Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe

User Reviews

4.8

12 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    8 mins

  • Cook Time

    8 mins

  • Total Time

    12 mins

  • Servings

    8 servings

  • Calories

    508 kcal

  • Course

    Side Dish

  • Cuisine

    American

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe

This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is rich, incredibly cheesy, creamy and delicious. This easy Mac and Cheese recipe requires only one pot, no draining and it's ready in about 12 minutes!

I Made This!

Be the first!

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings
  • 1 pound dry short pasta such as macaroni or small shells (uncooked)
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 tablespoons Butter, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 cup whole milk (you can also use half and half)
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (freshly-grated)
  • 2 cups medium cheddar cheese (freshly-grated)
  • ground black pepper to taste
Add to Shopping List

Instructions

  1. Add the uncooked pasta, water, 2 tablespoons of butter, mustard, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of salt to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
  2. Cover and seal the pot. Select the "manual" function and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes (see notes). Then do a quick release and remove the lid.
  3. Add in the milk and stir to combine. Immediately, add the cheese in three batches, gently stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Add the remaining butter and stir until the butter has melted and is mixed into the creamy sauce.
  4. Season with ground black pepper to taste and add additional salt if needed. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits in the pot. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Cooking the noodles on high pressure for 4 minutes, produces "al dente" pasta. If you like your pasta a little softer, cook it on high pressure for 5 minutes instead. 
  • This recipe has been tested with regular semolina pasta in two different shapes - elbow macaroni and small shells. Other types of pasta like gluten-free, veggie noodles, lentil noodles, etc - and other shapes of pasta may need different cooking times.
  • Make sure you stir in the cheese in three batches (about  1/3 of cheese per addition but you don't need to be exact).
  • Feel free to use any type of cheddar cheese you prefer (mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp or even white cheddar).
  • Add 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese for additional cheesiness! Do not use pre-grated Parmesan cheese, as it makes the sauce grainy.
  • You can use other types of cheese like Fontina, Grouyere, Gouda or a combination of any of the cheeses listed.
  • Mozzarella cheese is also a good option but beware that it is a stringy cheese that will produce a stringy cheese sauce (lots of cheese action like when eating pizza). Yum!
  • Cooking and prep time does not include the time the pressure cooker takes to come to pressure.
  • Your pressure cooker may take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure before the cooking timer starts. The exact time varies depending on size, model, and the contents inside the pot. For this reason, we don’t include it in the total time shown above.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Calories 508kcal (25%) Carbohydrates 45g (15%) Protein 23g (46%) Fat 26g (40%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Cholesterol 77mg (26%) Sodium 714mg (30%) Potassium 222mg (6%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 790IU (16%) Calcium 459mg (46%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 508 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories 508kcal 25%
Carbohydrates 45g 15%
Protein 23g 46%
Fat 26g 40%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Cholesterol 77mg 26%
Sodium 714mg 30%
Potassium 222mg 5%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 790IU 16%
Calcium 459mg 46%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Genuine Reviews

User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.8

12 reviews
Excellent

Write a Review

Drag & drop files here or click to upload
Other Recipes

You'll Also Love

Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe

American
5.0 (9 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe (VIDEO)

American
5.0 (315 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American
4.9 (315 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American, British, Canadian
5.0 (207 reviews)

Loaded Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American
4.9 (129 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American
4.9 (786 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac And Cheese

American
5.0 (21 reviews)

Creamy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American
5.0 (42 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American
(0 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American
5.0 (147 reviews)

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

American
5.0 (9 reviews)

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe

American
4.5 (12 reviews)

One Pot White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

American
5.0 (66 reviews)

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

American
4.5 (93 reviews)