Instant Pot Mac and Cheese - the easiest way to make creamy and cheesy macaroni your whole family will love! It's so easy to make with 5 ingredients right in your pressure cooker.
I cook pasta in my Instant Pot every week. Our favorites include the Spaghetti (fail-proof) and Pasta Carbonara.
Forget the box mac and make this mac and cheese with real ingredients, real cheese in just 12 minutes. This is the fastest and fail-proof way to make this classic dish that the whole family will love. The Instant Pot pressure cooker wins again! This macaroni and cheese could not be easier to make. Even my 11-year-old can make it!
This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or simply when you are craving comfort food. You can jazz up this mac by adding steamed vegetables or cooked meat.
Instructions
- Place water, macaroni, nutmeg and butter in your Instant Pot insert.
- Close lid, set valve to sealing and set timer to 5 minutes. The IP will take about 7 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once done, stir the macaroni. Add evaporated milk and cheese, 1/2 cup at a time until it's your desired texture.
- Serve right away or place in a baking dish, top with breadcrumb topping if desired and place under broiler to toast it up.
Ingredients
- elbow macaroni
- water and chicken or vegetable stock
- nutmeg, salt and pepper
- butter
- evaporated milk (or half and half)
- cheese (mozzarella and cheddar)
Can I double this recipe?
Yes, you can double the ingredients to make more mac and cheese. The cooking time stays the same.
Reheating Instructions
If you store cooked mac and cheese, the pasta will soak up the sauce. You can reheat this mac and cheese right in your Instant Pot, on the saute setting, or on stove-top but you may need a little bit of milk to get the desired consistency.
Variations
- add broccoli, peas and carrots, corn, etc
- add cooked chicken, turkey or ham
- serve with pulled pork on your next barbecue
More Instant Pot pasta recipes:
For more recipes using the digital pressure cooker, feel free to browse our Instant Pot Category.
Also, check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance! Seeing BURN message on your IP? Read my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn why and how to save your dish.
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup chicken stock low-sodium
- 1 cup water
- 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
- 1.75 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1.25 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place macaroni, butter, nutmeg, salt, stock and water in Instant Pot insert. Close the lid and set the valve to "sealing" position.
- Press the "manual" or "pressure cook" button and set timer to 5 minutes. Make sure your Instant Pot is set to high pressure. The pressure cooker will take about 7 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking.
- When the IP beeps, press "cancel/off" button and wait one minute. Then switch the valve to quickly release the pressure. Open lid carefully, away from your face.
- Stir macaroni.
- Add milk to macaroni and stir well.
- Add cheese, half of a cup at a time, until you reach desired consistency. See notes.
- You can serve mac immediately or bake in a dish with breadcrumb topping, if desired.
Sheri Smith says
I made this the other night. It was so easy and so very good! This will be my new go to! I did use gryure cheese too because I happened to have it on hand. I also used half & half. I did sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake a bit because my son likes it that way. This recipe would be just as amazing as is, too! Thank you for this deliciousness.
Elsa says
I have a 10q instant pot and have a large crew to feed could you tell me how many cups of pasta I would use. I do want to make as much as the 10q can hold. Thanks
Anna says
I think you can easily double the recipe, Elsa! I don't have the 10qt Instant Pot and didn't test the recipe in this size.
Lori says
Nice recipe for 2 adults. I used extremely sharp cheddar and Parmesan as cheeses of choice. Since my husband likes his mac and cheese baked with topping, I just added some and shoved it in the oven for a spell. Perfect and so little time even with baking. Thank you.
April says
How can I double this recipe?
Anna says
Hi April! To double the recipe use: 4 cups macaroni, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 cups chicken stock, 2 cups of water, 2 cans of evaporated milk, 3.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 2.5 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. The cook time stays the same. I hope this helps!
Monique says
How do you cook wheat pasta in the instapot I did it for the 5 minutes like it said and then release the pressure and it wasn't cooked all the way
Shaquwanna says
Can I make this in a crockpot? If so what would the cook time be?
Carolyn says
this looks like a great recipe. Could I use whole milk instead of Carnation? If so, same amount?
Thanks
Anna says
Hi Carolyn! You can use whole milk but the texture won't be as creamy. You can add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to milk and stir in with the macaroni. That should help. You can also use half and half in place of evaporated milk. I hope this helps!
Diane Cohen says
This was very good-even my daughter that doesn't normally care for mac and cheese enjoyed it!
Erin says
This looks incredibly delicious! Get in my belly! This looks so good.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Erin!
Jocelyn says
So easy and so creamy!! Our kids devoured this amazing pasta!!!
Taylor says
I've never made mac and cheese in the instant pot...looks so easy! Need to give it a try!
Nichole says
I have four grandsons and the only thing i did different is used bacon cheddar cheese. So Good!
Jade says
This looks delicious!
Jennifer says
Made this last night with cheddar and Monterey Jack. It was Fabulous!
Betsy says
This macaroni and cheese recipe is so easy and delicious! We had it for dinner and then for leftovers. We ate every bite.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I am so glad it was a success! Thank you, Betsy!
Melanie Bauer says
Sounds fabulous! So creamy and tasty, adding to my list of must makes!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Melanie!
Catalina says
This is always a hit in our house! Looks amazingly delicious!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Catalina!
Chrissie Baker says
We have made this twice now. Super easy and super yummy! Thanks for a great lunch!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Awesome! Thank you, Chrissie!
Jennifer says
I love making Mac & Cheese in my Instant Pot!! So delicious!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I agree! The best!
Steph says
Looks so good! Can't wait to try it out in my new Instant Pot.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I hope you love it!
Kristyn says
Thank you for sharing this! I need to do more in my instant pot. My kids love macaroni!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I hope they will love it!
Neil says
This was so easy and tasted so good! Thank you!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks so much, Neil!
Kimberly says
Sooooo creamy and flavorful, thanks for this IP version!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Kimberly!
Sabrina says
I'm all about using my IP as much as possible to make meal time easier. Thank you so much.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Sabrina!
Jen says
This is a game changer using the instant pot. So cheesy and perfect!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you so much, Jen!
Diane says
We use this recipe multiple times a month! This recipe is not only easy and quick but so yummy!!
Cheryl says
This mac and cheese is always a hit! and so easy in the instant pot!
Allison says
Do you think that this would be okay if I make this in the instant pot and then put in crockpot to keep?
Amy says
I literally cook in my instant pot 4-5 times per week. This is hands down one of the best recipes I have ever made. It was fantastic. Thank you!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Amy! I am so happy to know you love it! Thank you so much!!
Sunnysewsit says
I just received my 3-qt Instant Pot today. We have used the 6-qt a number of times, but I wanted a smaller one, too, since there's just the two of us. I will definitely make this recipe tonight, adding broccoli, mushrooms, bits of green pepper and after the noodles are cooked and the cheese added, diced leftover ham from Thanksgiving. Sounds great. Glad I found your site.
Jaimie Tavenner says
This was perfect. First, I’m a rookie. Like, took my 8qt Instant Pot out of the box last night. Last night I tried to make spaghetti and that was a huge fail. Kept getting the “burn” error. Today, I decided to try another pasta recipe to see if I could actually do it without a burn message. I DID IT! I did make some slight changes and everything turned out fine. I added the evaporated milk in the beginning and I did not have nutmeg and I didn’t have mozzarella so I only used cheddar but I did put a little bit of Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard. This was seriously cooked perfectly and it was delicious. Instant Pot redeemed itself today. Lol. Thanks for the recipe.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Jaimie! YAY! It's always so exciting to hear from first time users of the Instant Pot, especially if they love the recipe. I love how you adapted the recipe to what you had on hand. Awesome! Spaghetti can be a little tricky to make. I had my share of fails with it too. I am working on it! 😀 I hope you will try more of my IP recipes and will come to really enjoy this appliance as much as I do. Thank you!!
Lesley Mays says
DELICIOUS!! I used Gruyere cheese, cheddar and a combination of Parmesan cheese with provolone!! PERFECTION!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
That's awesome, Lesley! Thank you so much!
Diane says
I found that I only needed half of the milk called for. I did use shells instead of elbows, so maybe there was less volume.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you for trying the recipe, Diane!
Kayla says
What would I do to double the recipe to still get it to turn out good?
LJ says
If I want to increase pasta by another cup how much liquid do I add additional and how long do I cook it for????
Holly H says
So you turn it off once the pressure is reached without cooking for the 5 min set on the timer.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Holly! I apologize if the instructions are not clear. You turn it off when the timer reaches 0 and the IP beeps. Not sooner. Hope this helps!
Chris says
Just received an IP for Christmas, day 2 cooking in it! All I can say is wow! I added the milk (by mistake) to the initial cook, an it turned out just fine. Used cheddar and Gruyere, wow!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Chris! Yay for a new Instant Pot! That is super exciting! I am so happy to know you made my mac and cheese recipe and love it. Thank you!!
Sues says
Ooh yay! Definitely need to add this one to my list!