This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is creamy, cozy, and ready fast. Elbow macaroni, three kinds of cheese, and simple seasonings come together in one pot for a stress-free side that’s perfect for Thanksgiving or any night of the week.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Rich and creamy with a tangy kick from sharp cheddar and ground mustard, it’s the perfect balance of smooth cream cheese and savory spice.
- Skill Level: This beginner-friendly recipe is a super-easy, extra-cheesy comfort food dish that is made with simple ingredients you likely have on hand.
- Tools: The Instant Pot is a must-have for this recipe.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve as a main dish with a side salad for busy weeknights, or serve it as a side at your next holiday gathering.
Easy Ingredients and Add-Ins
- Pasta: My preference is elbow macaroni, but any smaller-sized pasta can be used, such as small shells or mini penne.
- Seasonings: The pasta is cooked with water, butter, and seasonings for a delicious mac.
- Milk/Cream Cheese: Use regular milk and a little bit of full-fat cream cheese for a creamy sauce. Swap the regular milk for whole milk, light cream, or half-and-half for an extra-rich flavor.
- Cheese: For the best flavor, I use a combination of cheeses, including Parmesan and a sharp cheddar cheese. For a smooth sauce, grate it directly from the block. Pre-shredded cheese can be used, but it may not turn out as smooth!
Variations
- Add a Kick: Stir in a few tablespoons of chunky salsa or a dash of hot sauce for a Tex-Mex twist.
- Make it Heartier: Mix in bacon, diced ham, or cooked ground beef to bulk it up.
- Try New Cheeses: Swap in mozzarella, Colby, Gouda, gruyere, or Monterey Jack cheese for a new flavor.
- Add a Crunchy Topping: Transfer to a baking dish, top with breadcrumbs or Panko, and broil for a few minutes until golden.
Leftovers?
Keep leftover Instant Pot macaroni and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freezing isn’t advised due to the high dairy content.
Reheat in the Instant Pot or in the microwave with a splash of milk or heavy cream (about 1 Tbsp per cup of mac and cheese) to keep the sauce creamy.
More Mac and Cheese Magic
Did you make this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese? Leave a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces elbow macaroni about 2½ cups
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 ounces cream cheese about ⅓ cup
- ¾ cup milk divided
- 2½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese about 10 ounces
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a 6qt Instant Pot, add uncooked elbow noodles, water, butter, dry mustard, onion powder, seasoned salt, and pepper.
- Add the lid and turn to seal. Select MANUAL – HIGH PRESSURE for 6 minutes.
- Once completed, turn or press the valve to release any pressure (quick release). There will be cooking liquid in the Instant Pot – do not drain it.
- Stir in the cream cheese until melted. Add ¼ cup milk slowly until blended.
- Add the cheddar and parmesan cheeses and stir until melted, adding additional milk if needed to reach the desired consistency. You may not need all of the milk.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- This recipe can be made with other types of cheese, ensure you use a bold or sharp cheese for the best flavor.
- Shred the cheese yourself for the best results; pre-shredded cheeses have additives and they don’t always melt well.
- Other shapes of pasta can be used, but depending on the shape, cooking time may need to be adjusted slightly.
- You may not use all of the milk; add just a little bit at a time.
- 6 minutes on high should be just right for most brands of pasta, if you use another small shape and find it isn’t cooked through, put the lid back on and let it rest for a few minutes.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not freeze!
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Pasta, Side Dish
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the noodles were cooked in under 6 minutes. I got a burn message. opened the pot. there was no liquid left. I added more water [hot] and mixed the cream cheese in. then added more milk than the recipe called for. mixed in the other cheeses. the Mac was overcooked. it tastes ok, but definitely will not use this recipe again. did I do something wrong.
Do you have a 6qt instant pot? I can’t say for sure what went wrong as I haven’t had the same problem.
I’d love to know the serving size in grams. My boy has T1 diabetes and it would be nice to be able to quantify the amount I’m serving him for carb count
Hi Jesse, a serving is about 1 cup. For more accurate nutritional information we recommend using an app like MyFitnessPal where you can enter in the ingredients you used. I hope that helps.
I made this recipe and my family loved it. I have made other recipes and found them not worthy of repeating. This one is by far our favorite, thank you for sharing.
i made this tonight using fresh shredded parmigiana reggiano, smoked gouda and Gruyère. added a handful of pre shredded mexican cheese for the cheddar but don’t think needed it. this paired really well with some smoked pork chops. will def try again, maybe with other cheeses. quick and easy (once i figured out my instapot, lol).
I have made this Mac n cheese MULTIPLE times. Sometimes I forget that this is the recipe I usually search and accidentally make a different one, and I am disappointed every time. I am never disappointed when I make this one.
Today I realized I was out of ground mustard, so I substituted spicy brown mustard and it was probably the best I’ve ever made. 10/10
My family loves this
do you have any tips for me..my power cooker steam valve came off. do you have a way to make it oven or stove top
Hi Jennifer, when we want to make Mac and Cheese in the oven, we follow this recipe. Enjoy!
This was so yummy! It’s my new go-to recipe for macaroni and cheese! I followed the recipe almost exactly as written. Only changes were: Had some small shells I wanted to use up and I got sidetracked and didn’t release the pressure right away. Still turned out perfect
The taste was amazing!! but way too watery – like soup. Any ideas what I can do to make it less watery next time. I adjusted the recipe to 6 servings and it was calling for 1.88c pasta and 2.25c water.
Will DEF make again –
Hmm, I’m sorry it didn’t quite turn out for you, Kristi. Other readers have doubled the recipe with no problems so I’m not sure what happened!
I have made multiple times with different pasta shapes. It works best with the elbow macaroni and I follow the recipe amounts. If I use a larger pasta shape like rotini (the spirals) I only use 1/4 cup milk because there’s more liquid left from cooking. It didn’t work well when I used penned pasta. Admittedly I measured pasta by measuring cup, not weight. I suggest you use a smaller pasta shape.
IS 2 1/2 CPS elbows = to 1/2 lb (8 oz)? Looks great and easy to make.
Hi Sybil, it is a little more than that at approximately 12 ounces.
I think with the extra 2 oz of pasta, mine may have turned out a little better. I used 2 1/2 c. Is that 10 oz as the recipe reads, or 12 oz as your comment reads?
I shredded my cheeses, but it turned out really cheese-clumpy. Used whole milk and real butter. It’s an easy enough recipe that I will attempt it again with a different brand of cheese. It just stuck to the silicone spatula.
Spot on with flavor,I’ve just gotta tweak the goopiness into smoothness.
I suggest using 12 ounces of dry pasta, Mary.
DELICIOUS!! I doubled this recipe and fed it to 17 teenagers. They went out of their way to tell me how delicious it was.
Here are the only changes I make (likely because I didn’t have what was needed or taste preferences):
-I used heavy cream instead of milk
-Omitted dry mustard powder and pepper, and added garlic powder
-Used less water (I eyeballed it and only put enough water to cover pasta by about an inch)
-Quick-released after only 4 minutes
-Added lots of fresh parmesan (not sure how much, but I was heavy-handed)
-Added generous amounts of salt to taste, once finished
It was gobbled up in no time. I was so happy to have this recipe to help me feed so many kids on a much cheaper budget than ordering 6 pizzas!
Thanks for sharing your recipe with us all!!
So happy it was a hit for you, Debra! Thanks for sharing your alterations, they sound great.
I was looking for something my 17 yr old daughter could eat after getting her new braces two days ago. She gets crazy hangry if she is not fed. Finding something )other than mashed potatoes and soup) that she didn’t have to chew a lot was a challenge. I looked at several recipes and came back to this one. It was an EXCELLENT choice. I made it “almost” exactly as written with the following “adjustments”: I6 oz of rigatoni w/ 4 cups of water; used more butter- 3 Tbls; added 1 tsp garlic powder; replaced the parmesan cheese with more sharp cheddar; and used cream instead of milk. I left out the seasoning salt because I was out of my Lawry’s. I followed the Insta Pot rule for cooking perfect pasta – divide the total suggested cooking time by 2 and subtract 1 min. Four mins in the insta pot gave me perfectly al dente rigatoni. This recipe blew my family away. It was soooo good! And my daughter with the new braces ate 3 servings of mashed-up mac and cheese. This will be my only pressure cooker mac and cheese recipe!
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Mindy!
I make this all the time and love it. I did try it without cream cheese because I didn’t have any and replaced with goat cheese, thinking it might work. It did not.
Ooo, i love goat cheese, I would have thought that would be delicious. maybe a little less of it? or maybe mixed with another white cheese instead of cheddar? goat cheese has so much flavor!