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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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LOOKING FOR MORE INSTANT POT FAMILY MEALS?
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Post updated December 12, 2019
Made it today and my family loves it!!! This recipe is approved by my 2.5 yr. old and my 1.5 yr. old. Thanks
I loved how simple & quick this recipe was, but I agree with other reviewers that it was just too much cheese (too stringy & not creamy enough for what I wanted, and yes, I shredded the cheese myself). It definitely wasn’t bad, but I don’t think it’s the “perfect instant pot Mac & cheese” recipe I’ve been searching for.
LOVE THIS RECIPE! I’ve made it twice now slightly differently each time, first time with only extra sharp cheddar and added a dash of hot sauce, and second time with mostly extra sharp cheddar, some bleu cheese crumbles, and a tad bit of shredded mexican blend I had on hand. I didn’t use mustard either time, because mustard is gross LOL. But OMG, as long as you are following the directions with the cooking times and temperature (MAKE SURE IT’S ON HIGH PRESSURE!) it’s turned out perfectly!
Also – the little bit of extra water at the end of the pressure cooking is PERFECT for a creamy cheese sauce!!! No need to strain!!!
I really wanted to like this recipe. The photos looked SO DREAMY! And there were so many positive reviews. The few negative reviews did bring up some of the issues I knew I’d have (like the amount of water being too much and the cheese seizing) so I thought I could be smart and follow the advice of other raters and the OP. Unfortunately, this recipe just didn’t work out.
1. Putting butter in a pressure cooker is a no-no. (Maybe for an Instant Pot it’s allowed but for those of you adapting this to a non-name-brand pressure cooker, stay away from butter.) That’s what’s clogging up your release valve and causing so much of a mess in your kitchens! Try using a little olive oil instead – you should always use a little oil every time you use your pressure cooker to keep the valve from getting clogged. My manual specifically states this. You can then add the butter after cooking.
2. This recipe calls for WAAYYY too much water. Even after draining the water and adding more butter to make up for the loss in the draining process, it was still way too watery. The pasta didn’t soak up any of the water, either. Adding the evap milk just made it even more soupy. There was no way I could have added less water though, because the pasta wouldn’t have been covered.
3. My pasta did not cook all the way in 4 minutes. I purchased Rotini because it looked the most similar to what was in the photo. It was still pretty tough, and again, it didn’t soak up any of the water. I ended up putting my cooker on the Brown/Sear setting to re-boil the water to continue cooking the pasta.
4. My cheese seized up. I used the same exact cheeses the recipe called for. I grated the cheese myself even though I usually only buy the shredded stuff. I used 1/4 of the cheese at a time and it still seized and became a sticky, congealed mess. None of it would stick to the pasta.
Nothing about this recipe worked for me. Maybe it’s because I don’t own an actual Instant Pot, but I usually use Instant Pot recipes for everything and just adapt them to my pressure cooker and my tastes and have never had this much trouble. It was frustrating wasting all of those ingredients. I spent, in total, approximately 40 minutes trying to make this mac-and-cheese work before chucking the whole thing. Next time I’ll just do it on the stove-top like usual.
HI Michelle,
I am so sorry you didn’t like the recipe. This recipe is intended for an Instant Pot, so I cannot say if the troubles were caused by using a different type of pressure cooker. I recommend next time if pasta is undercooked, to re-seal your pressure cooker, and cook for a minute or 2 longer instead of using the saute. Does your cheese seize up with you put it in a pot with noodle on the stovetop? I do believe, as others have mentioned in the comments, the little bit of extra water does help create the cheesy sauce you were desiring. After you stir it all together, and let it sit for a couple mins, everything comes together nicely.
Doubled the recipe with a few tweaks. Substituted garlic powder for garlic salt and kept at 1/2 teaspoon. Doubled the other ingredients, except used an entire 12 oz can of evaporated milk. After it was made I put it in a casserole dish, sprinkled Italian style breadcrumbs on top and baked at 350F for about 15 minutes to get a nice crust on top. Delish. Everyone back for seconds and thirds.