This Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe is cozy and cheesy: the ultimate comfort food! It’s fast and easy to whip up in a pressure cooker.
There’s nothing more comforting than a good bowl of mac and cheese. Ever tried it in your pressure cooker? Turns out, Instant Pot mac and cheese is layer upon layer of cozy. The way the Instant Pot cooks pasta makes it soft and supple, which has a down-home sort of vibe to it. It’s not al dente, but it almost feels like an elevated version of box mac and cheese. The big selling point here? The method is very hands off: throw the ingredients in the pot and press Go! Nothing better than that. Here are all the cozy secrets to this method.
Ingredients for this Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe
This Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe might even better easier than cooking from a box. (Maybe?) You need only a few ingredients, and assuming you stock cheese and pasta: they might already be in your pantry. Here’s what you need:
- Short pasta: Sure, you can use macaroni. But our favorite pasta shapes for mac and cheese are any other short type of pasta: shells, penne, fusilli, bowties, orecchiette and more. See below!
- Sharp cheddar cheese: make sure it’s not aged
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Milk
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Seasoned Italian breadcrumbs (optional)
Pasta cooks to soft, not al dente in an Instant Pot
Over here, we’re sticklers for getting the perfect al dente when we cook our pasta. But here’s what to know about mac and cheese in the Instant Pot:
- Cooking pasta in the Instant Pot comes out with a soft texture, not al dente. But here’s the thing: it’s still delicious! Cooking the pasta to a softer texture helps it to soak in sauces and it has more of a “down-home” cozy comforting vibe. Think of it as a totally different way to make a pot of pasta!
- Leftovers of this Instant Pot mac and cheese work too. Even though the pasta comes out soft, leftovers work too! Add a splash of milk and reheat it in a skillet, and this tastes almost as good as new.
How to make Instant Pot mac and cheese: basic steps
There’s barely 5 minutes of hands on time here! It takes about 25 minutes to complete, but most of this Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe is hands off. That’s what makes it great as a quick weeknight meal, or to whip up for kids or as a side dish for a stunning main. Here are the basic steps to this recipe:
- Pressure cook the pasta for 4 minutes. Remember that there’s a “preheat time” of about 10 minute before the Instant Pot gets up to pressure. This part takes about 15 minutes total.
- Quick release! If you’re an Instant Pot pro, you’ll know: quick release recipes are the best! This means you don’t have to continue to wait for a natural release.
- Switch to slow cooker mode and stir in the milk and cheese. Stir until they form a creamy sauce, just a minute or two.
Bread crumbs optional!
If you’re a mac and cheese purist, there’s something so satisfying about topping this gooey, cheesy mess with crunchy breadcrumbs. The contrasting texture is extremely satisfying. But of course it’s not necessary! We like using seasoned Italian breadcrumbs because it adds a little nuance of herbs. They’re easy to find at the store, or you can make your own breadcrumbs and add Italian seasoning.
Best noodles for mac and cheese in the Instant Pot
You can use macaroni for Instant Pot mac and cheese…but what’s the fun in that? In fact, our favorite pasta for this comfort food is anything but macaroni. We love using a unique pasta shape to keep things interesting. Shells are a favorite around here: and while they aren’t unexpected, there’s something that’s even more homey about them than the typical mac. Here are our favorite types of short pasta for mac and cheese, in order of preference:
- Conchiglie (shells): what we used here
- Cavatappi: cork-screw shapes
- Orecchiette: ear shapes
- Gigli (Campanelle): lily shapes
- Penne: long thin tubes with diagonal ends
- Gemelli: twisted tube shapes
- Rigatoni: long thicker tubes
Sides to serve with Instant Pot mac and cheese
If the idea of using your Instant Pot for mac and cheese is to not do any cooking: let’s stick with the theme! There are lots of ideas for adding nutrients and fiber to round out this pasta into a meal. Here are a few no-cook side dishes to serve alongside:
- Spinach salad: This Spinach Apple Salad is full of good-for-you ingredients and topped with a tangy dressing.
- Veggies & ranch: Go simple with Ranch Dip and carrot sticks. Perfect for kids (and adults, really).
- Coleslaw: Try this Best Coleslaw with a tangy, creamy dressing.
- Celery salad: This Celery Salad with Apples is unexpectedly refreshing and a great counterpoint to pasta.
- Citrus salad: This Simple Citrus Salad is gorgeous, with beautiful colors and a citrus zing.
More Instant Pot pasta recipes
Want to keep cooking up pasta in your pressure cooker? Here are a few other ideas to try outside of this Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe:
- Creamy Instant Pot Pasta A creamy penne: mix a zingy marinara sauce with tangy goat cheese and it’s heavenly! It’s so seriously flavorful and a great easy weeknight dinner recipe.
- Instant Pot Spaghetti A fast and easy dinner recipe, where all you have to do is “set it and forget it.” The marinara sauce packs huge flavor.
A note on pressure cookers
All pressure cooker brands vary! Here’s the brand we use: the Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker. We also have 2 Instant Pot sealing rings and use one for savory recipes and one for sweet recipes. This recipe is customized for a 6 quart pressure cooker. We also can’t speak to using other brands and types of pressure cookers for this recipe. Use them at your own risk!
This Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Print
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 as a main, 10 to 12 as a side 1x
Description
This Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe is cozy and cheesy: the ultimate comfort food! It’s fast and easy to whip up in a pressure cooker. Stovetop variation below.*
Ingredients
- 1 pound short pasta (shells, macaroni, penne, etc)*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces (2 cups) sharp cheddar cheese (not aged), grated
- 8 ounces (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
- ½ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs, optional)
Instructions
- Place the dry pasta in the Instant Pot and stir in 4 cups water and the kosher salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Place the pressure release handle (vent) in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes: Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time. Note that it takes about 10 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. (During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Quick release: Vent the remaining steam from the Instant Pot by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam. Open the pressure cooker lid. There will be water remaining, which is what is intended.
- Slow cook and make the sauce: Switch to the “slow cook” setting on the Instant Pot. Stir the pasta, then stir in the grated cheese. Add the milk and continue to stir for a minute or two until the cheese melts to form a creamy sauce, adding more milk if necessary. Serve warm, topped with breadcrumbs.
Notes
*Stovetop variation: Cook the pasta to al dente in boiling water. Drain and return to the pot. Stir in the remaining ingredients and heat on low heat until the cheese melts and forms a creamy sauce.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe, mac and cheese Instant Pot
Good flavor, but my “sauce” didn’t really thicken up. I followed the directions but my cheese and milk mixture still ended up very watery.
Oh my! This recipe was so delicious and easy. In fact it took longer to steam a side dish of broccoli. I added the milk (1 cup) a little bit at a time to reach (my) desired consistency. I shared leftovers with a neighbor who said it brought her back to her childhood. I also wanted to let you know how grateful I am for your recipes- especially during the pandemic. It is so satisfying to be able to prepare a delicious meal for my family. Thank you!
Is it possible to make half of this recipe for 2 people? If so, do I halve the water and pasta & would the cook time remain the same? Thanks!
★★★★★
I don’t think you’d have enough quantity of liquid but you could try it. The cook time would likely be the same, maybe 1 minute longer.
As written, this recipe didn’t work well for me. As another commenter mentioned, it was watery even before adding milk. I salvaged it by sprinkling about 3 TBSP flour on top and stirring until smooth then doing the sauté setting until it thickened. I think it might work better with 3 or 3 1/2 cups water
★★★