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 recipe. Super easy and super tasty. Thank you!!!
Don’t miss out on this deliciousness!!!
I’ve used this recipe tons. Love it! Usually add a bit more hot sauce.
That said, I think the nutritional data is off! Missing carbs! And likely that’s affecting the calories. Man I wish this were only 200 calories!
This is our go-to after trying many other recipes. It’s delicious and so easy!!
If you double/or 3x the recipe do you adjust the time?
Ohhhh, that’s delicious! I’ll definitely make it again. I give it 5 stars!!!!!
This is the best Mac and cheese recipe I’ve tried. My kids request it more than any other recipe and it always turns out perfectly.
Has anyone made this with a vegetarian liquid instead of Chicken Broth? We’re having guests over and I wanted to make a vegetarian dish. Wondering if there is something more flavorful to use than just water.
I’d just use veggie broth instead. Easy to make in your IP with onion, celery, and carrots plus some seasonings. Or buy veggie stock in the store. Should work the same as chicken stock!
Can I substitute cr cheese for Mozzarella, or Velveeta?
This Mac & cheese is the best Instapot recipe I have found! Just made a batch for an outing I’m going to today. I like to shred all my cheeses but didn’t have time this time and it still turned out fantastic. I won’t use as much mozzarella next time just because it is quite stringy but hey who doesn’t love cheese no matter what form it is!!! Thank you for this great recipe!!
Great recipe! Super easy and I love the flavor.
Only thing I would change next time would be to reduce the overall cheese by 1/4 to 1/3. After 2 of my 3 handfuls it seemed plenty cheesy!
Agree. Next time I will pull back on the cheese.