This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is rich, incredibly cheesy, creamy and delicious. This easy Mac and Cheese recipe requires only one pot, no draining and it’s ready in about 12 minutes!
If you love macaroni and cheese, take a look at my other recipes Mac and Cheese Carbonara and Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese.
I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about making mac and cheese in the instant pot. To my surprise, this homemade instant pot mac and cheese recipe turned out absolutely perfect! Pure comfort food to its finest.
My little one is an avid fan of the popular blue box Kraft Mac and Cheese. He will complain every time I made any other type of macaroni and cheese. It didn’t matter if I made a 5 ingredient mac and cheese or the most decadent fancy mac and cheese! That changed when I made this easy instant pot mac and cheese for him.
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
If you want to make rich and creamy homemade mac and cheese – with the most smooth and delicious sauce, easily and quickly, grab your instant pot! I guarantee you’d be very happy with the results.
Cooking mac and cheese in your pressure cooker is very simple. You only use your instant pot, the pasta cooks in the right amount of water requiring no draining.
Since the pasta cooks with a little butter and seasoning, the noodles taste even better than when cooked in just salted water. The creamy sauce is made in the same pot and the pasta quickly absorbs all the amazing flavors turning into the cheesy pasta of your dreams!
Ingredients For Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
For specific ingredient’s amounts, please check the printable recipe below..
- Pasta: Macaroni noodles or a short pasta like small shells.
- Butter: Unsalted or salted. If using salted butter you can reduce the amount of salt you add to the recipe.
- Seasonings: Salt, ground black pepper, ground mustard and garlic powder.
- Milk: I like to use whole milk or half and half for a creamier mac n cheese.
- Cheese: I use sharp cheddar and medium cheddar. You can use only one type of cheddar cheese if you prefer but I like this mix. Freshly shredded from a block of cheese is best.
How To Make Mac and Cheese Instant Pot
Making Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is very easy. For detailed instructions, check the printable recipe card below.
- Add the uncooked pasta, water, part of the butter, mustard, garlic powder and salt to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Cover and seal the pot. Select the “manual” function and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Do a quick release and remove the lid.
- Add in the milk and stir to combine. Immediately, add the cheese in batches, gently stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Add the remaining butter and stir until the butter has melted and is mixed into the creamy sauce.
- Season to taste and serve
How Long Does It Take To Cook Macaroni In The Instant Pot?
Cooking mac and cheese in the pressure cooker is quick and has less steps than traditional homemade mac and cheese. It takes only 4 minutes to cook macaroni and cheese in the instant pot. Cooking time doesn’t include the time it takes for the pot to come to pressure.
What Is The Best Seasonings For Mac and Cheese in Instant Pot?
When it comes to macaroni and cheese I am kind of a purist and prefer to add only ground mustard, garlic and nutmeg. However, the possibilities for seasonings for this comfort food pasta are many. Here are a few popular ones:
Cayenne Pepper, White Pepper, Paprika, Onion Powder, Italian Herbs , Cajun Seasoning, Chili Powder.
What Goes With Mac and Cheese?
If you serve Instant Pot mac and cheese as a main dish (this is very popular at my house), I like to serve it with a simple fresh green salad or Caesar salad. Another option is to serve this cheesy pasta with a nice vegetable side dish like Sautéed Green Beans or Blanched Green Beans with sea salt, Sautéed Peas with Prosciutto, Sautéed Mushrooms or Roasted Carrots.
If serving Instant Pot mac and cheese as a main dish, the possibilities are endless! Any main protein goes well with homemade mac and cheese. Some of my favorites are Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs, Baked Chicken Breast, London Broil Recipe, Baked Pork Chops and Oven Baked Beef Ribs.
How To Reheat Mac and Cheese Instant Pot?
One of the things I love about my pressure cooker is the fact that it keeps things warm as long as you turn the warm function on. It’s great when serving a crowd or for those times when you want seconds. If you want to reheat leftover macaroni and cheese, my preferred methods are the oven and microwave. The oven takes longer but works best. You can also use the stove top but I think is more hassle than it is worth.:
How To Reheat Mac and Cheese In The Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the leftover pasta in a baking dish or pyrex. If your mac and cheese doesn’t have a topping, add 1 tablespoon of milk per cup of pasta over the pasta,
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
How To Reheat Mac and Cheese In The Microwave
- Place the left-over macaroni and cheese on a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add a little splash of milk and cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
- Microwave on medium power for a minute. Stir and reheat until warm throughout.
Mac and Cheese
- In 1903, a man named James L. Kraft made money selling cheese out of a wagon on the streets of Chicago. He was selling so much that he decided to start a company and called it Kraft Foods.
- The company Crayola has a color in the orange hue category named “macaroni and cheese”.
- Kraft sells one million boxes of their popular blue box mac and cheese per day!
- Thomas Jefferson and Oprah Winfrey’s favorite dish is – yes you guessed it Mac and Cheese!
Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Tips
- Cooking the noodles on high pressure for 4 minutes, produces “al dente” pasta. If you like your pasta a little softer, cook it on high pressure for 5 minutes instead.
- This recipe has been tested with regular semolina pasta in two different shapes – elbow macaroni and small shells. Other types of pasta like gluten-free, veggie noodles, lentil noodles, etc – and other shapes of pasta may need different cooking times.
- Make sure you stir in the cheese in three batches (about 1/3 of cheese per addition).
- Feel free to use any type of cheddar cheese you prefer (mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp o white cheddar).
- Add 1/2 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese for additional cheesiness! Do not use pre-grated Parmesan cheese, as it makes the sauce grainy.
- You can use other types of cheese like Fontina, Gruyere, Gouda or a combination of any of the cheeses listed.
- Mozzarella cheese is also a good option but beware that it is a stringy cheese that will produce a stringy cheese sauce (lots of cheese action like when eating pizza). Yum!
- Cooking and prep time does not include the time the pressure cooker takes to come to pressure.
If you like this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe, take a look at these other Instant Pot recipes:
- Charro Beans
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
- Shredded Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Instant Pot Brisket
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry short pasta such as macaroni or small shells (uncooked)
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 cup whole milk (you can also use half and half)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (freshly-grated)
- 2 cups medium cheddar cheese (freshly-grated)
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the uncooked pasta, water, 2 tablespoons of butter, mustard, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of salt to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Cover and seal the pot. Select the “manual” function and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes (see notes). Then do a quick release and remove the lid.
- Add in the milk and stir to combine. Immediately, add the cheese in three batches, gently stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Add the remaining butter and stir until the butter has melted and is mixed into the creamy sauce.
- Season with ground black pepper to taste and add additional salt if needed. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits in the pot. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- Cooking the noodles on high pressure for 4 minutes, produces “al dente” pasta. If you like your pasta a little softer, cook it on high pressure for 5 minutes instead.
- This recipe has been tested with regular semolina pasta in two different shapes – elbow macaroni and small shells. Other types of pasta like gluten-free, veggie noodles, lentil noodles, etc – and other shapes of pasta may need different cooking times.
- Make sure you stir in the cheese in three batches (about 1/3 of cheese per addition but you don’t need to be exact).
- Feel free to use any type of cheddar cheese you prefer (mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp or even white cheddar).
- Add 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese for additional cheesiness! Do not use pre-grated Parmesan cheese, as it makes the sauce grainy.
- You can use other types of cheese like Fontina, Grouyere, Gouda or a combination of any of the cheeses listed.
- Mozzarella cheese is also a good option but beware that it is a stringy cheese that will produce a stringy cheese sauce (lots of cheese action like when eating pizza). Yum!
- Cooking and prep time does not include the time the pressure cooker takes to come to pressure.
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