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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
This was the best mac & cheese! I doctored it only a little bit by adding 3 tbsp of diced pimientos and it was so delicious!
Can stop looking for a Mac and cheese recipe now. I’ve tried a few and this one will now be my go to. Only change I made was using broth instead of water, adds a nice flavour.
Great idea to sub out chicken broth for water, I’ll have to give it a try!
Very Cheesy…We used shredded cheese from Walmart… “Great Value”. Not sure where everyone else went wrong. We kept the Instapot on warm and added the evaporated milk and soft cheese because we knew it would melt and then added the shredded cheese to make sure it would melt and followed the recipe to a T and it worked perfectly! This was our FIRST recipe in the instapot… Very happy with it and will be making it again… The only reason we rated 4 stars was because it was a little too cheesy… but overall, VERY HAPPY… :)
We made this tonight, it was delicious!
I doubled the recipe in an 8qt Instapot.
I cooked the noodles for 1min longer, and because of the water being left in the noodles, I only used a total of 3/4 cup of milk (instead of doubling it). If I was going to make this for a pot luck I would have put more milk in to get it a little more melted cheesy consistency. We kept it on warm and the cheese definitely got “dry” but it was still very good and we like our Mac n cheese that way! Thanks for the recipe we will use it again!
I am new to the Instant Pot Thing. I am trying to make this now, have no clue how to use my pot and wondering what setting you put it on to cook this recipe. I got a 6-1 instant pot for Christmas. Hopefully it turns out ok but will check this later for your answer. Thank you.
Hi Nichole, for the newer instant pots I believe the button is called “manual”. Then you will just want to make sure it is set to high pressure for the time listed in the recipe.
Has anyone tried this with goat cheese instead of cream cheese?
This was a great recipe! Easy and cheesy! I’ve made Mac in the IP before and it’s called for heavy cream or evaporated milk – I liked that this one called for regular milk I had on hand! Delish and will be making again!
This turned out so well with gluten free red lentil penne! yum yum
Ohmygoodness. I’m not feeling well, and thought I didn’t have the energy to stand over a stove making lunch. This recipe was SO easy (even with the math I had to do to account for the extra cup of noodles I threw in!), and it came out absolutely DELICIOUS! I’m already planning on making it again.
Absolutely the best Mac and Cheese I have ever made!! I double the recipe and when when it’s done in the instant pot, I throw it in a baking dish. Mix some butter, Panko bread crumbs and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Bake it off in the oven for 10-15 mins.
My picky 9 year old who only used to eat the box stuff asks for it on a weekly basis!!!
The family liked it, I would cut back on the seasoned salt for us as we don’t do much salt… I also drained off some water so I would probably cut back on it a bit…I’m going to try and figure out how to cut this in half as it made to much for three of us, oh and I also used almond milk as we don’t have milk in the house, I’m going to try it next time with non dairy items, and see how it turns …once I do I will post again , we have a special friend who can’t have dairy so I’m up for the challenge, unless someone else already has ..let me know
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out Dorothy!
I’ve had an instant pot for almost two years and I have never had a recipe turn out so terribly! End result was VERY soupy, even though I added the milk slowly and sparingly. Cheese didn’t melt in to the pasta and instead formed a big blob that stuck to the spoon I used to stir and the bottom of the pot. Ended up with flavorless cooked noodles and a mess of cheese. Had to throw the whole thing out and it left a giant mess in my instant pot. Will not be making again.
Sorry to hear that Jackson. This recipe works perfectly for me as written and based on the reviews, most readers have had great success with this recipe as written. Sorry it didn’t work out well for you.
This was sooooo tasty! My husband only likes box Mac n cheese, but loved this! I did add some salt to it.
My husband actually scared me from the other room when he yelled “oh my god!” ?!?! This is REALLY good.
LOL! So glad he loved it!
I made this recipe for a potluck. I cooked everything the morning of, but didn’t add the milk. Instead I mixed in a little milk every hour or so to keep the macaroni from getting hard. The keep warm feature let this stay warm for lunch! Love it.
This basically made soup? I didn’t drain the water as directed. Measured out the 2.5 cups of noodles. I did add some diced up ham so maybe that’s why there was an excess of liquid? Should have followed my instincts and drained it.
That’s so disappointing JJ, I haven’t had that problem, it always comes out nice and creamy for us. What size is your IP? Did you use regular elbow macaroni noodles?
Mine came out watery. Tasted ok, but wasn’t “creamy.” Tried to rescue it with a corn starch slurry, but it didn’t help much.
Sorry to hear that Lisa. We’ve not had that issue before. Did you add the entire amount of milk? In the recipe, I suggest adding the last ½ cup only as needed.
I plan on making it throw it in a foil pan from doller store and putting it in my smoker for 15 minutes or so
That sounds like a good way to do it Buferd!
Loved it! Subbed Mexican cheese for the cheddar/parm. Combined the left over buffalo chicken (chopped it) with the left over Mac added salsa and a can of chopped green chile’s For tomorrow nights dinner. I will add crushed tortilla chips to the top for a little crunch. Challenge: when I released the pressure valve – milk and butter went everywhere the steam went – what a mess!
That sounds like such a tasty tweak to this recipe despite the splatter!
This is the fastest mac n cheese I’ve ever made shy of a box of Kraft. I loved that I didn’t need a strainer and I only needed the initial 1/4 cup of milk it was plenty. I was a bit nervous to add dry mustard but after seeing two recipes calling for it I knew I had to at least try it, and I chose this one. I made 2 batches there was quite a bit left over from the second batch. I warmed it up the next day in the microwave and it was just as cheesy and fresh tasting and not dried out like a box mac n cheese would be. It was a hit for 4 out of 5 (my 6 year old is picky), so I can’t complain. I would make this again.
I am so glad most of your family enjoyed this mac n cheese Debbi!