This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is ultra creamy and rich with a velvety smooth sauce! Ready in about 20 minutes, it’s always a family favorite. Perfectly cooked, every time, and no need to babysit the pasta, or even drain it! Made with no canned milk and no Velveeta.
This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is the perfect comfort food! Recipes like my Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa and Instant Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup are great for when you want an ultra-comforting family meal that’s ready incredibly fast. This is one of my Pressure Cooker recipes you’ll definitely want in your recipe box!
INSTANT POT MAC AND CHEESE
You’ve been asking for it, and I’ve been working on it… this is the Instant Pot Mac and Cheese that will make your mouth completely water, and have you reaching for seconds.
The lusciously creamy cheese sauce, enveloping every noodle… so full of flavor, yet so simply made.
This mac and cheese is just as easy as making that macaroni in the blue box – but is SO much better for you. No preservatives and other hard to pronounce ingredients. Just pure cheesy goodness!
When I was developing this recipe, I used cheeses that I found melted really well, and gave a good classic mac and cheese flavor, however, I’ll also be detailing different cheeses you can use if you prefer another mixture.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT MAC AND CHEESE
- Add pasta, liquids, butter, hot sauce and seasonings.
- Don’t stir. Just gently press down with a wooden spoon to make sure all the pasta is submerged. This ensures the pasta will cook and not be hard. Stirring could result in a “burn” notice on your Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook for 4 minutes.
- Quick release. I tested performing a natural pressure release, and it usually resulted in overcooked pasta, so I prefer to do a quick release.Be aware, this recipe is starchy, and can sputter quite a bit when venting. I usually place a folded paper towel loosely over the vent to prevent any kitchen messes. Keep in mind, this isn’t recommended by Instant Pot, just something I do… do this at your own risk.
- Turn off your Instant Pot. This prevents any possible overcooking by keeping it on “keep warm”.
- Stir in heavy cream, and cheeses. Add in the cheese a handful or so at a time, stirring really well after each addition. Keep stirring until a creamy sauce forms.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
- THE HOT SAUCE AND MUSTARD POWDER – don’t worry, this doesn’t make the mac and cheese spicy or taste like mustard. They really round out the cheese sauce and bring out the flavors of the cheese.
- WATER – when you open your Instant Pot lid, there will be a little water left in the pot. That’s normal and don’t drain it. It helps create the smooth creamy sauce.
- THICKENING – this mac and cheese does thicken as it sits, so if it seems on the thin side, just let it sit for a minute or so, and it will thicken up.
- SHRED YOUR OWN CHEESE – I know it’s a pain, and it’s SO tempting to use the pre-shredded cheese in the bags. But those bags of cheese contain a starchy substance that keeps the cheese from clumping… which also prohibits it from melting as well as it should.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- PROTEIN – Feel free to add in some shredded chicken, pulled pork, or some crispy bacon for an extra protein punch.
- VEGGIES – Trying to get your veggies in? Stir in some steamed broccoli or cauliflower.
- TOPPINGS – If you love a topping on your mac and cheese, transfer the cooked cheesy mac to a baking dish and top with either some extra cheese, buttered panko breadcrumbs, or buttered crushed Ritz crackers. Broil a few minutes until crispy.
- COOKING LIQUID – If you prefer to use all chicken broth, or all water… feel free to do that. Just make sure there are 4 total cups of liquid.
- DIFFERENT CHEESES – Gruyere, Gouda, Fontina, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Colby, or all Cheddar. These are all good melting cheeses and will give you a smooth sauce. However, feel free to play around with different combinations that you like!
MAKING INSTANT POT MAC AND CHEESE AHEAD OF TIME
Some recipes are great, and even better, when made ahead – but mac and cheese just isn’t one of them.
As the pasta sits, it absorbs more and more of the sauce, making the mac and cheese dry, and the noodles mushy.
In my opinion, this is a recipe that just tastes the best when made right before you eat it.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 3-4 days.
When reheating, add about 1 Tbsp of milk or cream for each cup of mac and cheese you’re heating. If you’re microwaving, add the milk right to the bowl and stir it about halfway through cooking.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Instant Pot – I recently upgraded to this model and I love it!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
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Ingredients
- 16 oz dried elbow pasta
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp dried mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (mild, medium, or sharp - use personal favorite)
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
- 1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Add the dried pasta, chicken broth, water, butter, hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, pepper, smoked paprika, dried mustard, and onion powder to the liner of an Instant Pot. Use a wooden spoon to gently press down to make sure all pasta is submerged in the liquid. Don't stir.
- Secure Instant Pot lid, making sure the valve is set to "sealing". Press the Pressure Cook or Manual button and use the +/- buttons to set the timer for 4 minutes.
- Once the timer beeps, let out the pressure by carefully moving the valve to “venting" to perform a quick release. Be aware, this recipe is starchy, and can sputter quite a bit when venting. I usually place a folded paper towel loosely over the vent to prevent any kitchen messes.
- When the pin drops, remove lid and set aside. Turn the Instant Pot OFF to avoid overcooking your pasta. There will be some water left in your pot - don't drain it. This helps create the smooth, cheesy sauce.
- Add heavy cream and stir. Add in cheeses, a handful or so at a time, stirring after each addition. Keep stirring until they have completely melted into a creamy sauce.
- As a side note, this mac and cheese does thicken as it sits, so if it seems on the thin side - just let it sit for a minute or so, and it will thicken up. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
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Chef Tips
- Other cheeses may be used - Gruyere, Gouda, Fontina, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Colby, or all Cheddar. These are all good melting cheeses and will give you a smooth sauce.
- You may need slightly more or slightly less heavy cream.
- Prep time does not account for the time your pot takes to come up to pressure or the time it takes to stir your cheese/cream into a sauce. These will vary a bit from individual to individual. For reference - my pot took about 10 minutes to come up to pressure and it took about 2 minutes to turn into a creamy cheese sauce.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Mary says
Hi Amanda! Can’t wait to make this tonight for dinner.
Andrea Chavez says
I made this yesterday for my son’s birthday party for a side with raising Cane’s and it was a hit. Not only was it a hit it was easy!! My first time making Mac and cheese and it was so simple!! I doubled the recipe and it still worked perfectly!!
Joanne says
OMG!! This recipe was absolutely amazing so creamy and delicious I used greyere and cheddar Mexican blend and sharp cheddar. Thank you so much!
Tzigane Gryder Monda says
If I halved the recipe do I need to adjust the time as well?
We love this recipe but it makes a lot!
Amanda says
So glad you love the recipe! No need to change the cooking time, just halve all the ingredients 🙂
Jamie says
Omg, yumm! I have made this recipe twice in 2 weeks! First time followed recipe exactly, and the fam gobbled it up. Second time, changed the seasoning a little, threw in some old bay and switched up the cheese, equally amazing! This is now my go to base recipe for instant pot Mac. Thanks so much!
Jacki says
Hi. What adjustments would I need to make to use 1/2&1/2 instead of heavy cream? More cheese?
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain, but I think you wouldn’t need to change anything. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Lori G says
Made this tonight. Followed the directions exactly It was very good. The only tweak I would make is to give it more bite by either increasing the mustard and adding a bit of cayenne. This is just my preference as I like my Mac & cheese with a bite to it. The overall recipe was delicious and a great basic Mac & cheese. Bravo!!
Holly says
My family really enjoyed recipe (We typically make your baked award winning version which is the best I have tried from the net to date). I did automatically up the cook time on my IP to 5min based on past experience and substituted 3/4 cup evaporated milk in place of the cream since it’s what I had handy (though would typically prefer cream) and it worked very well. Pasta was perfectly aldente and thickened up perfectly but was not starchy as you might think.
Thanks for the recipe!
Donna Buckland says
Can’t believe this was ready in just 4 mins. And it was excellent. thank you.
Jean says
This was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much. I believe that the spices make all the difference. Wondering if dried onions would be good?
Lindsey Rieck says
Finally a homemade Mac-n-cheese my child loves! It was quick and easy to make.
moriah says
We love this recipe! The 12-year can make it on his own and volunteers to do so fairly often.
We did have to up the cooking time to 5-6 minutes as the noodles were more al dente than we liked. The liquid remaining after cooking seems to vary, so sometimes we dump some, sometimes we don’t. Regardless, letting it sit for 5 minutes before eating allows excess liquid to soak in and enhances the taste.
Do you happen to have the nutritional data for this?
Mari says
Thank you, thank you.
Your explanation of every step was so awesome. I’ve had this instant pot for 2yrs, but didn’t know how to make anything, let alone use it.
It only took 10 min altogether. I didn’t have any cheddar cheese on hand, so I used what I had…Yum! A block of smoked guyere cheese. While noodles we’re cooking, I shredded it.
It was spot on.
Thanks, again.
Taylor says
The best homemade Mac and cheese I made! I was a dummy and thought “psh. I don’t need to cover the vent when releasing pressure!” Don’t be me. Cover the vent. I had a Mt Vesuvius of yellow liquid all up my cabinets and on my counters. Whoops! Regardless, amazing recipe.
Terri Felty says
This was wonderful. I’ll definitely make it again.
Next time I’m definitely putting
White tamarac in it.
Just love the flavor and it’s good for you.
Laurie in NE says
Have made this twice, both times to great success. Yesterday’s version was made with vegetable broth since I don’t eat meat on Ash Wednesday. Still delicious! No distress from the husband, so I don’t think he noticed the change. I like to switch up the cheeses (yesterday was smoked gouda, Colby, and a couple sandwich slices of marbled jack just to use them up). Thanks for a great recipe!
Moriah says
I made this the other day and got a thumbs up from the 12yo after one bite. He even warmed some up as leftovers the next day – this is highly unusual behavior.
I found that 4 minutes cook-time left the noodles a little more al dente than I like. Trying again tonight with a 5-minute timer. The 12yo is making it this time 🙂
Jessica says
Turned out WAY too watery, not sure what I did wrong.
The Chunky Chef says
You measured everything exactly? There’s supposed to be some water left after cooking the pasta, and it’s that water plus the cheese/cream that turns into the sauce. You just have to keep stirring, and it does thicken up as it stands.
Mary says
Made this tonight followed instructions but disappointed. It isn’t creamy cause there’s too much water still in it. I even took out a bit of water before adding in milk cheese. I also let it sit for 3 mins but still watery
The Chunky Chef says
Sorry you didn’t find this recipe to your liking. Stovetop/Instant Pot mac and cheeses do have a different consistency than an oven baked version, but it definitely shouldn’t be watery.
Hadley Hill says
This looks soooo good and I can’t wait to try my first Instant Pot mac and cheese! Question – if I want to pop it in the oven under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to get a cheesy crust on top, should I shave any time off the pressure cooking so they don’t end up overcooked?
The Chunky Chef says
Hope you love it! If you want to, you could cook for 3 minutes instead of 4. Cheesy crust on top… my kind of meal 🙂