a small pot by simmering on low while covered with a splash of milk. Stir often and add more milk if necessary.
Do not freeze.
Video
Notes
- You open the pot and it's not pretty? Don't worry. Follow the recipe and it will get there. At first, we just cook pasta and chicken and after work on making it creamy.
- Pasta seems undercooked? Stir, put the lid back on and let it sit for 10 mins. It will become softer because pasta absorbs liquid like crazy.
- Sauce thickness: You can adjust thickness by letting alfredo sit more or add more milk at any time.
- Pasta: You can also use penne or any short pasta.
- Milk should be cold otherwise cornstarch will lump. I use 3.5%, higher fat content - creamier sauce. I wouldn't recommend using any plant-based milk.
Nutrition
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My name is Olena Osipov. I'm a mom to 2 boys, a wife to Alex and we reside on magical Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. This is our healthy family recipes blog. Originally from Ukraine, I grew up on real food. As an adult, I struggled with diets for years because none worked long-term. Now for over 10 years, I cook easy healthy meals for my family. I can help you with “What’s for dinner?” too.