Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Instant Pot mac and cheese is cozy, cheesy perfection in minutes! Perfectly cooked macaroni in a comforting cheese sauce is the family dinner everyone will agree on every time!
Servings: 8 1-cup servings
Calories: 474kcal
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot or other size
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Uncooked Elbow Macaroni (about 4 cups) *see footnote for substitution
- 4 cups Water or broth
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter cut into chunks
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ cup Milk or more as needed
- 8 ounces Cheddar Cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
- Salt as needed to adjust flavor
- (optional) Fresh Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place MACARONI, BUTTER, WATER OR BROTH, SALT, and PEPPER to the Instant Pot. Give a stir to submerge pasta.
- Secure lid and turn pressure valve to "Sealing". Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" on HIGH for 2 minutes. (Yes, you read that right – only 2 minutes).
- When cook cycle completes, allow cooker to sit undisturbed for a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR). Do not cut this time short because the pasta is still cooking.
- Safely turn pressure valve to the "Venting" position and release any remaining steam.
- Open the lid and DO NOT EMPTY the small amount of starchy liquid. Instead, stir it into the pasta.
- Add MILK to the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
- Add CHEDDAR and JACK CHEESE in divided amounts, stirring to incorporate into a creamy sauce. Add splashes of milk to adjust the consistency as needed.
- Serve warm, garnished with optional PARSLEY. Adjust the flavor by adding a little SEA SALT, to taste.
- Allow leftovers to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to five days.
Video
Notes
shredding cheese - I highly recommend grating block cheese for this recipe because it melts more smoothly than packaged shredded cheese. It's also more cost-effective.
broth or water? - Your choice. I actually prefer to use plain water, but some appreciate the bold flavor of chicken broth.
pressure cooking - To ensure properly cooked pasta, please follow the pressure cook cycle timing as it is written.
pressure release - Do not shorten the 10-minute natural release cycle because the pasta is still cooking. This also prevents the starchy water from spraying out.
reheat - To reheat, add a splash of milk as needed to revive the moisture and heat over medium heat using preferred method.
Check out the recipe variations for ideas on how to elevate this dish!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 981mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 874IU | Calcium: 451mg | Iron: 1mg