This Instant Pot Velveeta Mac & Cheese makes an easy creamy side dish or double the recipe for a main course.
Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Try this collection of 8 Instant Pot Recipes featuring Ground Beef.
This is not my first recipe for mac and cheese prepared in the Instant Pot. My first Instant Pot Mac & Cheese recipe has been quite popular. However, my kids really like the taste of Velveeta, so I came up with this version to appease them.
Fine, I admit it, I like to indulge with a little Velveeta every now and then too.
I prefer to serve this mac & cheese as a side dish but this could easily be transformed into a main dish by doubling the recipe.
Making Instant Pot Velveeta Mac & Cheese
Start by melting butter in the pot and then adding water, seasonings and pasta. Pressure cook it for 6 minutes.
After the pasta cooks, release the pressure and stir in the milk and cheese and that's it. Done in about 10 minutes total time! How great is that?
Why make this in the Instant Pot?
Sure, mac and cheese is easy enough on the stove top and you are free to do that. I like doing my mac & cheese in the Instant Pot because:
- It's easy to clean. The Instant Pot "pan" can go in the dishwasher.
- My kids have really been interested in cooking and they are less intimidated by the Instant Pot than they are with the gas stove.
- On a hot summer day it doesn't heat up the house like the stove does
Not sure which Instant Pot to get? I have this one which I purchased on Amazon. It has been great so far and I highly recommend it. If you have a large family, perhaps up to an 8 qt.
Instant Pot Velveeta Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz elbow macaroni or other small pasta shape
- 2 T butter
- 2 C water
- 1 teaspoon salt I always use kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 oz velveeta cheese cubed
- ⅓ C milk more if desired
Instructions
- Place butter in Instant Pot.Set Instant Pot to saute and allow butter to melt. Turn off saute mode. Add water, salt, pepper and pasta.
- Cover and lock lid in place and make sure the vent is set to sealed.
- Set timer to 6 minutes high pressure cooking.
- When timer is up, carefully switch to venting and allow pressure to release.
- The Instant Pot should now have switched to "keep warm" mode, leave it on "keep warm" and stir in cubed cheese and ⅓ C milk. Add more milk in small quantities if desired, depending on how you prefer the consistency.
- Adjust for salt and pepper and serve immediately.
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I have a question. Do you think it would be ok if I used Velveeta Cheese Sauce that’s prepackaged & already “melted”?
I have not tested the recipe with that ingredient so I can’t say for sure. I would imagine it would be okay and my guess would be to cut back on the milk...?
I am trying it tonight. Using the velveeta liquid cheese that comes with the “shells and cheese” and I will add no milk. Unless I believe it is too thick.
I'd love to know how it worked out?
Followed this recipe exactly and got soup. I finished it off on the stove to reduce the liquid down. I did a quick release. Is that where I went wrong?
The recipe calls for a quick release. This recipe has been reviewed several times on pinterest and I haven't heard of it being too soupy, I'm perplexed. Let's get some more information to find out why:
What type of milk did you use (1%, 2% etc)
What shape of pasta did you use (elbow, shells etc)
Did you use brand name Velveeta block cheese or something similar?
When I opened the pot, the elbow macaroni was floating in water already. I used a 3 qt Instant Pot. I added 2% milk and Velveeta. I had hoped it would thicken up, but it didn't. I dumped it in a pot and heated in on the stove to reduce the liquid.
One last question - did you do 8 oz pasta by weight or by volume?
I divided the 16 oz box of elbows exactly in half.
Some pressure cookers will automatically set themselves on low pressure for foods such as rice and grains. You have to make sure it's on high pressure. I had to use the "Beans/Chili" button on mine.
Interesting. I actually never use the pre-set buttons but rather manually set time and pressure. This could have beeen the original posters issue
This may sound ignorant, but I got to ask. Do you or do you not drain the elbows before you add the cheese?
I ask as I have just followed your recipe and I didn't see anywhere you mentioning draining the noodles. So now I have a cheesy elbow noodle soup.
I do not drain as just about all the water is gone when the lid comes off. Let me ask, did you measure your pasta by weight or volume? That could make the difference.
This recipe was awesome it was actually the first time using my instant pot and it turned out great. Only thing was something was my error and that was i added a little to much salt. I also added garlic powder and evaporated milk instead of milk. I also double the recipe and it still turned out great.
I doubled the recipe for my 8 qt. IP. Plus 4 more oz.. velveeta, more milk and 1/2 c. bagged/shredded Monterey jack/Colby cheese that needed to be used. I had no problem with anything. I just prefer our mac and cheese to be saucey. I liked it. My daughter said Grandma would like it. And she was a home economics teacher who cooked almost everything from scratch !
How long did you cook it for with doubling the recipe?
Cook time remains the same even with doubling the ingredients - enjoy
I'm brand new to the instant pot world , my question is can I double this recipe for a 6qt? I'm waiting for it to arrive and gathering recipes in the meantime but so far all I'm finding in regards to pasta is only 8oz and I usually make 16oz and now I'm wondering if I should have ordered larger than 6qt.
I have a 6qt and have had great luck in doubling (Taco Pasta doubles perfectly) recipes (cook time the same). I have not doubled this particular recipe yet as we use it as a side dish and 8 oz works for my family. I would imagine it would work out great.
What butter do you recommend?
The butter I use mostly is by Cabot Creamery.
This is amazing! Second time making it perfect each time. Definitely our new go to for Mac N Cheese! I added a tsp of garlic powder, onion powder and 1/2 tsp of paprika used chicken broth instead of H2O. So glad I found U! Going to make it basic N try sneaking it in on my picky son who loves KFC's! Can't wait
I’m planning to make this recipe this week and I wanted to add some hamburger meat to it. Is this something I should cook separately and then add after I’ve completed the full recipe or is there a way I can also cook the meat in the instant pot??
I haven’t prepared this recipe with hamburger but you might be interested in my IP cheeseburger Mac recipe https://foodyschmoodyblog.com/instant-pot-cheeseburger-mac/
I have made "cheese burger mac n' cheese" a bunch of times and I would recommend to cook the hamburger in the instant pot and instead of draining the grease from the hamburger just use a little less butter. It will add a more beefy taste to the mac n' cheese. Most of the time I also add frozen veggies and sometimes mushrooms to the recipe if you do this I would suggest reducing the amount of water. If you cook 8 oz. of pasta use 8 oz. of frozen veggies and reduce the amount of water in the instant pot by at least 1/4 of a cup, If you use 16 oz. of pasta use 16 oz. of frozen veggies and reduce the water by 2/3 of a cup and if you add fresh or canned mushrooms add them when you put the cheese in and let it rest a little while, the fresh mushrooms will cook from the from the heat of the warming setting and will have a nice texture and if you use canned they won't get all rubbery
I just got through making this and I must tell you that I followed the instructions exactly and it was PERFECT! The best mac and cheese that I've ever made and the best part was I could grill the hamburger steaks while I was cooking the macaroni! The IP kept it warm until the steaks got done and it just took a minute to add the Velveeta and a splash of milk!
I have found a new go-to Macaroni and cheese recipe!!
I can't wait for my Grandkids to find out that it didn't come from a box! ( For this Yankee living in Tennessee, that's a pretty big feat!) 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thank you so much for your review! So happy you enjoyed it!
Tried this recipe. I had to scoop out most of the water after I cooked the pasta. Would have been way to soupy. Came out good when I did tnat
This is surprising to me. What kind of pasta did you use? Also, did you measure your pasta by weight or volume? That could be the problem.
I made it ahead of time because I’m using my instant pot to make ribs. How do you recommend reheating?
When I have re-heated leftovers the next day I typically put it in a pan on the stove with a small splash of milk and continuously stir it over medium-low heat.