Instant Pot Mac and Cheese + Video
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is so creamy and can be made in less than 15 minutes using your electric pressure cooker!
Homemade Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food that the whole family will love! It is easy and quick to make and so flavorful and rich. There are SO many different ways to make it, too! Baked, on the stove top, in a crockpot, and now you can even make it in an electric pressure cooker!
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Cooking macaroni and cheese in the Instant Pot saves you a few steps – no need to drain the pasta and everything can be made in one pot.
I love to serve it with crispy bacon bits or chopped ham on top. With a side salad, it’s great for a main dish, but it also makes the perfect side dish for so many different meals!
It’s perfect for dinner on busy weeknights, as a potluck dish, and for holiday dinners!
Cooking the macaroni in a Pressure Cooker is much quicker than on a stovetop, and using chicken broth instead of water makes this comfort food even more flavorful and creamy. You’ll never want to make Mac and Cheese another way after you tried this easy Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe!
Helpful Tips for Instant Pot Mac and Cheese:
- This recipe works in a 6 quart or 8 quart pressure cooker. If you are using an 8 quart Instant Pot, it is possible to double the recipe and with no need to adjust the cooking time!
- You can use elbow macaroni or corkscrew macaroni for this recipe.
- If you are using low-sodium chicken broth you might need to adjust the seasoning and add ½ teaspoon of salt to the uncooked noodles.
If you don’t have chicken broth on hand you can use the same amount of water or vegetable broth instead. - I recommend grating the cheese yourself rather than using pre-shredded cheese. For the most part, pre-shredded cheese doesn’t get as creamy and smooth as freshly grated does.
- To get the best flavor and texture use a combination of cheeses. You can substitute 1 cup of cheddar cheese with mozzarella cheese but don’t use more than one cup otherwise it will be very stringy.
- Instead of cheddar you can use any smooth melting cheese like gouda, gruyere, or Monterey jack for example.
- I prefer to use regular milk instead of evaporated milk in this recipe because I always have regular milk on hand and find that it tastes better.
- If there is extra liquid left after cooking, give it a stir, put the lid back on and let it sit for a few more minutes until the pasta has absorbed all the liquid.
- Depending on how dry or wet the cooked macaroni are use 1/2 cup of milk or more until the desired consistency is reached.
- This creamy dish tastes best fresh because the longer mac and cheese sits, the dryer it will become. Reheating is possible but don’t expect it to taste as creamy and smooth as before.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
Don’t miss a thing! Follow us on
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Other Favorite Mac and Cheese Recipes
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese + Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 16 ounces dry macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon dried onion powder, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic powder, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard, or 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups grated Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- In the inner pot of an Instant Pot, combine chicken broth, macaroni, butter, dried onion powder, dried mustard, hot sauce, and black pepper.
- Put the lid on the pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Set to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
- After the time is up do a quick release. Have a towel ready because there might be some liquid spraying. If there is extra liquid, put the lid back on and let sit for 2 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup of milk, then stir in handfuls of cheese at a time and stir until smooth and melted. Add more milk if needed. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published May 2019. Updated with video April 2020.
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
This mac and cheese always comes out perfect no matter what cheese I use! The family raves about it so it’s never missing from the dinner table.