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:
Going to try this recipe today but concerned how some people are saying they had a lot f liquid left in the pot. Any idea what may cause this or how to avoid it? I plan to double the recipe and will definitely not fully double the liquid but don’t want it to be watery. Any advice is appreciated.
Hi Juli! I appreciate your concern. This recipe was tested by me three times as written before going up on my website, and I never had the issue with it being watery. Most people haven’t had that problem either. I am wondering if the main concern is that people aren’t using freshly shredded cheese and are using bagged shredded cheese instead. Freshly shredded should help absorb the remaining liquid when stirred into the pasta. I hope that helps! If you are still concerned, try decreasing the liquid by 1/2 cup before cooking. 🙂
Something that confused me at first are the “cup” markings on the IP. Those are not US cups… they are correlated to the scoop that comes with the IP. So if someone filled up their IP to the “4 cup” line, that would be too much. I just tested it in mine and 4 US cups goes just over the “3 cup” line on the IP. So for us Americans, always use a measuring cup when using an IP (or use liters).
So I’ve made this twice this past month and I must say, it’s very good being made in chicken broth. It adds an amazing depth of flavor. Both times I decided to take the Mac n cheese and bake it with some crushed crutons on top. We like sharp cheddar and Gouda. Excellent recipe! I will make it again and again.
Made this for my family tonight and oh my goodness . . . so delicious! Total hit with my husband and kids. We especially liked the kick of heat from the hot pepper sauce! Will for sure be making it again.
Is there supposed to be liquid left in the IP when it’s done cooking? Mine had more than a cup when I removed the lid. I tried to drain some of it, but left some, but the final product was still very watery. Not sure where I might have went wrong? Used 4 cups and did manual for 5 minutes.
Delicious, we added 1 tsp of liquid smoke and it came out amazing, a little watery but I will use less stock next time.
Oh my goodness! This is seriously the best mac and cheese I have ever mad and I have made many a pot and/or casserole of the stuff. I just got my IP today (yay for Prime day) and I knew I wanted to make mac and cheese. I put 1.5x the noodles for about double the sauce ingredients and it was the most fantastic thing to come out of my kitchen in a little while. Thank you!!
How much is one serving?
Followed recipe exactly except used penne pasta and cooked for 4 minutes. Delicious!
thank you!
this was a first time I cooked mac and cheese and kids said it was even better than Trader Joe’s mac & cheese!
Just made this moments ago at my office for an “indoor holiday picnic” we are having at work today. I used 2 lbs of pasta and 8 cups of chicken broth. Used garlic salt instead of garlic powder and salt separately . Used a full stick of butter, 8 oz of shredded cheddar, 8 oz of shredded mozzarella and then about 1 cup of grated pecorino romano blend. I used the hot sauce too.
Wonderfully creamy and delicious !!
What size Instant Pot did you use? I wonder if it can be doubled in a 6 quart.