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Make any flavor of Pasta Roni in your Instant Pot in just 4 minutes of pressure cooking. Exact water, butter, and milk amounts — no burn notice, no mush.

Instant Pot Pasta Roni

5 from 2 votes
Author: Laurie Fleming
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
3 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings

Description

Make any flavor of Pasta Roni in your Instant Pot in just 4 minutes of pressure cooking. This easy one-pot method uses exact water, butter, and milk amounts so you'll never get a burn notice, watery sauce, or undercooked noodles. Works with White Cheddar, Parmesan, Garlic & Olive Oil Vermicelli, Shells & White Cheddar, Angel Hair with Herbs, and every other Pasta Roni flavor.

Ingredients 

  • 1 box Pasta Roni, 4.7–7 oz, any flavor
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • ⅓ cup milk, whole or 2%

Instructions

  • Add pasta, water, and butter. Pour the dry pasta from the box into the inner pot of your Instant Pot. Add 2 cups of water and 2 Tablespoons of butter. Do NOT add the seasoning packet or milk yet. For long pasta shapes like Vermicelli or Angel Hair, break the noodles in half and stack them in a crisscross pattern to prevent clumping. Push the pasta down with a spoon so it's fully submerged.
  • Pressure cook. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to Sealing. Press Manual or Pressure Cook and set the timer to 4 minutes on HIGH pressure. The pot will take 5–7 minutes to come to pressure before the 4-minute timer starts counting down.
  • Quick release. When the timer beeps, carefully move the valve to Venting to release the steam. Use a long-handled spoon or tongs and keep your hand to the side — never directly over the vent.
  • Add seasoning and milk. Once the pin drops, open the lid. The pasta should be sitting in a small amount of cloudy liquid. Sprinkle in the seasoning packet, pour in ⅓ cup of milk, and stir for about 30 seconds until the sauce comes together.
  • Rest and serve. Let the pasta sit, uncovered, for 2–3 minutes — the sauce will thicken as it cools slightly. Serve immediately.

Equipment

  • 6-quart Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or electric pressure cooker,
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Long-handled wooden or silicone spoon

Notes

Cook time by pasta shape:
  • Angel hair / Vermicelli: 2 minutes
  • Spaghetti-style: 3 minutes
  • Shells, rotini, fettuccine, linguine: 4 minutes
Burn notice prevention: Always stir the butter into the water before locking the lid. Never add milk or the seasoning packet before pressure cooking — dairy and salty seasonings will scorch on the bottom of the pot.
Doubling the recipe: Use 2 boxes, 3½ cups water (not double — the pasta only needs to be submerged), 4 Tablespoons butter, and ⅔ cup milk at the end. Cook time stays the same. Do not fill past the Max line.
Watery pasta? Don't drain. Stir in the seasoning, then let it rest uncovered for 3–5 minutes. The starch will thicken the sauce. If still too thin, set to Sauté for 1–2 minutes while stirring.
Dairy-free swap: Use olive oil instead of butter and unsweetened oat milk in place of milk.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce. Not recommended for freezing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 15gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 65mgPotassium: 283mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 208IUCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg