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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

    Published: Jan 17, 2020 · Modified: Apr 29, 2020 by Susie Weinrich · This post may contain affiliate links. 10 Comments

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    Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is the ultimate electric pressure cooker comfort food! It is done in a flash and is creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor! It is a family friendly recipe that your kids will love- it doesn’t include onions, garlic or green stuff.

    Instant Pot Mac and Cheese in a blue bowl on top of a striped napkin

    This mac and cheese recipe is made with elbow mac, a little cream cheese, seasoning salt (Lawry’s), evaporated milk, and Velveeta cheese. All these ingredients make this the creamiest mac and cheese you have ever had!!

    If you have kids then mac and cheese is probably on heavy rotation at your house. This is a great homemade mac and cheese recipe to add to your weekly meal plan.

    Evaporated Milk

    Evaporated milk is the perfect option for mac and cheese. It is basically cow’s milk that is shelf stable and has less water content than traditional milk.

    pressure cooker mac and cheese in a bowl

    You can usually find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store. Make sure you buy evaporated milk NOT condensed milk. Condensed milk is like sweet milk syrup, which would not be good in your mac and cheese! LOL

    How to Make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

    This is a super easy Instant Pot recipe to make and makes an excellent beginners recipe!

    Pour 1 lb of elbow macaroni into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add 4 cups of water, 1 ½ teaspoon seasoning salt (I use Lawry’s). Then add 4 oz of cubed cream cheese (or you can just pinch off pieces with your hands, like I do in the video).

    • elbow macaroni and water in the instant pot
    • elbow mac, water, season salt, and cream cheese in the instant pot

    Pop the lid on and set it to cook on the pressure setting, high, for 4 minutes.

    Do a quick release.

    Stir the macaroni until the cream cheese in completely melted throughout and coating the pasta.

    Pour in the 1 cup evaporated milk and the Velveeta cubes. Stir until the cheese is completely melted.

    Creamy and Cheesy mac and cheese on a spoon in the instant pot

    Taste for additional seasoning (seasoning salt and/or pepper) and serve immediately!

    Storing & Reheating

    Mac and cheese is always best served right away. But if you have a lot of leftovers simply store them in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

    To reheat add a little milk or evaporated milk and heat each portion for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Give it a stir and heat for another 20-30 seconds.

    What to Serve with Mac and Cheese

    Mac and cheese is obviously delicious on it’s own. If we are having a busy week then this will get served as an entree by itself. You can certainly add some raw veggies or fresh fruit on the side.

    Instant pot and three bowls of mac and cheese

    A side salad also goes great with mac and cheese. Serve it with an Italian or vinaigrette dressing for a great balance of creamy and tangy.

    Instant Pot Country Style Ribs coated with bbq sauce on a white plate over coleslaw

    If you want to serve this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese as a side dish, here are some great entree recipes to serve:

    • Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
    • Grilled Chicken
    • Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken
    • Ham Balls

    Don’t have an Instant Pot?

    If you don’t have an Instant Pot but you still want delicious and creamy mac and cheese you can check out this recipe on Mom’s Dinner for Skillet Mac & Cheese.

    Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe & Video

    pressure cooker mac and cheese in a bowl

    Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

    Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is the ultimate electric pressure cooker comfort food! It is done in a flash (about 10 minutes total) and is creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor! It is a family friendly recipe that your kids will love!
    Homemade Mac and Cheese makes a great entree or side dish for dinner!

    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 minutes
    Total Time: 9 minutes
    Servings: 5 people
    Author: Susie Weinrich

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb elbow macaroni pasta
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 ½ teaspoon seasoning salt Lawry's
    • 4 oz cream cheese cubed
    • 1 cup evaporated milk
    • 8 oz Velveeta cheese cubed
    Text me the recipe link & ingredients!
    Prevent your screen from going dark while you are cooking!

    Instructions

    • Add first 4 ingredients to the Instant Pot.
      Add the 1 lb. elbow macaroni, 4 cups water, 1 ½ teaspoon season salt (Lawry's), and 4 oz cubed cream cheese to the Instant Pot. Do not stir, but make sure all the pasta is either covered or touching the water.
    • Set IP for 4 minutes, pressure cook.
      Set the Instant Pot for 4 minutes, pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
    • Quick Release.
    • Stir the milk and cheese into the macaroni.
      Stir the cream cheese into the macaroni until it is completely melted. Add the 1 cup evaporated milk and 8 oz cubed Velveeta and stir until it is completely melted.
      Kitchen Tip: You can put your IP on "keep warm" or on LOW saute to help melt the cheese. Just make sure you stir constantly and turn the mode off once the cheese is melted.
    • Serve immediately!

    Notes:

    No Instant Pot? No problem, Make this Skillet Mac & Cheese instead!
    Storing: Keep any leftover mac and cheese in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
    Reheating: Warm leftovers in the microwave. Add a little milk to each portion, microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and then microwave for an additional 20-30 seconds.
    Did you try this recipe? Connect with me & let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
    Jump to Comments
    Serving: 1.25cups

    If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.

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    About Susie Weinrich

    Susie Weinrich is the recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator behind Mom's Dinner. She has over 20 years experience in the food industry. Currently, Susie shares all her recipes and food knowledge on Mom's Dinner. You will find her recipes are easy to follow and full of tips and tricks to make sure the recipe you are making turns out perfect!

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Gregory Beatty

      January 28, 2021 at 6:50 pm

      This was very good! I had been looking at several recipes and many said to use chicken broth instead of water to give it a good flavor. I liked it. I am going to make it with the water next time to see if I like it better.

      Reply
      • Brianna

        April 03, 2021 at 5:36 pm

        5 stars
        I made this and was so good! Wondering if I could double the recipe and if anyone has tried it? Did you need to cook it longer?

        Reply
        • Susie Weinrich

          April 04, 2021 at 8:15 am

          You should be able to double it just fine. You will not need to double the time.

    2. Emily Bruno

      March 29, 2020 at 12:35 pm

      5 stars
      Never would have thought to use evaporated milk. This was perfect!

      Reply
    3. Lauren Grant

      January 20, 2020 at 8:29 am

      5 stars
      This mac ‘n cheese is seriously the best! So easy, so creamy! Love this recipe!

      Reply
    4. Tawnie Kroll

      January 19, 2020 at 8:09 pm

      5 stars
      Love that you used Lawry’s seasoning! Sooo good and creamy!

      Reply
    5. Lauren Smith

      January 19, 2020 at 2:08 pm

      5 stars
      So yummy! Great as a main dish and could work just as great as a side. Tastes like California Pizza Kitchen’s macaroni and cheese.

      Reply
      • Susie

        January 19, 2020 at 2:15 pm

        Awwwww. Lauren!!!! Thank you so much for commenting and rating. So glad you loved it!

        Reply
    6. Lauren Nagel

      January 19, 2020 at 6:39 am

      5 stars
      My husbands favorite!

      Reply
    7. Andrea Howe

      January 18, 2020 at 7:59 pm

      5 stars
      oh my mac n cheese loving kids are so happy you posted this recipe! Can’t wait to make it!

      Reply

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