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:
I made tonight and the taste was excellent but cheese was super thick and stringy. Should I have added milk first and slowly added cheese to allow it to melt or maybe just more milk? Definitely want to make again!
Just finished making this and it was soooo good!! I am not usually a mac & cheese person but this was perfect. My husband is not the best at giving compliments but he even said this is very good.
Thank u so much for the recipe. ?
P.s I just got my Instant Pot last week and I am in love.
Added cayenne pepper instead of hot sauce….mmmmmm….my hubby who isn’t a fan of mac n cheese loved it!
I’m a huge fan of oven baked Mac and Cheese, and was expecting a passable result with this method, but it truly turned out every bit as amazing as the oven baked method I love, and have made for years that can take a couple of hours of labor. I also added a sprig of thyme in the pot then put in one egg yolk while the mix was hot. I cooked this on an old fashioned stove top pressure cooker and it was ready in under 4 minutes. I’m blown away with this recipe and how versatile it is!
When I dd the quick release it spewed out liquid all over the lid, cor and counter. What could have happened? I’ve used quick release with other recipes and never had that result.
Made this for my family of four. First recipe in the instant pot. I wanted to take a picture but it was all gone before I could. This recipe has now been requested as a staple in our house. Love it!
Hi There,
I want to give this a try, but what exactly is “hot pepper sauce?” I don’t use hot sauce often. Thanks!
Just hot sauce such as Tobasco or Cholula 🙂
Made this tonight, tasted great except it was a bit runny. Followed the recope spot on
My family and I loved this. My kids raved about it. It turned out very creamy!! Thanks! Will definitely make this again!
Made this Mac and Cheese this afternoon for a nice warm lunch. My guys LOVED it! It was super easy to make and it turned out really well. Thank you for the delicious recipe! We will definitely make this again!