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, ½ 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.
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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
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon 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
- ¼ teaspoon 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.
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!