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:
Can this be doubled in a 6 at instant pot? Thanks.
Yes
Would the 3 qt pot be too small for this recipe?
This mac and cheese recipe was so easy and delicious! I used shredded cheese because it was on sale and the result was very creamy. I have used quite a few of your instant pot recipes and all have turned out well so I often go to thesaltymarshmallow.com first to get an instant pot recipe. Thanks!
Love this recipe. I tweak the cheeses and spices to my liking. I love that this recipe doesn’t use fake cheese like velveeta because my stomach can’t handle that plastic cheese.
Does it matter what pasta you use? Does it change the cooking time? Thanks!
I would love to know this too! I usually use the higher protein elbows from Barilla to fill my kids up!
Hi! I’m currently making this dish right now. Is there supposed to be leftover broth after cooking the pasta? I’m so excited to try this!
Best comfort food I’ve had in a while. SO rich, creamy, and delicious!!!
Deliciousness! I threw in whatever random cheese I had. Perfect!
Tried this for the first time tonight. I didn’t quite have enough cheddar so I added odds and ends of Swiss and American to make up the difference. I had to let the pot sit on “warm” for awhile until serving time and found myself stirring in more and more milk to keep it from becoming stiff. I probably added easily an additional 3 cups over the course of an hour but that’s okay. It was very tasty and good with the hot sauce giving just the right amount of “punch”. I normally make a homemade mac and cheese from Martha Stewart’s website that takes quite a bit of messing around with cooking the pasta, making a thickened cheese sauce, baking, etc. but this recipe is equally good with far less fuss. I too add buttered bread bits but just did those separately in a pan under the broiler and sprinkled them over top when finished. Will be making this recipe again.
Delicious and easy! Thanks for a great recipe!
What brand of hot sauce do you use? Also, will the consistency stay nice if you leave it in the instant pot on low or keep warm for a few hours?
I use Cholula for almost everything! Sorry I haven’t tried leaving it in the pot for a few hours.
I am needing to do this today for thanksgiving! Did you leave it in the pot on “keep warm”? And if so, did it work?