Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta with Garlic and Parmesan is an easy one-pot meal that is perfect for a quick dinner idea. The angel hair pasta, shrimp, garlic and all the ingredients are cooked in the Instant Pot together. Make the recipe spicy by adding some extra crushed red pepper!
Table of Contents
Introduction
This Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta recipe is very similar to shrimp scampi served on angel hair pasta and it’s a favorite in our house.
Y’all are probably tired of hearing me say that I’ve adapted yet another family favorite to the Instant Pot. But it’s true!
As a side note, if you happen to click on the recipe for the stovetop Garlic Shrimp Pasta, don’t judge! Although the recipe is great, I’ve come a long way in terms of photos and how I organize my recipes!
I’ve changed the recipe up a bit for the Instant Pot, but the flavor of this dish is as good as the stove-top version. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Here are some more pasta recipes you might like!
– Instant Pot Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
– Instant Pot Penne with Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce
– Instant Pot Vegetarian Rigatoni Bolognese
You might ask why you’d want to cook this recipe in the Instant Pot when you can cook it on the stove. The main reason is how easy it is to make as an Instant Pot one-pot meal, especially considering that there is no loss of flavor!
Tips and Substitutions
Garlic
There are two things you can do to get a stronger garlic flavor. The first is to remove part or all the cooked garlic after sauteing and add it back in at the end, as suggested in the recipe. The second is to add more garlic. My recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of garlic. You can certainly add more.
Spice
If you’d like a spicy Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta, add more crushed red pepper when you’re adding the shrimp. I do this when I normally make the recipe for my family.
Broth
The recipe gives you the option of using chicken broth or water. Using broth makes the pasta more flavorful. I sometimes use seafood stock, which is very easy to make from the shrimp shells. Give it a try.
White Wine
Add more flavor by deglazing the inner pot with about 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of white wine after sauteing the onions and garlic.
Lemon
If you like a more lemony flavor, add in an extra teaspoon or two of lemon juice at the end.
Richness
If you’d like the recipe to be richer, you have a couple of options.
- Substitute all or part of the olive oil with butter.
- Stir in some heavy cream or goat cheese at the end, after the shrimp and pasta are cooked.
How to Cook Spaghetti in the Instant Pot
If you add the angel hair pasta altogether in one bunch, there’s a chance that the pasta will stick together after pressure cooking. By fanning the pasta out and layering in a criss-cross manner, your pasta has less of a chance of clumping.
To avoid the ‘Burn’ error message, don’t stir the pasta. Just push down on it with a spatula until it’s submerged in the liquid.
If you’d like to use a different type of pasta, you’ll need to change the cooking time. The rule of thumb for pasta cooking times is to take the cooking time on the box, divide by 2 and add 1. e.g. if the pasta stovetop cooking time is listed as 8 minutes, the Instant Pot cooking time for the pasta would be 5 minutes (8 divided by 2 = 4; 4 + 1 = 5)
How to Make the Recipe Healthier
I frequently load up on the vegetables. You could add in some extra broccoli, or spinach, arugula, mushrooms, zucchini, frozen peas, etc. You could also add some roasted vegetables at the very end after the shrimp is cooked.
Parmesan Cheese
For maximum flavor, try to use good quality, freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Substitute Chicken
If you want to substitute chicken for the shrimp, use boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces. Saute the chicken briefly after adding the onions and pressure cook the chicken with the pasta using the recipe’s pressure cooking time.
How to Release Pressure with Pasta
Doing a quick release (QR) of pressure when cooking pasta can result in food particles spewing out of the steam release valve. When releasing pressure, do it in bursts.
This means you release steam for 1 second and stop. Repeat multiple times until the steam coming out is less forceful. At that point, you can release the remaining pressure in a steady stream.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe for Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta with Garlic and Parmesan.
Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta with Garlic – Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Green onions
- Parmesan
- Parsley
- Salt
- Pepper
- Crushed red pepper
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Sundried tomatoes (not pictured)
- Shrimp
- Angel hair pasta
- Broccoli
- Broth (or water)
How to Make Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta with Garlic (Step by Step Instructions)
- Saute garlic
- Saute green onions and spices
- Add broth and pasta
- Pressure cook
- Steam shrimp and vegetables
- Garnish with parmesan and parsley
Saute Garlic
- Select ‘Saute’ mode and briefly heat Instant Pot inner pot. Don’t let it get too hot or your butter will burn!
- Add olive oil and butter and once the butter is halfway melted, press ‘Cancel’.
- Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
Saute Green Onions and Spices
- Remove half the garlic and set aside for later.
- Stir in the green onions (white parts only).
- Stir in the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and lemon juice.
Add Broth and Pasta
- Stir in broth.
- Add in 1/4 of angel hair pasta, fanning it out.
Add Remaining Pasta in Batches
- Add the remaining pasta in batches, alternating in a criss-cross pattern. (See video for more details).
- Gently push down on the pasta with a spatula, pressing down until all the pasta is wet. This might take about 20 to 30 seconds.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 3 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 3 (3 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 3 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 3 minutes (00:03).
Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Pro Tip
For some foods such as noodles, I find it helpful to release the steam in small bursts: less than 1-second intervals. Once the steam coming out is less forceful, I release the remaining pressure in a steady stream. Read more about the different pressure release methods.
Add Shrimp and Vegetables
- Stir in the shrimp, broccoli, lemon zest, sundried tomatoes and reserved garlic. Nestle the shrimp into the angel hair pasta. (Be sure to work quickly so you don’t lose a lot of heat.)
- Close the lid for 10 to 15 minutes. If you have trouble closing the lid, set the steam release handle (or button on the ULTRA) to the ‘Venting’ position and once the lid is closed, set it back to ‘Sealing’.
Garnish Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta with Parmesan and Parsley
- Open the lid.
- Sprinkle grated parmesan and chopped parsley on the pasta. *
- Carefully stir the pasta.
* Feel free to add more parmesan and parsley on individual servings.
Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta with Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp garlic minced
- 4 green onions (white and green parts separated)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (to taste)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice more to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth or seafood stock
- 8 oz. angel hair pasta
- 1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 tsp lemon zest (grated zest of 1 lemon)
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- In Saute mode, heat butter and olive oil. When butter is halfway melted, press 'Cancel'. This will keep the garlic from burning.
- Saute garlic until fragrant, for about 10 to 15 seconds. Press Cancel.
- Transfer half of the garlic to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add green onions (whites parts), salt, pepper, crushed pepper and lemon juice.
- Stir in broth.
- Divide angel hair pasta into four batches. Add pasta to the inner pot in batches: add one-fourth of pasta into the broth, fanning it out. Repeat with remaining batches, in a criss-cross pattern (see blog post for step by step photos or watch the video).
- Using a spatula, gently push down on the angel hair pasta until it's submerged in the broth. This might take 20 to 30 seconds.
- Close the lid and pressure cook the pasta for 3 minutes on High Pressure.
- Do a quick release of pressure. * [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Open the lid and add in shrimp, broccoli, lemon zest, sundried tomatoes, green onions (green parts ) and reserved garlic. **
- Close the lid immediately. ***
- After 10 to 15 minutes, open the lid.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and parsley. You could also add them on individual servings.
Notes
- * Quick release in bursts.
- ** Work quickly so you don’t lose a lot of heat because the shrimp will cook in the residual heat of the Instant Pot!
- *** If you have trouble closing the lid, turn the steam release handle to ‘Venting’ position (or push down the steam release button on the ULTRA) briefly and then return to ‘Sealing’ position.
- The broccoli cooks to a crisp-tender consistency using this method. If you would like it to be cooked more, saute the broccoli at the beginning and set aside to add back in at the end.
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, etc.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
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Sharla
The pasta cooked in the 3 minutes, but the uncooked large shrimp and broccoli florets were still raw after 10 minutes tightly closed in. I ended up pressure cooking for another 3 minutes and they were fully cooked but the pasta was gummy and some was burned and stuck on. But it tasted good. Next time I would put the shrimp and broccoli in along with the pasta and just do the 3 minutes once.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Sharla, because the shrimp could have been a larger size than what I use, you might have needed more time. It could also be that too much heat escaped when you were stirring it in. Sounds like you have a good solution. Let me know how it works for you. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Zin Please
Excellent! Made it as directed but without the tomatoes and it was a big hit. I’m not a fan of sun dried tomatoes nor angel hair pasta, so next time I’ll try it with thin spaghetti.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m happy to hear you liked the recipe. Yes, you sure can use thin spaghetti. Just make sure you check the cook time on the box and adjust accordingly.
Mamie Jones
SUPER EASY RESTAURANT QUALITY!! MY FAMILY WOULD HAVE THIS DISH EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK IF I WERE TO MAKE IT FOR THEM!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you so much, Mamie, for taking the time to let me know. I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe!
Allie
Delicious recipe! I made it without tomatoes and green onions, but it was still sooo flavorful. Will definitely be making this again, thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Allie. That’s great that you were able to make those modifications and make it your own.
Heather
Could you use frozen shrimp with the same cook time?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Heather, frozen shrimp wouldn’t work with the method used in this recipe: it’s not pressure-cooked, it just cooks in the steam of the pasta. You would need to saute or pressure cook it separately.
Renee Leguire
Absolutely delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Renee!
Uwe lehmann
How much broth to 16 oz of pasta?
Paint the Kitchen Red
If you’re doubling the pasta, you’ll double all the ingredients, including liquid. Same cook time. Good luck.
Linda K.
This was an outstanding recipe! It was absolutely delicious. We did end up needing a extra few minutes for the shrimp to be completely cooked, they were big fellas!
The recipe was well explained and I look forward to being able to make it for company.
Thanks for your hard work in this terrific presentation.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Linda! Yes, those big shrimp need a little extra time. I appreciate you taking the time to comment – it’s great to know that you appreciate the details 🙂
Wendy
Do you use cooked or uncooked shrimp? I thought uncooked, but video makes them looked already cooked when adding to the IP.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Wendy, great question and good observation. That was uncooked shrimp but it had a pinkish color. I normally don’t buy that kind of shrimp but it just happens to be what I got when I made the video 🙂
Mom of Steele
This is so yummy!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe!
John
Question on this one. I have a family of broccoli haters. What would you recommend as a substitution? I was thinking bell pepper, maybe? But not sure if that would clash with the other flavors.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi John – bell peppers would be great I think. I think you could even pressure cook them with the pasta OR saute at the beginning, remove and then add back in at the end. I think otherwise they may be too crunchy? You could also try zucchini. Hope you enjoy it!
John
Thanks for the tip about sauteing the bell peppers ahead of time. I do like them pretty crunchy I may or may not try this. I’ll let you how it turns out.
John
Another hit! I ended up using julienned bell pepper instead of the broccoli and just added them at the end with the shrimp. They were crunchy but tasty. The flavors of this dish are just so, so good.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awesome, John! Thank you for following up. I very much appreciate the first comment and rating of a recipe – this gives others confidence to try it out 🙂