Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – This macaroni and cheese is every family’s favorite comfort food pasta recipe made easy in the Instant Pot! You can have creamy, mouthwatering, homemade mac and cheese for dinner in about 10 minutes!
Have I mentioned lately that I’m kind of in love with my Instant Pot? Although, I do love our classic Baked Mac and Cheese too! If you have been following me on Instagram you’ll know that I’ve documented my daily trials and errors using the thing. I was so skeptical of even getting one in the first place, and now, it’s pretty much all I want to use for cooking at all! It takes a lot of the in-between steps out of making simple recipes. Like this mac and cheese, the pasta cooks in just enough liquid, with no need to drain! If you’re looking for more amazing Instant Pot dinners definitely try out this Instant Pot Jambalaya it’s out of this world!!
My family absolutely LOVED this macaroni and cheese. Well, I did too. The flavor was absolutely perfect and it was super creamy, just like a good mac should be.
I made this recipe in my 8 quart Instant Pot, and it will definitely work just fine if you have a 6 quart as well. It makes a whole lot by the way. Yay for leftovers!
There was enough for my family of four to eat this as a main dish with a side salad for supper. Then, my kids took some for lunch in their thermos to school the next day. Even after that we had enough left to use up as a side dish later in the week!
How to Make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese:
- For the best flavor, I recommend using chicken broth as your cooking liquid. I used low sodium chicken broth. If you don’t have low sodium, leave out the extra addition of salt, then salt as needed when serving.
- Use seasoning! I add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and hot sauce to this before cooking. Don’t worry, the hot sauce does not make this spicy at all. It just adds an additional layer of flavor that’s amazing.
- Use a combination of cheeses for the best taste. I use a mixture of sharp cheddar, mozzarella. When you add the cheese, make sure to stir continuously so that it all melts in really well and you aren’t left with clumps.
- Don’t use canned milk. I used regular 2% milk, and I recommend that or whole milk for best results. Most of the recipes I saw for Instant Pot mac and cheese used evaporated milk which I am not a fan of at all.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces Uncooked Elbow Macaroni
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 -1 Cup Milk
Instructions
- Add the uncooked macaroni, chicken broth, butter, hot sauce, garlic powder, pepper, and salt to the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the pot and set to sealing. Cook on manual function, high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, do a quick release.
- Add the milk, then the cheese to the pot in 3-4 handfuls, stirring in between each addition until smooth and creamy. Season as necessary to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking for other great Instant Pot recipes? Try these:
This is just an automatic win for me. I mean, amazing mac n cheese with seriously minimal effort? SO in. Thanks for sharing!
I love how easy this is to make in the instant pot! It looks so creamy and delicious! I’m sure it’ll be highly requested!
I’ve been on the hunt for a CHEESY IP mac and cheese recipe and I think I just fell in love, I mean, found it!! This looks out of this world amazing!
Ok I might have to get in on the Instant Pot thing! this macaroni and cheese looks divine!
LITERALLY GO RIGHT NOW AND GET AN INSTANT POT. It is the best appliance I own. I use it at least 4 times per week.
Walmart has them right now for $49!
Oh WOW! I’ve been dying to make an instant pot mac & cheese for ages and now I’ve got to!
Wow, what’s great recipe! I totally love your recipe and can’t wait to try it!
I did this this past weekend. So creamy ! Loved it.
Omg! I cannot get over the CREAMINESS (so good I wrote in bold) of your instant pot mac and cheese……yummy or what!!
Nothing better than homemade mac and cheese, never thought of making it in the instant pot…this is genious! and it looks devine
I was just looking for a mac & cheese recipe for the Instant Pot and this looks amazing! Do you let the pressure build, and then allow it to cook for 5 minutes more before doing the quick release?
Hi! Yes, the 5 minute time starts after the pot comes to pressure. I don’t include that in the time because I’ve found it varies depending on which IP someone is using. 🙂
I thought it was very tasty but next time I would delute the chicken broth with water it was a little salty even with low sodium. 16oz of pasta 4 cups of broth I still had a cup of broth in the bottom of the pan is this normal and the pasta was cooked.
Mine had too much liquid at the end. I sautéed some off and added more cheese.
That would vary on pasta used it Like potatoes releases starch into water and broth thickening the sauce
This may seem like an odd question but how does 16oz. Of pasta measure by cups?
8 oz.. is one cup, so 2 cups.
16 oz is by weight, not by volume. The number of cups isn’t possible to tell without knowing the type of pasta one is using, as the pasta sizes vary so much (picture tiny shells vs large elbow noodles vs rotini, etc).
I have a 16 oz box of dry macaroni that I opened and measured and it equaled 3-1/2 cups.