This Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe is simple and quick but packs a serious flavor punch. This creamy soup is loaded with vegetables and can easily be made dairy-free or vegetarian.
You’ll also love this Juicy Instant Pot Chicken Breast and these Instant Pot Chicken Recipes!
Table of Contents
This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup was one of the very first things I made in my pressure cooker. After making a few ridiculously easy recipes, like Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot, and Instant Pot Taco Meat from Frozen Ground Beef, I decided it was time to try out a soup.
I think soups and stews are some of the easiest recipes to make in the instant pot, especially if you’re just starting out.
They have enough liquid that it easily comes to pressure and you won’t get that concerning “burn” message flashing on the screen.
Plus you get that “I spent all day in the kitchen” flavor in just 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients Needed:
- Canola Oil: we need just a little bit of oil to sauté the veggies before pressure cooking.
- Carrot, Celery, and Onion: the classic soup trio to create a flavor base and add plenty of texture.
- Chicken: you’ll need 1 boneless and skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2″ pieces.
- Seasonings: a simple blend of parsley, salt, minced garlic, thyme, and black pepper gives the soup the best flavor.
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low sodium so I can add salt to taste myself.
- Pasta: any short pasta will work. I usually use Ditalini or Orzo!
- Cream and Cornstarch: forms a slurry which makes the soup thicker and creamy.
- Chopped Spinach: a handful of fresh, chopped spinach wilted into the soup adds some extra color and texture.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
This simple instant pot soup takes just 10 minutes to prep! See the detailed recipe in the card below.
- Sauté the veggies: Turn the instant pot to sauté and heat the oil. Add in the carrots, celery, and onion, then cook until softened.
- Brown the chicken: Add in the seasonings and the cubed chicken and cook until white on the outside.
- Add the broth and pasta: Pour the broth into the instant pot, then stir in uncooked pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Add the cream and spinach: In a bowl, mix together cream and cornstarch, then mix that into the soup along with the chopped spinach. Cook until thickened, then serve.
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup FAQs
Not in this recipe. Since we’re cooking the chicken takes longer to cook than the noodles, we need to brown the chicken first. Luckily, this can all be done in the instant pot so we’re not dirtying any more dishes!
We’re making our chicken noodle soup creamy with a cornstarch slurry. It’s made of heavy cream and cornstarch. Just whisk those two together until smooth, then mix that into your soup at the end.
Leftover chicken noodle soup will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Keep in mind that the pasta will soak up the liquid and soften as the soup sits. Leftovers will still taste delicious though!
If you’re going to freeze your soup, I recommend doing so without the pasta. Cooked noodles can become mushy in the freezer. To freeze your soup, follow the recipe as instructed, but don’t add the pasta. Instead, cool the soup completely, then store it in the freezer. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw the soup and add cooked pasta just before serving.
Variations
- Add more veggies. You can easily use other veggies. Add peppers, mushrooms, or anything that suits your fancy.
- Make it vegetarian. Leave out the chicken, use chicken broth, and add more veggies to change it up!
- Make it dairy-free. To make this soup dairy-free, simply leave out the milk. If you want to thicken it slightly, you can do so by substituting the milk for an additional cup of broth and cornstarch.
- Make it gluten-free. Just use a gluten-free pasta.
- Spice it up. Add a sprinkle of cayenne or red pepper flakes.
Serving Suggestions
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup is great on its own, but if you want to bulk your meal up, serve it next to Garlic Bread or Breadsticks, Homemade Dinner Rolls, Roasted Green Beans, or Air Fryer Broccoli.
Looking for more pairing ideas? Check out more of my easy side dish recipes!
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 large carrots peeled and sliced (not too thin)
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into ½" pieces) about 300 grams
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup short pasta (such as Ditalini or Orzo) about 130 grams
- ½ cup cream (I use heavy cream but any will do)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 cup chopped spinach
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the oil. Wait until the Instant Pot reads "hot" and then add the carrots, celery and onion. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes until onion has softened.
- Add the cubed chicken. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes just until white on the outside.
- Stir in the parsley, salt, garlic, thyme and pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute.
- Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot well to remove any browned bits. Stir in the uncooked pasta.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to sealing. Press Manual, leave on High pressure, and use the arrows to select a cook time of 2 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and start counting down.
- When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off. Let the pressure release naturally for about 5 minutes before opening the valve to release the remaining pressure.
- Whisk together the cream and corn starch. Stir into the pot with the spinach. .
- Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Debbi says
This soup was great!! I did use 2%milk to thicken it up. At the end I sprinkled Chipotle red pepper for a little kick. It’s 7 degrees here and talk about comfort food!! I’ll definitely be making this again.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Debbi!
Jayne Smith says
Love this recipe!! Do you think it will fit in the IP if I double it? Will the pressure time remain the same?? Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! Time should remain the same. It will depend on the size you are using and if the ingredients go over the fill line.
Helen R. Graham says
This soup feeds our soul! We’ve added sweated portabella mushrooms. On days when we want a thinner soup, we add 4 C water & 5 t chicken bouillon granules. Freezes well!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Helen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Dana CLEM says
Would you mind sending me the crockpot recipe of this? I don’t own yet. I plan to, though🙌🏻💯
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Dana! Here is the crockpot version: https://www.thereciperebel.com/easy-slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-noodle-soup/
Erin says
An you use milk instead of heavy cream?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Erin! It should work. Enjoy!
Michelle says
This was a winner in our house tonight with the cold and flu bug going around. The kids loved it.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Michelle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Jillian says
So delicious! I love all of your recipes and cook one of them at least once a week – thank you!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jillian! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Kumiko says
I am Mom to 3 picky boys age 9, 7 and 1. Made this tonight and everyone loved it! I added a bit of butter at the beginning and used whole milk instead of cream. Delicious!!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kumiko! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Tracie says
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Tracie! I have a section in the blog post that’s called “how to freeze” that explains the details! Hope you enjoy it!
Chrissie says
Can you provide instructions on how to make this on a stove top or slow cooker?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Chrissie! here is my slow cooker version: https://www.thereciperebel.com/easy-slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-noodle-soup/ and my stove top version: https://www.thereciperebel.com/chicken-noodle-soup/
Annushka says
Can you use cream cheese instead of heavy cream?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Annushka! You’ll need to replace the liquid with a liquid. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Shannon says
What are the slow cooker directions? I’m not seeing them in any of the notes.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Shannon, here is my slow cooker version: https://www.thereciperebel.com/easy-slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-noodle-soup/
Melanie says
I just cooked it tonight watching the Election Results. very good and simple
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Melanie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Suzanne Waks says
Would love the old recipe since I never printed it out. This new one seems more time consuming than putting everything in at once
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Suzanne! It is actually not more time consuming since the pasta cooks with the vegetables and not after — it’s actually exactly the same, but the sauteed vegetables create a much more flavorful base. You are welcome to just dump the veggies in with the chicken without sauteeing or refer to the old recipe in the notes.
Brenda says
Hi Ashley. I love this receipe. But I also had your original one which called for milk instead of 1/2 and 1/2. And that one I thought was 4 cups of broth as well as 4 cups of milk. I liked making that one because I don’t buy 1/2 and 1/2 that often. At least with adding milk I always have that on hand?
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoy it Brenda! Any type of cream will do. Thank you!
Mike says
Could I use turkey instead of chicken and make it the same way?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mike! Yes you could use turkey and would make it in the same way. Hope you enjoy it!
Denise says
Is the chopped spinach fresh or frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
It is fresh but either will work fine 🙂
Michelle says
I love this recipe and have cooked it many times for my family and it’s a huge hit. However we found the recent modification to not result in a better product. The pasta was soggier and it took longer with the sautéed veggies. Is there a way we can get the previous recipe? Thank you – do love the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Michelle! The pasta will not be soggier because it actually cooks less, and the recipe does not take longer since the pasta cooks with the vegetables instead of after. If you prefer, you can find a link to the old recipe in the notes.
Andrea says
I knew some items were different and the directions to make it were totally different. I almost thought I didn’t have the correct recipe. I will also be following the video!
Mary Kay says
Just finished making it. Delicious. Easy to make. Had all ingredients on hand. I will be making again. I used 1percent milk I already had, still creamy.