Creamy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Get ready for the best Instant Pot Mac and Cheese!
Since I got my Instant Pot, I’ve discovered it’s really good for making comfort food – those warm, cozy dishes that used to take all day to cook. After using it for my favorite beef stew and for corned beef and cabbage, I decided it was time to put this thing to a real test. I wanted to use the Instant Pot to make the most classic comfort food of them all, mac and cheese.
Well, I don’t mind telling you, this wasn’t that easy. I had to do a little tinkering to get the amounts and the timing just right. But at last, I finally came up with a version that delivers truly perfect mac and cheese: rich, creamy, and incredibly comforting.
Email Me This Recipe!
Need to save time? Have this article emailed straight to your inbox + sign up for all the latest recipes!
The key turns out to be using a combination of different cheeses, plus milk and BUTTER. That way, all you have to do is cook the pasta with seasonings in the Instant Pot, let off the steam, and then stir in the rest of the ingredients. The heat of the pasta is enough to melt the cheeses and cream together into a perfect, creamy sauce in no time.
With this Creamy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, you can go from dry pasta to rich, cozy mac and cheese in just 10 minutes. That’s less time than it takes to mix up instant mac and cheese from a box – and this stuff is soooooo much better.
Creamy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Directions:
- Place the dry pasta, butter, garlic salt, salt, dry mustard and water into the IP cooker pot. Place the lid on the top and seal the toggle switch. Press manual (high) and timer for 4 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, do a quick release and remove the lid when the pin drops.
- Keeping the pressure cooking on low heat (the Instant Pot will automatically go into this warm mode after cooking) Add the evaporated milk, and half the cheeses. Melt the cheeses by stirring, and when the first batch of cheese is melted, add the second half.
- Test for seasoning and add more salt (and pepper) if you prefer. Remove mac and cheese from heat source and let rest for about 5 mins to let the sauce thicken.
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS CREAMY INSTANT POT MAC AND CHEESE
Instant Pot: This 6qt Instant Pot pressure cooker is always my go to!
Measuring Cups and Spoons: Each cup’s “ml” and cup sizes have
Creamy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Email this recipe!
Get this recipe emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 cups water
- 5 oz can evaporated milk
- 3 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place the dry pasta, butter, garlic salt, salt, dry mustard and water into the IP cooker pot. Place the lid on the top and seal the toggle switch. Press manual (high) and timer for 4 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, do a quick release and remove the lid when the pin drops.
- Keeping the pressure cooking on low heat (the Instant Pot will automatically go into this warm mode after cooking) Add the evaporated milk, and half the cheeses. Melt the cheeses by stirring, and when the first batch of cheese is melted, add the second half.
- Test for seasoning and add more salt (and pepper) if you prefer. Remove mac and cheese from heat source and let rest for about 5 mins to let the sauce thicken.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Make sure to share it with me below!
LOOKING FOR MORE INSTANT POT FAMILY MEALS?
- Instant Pot Pizza Pasta Recipe – my kids requests this every week!
- Instant Pot Taco Pasta – perfect for Taco Tuesday
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage – not just for St. Patricks Day
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken – fan and family favorite!
- Instant Pot Goulash – a classic
Post updated December 12, 2019
I just made this and it is fantastic!! For part of the sharp cheddar, I used Tillamook vintage extra sharp cheddar cheese. It was sooooo good! My family loved it, everyone had seconds. Sadly there was maybe a cup of leftovers…..lol. It makes a good sized pot of macaroni and cheese. It was super easy. If you are trying to make a hearty meal in a hurry, this is it. I served it with a bag of chopped salad and salmon patties. Delish!!!!!!
Yum!!!
I’m not sure why all the 5 star reviews. The pasta was not cooked at 4 minutes and watery. Added the milk and cheese and it was just watery and stringy. Wouldn’t make again…baked macaroni and cheese is so much better.
Hi Arlene! Sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe. I would love to try to help and trouble shoot what went wrong. What type of pasta did you use? What pressure was your IP set on? Did you use reduced fat or pre-shredded cheese?
If you use reduced fat or pre shredded cheese it will be stringy because of the coatings used to keep the shreds from sticking together. Also, if you are at altitude and don’t have the Ultra with the altitude adjustment you will always need more cooking time.
The timing depends on the pasta used. Usually half the cooking time on the box. I thought it was fine. I am going to try to add onion the next time I make it. I even passed some out to the neighborhood kids and they gave it a thumbs up!
I do love thumbs up from the kiddos!
What size pot did you use? 4 cups of water didn’t cover my 16oz of pasta but I went with it because I didn’t want to screw anything up. Unfortunately that meant the top of my pasta wasn’t done at all….. ?
So I was distracted (thank my son for that) and I put all of the ingredients in at once. Do you think it will turn out? I don’t want to waste all of the cheese. ???
Curious to know how yours turned out because I, too, just dumped everything in. 🙁