Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Name: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 serving
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups water; 1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth; 16 oz. dry elbow macaroni pasta; salt; 1/2 cup half and half; 3 Tbsp unsalted butter; 8 oz. (2 cup) shredded sharp cheddar cheese*; 4 oz. (1 cup) shredded gruyere cheese

User Reviews

5.0

3 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings
8
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Iris Warren

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The easiest homemade mac and cheese you'll ever make! It includes just a handful of ingredients yet it's perfectly rich and creamy and brimming with real cheesy flavor!

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Ingredients

Servings

2 1/4 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
16 oz. dry elbow macaroni pasta (recommend Barilla for consistent results)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup half and half, heated until just warm, plus more to thin as needed
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
8 oz. (2 cup) shredded sharp cheddar cheese*
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded gruyere cheese (recommend Murray's)

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Instructions

Pour water and chicken broth into Instant Pot. Add pasta, season with salt to taste and stir.
Cover securely with lid, set valve to sealing position. Set to manual pressure and 3 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure then time will start to count down.
Once time is up, turn instant pot off and carefully do a quick release (stand back it will steam intensely!). Once steaming has stopped completely and there's not pressure remaining remove lid.
Add butter and pour in half and half. Gently toss until butter has melted.
Add cheese and stir. Let it rest for 1 minute then toss until cheese has melted (if needed you can set Instant Pot to saute mode just briefly to help melt cheese). If needed thin with more half and half (it doesn't need to be warm).
Serve warm with pepper if desired. Let cool slightly to thicken if needed.

Notes

Only use freshly grated cheeses, pre-grated cheeses are coated with starches and won't melt smoothly. They don't taste as good either.
Optionally you can top servings with toasted panko breadcrumbs. Prepare while macaroni is cooking. Melt 1 - 2 Tbsp butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko and spread even, let toast, tossing frequently until golden brown. Pour into a bowl so it doesn't continue to brown and set aside until ready to use.