Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Name: Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce; 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained; 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley (optional); salt and pepper to taste

By Melissa

5 from 2 votes

on Feb 21, 2022, Updated Sep 04, 2024

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Spaghetti night just got easier with this Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce. Making this sauce is quick, tasty and perfect for a last minute meal.

Top view of a green plate with spaghetti noodles and sauce on it.

What kid doesn’t like pasta?! Spaghetti night is a huge hit in my house and I’m sure many of yours. This sauce is super easy. Throw everything in and set the Instant Pot to 10 minutes and you’re in business. If you want to add meat or other vegetables you can and it would taste wonderful too.

This homemade Instant Pot spaghetti sauce would taste delicious served over any pasta or spaghetti squash. It’d taste great drizzled over chicken parmesan too, or as the sauce for comfort-food-level cabbage rolls.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips
How to Serve and Store Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
More Pasta Recipes to Consider
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Close up of a ladle full of spaghetti sauce over an Instant Pot.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

This recipe is almost as easy as cracking open a store bought jar but this tastes so much better.
Throw a bunch of pantry ingredients into the pot, set to pressure cook, and then walk away!
Make dinner in a snap with only a 10 minute cook time!

Recipe Ingredients

Tomato sauce
Diced tomatoes – You can switch this out for your favorite type of canned diced tomatoes, or use about 5-6 fresh diced tomatoes as well.
Tomato paste
Soy sauce: Worcestershire sauce can be substituted here.
Italian seasoning
Dried basil
Garlic powder: If you prefer to mince a few garlic cloves yourself to add into the instant pot, feel free!
Onion powder: Instead of onion powder, try chopping up an onion, cooking it on sauté mode in the instant pot, and adding the rest of the sauce ingredients afterwards.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

Top view of wooden boats of beautiful spices to make spaghetti sauce

How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

top view of instant pot with red spaghetti sauce

Step #1. Add all ingredients into the pot of your electric pressure cooker and stir well.

Step #2. Lock and seal the pressure cooker (Instant Pot), then cook on high for 10 minutes.

Step #3. Sprinkle the sauce with your fresh parsley is desired and add salt and pepper to taste.

jade green plate with a heaping amount of sauce and fresh parsley over spaghetti pasta

Step #4. Serve your hot, freshly made sauce with your favorite pasta.

Recipe FAQs

How do I keep the spaghetti sauce from burning in the Instant Pot?

The “Burn” error message is the worst to get. That usually means there is not enough liquid in the Instant Pot and the ingredients are burning at the bottom. Make sure that you mix everything well before cooking, it will help there to be less chunks to sink to the bottom.

Can I use fresh tomatoes to make homemade spaghetti sauce?

You can use fresh or canned tomatoes. Using fresh will talk a little but longer because you will need to quarter them first.

Can I add any meat to this Spaghetti Sauce?

You can definitely add your favorite meat to this spaghetti sauce. For ground meat like beef, sausage, turkey, or chicken, saute the meat with some butter until cooked through in the instant pot before making the rest of the sauce as directed. If you want to add something like frozen meatballs that have already been cooked, include them with the sauce ingredients and add a few minutes to the cooking time.
I also recommend adding other vegetables that you might like to include. This recipe is mainly the base for a sauce, but adding things like onion, peppers, squash, carrots, mushrooms or garlic will make it more memorable and delicious. I recommend sautéing the vegetables in the pot on the sauté setting until they are softened, but not quite fork tender.

How long does it take for pressure to build in the Instant Pot?

It usually takes between 10-15 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach desired pressure. You will know when the correct pressure is reached because the pressure valve will pop up and the pot will beep one time.

Close up of a glass jar filled with Instant Pot spaghetti sauce.

Expert Tips

Whisk the tomato paste thoroughly into the sauce to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot, which could trigger a burn notice.
For a richer sauce, consider adding a splash of red wine or a tablespoon of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Brown ground beef, sausage, turkey, or any fresh vegetables you would like before adding the other ingredients to make a heartier sauce.
While dried herbs work well, finishing with fresh basil or parsley will elevate the flavor and add freshness.

Top view of an Instant Pot filled with spaghetti sauce.

How to Serve and Store Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Serve this sauce over your favorite pasta shape or my Homemade Noodles. Pair with homemade chicken, turkey, Italian, or porcupine meatballs or a side of garlic bread for a hearty, comforting meal. For a lighter option, serve the sauce over spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.

Place any leftovers into an airtight container and set them in the refrigerator. These will keep for about 4-5 days. However, the best thing about this sauce is that it freezes well. You can freeze this sauce for 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stovetop.