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
Heather says
Every time I see an Instant Pot recipe, I remember how badly I want to get one. My family would love this mac and cheese!
Alison says
I love how easy this is to make in the Instant Pot. Makes pulling together one of my kids favorite meals a snap on a weeknight.
Ashlee says
YUM! This looks great! I just got an instant pot for Christmas-always looking for new recipe ideas!
Jessica says
Another great IP recipe! I gotta get one…
Haley D. Williams says
Seriously easy and delicious! Yum!
Jayne says
I have been looking for an instant pot mac and cheese. Yeah! thank you for sharing is amazing recipe.
Pam Greer says
I can’t believe I haven’t tried mac and cheese in my Instant Pot yet!! We are supposed to get really cold next week (well, really cold for TN) so this will be perfect!
Natalie says
My kiddo is such a huge fan of mac and cheese. I never made it in a instant pot, so I definitely must give this recipe a try. Looks super delicious.
Jacqueline Debono says
What a great idea to make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot! I would never have thought it would turn out so good. But, yours looks really yummy!
Tayler Ross says
This is by far the BEST Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe I have ever tried! Thanks for sharing!
Veena Azmanov says
Mac and cheeese my family favorite. Love the Instant Pot cooking this yummy dish.
Claudia Lamascolo says
We all love mac and cheese here and I make it once a week. I cant wait until christmas and hope someone buys me this pot. I see that it surely makes a mouth watering pasta dish!
Natalie says
I love mac n’ cheese! Looks so delicious and perfect for a cozy, hearty dinner! Saving this recipe for a bit colder days 🙂
Jacqueline Debono says
I think I’m one of the few people I know who doesn’t own an Instant Pot! But the more I see of the delicious dishes you can make with one, the more I need to get one!
camila says
Delicious Mac and cheese! Never thought of making it in the instant pot!!
Carissa says
I just got an Instant Pot and I am obsessed! I’ll definitely be making mac and cheese with it!
Renee says
How much is 12 oz in cups ?
Ashlyn says
Hi Renee, I like to use my kitchen scale to measure because it’s the most accurate. I just weighed the noodles then measured using cups and it comes out to just a tiny bit less than 2 and 3/4 cups.
Ushmana says
Anyone who doesn’t like mac and cheese must be insane because I am insanely in love with anything mac and cheese in it. The fact that this is instant and is ready by 30 minutes makes me so hyped up to make this right away! Thank you so very much for sharing, Ashlyn!
ALL the love!
Krista says
I love this! I love what you can do in an instant pot!
jessica | novice chef says
My instant pot is my new BFF! My girls will LOVE this!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
This looks like pure comfort to me!
Des says
Comfort food at it’s finest! I love how simple it is to make.
Dee says
I’m obsessed with my IP right now, and I cannot wait to make this for my kids and hubs!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That looks absolutely perfect, yum!
Amanda says
Seriously can’t wait to try this recipe!!