Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is simple, creamy, cheesy, and delicious. Make this fast in your electric pressure cooker, and in one pot!
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is one of the major comfort foods. For all the homemade meals I ate as a kid, I never had homemade mac and cheese until I was a teenager. Mrs. Baker, from our church, made some for us and it was amazing! It tasted way different than the kind we made from the box!
I have used her recipe now for 30 years, and have been quite happy with it. It involves a roux, and lots of stirring on the stove, but it’s not that difficult. When I bought my Instant Pot almost 2 years ago, I was intending to just cook meats in it! Lol, little did I know! I try all kinds of things in this awesome electric pressure cooker! Instant Pot Mac and Cheese replaced Mrs. Baker’s recipe a little over a year ago! Sorry Mrs. B!
They are similar, she used ground mustard, and good cheese that melts well, but there is no roux to make!
With Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, you don’t drain the pasta! The starch stays in the pot and provides all the thickening you need. If you replace the water with chicken broth, the flavor will be richer (use low sodium!).
This is a super quick meal, and perfect for weeknights and those times when you don’t want to have to put together an elaborate meal. Just whip up some Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, and you’ll have your family running for the dinner table! Yay for the Instant Pot!
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Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is simple, creamy, cheesy, and delicious. Make this fast in your electric pressure cooker, and in one pot!
- 4 cups Water or Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Ground Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt (optional, but it adds a nice flavor)
- A Few Dashes of Hot Sauce (optional)
- 16 oz Pasta (1lb macaroni, penne, shells, etc.)
- 1 1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded (I prefer sharp cheddar, freshly shredded for creamiest result)
- 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded fresh
- 1 cup Heavy Cream (or half and half, or 1 can evaporated milk, or whole milk)
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Turn Instant Pot on Sauté mode by pressing the Sauté button.
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Add the water, butter, ground mustard, salt, and seasoned salt to the Instant Pot and bring to a simmer.
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Cancel the Sauté mode.
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Stir in the pasta and close the lid. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button and use the + or - button to choose 4 minutes (or half of the time the pasta package directions recommends).
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When the cooking cycle ends, do a Quick Release of the pressure. Start slowly, using several small bursts of steam release, to make sure none of the sauce spews out with the steam (the butter usually helps keep the foam down). Then fully release the steam.
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When the pin in the lid drops, open the pot and give the contents a stir. You want some liquid in there, but if it looks too watery, take some out.
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Add the cheese, half at a time, and stir. Let it melt before next step.
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Add the cream and stir until creamy and blended with the cheese.
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Adjust salt to taste.
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Serve hot.
The mac and cheese thickens up as it cools. If you need to loosen it up, just add more milk as needed.
Hi! I followed this recipe and yet my results are watery with clumpy cheese. Any ideas as why this may have been the case?
Hi Allison, It’s hard to say, not knowing what you did/used. When the pressure cooking is finished, stir, then add the cheese and let it melt while stirring occasionally. This should eliminate any clumps as the cheese will be melted. Then stir in the milk/cream last. I have never had it come out clumpy or watery. The water to pasta ratio is 4 cups to 1lb of pasta. Make sure your ratios are correct, as some boxes of pasta are only 12oz, not 16oz. That makes a difference. Was your pasta fully cooked?
This came out so well that we have it at least once a week now. Next I am going to try the Chili Mac. I love my Instant Pot
That’s awesome, Emily! I’m glad you like this recipe! Hope you also like the Chili Mac! Thank you for the nice review!
Very good, fast and creamy
Have made this several times. The 1st time I followed the recipe as written. Now I make it using whatever cheese and fluid dairy I have on hand. As long as the pasta to liquid ratio and cook time are correct, it’s always good. Tonight I’m using dibs and dabs of cheese; sharp cheddar, Monterey, smoked Gouda, and a partial block of cream cheese. Quick, tasty, easy to clean up. Thank you!
That’s great! Thank you for your review!
This always turns out great. Thank you for sharing
I just made this for the first time and it turned out fantastic! I added onion powder and substituted 1/2 cup of milk with sour cream, my kids couldn’t get enough. Also, it’s faster than Kraft on the stove top and 1K times better!
Hi Rob, that’s great! Those extra seasonings really make a difference. I’m glad you and your family liked this mac and cheese recipe! Thanks for your review!