Indulge in creamy perfection with this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. This quick and easy recipe delivers the ultimate comfort food experience in minutes. Enjoy rich, cheesy goodness with a perfectly cooked pasta, all made effortlessly using your Instant Pot.
The very best thing about Instant Pot mac and cheese is how easy it is to make.
The macaroni cooks for 4 minutes at high pressure, then you add cheese, milk and a dab of sour cream, and it's ready!
Fresh, whole food ingredients and a homemade flavor that can't be beat!
Have your bowls ready because this homemade macaroni and cheese tastes best right after it's made, when it's warm, creamy and cheesy.
This recipe includes several crucial tips that will help you make the best possible Instant Pot mac and cheese.
You might also like these macaroni recipes: cold macaroni salad with chicken and Instant Pot hamburger helper.
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Ingredients
Pasta: Elbow macaroni is the traditional pasta used for macaroni and cheese. The cooking time for this recipe (4 minutes) has only been tested with elbow macaroni. However, you can try another type of small pasta shape (like small shells) but you might have to adjust the cooking time for a minute or two longer.
Water, salt, butter: These ingredients cook with the pasta, giving it the right texture and a little bit of salty, buttery flavor. Some recipes use chicken or vegetable broth, but that will add a different flavor to your mac and cheese. I prefer cooking the pasta in water, which has a neutral flavor and lets the flavor of the cheese shine through.
Cheese: As long as you add 3 cups of grated cheese, you can use almost any combination of cheeses that melt well. Using two different types of cheese adds the most flavor. I like the combination of sharp Cheddar and parmesan. I also like sharp Cheddar and Fontina, which makes a slightly creamier pasta.
You can also choose other types of cheese, like Gruyere, Monterey Jack, American or Gouda. I don't recommend using mozzarella, which has a stringy-stretchy texture when melted.
Sour cream: Adding 2 tablespoons of sour cream is optional, but adds a subtle tangy flavor.
Milk: Use milk with a higher fat content (like whole milk or 2%). You can also use evaporated milk which is shelf stable and sold in a can, although it has a slightly different flavor than regular milk. For more information about evaporated milk, keep reading.
Should I use evaporated milk or regular milk for mac and cheese?
Evaporated milk is canned shelf-stable milk that has gone through a heating process to evaporate about 60% of the water content. This produces creamy, concentrated milk that does not need to be refrigerated and has a consistency similar to whole milk. There is a subtle but noticeable flavor to evaporated milk that tastes slightly different from regular milk.
Evaporated milk is often used to make macaroni and cheese, especially baked mac and cheese. This is because it's creamy, and also because evaporated milk contains emulsifiers and stabilizers (like disodium phosphate and carrageenan).
Emulsifiers and stabilizers help prevent oil from separating out of cheese when it's heated with evaporated milk. This helps prevent an oily, grainy or stringy texture in macaroni and cheese, which can sometimes happen with regular milk.
Using evaporated milk is less crucial when you're using an Instant Pot. This is because the milk and cheese aren't heated for a long period of time, like they are in baked mac n cheese, so the oil is less likely to separate from the cheese.
If you use regular milk and your Instant Pot macaroni and cheese is stringy or grainy, just continue to slowly add regular milk, stirring until the texture is looser and creamier.
Note: Evaporated milk is not the same thing as condensed milk, although both are sold in a can. Evaporated milk is unsweetened and has a thinner consistency. Condensed milk is very thick and has sugar added, giving it a very sweet taste.
How to Make Instant Pot Mac n Cheese
Making Instant Pot mac n cheese takes just a few easy steps.
Step 1: Combine elbow macaroni, water, butter and salt in your Instant Pot.
Step 2: Cook for 4 minutes at high pressure, instant release. Gently stir the cooked macaroni.
Step 3: Mix in grated cheese, milk and sour cream. Mix well.
Step 4: Set the lid loosely on top and let the mac n cheese sit for about 3 minutes before serving. Add a pinch more salt, to taste.
For specific measurements and instructions, see the recipe card below.
FAQs
Mac & cheese that is overcooked turns gummy because too much starch from the pasta is released. Make sure to only cook elbow macaroni for 4 minutes and release the pressure instantly when the cooking time is complete.
The pasta can also seem gummy if not enough milk is added. To loosen the consistency and make it creamier, stir in more milk.
For elbow macaroni, use 4 cups of water for every 1 pound of dried pasta.
Yes, you can double this recipe if you Instant Pot is large enough.
Yes, you can halve each of the ingredients to make a smaller batch.
No. The texture is likely to be too soft and mushy or gummy.
Using only pre-shredded cheese can result in mac n cheese that is stringy. This is because pre-shredded cheese also contains contains preservatives that keep it from clumping together in the bag. These preservatives can also prevent the cheese from melting as well into the pasta and milk.
Try using half pre-shredded cheese and half cheese that you've grated yourself, which usually works okay. One example is using Cheddar with 1 cup of pre-shredded Italian cheese.
Recipe Variations & Add Ins
The easiest way to vary the flavor is by using different combinations of cheese. However, you can also add-in more flavor by adding one or more of the following ingredients after the pasta is cooked:
- Hot sauce
- Garlic powder (¼ teaspoon)
- Mustard (1 teaspoon of powdered mustard or fresh Dijon)
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded, cooked chicken
- Fresh herbs (try parsley or basil)
- Blue cheese
- Truffle oil
- Crumbled potato chips (add on top for crunch)
Tips & Tricks
Add more salt. This recipe adds just ½ teaspoon salt, but it's likely you'll need to add more after you taste the finished dish. If the finished mac n cheese tastes a little bit bland, you probably just need more salt (I usually add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon more.)
It's best to add more salt to taste after you add the cheese, because cheese also contains salt. The amount of extra salt you need depends on what type of cheese you are using. This is why it's hard to recommend a specific amount of salt.
Add a combination of cheese. For the best Instant Pot mac and cheese, use more than one type of cheese. This makes the flavor more interesting.
Add more milk for a creamier, smoother texture. If the finished result seems dry, stringy or grainy, slowly add more milk and stir well until the texture is creamier. I usually add 1 to 1 ½ cups milk.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Homemade Instant Pot mac and cheese can be a one-pot meal that doesn't necessarily need any sides. It's filling and satisfying on its own.
However, you can serve a veggie or salad on the side, such as oven-roasted asparagus, crispy roasted cauliflower with garlicky breadcrumbs, or easy and healthy quinoa salad.
You can also serve this recipe with a heartier dish. Try one of these four options:
Storage & Reheating
Instant Pot mac n cheese has the best flavor and texture right after it's made. Leftovers won't be as creamy. However, you can keep leftover mac n cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days if necessary.
The easiest way to reheat is in the microwave, usually for about 25 seconds. If the noodles seem dry, add a drizzle of milk or cream before reheating the pasta.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Indulge in creamy perfection with this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. This quick and easy recipe delivers the ultimate comfort food experience in minutes. Fresh, whole food ingredients and a homemade flavor that can't be beat!
Total Instant Pot cooking time: 10 minutes to reach pressure + 4 minutes cooking time + instant release = 14 minutes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 14 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 2 ½ cups grated cheese (cheddar, gouda, gruyere, fontina, American - your choice!)
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ¾ cup to 1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk OR evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot, combine macaroni, water, butter and salt.
- Mix well to make sure the pasta isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Secure the lid and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure, instant release.
- Mix in all of the cheese, 1 cup at a time.
- Slowly add the milk, stirring as you drizzle it in. Add enough milk to give the macaroni and cheese a smooth, creamy texture that isn’t stringy. I usually add 1 cup of milk, sometimes 1 ¼ cups.
- Add the sour cream.
- Taste, and add more salt as needed. If the macaroni tastes a little bit bland, you probably need to add a pinch of salt.
- Set the lid loosely on top and let the pasta sit for about 3 minutes before serving to make sure the cheese is completely melted.
Notes
Cheese: As long as you add a total of 3 cups of grated cheese, you can use almost any combination of cheeses that melt well. Types of cheese that melt well include Fontina, Gruyere, Monterey Jack , American or Gouda. I don't recommend using mozzarella, which has a stringy-strechy texture.
If the finished result seems dry, stringy or grainy, slowly add more milk and stir well until the texture is creamier. I usually add 1 to 1 ½ cups milk.
This recipe adds just ½ teaspoon salt, but it's likely you'll need to add more after you taste the finished dish. If the finished mac n cheese tastes a little bit bland, you probably just need more salt (I usually add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon more.)
This recipe was tested in a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Jenny says
My kids love this mac n cheese. It's really easy to make!