This Skinny Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo has all of the delicious rich and creamy flavor you love from traditional fettuccine alfredo but it’s lighter and much healthier, with no butter or heavy cream, and a fraction of the calories. If that’s not exciting enough, it’s made in the Instant Pot for a super quick and easy pasta (and even easier cleanup) that your family will LOVE!
I don’t think there are many people who would turn down a cream, cheesy, delicious bowl of fettuccine alfredo, but there’s really something exciting about taking such a high-calorie comfort food and tweaking it to still taste amazing, but be WAY healthier!
One big bowl of this healthier fettuccine alfredo pasta will barely cost you 400 calories. How’s that possible, you ask? It’s made with skim milk, instead of cream, and there’s not butter or cream cheese. The sauce also has chicken broth, few of my favorite spices, and fresh parmesan cheese, of course. It’s really flavorfully, and creamy, thanks to cornstarch as the thickening agent.
I adapted this recipe for the instant pot from my favorite one-pan skinny chicken alfredo recipe. I love how the instant pot takes all of the prep work out of it! Learn all of my instant pot tips and tricks!
How to make Fettuccine Alfredo in the Instant Pot:
Start by sauteing the garlic in a little oil. Turn the Instant pot off and add the fettuccine noodles, broken in half so they fit into the instant pot.
Pour chicken broth over the noodles, making sure they are covered in liquid before securing the lid.
Cook the pasta on manual, high pressure for 3 minutes, with a 6 minute natural release.
Open the instant pot lid and give the pasta stir, breaking up any pieces that have stuck together.
Stir the cornstarch and milk together until smooth. Add it to the instant pot, along with the dried basil, parsley and onion powder. Stir it well and then and the freshly grated parmesan cheese. Add some salt and pepper and taste the sauce. Add additional seasonings if needed.
Turn the instant pot back to saute and stir the pasta gently until the sauce begins to thicken. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken significantly as it cools, so allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. You can always add some additional cheese or a little more cornstarch slurry, if needed, to thicken the sauce.
Want to add chicken to your fettuccine alfredo? No Problem!
Cut 1-2 chicken breasts into thin pieces, or use chicken tenders, so that they will cook through at the same cook time as the pasta. Brown the chicken in a little oil at the beginning, on saute setting, then remove it to a plate. Then add the chicken on top of the pasta before closing the instant pot lid and cooking.
Can I use gluten free pasta?
You can use gluten free pasta in this dish, but be mindful that it cooks a little fast than regular pasta. Cook for 2-3 min high pressure with a few minutes natural release.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes, you can double the recipe, and use the same cooking time.
Don’t own an Instant Pot? No Problem!
If you don’t own an instant pot yet, you can make this same fettuccine alfredo in the stovetop with this recipe.
Don’t miss my other favorite Instant Pot recipes, including:
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowls
- Instant Pot Ranch Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Ribs
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Recipe
Instant Pot Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine noodles , broken in half
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 1 cup milk , skim or 1%
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add oil to the IP and turn to saute. Once hot add garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Turn IP off.
- Add pasta and chicken broth, making sure the noodles are covered in the liquid.
- Turn valve to sealed and cook on manual (high pressure) for 3 minutes.
- When the times beeps allow the pressure to naturally release for 6 minutes, before turning the valve to release remaining pressure and open the lid.
- Stir pasta, breaking up any pieces that have stuck together.
- Stir the cornstarch and milk together until smooth. Add to the instant pot, along with the dry spices and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Turn Instant pot to saute setting and stir gently until the sauce just begins to thicken. Turn Instant Pot off.
- The sauce will thicken significantly as it cools, so allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. You can add additional cheese, if needed, to thicken the sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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OMG it was sooo good. !100% recommend!
What if I want to use shrimp instead of
Chicken?
I’d cook the shrimp separately and add it at the end!
Super easy. Flexible. Changed up the pasta to gemeli and left time the same. Added frozen broccoli with milk and let it come to temp with three sauce. Very family friendly. One pot is a bonus.
Nutrition info says 22 gr of protein. Where does this come from?
Really good and super simple. I used penne pasta and cooked for same amount of time as the recipe states. I used canned lowfat evaporated milk. At the end, I added some leftover diced rotisserie chicken and stirred it in while the pasta sat and thickened a bit. Served it with broccoli on the side. Delicious and super easy. Will be making this again!
Another great, fast, simple recipe, great taste and easy for a guy learning to cook.
So good! I used half and half and added some red pepper flakes for an added kick!
This was amazing and so easy!! I had been looking for a low fat version and this totally worked. Will be adding this into the weeknight rotation!
Instead of skim milk, could I use almond milk?
Sure, it will just change the flavor slightly.
Super easy that everyone loved! A great weeknight meal.
I made this for dinner and it was so delicious! My husband is not a fan of Fettuccine Alfredo dishes but thought this was pretty good! Thanks for sharing ❤️
This was delicious!!! We doubled the recipe & it worked great! I also added frozen broccoli after I released the pressure for the noodles. I just brought the pot with the pasta & frozen broccoli up to pressure again for 0 mins QR & it was perfect. Then continued on with the remainder of the recipe as written. This was perfect for a cold snowy Sunday. Thank you!!
Could you add the broccoli in the IP as well?
I’d suggest cooking it separately or it will be overcooked and mushy if it pressure cooks.
Would using penne pasta change cooking time or affect the recipe?
That would be fine! Check the cook time on the box or penne and set the IP timer for half of the time. Enjoy!
If you are looking for a healthier version of Fettuccini Alfredo, THIS IS IT! I made this recipe last night and it went over really well! I added cut up chicken tenders, ( sauted first in IP and added before pressure cooking just like instructed in the recipe) and it turned out perfectly. The sauce thickened up beautifully. I love the fact that the pasta is cooked in chicken broth, as you can really taste it! After everything was cooked, I added cooked broccoli to the dish and my nine year old son gobbled it up! (I know! I cannot believe it either!) My super-picky husband had two bowls himself! I added and extra 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and a dash more of each herb to bring out the yummy flavors. This recipe was SO EASY to make and definitely one I will make again and again!
We made this dish and my daughter loves it.
its so easy for her to practice.
THANK YOU!
Can I double this recipe? is liquid doubled also? (does it mess up heat time for pressure cook?)
Yes, everything will be doubled and the cook time stays the same (the instant pot will just take longer to come to pressure).
Would this do well with soy milk? I have a milk sensitivity, so I can do it with cow’s milk if absolutely necessary, But I prefer to avoid the side effects.
I think that would work fine!
It is one of the best, easy and quick recipes. My kids love it. Love it that its low fat so I can make it more often:-)
Didn’t really follow the recipe procedure. Did it stove top as we added Aldi’s special Seafood ravioli! Yum! The milk and corn starch really helped make it lo fat! Sauteed onions, mushroom, and small shrimp and added to the Ravioli! Next time, the IP!
I made this tonight, and it turned out awesome. I know it’s not a full-fat alfredo sauce with cream, and I’m glad, because now I can include it in our dinner rotation regularly without worrying about the fat. I added one chicken breast, following your directions. I cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, salt and peppered them, then sauteed them in olive oil in the IP, along with the garlic according to the recipe. I then took the chicken out of the pot, added the noodles and broth, then added the sauteed chicken back on top of the noodles. I did not change the cook time, and 3 minutes cooked the chicken fully. Seriously, this was so darn tasty and super easy. Hubby and I both loved it. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I love this recipe but my cheese clumps something terrible!!!
I love an recipe and really impressed my husband with it. I’ve nade it twice and doubled it both times. Only problem I’m having is that the cheese is clumping and the sauce isn’t getting as thick as id like. Any suggestions?
Mines the same a bit soupy. It did thicken up putting it on the Sauté But it’s good I’d use less liquid next time perhaps.
This is by far the best chicken Alfredo recipe I have come across! I am pregnant and trying to eat healthier but all I am craving is pasta so this was a perfect match. Delicious and was so easy to make! I will definitely be making this again!
For a lower fat version of something typically really high in fat, I am quite impressed! Not quite like the real thing of course but still delicious in its own way. And you don’t feel sick after like real rich alfredo usually makes me. Next time I will use more garlic though. Thanks for the recipe!
I used your recipe for the first time on my new Insta pot. I doubled the recipe to use a whole box of pasta. I do not use chicken broth that was low sodium so I cut out half a cup of broth and substituted it with an extra half cup of milk=2.5 cups. I ran out of basil so I used Italian herb seasoning. It turned out amazing! My kids loved it. The noodles did stick together in some parts so I must try to arrange them better in the pot next time. Super recipe & it was quick & low fat! Thank you!
Thanks Alicia, I’m happy you liked it!
I made this exactly as directed, and it was delicious. I doubled the recipe and my family gobbled it up. So easy in the Instant Pot, will make again for sure. Thank you for sharing.
Is the pasta al dente by the end, or softer?
I think it is perfectly tender, not too soft.
Yaass! You knocked it out of the park on this one. Fettuccine is my husband’s all time favorite pasta, but I don’t make it as often as he’d like because it normally takes too long. Not anymore! When I saw this was an IP recipe, I had to try it. And, as advertised, it was delicious. He loved it! Thank you for sharing.
We had this for dinner and it was delicious! I have tried a few of your instant pot recipes so far and each one has been great. Thank you so much!