This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese goes from pot to table in under 30 minutes, and is SO creamy and delicious! This macaroni and cheese is WAY better than the boxed stuff, and perfect as a side or main dish!
I’m currently writing this to you bundled up in my kitchen, donning furry socks, an oversized sweatshirt, and wrapped up in a fleece blanket. Y’all, it is EIGHTEEN degrees outside my door here in Texas right now! I don’t even know what to do with this kind of cold weather!
My older kiddos were out of school yesterday because of the sleet and icy roads, so it was an extra long weekend over here. I know there is snow and MUCH colder weather in other parts of the country right now, so for that I will try to keep my complaints to a dull roar. But man, I thought south Texas would be in the clear when it comes to this kind of weather nonsense!❄️
While we were cooped up yesterday, I decided to make some mac and cheese for lunch and pulled out my new favorite kitchen gadget, the Instant Pot, to whip it up. This is a version of my sister’s macaroni and cheese recipe that we make in the crockpot a lot. I’ve been making it in the Instant Pot for awhile now and have it tweaked to be super creamy and full of flavor, too.
I’ve tried a few other Instant Pot mac and cheese recipes and just haven’t been pleased with the flavor, but this one delivers, while still being mild, creamy, and delicious.
Now if you’re looking at the recipe and not feeling so sure about adding onions to your macaroni and cheese, let me tell you that you won’t even notice them in the final product. My kiddos would for sure pick out onions if they saw them in their mac and cheese, but in this recipe the onions kind of just melt into the noodles, leaving behind just an extra boost of flavor. Just make sure that you finely dice them! This is our FAVORITE way to make homemade mac and cheese now and my kids devour this! Hope you enjoy it, too!
*Be sure to check out my Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup if you’re looking in more Instant Pot recipe goodness!!
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 3 cups water
- 12 oz dry elbow macaroni pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk, (full fat)
- 3 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese, (I prefer sharp cheddar)
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté and melt the butter. Add in the onions and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for one additional minute, stirring constantly to prevent garlic from burning.
- Pour in the water, dry macaroni, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir everything together then place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to "sealing." Cook over manual high pressure for 4 minutes.
- When the time is up, perform a quick release and flip the valve to "venting" to release the steam. Once the steam is completely released and the pin has dropped, open the lid and stir the noodles. Turn the pot to sauté again, and pour in the evaporated milk and half of the shredded cheese. Cook for about 5 minutes until thick and creamy. Stir very often to keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Hit "cancel" to turn off the heat, then add in the rest of the cheese. Stir well and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
If you like this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, then you might also like:
Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
Rachel says
I add a tsp of mustard powder and a tsp of cayenne and replace the water with chicken broth. Hands down the best Mac & cheese!
Cassie says
My kids are obsessed with mac and cheese. I can’t wait to see what they think about this… yum!
Sharon says
I love this creamy comfort food dish made right in the Instant Pot. Great on it’s own or as a side dish.
Nicole says
I never made instant pot Mac and cheese before, so I can’t wait to try this! Looks so yummy!
Deb B. says
I absolutely LOVE using my instant pot for mac and cheese – as do my kids! So creamy and delicious. I am absolutely bookmarking this to cook up this week! Thank you!