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:
After cooking the noodles, I added 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup, a 16 oz block of velveeta cheese, and one and a half cans ( I used the soup cans) of milk. I added half of these ingredients, stirred, then added the remaining half, and stirred. Very creamy!
This recipe is easy and awesome! I used Gruyere/Swiss cheese in place of the parm, added 1/2tsp of Old Bay seasoning and some shrimp. It was a hit at the potluck I went to!
Made this and loved it! Planning on doubling it next time. For a doubled recipe, how do I adjust the cook time?
We love this recipe! Thank you!
We have family members with celiac disease. Have you tried this with gluten free noodles?
I haven’t, but I know other people have and they’ve reported that it worked well 🙂
During dinner my 5yr old granddaughter said “my tummy just fell in love with this Mac and Cheese”. She is the pickiest person in the house so, needless to say this will be made time and time again. A great big THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. Great flavor and consistency!
Oh…. I did it wrong and added the cheese too soon. Still came out ok ??♀️??♀️??♀️
Can I use grated parmesan
This was delicious and super easy to make. I used cheese that I already had on hand which included pepper jack which added a nice kick to the flavor. So glad I found this recipe.
Question Nicole, can you freeze this? We love this and there are some days we’re so crazy busy I would love to be able to pull a frozen package of this and let it defrost in the fridge during the day while doing errands and such. Thanks
I freeze mine all the time. It comes out great!
Wow! Why I have I been making mac & cheese for a crowd with the standard roux method when this is so much faster and actually works better for staying creamy for a large gathering. Made a double batch in my 8qt IP and it came out perfectly and was a huge hit. My family actually liked it better than the baked variety I usually make! Highly recommend. For anyone wanting to make a double batch it did take about 15 minutes for the IP to come up to pressure.
You put it in the instant pot for 15 minutes with the double?
Thank you! Did you still cook for 5 minutes? And did it come out okay?
Do you grate your cheese or can we use pre-grated (i.e. Sargento).
Freshly grated cheese is best