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!

Instant pot mac and cheese is ready in 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!!

Macaroni and cheese made in the instant pot

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!

Instant pot mac and cheese recipe

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.

Instant pot mac and cheese

Enjoy!

~Nichole

Instant pot mac and cheese is ready in 10 minutes
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4.96 from 1447 votes

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

By Nichole
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!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 5 minutes
Total 10 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients 

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

NOTE ABOUT MEASURING:  This recipe calls for one, 16 ounce box of dried elbow macaroni.  If you are measuring from a large bag, this is equal to 4 cups dry measure.  The 16 ounces is also equal to 453 grams.
NOTE:  Some people say that they find this "stringy" Mozzarella is a stringy cheese, if you don't like that texture, use a different cheese, or all cheddar.  Also, keep in mind that you MUST add the cheese in 3-4 handfuls, stirring between each addition, don't add all of the cheese at once.
NOTE:  The cheeses listed in the recipe have produced the best flavor that I have found.  Feel free to use your family's favorite cheese combination.
NOTE:  For the milk, start with 1/2 cup and add up to one cup if you find it needs to be thinned out a little bit more.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cup, Calories: 206kcal, Protein: 13g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 966mg, Potassium: 145mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 519IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 351mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!

Looking for other great Instant Pot recipes?  Try these:

 

Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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1,335 Comments

  2. 5 stars
    This is the recipe I make in my IP most often. I found it back in the spring and it is my kids’ absolute favorite! I always double the recipe, but keep the cook time the same and it turns out great every time. I had two requests for this recipe just last week – my college kid brought it to a “trombones” Thanksgiving meal and my other son’s friend told his mom she needed to get the recipe from me 🙂 Thank you so much for a simple, tasty recipe! I’m making a couple batches Friday night for a mac & cheese bar for a Christmas party I’m hosting.

    Reply

    1. You can kindly refer to my comments below where you specifically stated that you didn’t follow the recipe and were just “hoping for the best.” There is a reason that we as food bloggers add important notes to our recipes, and they should be followed in order for the recipe to turn out correctly. Plain and simple, it was a watery disaster because you chose not to follow instructions.

      Reply

    1. That’s not correct. 8 ounces of dry/uncooked pasta is equal to *about* 4 cups, which is the reason for the note in the recipe.

      Reply

      2. For LIQUID measure 8 ounces is 1 cup, this is DRY measure and I promise you that it is four cups.

    2. There’s a pretty big difference between liquid and dry measurements. 16oz (weight) of standard macaroni noodles is pretty close to 4 cups in a LIQUID measuring cup,

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Made this last night for a family gathering and it was a hit for all ages! Thanks for another great go to recipe!!!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Tried this tonight with gluten free pasta. I added two minutes to the time (7 minutes total) as gluten free pasta cooks differently, but I think it would have been better at five minutes. I doubled all the ingredients but I only added six cups of homemade turkey broth instead of eight, I also added an additional tsp of salt since I don’t salt my broth. It turned out great! The trick was definitely to start with 1/2 cup of milk (I didn’t double it) and then add the cheese a bit at a time and stir until it’s all melted before adding more.

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    This recipe was wonderful. I used a mixture of cheeses ( sharp cheddar, gouda, mozzarella and Parmesan) and the chicken broth. I finished it off in the oven with Panko breadcrumbs for added crunch. Next time I would leave out the additional salt. Thank you for the recipe! I will make again!

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    This was one of my first Instant Pot recipes- absolutely fantastic. I used a mix of shredded cheeses I had on hand- Italian blend, Colby Jack and Cheddar. It was delicious and super quick!!!

    Reply