Instant Pot Mac and Cheese | Easy & Fast
Delicious Mac and Cheese ready in under 30 minutes. No special steps, no roux, no extra pots. It’s almost too good to be true. I introduce to you: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.
I’ll tell you what, when I discovered that I could make mac and cheese in the instant pot and actually cook the pasta in there and just mix in shredded cheese…my mind was blown. Sometimes we just need a super simple dinner. No defrosting of meat, no extra pots, just simple comfort food ready in under 30 minutes. This fast and easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese does just the trick.
I love to make this on nights when I’m heading out for a date with my husband. The kids LOVE mac and cheese and happily eat it as their main course. This makes life easy for me so I don’t have to cook a full blown dinner before I’m leaving the house to eat out at a restaurant. Pair it with some cut up fresh fruit or veggies and dinner is done!
Note: I use and love this 8 qt Instant Pot for my family of 6 but this 6 qt Instant Pot is a little smaller and great if you don’t need the extra large capacity!
What cheese we love, and what cheese to avoid!
You could try all sorts of varieties burt I think a blend of yellow and white cheese is best! I usually like to use a blend of cheddar, monterey jack, and whatever else I have on hand. I’ve used a creamy swiss and cheddar before (so good!) If you have fontina or gruyere, I think adding those to the mix would be so yummy! I don’t love using mozzarella because the cheese gets really sticky, stringy, and hard to deal with. I also suggest you shred your won cheese and avoid the bags of pre-shredded cheese as they just don’t melt the same!
How To Make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
First, dump 4 cups of dry macaroni pasta into the instant pot.
Next, add in 4 cups of water or chicken broth.
Then, add in some extra flavorings. Feel free to get creative here. I like to do a little bit of hot sauce, some mustard powder, onion powder, and a tsp of salt. Hot sauce doesn’t make it spicy, but adds a little vinegar punch to the flavor, so if this isn’t your thing, just keep it out! Also add in a tablespoon of butter here before cooking.
Close the lid, seal, and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
When it’s finished, manually release the pressure.
Mix in 3 tablespoons of butter, 3 cups of shredded cheese, and 1/4-1/2 cup of milk as you mix the cheese until you reach your desired consistency. The cheese melts fast, so just keep stirring and it turns into a cheese sauce! If it seems too liquidy at first, just remember that it thickens up more as it cools.
I hope you enjoy this easy dinner! Give it a try and let me know how you like it in the comments below!
This recipe is featured in my Delicious Summer Meals video:
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the pasta, water, 1 tbsp butter, salt, onion powder, dry mustard, and hot sauce to the instant pot. Close the lid, seal, and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Manually release the pressure to remove steam and open the lid. Give the pasta a stir and add in 3 tbsp butter. While stirring, add in the 3 cups of shredded cheese and just keep stirring vigorously as it melts into a sauce. Slowly add in milk as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
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Big hit with adults and kids!!! Perfect for summer when I didn’t want to turn on the stove. We used a mix of marble cheese and parmesan. I didn’t have dry mustard so I just used a squeeze of our yellow mustard. This recipe will definitely be in the rotation. And it’s so kid friendly my kids want to learn how to make it on their own. Thank you 🙏🏼
I just found your blog and youtube channel. I”m so glad I did! So inspiring for me! Thank you so much for all your hard work. I’ll be trying some of these for sure.
This was SO easy and delicious! My toddler boys, who are on the fence about mac n cheese, loved this preparation!