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:
Excellent, last minute, cozy food recipe! I agree that it doesn’t work with gluten free pasta.
My kids love this Mac and cheese. I even add a bit more hot sauce to give the kick! Go to favorite for months now.
Super tasty!!! I subbed Gouda for mozz because it was on sale and I like Gouda more, and it’s amazing! My only complaint is the splattering starches after quick release. Any tips?
Thanks! I’ve never had an issue with the starch splattering….I’d say say do a natural release for 1-2 minutes, then do your quick release and that should help 🙂
Hi, newbie here. What is a natural release vs. a quick release?
Hi Sam! Natural release is where you let the pot release the pressure on it’s own. Quick release is where you manually turn the valve on top of the pot from sealing to venting.
Great recipe! Only changes I made were fresh garlic & I put it under the broiler for five mins at the end to crisp up the top 🙂
Thanks
Made this and it was two thumbs up from my hubby and me. Can the left over mac n cheese be reheated right in the Instant Pot?
I made this tonight. Yummy. I used bowtie pasta, eliminated the hot sauce, added 1tsp of Dijon mustard ( just like Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Zingerman’s deli). Plus, I used Costco’s Kirkland granulated garlic instead of garlic powder. The 5 minutes of pressure in my Fagor brand multi -cooker left the bowties under cooked. Plan to add another minute next time. Could add a bit of minced onion to this recipe. Used Cabot white cheddar and Tillamook cheddar to make up the 2 cups needed.
I just made this. Instead of shredded cheese I used slices of Smoked gruyere and cheddar cheese and it came out amazing!!!
What can I sub for the chicken broth? Wanna make it vegetarian. Dairy is ok.
You can sub vegetable broth or water
Is it possible to half the recipe. I want to try it for my picky family and hate wasting food.
If you put your cursor on the servings at the top of the recipe, you will see that you can adjust it. I did the same thing just now.
Awesome thank you!
This was an amazing recipe! I too use chicken broth. Cooking gluten-free/lactose free, so used Bionatre 12oz bag pasta, and 12 ounces Cabot cheddar cheese. I also added 2 teaspoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon prepared mustard as those two ingredients always go in our macaroni and cheese. Pasta was still a little firm after a 10 minute rest. If I could have waited another 20 minutes, it would’ve been perfectly cooked. Thank you so much.
What was the cook time using gluten free pasta? Did you do a nature release & how long or quick release? I’ve done this recipe exactly as it’s written & loved it, but I need to try it with gluten free pasta & need some guidance. Thank in advance.
This recipe is amazing! Made it tonight for dinner. This will become a favorite recipe for sure. I’m confused about the serving size/nutrition info though. How do you measure 206kal? Does it convert to 206 calories per serving? Or is kcal counting higher?
I made this yesterday and my girls loved it! I am going to make it tomorrow for my daughter’s birthday party and am considering doubling or tripling. Do I need to increase the time at all for a bigger batch?
Thank you!
Megan
Did you test out doing a larger batch? How’d it go?
You should not have to increase time just liquid
Hi, no need to increase the time, it will just take longer to come to pressure because of the extra liquid when doubling, hope that helps
one of my favorite recipes. the only thing i change up is i take about 1 cup of liquid out and then put back in if neeed. I do a mix of velveeta block cheese and shredded. turns out watery if I keep all liquid in at the end