Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo is delicious, creamy and satisfying! It’s perfect for a busy weeknight and has a delicious addition of pumpkin. Easy and really fast to make!
This post contains amazon affiliate links which means if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I will receive a small commission.
Many of my recipes have origins from my childhood. Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo is not one of them, yet creating this post brought memories and tears and longing.
It started with me thinking back to how I used to eat pasta when I was little. There were only three ways I could remember: plain with butter (that was a common side dish, similar to how we eat rice or potatoes here), plain with grated cheese (my favourite), and plain mixed with stewed and ground meat and fried onion (similar to the filling of my Beef Stuffed Crepes).
Those few ways of eating pasta made me doubt my memory. Russian Google didn’t help as pasta is very popular there now. So, I turned to a 65-year old (my copy) Soviet cookbook.
Just as The Joy of Cooking was a staple for any home cook in North America in the middle of the 20s century, the Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, that’s direct translation, Книга о Вкусной и Здоровой Пище, was a staple in Soviet Union. The book was originally published in 1939 and republished with additions in 1952.
My copy, my grandma’s copy, was published in 1954 and the inscription dates it to 1955 when it was given to my grandma for her birthday, even before my mom was born.
Looking for Soviet pasta recipes, I opened my battered copy. It was the second time I opened the cookbook since my grandma died. I remember exactly how I felt the first time. Years later I did not expect the grief and sadness to hit me again with such force.
Yet, as I leafed through hand-written inserts, and notes, and bookmarks, I – once again – was reminded of the loss of my grandparents and the idea that my daughter will never know them. The thought of them never knowing that I wrote a cookbook also weighs heavy on my heart as I owe so much of my love for cooking to my grandparents.
But enough of that. The book actually confirmed my memories as there are only five pasta recipes in that huge almost 400-page tome and I knew three of them.
I love Fettuccine Alfredo, yet I think I cooked it on the stove maybe once or twice. Somehow, cooking and reducing cream always made it really daunting. So, I decided to try making it in my Instant Pot and I wasn’t disappointed! In fact, I made this Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo four times in the past couple of weeks!
Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo is delicious, creamy and satisfying! It’s perfect for a busy weeknight and has a delicious addition of pumpkin. Easy and really fast to make!
Why make Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo in Instant Pot?
It took me a long time to fall in love with my Instant Pot. You can read about 7 Things You Need To Know About Instant Pot and those are the issues that I had (and still have) with this appliance.
However, one thing I love (love!!!) about my electric pressure cooker is its convenience! There’s something almost alchemically magical about putting all the ingredients in one pot, pressing a couple of buttons, and getting a whole meal a few minutes later – no stirring of the pots, no watching for over-boiling, no draining, no baby-sitting in front of the stove!
Making Fettuccine Alfredo in Instant Pot means that I can add all the ingredients (except for the cheese) into the pot, let everything cook, then add cheese, mix, and serve!
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Meatball and Pasta Soup
- Instant Pot Healthy Chicken Stew
What are the ingredients for Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients are very simple and common, you most likely have half of them in your pantry. You can also read below for my ideas for variations and substitutions.
- Broth
- Milk
- 10% cream
- Pumpkin purée
- White beans (optional)
- Spices
- Fettuccine
How to make Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo
I don’t like this expression but it is a true “Dump and Push Start” recipe. You add all the ingredients to your electric pressure cooker and let it cook. Once cooked, add some cheese, mix, and enjoy!
I use my 6 quart duo 60 Instant Pot, so the instructions are for that model. I am not sure how the recipe would work in other models.
How long does it actually take to make Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo
I love Instant Pot cooking for convenience but it’s often not much quicker than the more traditional oven/stove cooking methods. The last time I made Alfredo on the stove was many years ago so I can’t really compare the cooking time, but I feel that Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo is really fast but most importantly easy and convenient as it requires almost no work.
I am going to be generous and say that it takes 5 minutes to measure all the ingredients (most likely it’s only 3 minutes though), 5 minutes to come to pressure, 5 minutes cook, 5 minutes to release the pressure, and let’s add another 5 minutes to mix everything and serve. So, we get 25 minutes from start to finish and I am being very generous with timing. Most likely it will take about 22-23 minutes.
How to reheat Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo
This Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is really better to be eaten right away as the sauce absorbs into the pasta the longer it stands. However, if you do have leftovers, it is better to reheat them on the stove by adding more milk or cream to the pasta.
I usually don’t measure but it could be between 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of milk or cream depending on how much leftovers you have.
What about cooking dairy in Instant Pot?
If you are a member of some Instant Pot Facebook groups then you most likely have read heated debates about cooking milk/cream in an electric pressure cooker. Most will say to never do that!
There are a few reasons why: if there’s only milk/cream and no broth, then the mixture might burn; dairy also separates under high heat and high pressure.
This particular recipe uses broth to dilute the milk and cream mixture. I have made this Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo four times and have not has any issues with the pot displaying a dreaded burn message.
As for the dairy separating under high heat, well, yes, it will do that! You can see the texture of the pasta once the lid is opened in this image. However, it does not mean that it is bad, it only means that milk separated into milk solids and whey.
Once everything is mixed together a few times, it will go back to being creamy and delicious!
Ingredients, changes, and substitutions for Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo
- Broth
- I use Better Than Bouillon almost exclusively with my Instant Pot recipes.
- Feel free to use either vegetarian (to make the pasta fully vegetarian) or chicken broth if you’d like.
- Milk
- I use 2% since that’s what I always have at home. Feel free to use 3.25% (whole) milk. I am not sure about using lower than 2% though.
- You can omit the milk and use all cream instead of milk if you’d like.
- Cream
- I use 10% (half and half) cream since that’s what I usually have at home. Most likely you can use high percentage cream for a richer dish.
- You can omit the cream and use all milk instead. I’ve done that and although the taste is the same, the texture with milk only isn’t as creamy.
- Pumpkin purée
- You can’t really taste the pumpkin here because of the spices, I do it on purpose as my husband doesn’t like the taste of pumpkin.
- You can omit pumpkin or increate to 1/2 cup.
- White beans
- White beans are purely optional. I use them to add extra fibre and protein for my daughter. They are soft enough that they almost melt into the sauce, but they still add a bit of texture.
- For purely creamy pasta, omit the beans or purée them first in a food processor.
- Chili powder
- I love chili with pumpkin (as evident in my Pumpkin with Chili infused Oil Pretzels) but it makes the pasta quite spicy, even though I only use 1/8 teaspoon. I am not sure why such little amount makes this Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo recipe so spicy but it does.
- Even my husband who sometimes adds a few teaspoons of chili powder to stews agreed that this recipe is quite spicy!!! My toddler still loves this pasta (kids are funny).
- Feel free to omit or decrease to a pinch.
- Fettuccine
- Make sure that you use Fettuccine that cooks in at least 9 minutes but preferably 10-12 minutes.
- Do not use quick cooking pasta that is done in under 9 minutes as the timing for Instant Pot will not work and the past will be overcooked.
More pumpkin recipes
I always have a can of pumpkin purée in my fridge in the fall and use it up 1/4 or 1/2 cup at a time. Here are a few recipes using more canned pumpkin:
I have two very unique recipes featuring pumpkin purée in my cookbook, The Ultimate One-Pan Oven Cookbook! I hope you order a copy! It’ll be a perfect Holiday Gift for your foodie friends!
DO YOU WANT MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES?
Join my Real Ingredients Instant Pot Recipes Facebook Group!!! It’s a fun and safe place to share your own Instant Pot recipes made with Real Ingredients.
Don’t forget to watch the video to see how easy this Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo recipe comes together!
Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup 2% milk (or 3.25%)
- 3/4 cup 10% cream (half and half)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder (optional or less)
- 200 g fettuccine (7 ounces)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- grated parmesan and chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to sauté. You aren't going to sauté anything but it'll help the liquid to heat up and in turn come to pressure faster.
- In your Instant Pot, combine the vegetable broth, milk, 10% cream, pumpkin purée, white beans (if using), and all the spices. Whisk until pumpkin purée is integrated into the liquid.
- Break fettuccine noodles in half so that they fit into the pot and add to the liquid, spreading them around as much as possible.
- Using a whisk or a spatula, arrange the noodles so that they are covered by the liquid as much as possible.
- Close the lid and turn the valve to sealing position.
- Turn sauté off. Press Manual or Pressure Cooker button (depending on your model) and use the arrows to select 5 minutes. It will take about 5-6 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
- Once the 5 minutes of pressure cooking are up and your Instant Pot beeps that it's done, do a natural release for 1 minute (i.e. just wait for 1 minute). Then do a manual quick release. I like putting a small kitchen towel on the pressure release valve to contain the steam a little bit. It takes about 4 minutes to fully release the pressure.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid, turn the Instant Pot to sauté and mix everything really well. I like using tongs to do that.You want to make sure that you separate the noodles that got stuck together.NOTE: Sauté at this point is optional but I like turning it on while I mix everything to thicken the sauce.
- Add the grated parmesan cheese and mix more until everything is smooth and creamy.
- Serve with extra sprinkling of grated parmesan and chopped parsley for colour.
Video
Notes
- White beans are optional. They add extra nutrients, protein, and fibre, but they make the sauce less smooth. Omit them for a smoother sauce.
- Feel free to use all milk or all cream. If you use all milk, the texture will be a bit less creamy but the flavour will be the same.
- With only 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder, this Instant Pot Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is very spicy, even my chili-loving husband says saw. So, if you don't eat spicy, either omit the chili powder or reduce the amount.
- Make sure you use fettuccine that cooks in at least 9 minutes or preferably 10-12 minutes. Do not use the quick-cooking pasta as the 5 minutes in Instant Pot will be too much.
Nutrition
Mention or tag @Imagelicious
Rebecca Mott says
This was so delicious! Super easy too. I garnished with some fresh sage and pine nuts that really added to it too.
Linda Gonda says
I made this tonight and loved it. My son especially loved it and ate almost the whole pot. My question is, has anyone tried doubling it or would it boil up too much?
Julia says
I’m so glad you and your son loved it!! I haven’t tried doubling the recipe as I know we wouldn’t finish it all and it’s much better eaten right away without any leftovers. My guess is that you could most likely double everything. There might be a bit more sauce/liquid once done but you could just cook it out on sauté. I think that the noodles might stick together more since there will be more of them and it’ll be harder to separate them but it’s just a guess