Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce is a staple recipe! This classic tomato sauce tastes like it has been simmered all day, but comes together in less than 1 hour, thanks to the pressure cooker. Make a large batch of this Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce to always have on hand when needed!
Use this delicious homemade tomato sauce for Oven-Baked Meatballs, Baked Rotini, Lasagna Soup, or Instant Pot Lasagna. And if you don't have a pressure cooker, check out my Stove Top Tomato Sauce Recipe.
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Hands down I prefer homemade tomato sauce over store-bought sauce!
BUT, homemade spaghetti sauce is time-consuming, as it takes hours of simmering to develop those rich flavors we all love in a good homemade tomato sauce.
Thanks to the Instant Pot, I have taken my recipe for Homemade Tomato Sauce and sped up the process!
With a few simple steps, it is easy to have a rich, delicious tomato sauce that tastes like it has been simmered all day in under an hour.
This recipe for spaghetti sauce is rich, thick, and full of subtle Italian flavors and is made with simple pantry staples--no fresh tomatoes or spices are needed for this recipe!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Tomato Sauce
- Crushed Tomatoes: You can use tomato sauce or tomato puree, but the flavor of crushed tomatoes is best.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste is needed to thicken the sauce.
- Olive Oil: Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Onions: This is optional, but I love to add sauteed onions for an extra depth of flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are best. Just crush them slightly to allow the garlic flavor to be released. In a bind, you can use jarred garlic.
- Dried Herbs: A combination of dried parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves flavor this sauce perfectly.
- Butter: Adds a great depth of flavor and richness to your sauce, but feel free to omit to keep this Dairy-Free
- Honey: Helps to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Feel free to sub out for sugar or omit altogether.
- Vegetable Stock/Wine: This gives the sauce the liquid it needs to cook in the pressure cooker. I personally like to use a mixture of dry red wine and stock for flavor, but all stock or even water will work. For dry red wine, choose a merlot or cabernet that is suitable for drinking.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Step One: Saute Onions
- Heat Instant Pot, using saute function.
- Once the pressure cooker is heated, add in olive oil and onions.
- Saute for 1-2 minutes or until onions begin to soften.
Step Two: Add Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- Pour in wine and stock.
- Pour in tomato sauce, garlic, dried herbs, and butter into the pressure cooker.
- Stir gently.
- Dollop tomato paste on top of tomato sauce and dot drizzle with honey. Let the tomato paste sit on top of the tomato sauce so it will not cause a burn notice.
Step Three: Pressure Cook
- Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
Step Four: Allow Pressure to Release
- Allow pressure to release for at least 10-15 minutes, or naturally.
- Stir the sauce together, removing the bay leaves and use as desired.
Storing Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
- Use spaghetti sauce right away, or store in glass or freezer-safe containers.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce keeps for 5-7 days in the fridge.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce freezes for 3-4 months.
Use Instant Pot Tomato Sauce for:
- Best Oven-Baked Meatballs
- Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried parsely
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon butter or additional olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup dry red wine or vegetable stock
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot, using saute function. Once the pressure cooker is heated, add in olive oil and onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until onions begin to soften.
- Add stock/wine or water to instant pot. Scrape up any browned bit that may have formed on bottom of the instant pot.
- Add remaining stock, crushed tomatoes (or sauce), garlic, and dried herbs, into the pressure cooker in that order. Stir gently.
- Dollop tomato paste on top of sauce mixture and drizzle with honey. Add butter to top of ingredients. DO NOT STIR. Secure lid on Instant Pot and make sure vent knob is sealed.
- Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release at least 10 to 15 minutes before doing quick release. Remove bay leaf, stir well and use accordingly.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Use spaghetti sauce right away, or store in glass or freezer safe containers.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce keeps for 5-7 days in fridge.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce freezes for 3-4 months.
- For Dry Red Wine, I suggest a Cabernet or Merlot wine.
David
This is such a great recipe, super easy and oh so tasty! Thank you for sharing Kristen. I was out of crushed tomatoes this time so I used tomato sauce along with a can of Rotel mild diced tomatoes and chilies, it was a success.
Kristen Chidsey
And thank you David for sharing your review! I always love hearing when others enjoy my recipes.
Anita Tuggle Goolsby
I am going to be making this this evening but I was wondering the serving size.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi David! I hope you enjoy. The serving size is about 1/2 cup.