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:
This was awesome! I halved the recipe, and used half chicken stock to water (because I had stock, not broth and it was not low sodium). Turned out perfectly and my family LOVED it. Make sure and just eyeball the milk part. Start with a little and add as needed. This recipe totally rules – thank you!
I did 1 1/2 times the original in my 6 quart and it worked perfectly!
I made this for the first time today and my family loved it! The adults were fighting over the leftovers! I made 1 1/2 Times the recipe without adjusting cooking time and it was perfect. I have electric pressure cooker not Instapot but it’s basically the same. Thanks for the great recipe that we”ll make again!!
I agree on freshly grated cheese, but tillamook is an exception to the rule! Its such a creamy and nice melting cheese, pre shredded or not!
If you’re going to half the recipe, do you need to adjust the cooking time? Thanks!
I made this and it was delicious!! However, the cheese was really, really stringy. Did I make a man-stake and wrongly assume that 8oz of block cheese was the same as 1c cup of shredded?? I used 16oz of cheddar, 8oz of mozzarella and 4oz of Parmesan and shredded it all. Please let me know if that’s where my mistake was!! Thanks!
Hi! Sorry for the delayed response. I haven’t had it turn out stringy. So, I am thinking yes, probably too much cheese. A full 8 ounce block of cheese will come out to a whole lot more than one cup. I am glad you enjoyed the mac and cheese and I hope it turns out better for you next time! 🙂
Thanks for the response and I’ll definitely make it again. It was even MORE delicious reheated the next day by the way!!!
I just made this tonight and it is absolutely delicious! I think I put too much cheese in it, if that is humanly possible, but it was absolutely out of this world! Next time I’m gonna look into diced ham and see how that works.
I absolutely LOVE the idea of adding ham! I think I’ll have to try that as well 🙂
Do you think I would need to change the time at all if I were to use cavatappi instead of elbow pasta?
You should not need to
Can you make this recipe in a crockpot?
Sorry, I’m not sure, I haven’t tried it
Can this recipe be cut in half and will I have to adjust the time? I have the Instant Pot Mini Ultra.
Okay this is amaaaazing Mac and Cheese! I can’t believe how fast it was and how SIMPLE it was. It was 10x faster to make than other recipes I’ve made, and way better. Thanks for an amazing recipe I know I’ll keep remaking. Goes perfect with a southern dinner 🙂