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:
Anyone else have problem with starchy
Taste because noodles aren’t rinsed
I used water instead of broth.
I did taste the starch but I used broth and it probably hides it more. Really no way to get around that if you want to use this method!
Has anyone tries this with gluten free pasta?
I made this tonight for my first instant pot recipe, so easy and yummy! I added some kielbasa and dry mustard. Thank you!
How can I make this gluten free?
I haven’t tried using my gluten free pasta yet, however it looks like that is all that has gluten in it. I will try this soon and update you!
Reduce cook time by 1 minute. Some gf pasta comes in 12 oz box instead of 16 oz. Adjust recipe by 1/4 less or add 1/4 of a 2nd box of gf pasta.
Just wanted to let you know I have made this several times and it turns out amazingly awesome! I just exchanged the cheddar to Colby-Jack and the Mozzarella to Jarlsberg (found in the cheese shop at my local Kroger store). I am having a work carry in this week and will double the batch. I absolutely love this recipe!!!
No one has commented on doubling the batch. Did you exactly double recipe, including liquid? Thank you!
I want to bring this to a work potluck and I won’t have time to throw everything together prior to noon (I work in healthcare and see patients). Has anyone tried keeping this on warm for a while? I would need to make I morning around 8 and serve around noon. Thoughts?
I made this for supper one evening and kept it on warm for about 3 hours until my fiance got home from work. All it needed was a quick stir and it was perfect.
Absolutely delicious! My new Mac & cheese recipe. The second time we cooked this we only used about 1/2 of the veggie broth and the rest water.
Good flavour. Would cook 7 min QR and add 4 cups pasta next time. Too much broth. Had to cook it down and burned my pot.
Good flavour. Next time I would use 4 cups pasta as there is way too much liquid and cook it for 7 minutes QR . Because it took so long to cook down (too much liquid and I even used 3 cups of pasta!) I burned the bottom of my pot.
3 1/2 stars.
I’m not the recipe creator, but I think I can help with your problem. The recipe calls for 16 oz. of pasta which is 1 lb. by weight. One whole 16 oz. box, not two 8 oz. cups.
Tried it in my IP just as the directions say. Noodles were stuck together, stuck to the bottom, and mushy. Don’t know what I did wrong…..
I always add a little oil to the bottom of my pot before adding the noodles and water/broth. Set to cook for 4 min and once it beeps you have to release the pressure and then open the pot and stir. If you let the noddle set too long they will get mushy.