Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce uses simple ingredients to create a rich and hearty pasta sauce that tastes like it has been simmered all day, yet is ready in an hour.
From Baked Ravioli Lasagna to Instant Pot Spaghetti to Instant Pot Lasagna, Spaghetti Sauce is a staple ingredient in many recipes.
And while you can certainly use jarred spaghetti sauce, homemade always trumps storebought in terms of flavor. Thankfully with this easy recipe for Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce, it is insanely easy to make delicious homemade pasta sauce.
Reasons to Love Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
- Amazing Flavor Fast. Just like my recipe for Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, this Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce is rich, thick, and full of subtle Italian flavors. Unlike my classic recipe, this version comes together in under an hour.
- Simple Pantry Ingredients. While I have included instructions for making Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce with fresh tomatoes if desired, you can whip this up using canned crushed tomatoes and a handful of dried spices.
- Endless Uses. Whether serving as a dipping sauce for Baked Meatballs, or used to assemble Baked Rotini, Lasagna Soup, or Homemade Lasagna, you can ensure delicious results when you start with this Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce.
Notes on Ingredients
- Crushed Tomatoes: You can use tomato sauce or tomato puree, but the flavor of crushed tomatoes is best.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste will help to thicken the sauce.
- Olive Oil: Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Onions: Adding a yellow or white diced onion to the sauce will add an extra depth of flavor to the sauce.
- 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: Use unsalted butter, which will help to add richness to the spaghetti sauce.
- Honey: A little bit of sugar is needed to help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Vegetable Broth: Use low-sodium vegetable broth, which will help the Instant Pot come to pressure. Feel free to replace the vegetable broth with chicken stock or beef broth if that is what you have on hand.
- Wine: Adding a bit of dry red wine, like a Merlot or Cabernet, will work to add amazing flavor to Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce. Just be sure to select a dry red wine that is suitable for drinking, not a cooking wine.
Recipe Modifications
- Dairy-Free Spaghetti Sauce: Replace the butter with additional olive oil or non-dairy butter. If using non-dairy butter, reduce the salt slightly, as it is typically salted.
- Omit the Wine: Feel free to replace the wine with additional broth.
- No Honey on Hand? Feel free to use granulated sugar in place of the honey.
- Using Fresh Tomatoes: Replace the 28 ounces of canned crushed tomatoes with 2 pounds of fresh tomatoes. I would recommend peeling, seeding, and dicing the tomatoes before making the sauce.
How to Make Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Saute Onions. Using the saute function, saute minced onion in a bit of olive oil until the onions have softened.
Step Two: Delglaze the Inner Pot. Any time you saute something in your pressure cooker, you want to add a thin liquid and scrape up any browned bits from the inner pot. This will add flavor to the pasta and prevent a burn notice from happening. For this recipe, add in the dry red wine and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits off the inner pot, while the wine simmers and reduces.
Step Three: Layer Ingredients. Pour in broth, garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in the inner pot. Add in the crushed tomatoes, butter, dollop tomato paste, and drizzle with honey. Do not stir, to prevent a burn notice.
Step Four: Pressure Cook. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10-15 minutes.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Allow the spaghetti sauce to cool then transfer the sauce to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Freeze: Transfer the cooled spaghetti sauce to a freezer-safe container, allowing room for expansion, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before using.
Recipes Using Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
- Italian Baked Vegetables
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- The Best Italian Stuffed Shells
- Instant Pot Creamy Italian Pasta
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna
If you tried this recipe for Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and a review below. I love to hear from you!
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion minced
- ½ cup dry red wine or additional vegetable broth
- 1-½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried parsely
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or additional olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on using the saute function. Add in the olive oil and let briefly heat. Once heated, add in the minced onions and saute for 2-4 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the wine (or ½ cup of broth) to the instant pot. Scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the instant pot, allowing the wine to saute and reduce for 1 minute or so. Then hit cancel on the Instant Pot to turn off the sauce function.
- Add the vegetable broth, garlic cloves, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes into the inner pot and stir to combine.
- Add the crushed tomatoes to the inner pot. Dollop tomato paste on top of sauce mixture and drizzle with honey. Add butter to the top of the ingredients. DO NOT STIR.
- Secure the lid on Instant Pot and make sure the vent knob is sealed. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes by hitting manual or pressure cook and using the +/- buttons to adjust the time to 25 minutes.
- After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release for at least 10 to 15 minutes before releasing pressure. Remove the bay leaf and cloves of garlic stir well, and use as desired or allow to cool before storing.
Brooke
Are you supposed to leave the garlic whole in the end or mix into sauce?
Kristen Chidsey
It is up to you Brooke! I love the flavor of the cooked garlic in the sauce, but remove for sensitive palates.
Leslie
I love this recipe! In fact I love it so much I was hoping you knew if I could double it? I have 6 qt Instant Pot. Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Leslie! I have been able to double successfully in my 6 quart. Just be sure to do a natural pressure release. And so happy you enjoy so much!
Randy
Just got my instant pot and this was the first recipe I tried! Was amazing! I usually cook my sauce forever and make a huge mess doing it, the ease and simplicity of this was only outshined by the taste! I was worried about the amount of paste and only one can of crushed tomatoes but stuck to the recipe since it was my first time... All right on the money! Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Welcome to Instant Pot Cooking! I am honored that this was the first recipe you tried and I love hearing you enjoyed it! I hope you find many more recipes here to enjoy!
Randall Ellicott
I was wondering if I wanted to make this a meat sauce with ground beef, could I just sauté the meat in the IP drain the grease and deglaze with the liquid and follow the rest of the recipe or should I make other changes?
Thanks,
Randy
Kristen Chidsey
Yes absolutely! I do that often and it adds rich flavor to the sauce. Enjoy.
Cheryl
This is my hands-down go-to marinara. Sometimes I saute' sausage, then stir it into the finished marinara. Add pasta, pressure cook for 4 minutes, and -- Voila'!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you love this recipe so much Cheryl. Thank you for sharing a review.
Thomas Ober
I made the sauce according to the recipe and it was very thin. I used crushed tomatoes with a lot of juice.
When I attempt the recipe again, what would you suggest so that the finished product would be thicker?
Kristen Chidsey
I would use Tomato puree or tomato sauce.
Connie
Finally got my 7 y.o. son who doesnt 'like' pasta to finally eat pasta. Didnt change a thing other than not using wine. Thanks for sharing.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this! It is always a win when the picky eater approves!
Karen W. - Seattle
My husband is always the "Seasoning Guy" - notorious for walking & and letting whichever of us just cooked something that he is ready to finish it with his "magic touch". This time, I casually mentioned that the InstantPot had just finished & the spaghetti sauce I'd prepared using our fabulous bounty of home-grown tomatoes (my neighbor & I have collaboratively nurtured 24 different plants - all unique varieties - this season.) For this round, I used "Hungarian Heart" variety, one of which weighed in at TWO pounds! Hubby headed over to give it a taste & figure out how to doctor it up. But no! He actually looked up, smiled, and said, "I can't think of ANYthing I'd add to that! It's delicious!!" Wow! Now THAT, my friends, is a STELLAR online testimonial! Can't wait to make the next round. Enjoy!
Kristen Chidsey
That means so much to me Karen! I love hearing how much your husband thought I nailed the seasonings. Thanks for sharing!
Shannon Webb
How much does this recipe make? I'm wanting to can these up in quart jars and gift for Christmas.
Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Shannon! What a wonderful gift! This recipe makes about 56 cups which is about 14 quarts 🙂
Sarah Harriman
I was just reading the recipe, which I plan to try. In the comments you said it makes 56 cups, but I calculated about 56 ounces. What did I miss?
Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh my goodness...56 OUNCES not cups😅🤣 I will fix that
Madeline Sarver
Hello! Could I use fresh tomatoes for this?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Madeline! Yes, you certainly can, however, I would recommend removing the skin and seeds before making the sauce. I have a tutorial on this on my recipe for Salsa. I would then chop up the tomatoes and use about 6 cups.
Karen W.
Definitely - see my comments above yours! Just made a batch today. Worked GREAT!! Will probably try to can a future batch, being sure to use the 2 TBSP of bottled lemon juice per quart of sauce.
Sara
This is my go-to spaghetti sauce recipe! It is so good and so easy to make. I usually use petite diced tomatoes just because that's what we like and it's great! I will also brown some ground beef before pressure cooking and that's great too. Thank you for a fantastic recipe that I've made at least 10 times.
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing how much you enjoy this Sara and that it has become a staple at your house! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Karen W
PS: I didn't remove skin or seeds, just chopped them up and layered as Kristen suggested. At the end, I used an immersion blender - just a few dunks did it. You wouldn't be able to find one seed in there, and yet it has retained wonderful consistency. I sauteed the garlic (probably double the amount, as we like it that way - along with extra red pepper) with the onions. I used "Two Rivers" red blend from Cana's Feast Winery (we are part owners) and homemade chicken stock from the freezer. Filled four 16oz jars, which are cooling in the refrigerator, and had about 3/4 cup leftover, so my neighbor could taste & compare...since she's doing the recipe right now in her kitchen!
Niketa
Quick question: I thought tomato paste was meant to be used in smaller quantities as it’s a concentrate. Do we really need 12oz of it?
Kristen Chidsey
It really does add a great depth of flavor to this sauce, so yes, that is what I recommend.
Sheila
Hello,
I am wondering how long you can store the pressure cooked tomato sauce? Tomatoes are high in acidity and am wondering if the pressure cooker can reach the high enough heat to kill any bacteria.
Sincerely,
Sheila
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sheila! This recipe is not suitable for canning. You can refrigerate for 5-7 days in the fridge or in freezer for 3-4 months.
April Prissel
Amazing and so easy to make. Thanks so much. 😃
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed the flavor and that it was easy for you to make.
Skye H.
Do you have any recommendations on how to use fresh garden tomatoes with this recipe? Thank you so much
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Skye! 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes is equivalent to 2 pounds fresh tomatoes. I would recommend peeling, seeding, and dicing the tomatoes before making the sauce. I have directions for peeling and seeding tomatoes on my salsa recipe.
Kelly
Hello thank you for this recipe! I have made this multiple times now.AfterI put it in my blender and purée it.My blender and purée it. Then after cooled I pour into “souper cubes and freeze then put into “foodsaver” bags and vacuum seal and put in freezer. I love this recipe.
Thank you so much!
Kelly Taylor
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoy this Kelly! Thanks for sharing.
Nick
This recipe is really easy to prepare and has great flavor. My wife is really picky about pasta sauce and it looks like I’ll be making a batch every weekend.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! I love hearing this will be a new staple at your house!
Sherrianne
He forgot to mention his picky wife is Italian. It’s the closest I’ve found to how my Grandma’s tasted. I love it. 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
WOW! That is a huge compliment Sherrianne! Thank you for sharing.
Connie
This recipe was the best I ever tasted. I didn’t have crushed can tomatoes, I put a can of diced tomatoes in the blender. It was perfect. It wasn’t thin. Could I bottle with this recipe for food storage?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Connie! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe so much. As for canning, I don't have specific instructions. I do know that you need to add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes, to ensure safe acidity in tomato products.
Lauren
This is AMAZING! I added a little salt and some extra dried herbs to suit our taste. We enjoyed this with homemade meatballs. Thank you so much!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you Lauren! I am so glad you enjoyed.
Hannah
Turned out so delicious and made a good volume of sauce.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Hannah!