Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

A white bowl of macaroni and cheese next to a fork.

This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is ready in under 30 minutes, and is SO creamy and delicious! This homemade macaroni and cheese is WAY better than the boxed version, and is perfect as a side or main dish for an easy dinner!

Course Main

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 538

Author Ashlyn Edwards | Belle of the Kitchen

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!

Video

Notes

Milk options: I'm going to be a stickler here and say that I only recommend using full fat evaporated milk as listed in the recipe. I usually like to offer substitutions for ingredients in my recipes, but in this case whole milk, low-fat milk, or even heavy cream just won't do. Evaporated milk has less water content than regular milk, making it thick and richer. This lends to a more creamy and flavorful mac and cheese, which is the goal here!

Pasta options: I always make this with elbow macaroni, but you could also use any other short pasta like shells, mini farfalle, rotini, etc. If using whole wheat pasta, add 1-2 minutes to your pressure time. I have not tried this with gluten-free pasta, but it should work fine with the regular cooking time.

Add some veggies: Frozen veggies like peas, carrots, or even broccoli would be easy to add to your instant pot macaroni and cheese. Just add them in along with the pasta, water, etc. to the inner pot.

Store any leftover mac and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition