Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese - Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses flavor this quick and easy mac and cheese ready in under 10 minutes, thanks to the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
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I pride myself in not hopping on too many culinary bandwagons. As I mentioned in my post for Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes, I hate kale. I'm not scared to say it. I'm not into making my own homemade ketchup. Nope, not me; I don't even eat ketchup, homemade or otherwise.
Paleo? Who me? No.
Nah.
I never even have posted a recipe using cookie butter (and that stuff is gooooood).
Kimchi?
Okay, I'm guilty of that one.
But, in my defense, there's not a kimchi movement like there is for freakin' kale. And it's not like I posted a normal kimchi recipe. I actually posted a hot dog topped with kimchi.
Great, now I'm craving a Kimchi Hot Dog. Sigh.
Anyway, I'm getting into all this because for a year now, I've been seeing recipes using this magical machine called an Instant Pot.
From what I gathered, this magical machine is an electric pressure cooker. Big deal, I thought.
Soups? Who cares, I can cook those on the stove.
Pulled pork?
Whatever, I've got a slow cooker.
I certainly didn't need a new gadget on my counter.
Except......
I did.
Apparently, I do.
Amazon is to blame. A gift card was just sitting there waiting to be used and then there was a deal on the Instant Pot.
Sigh.
I caved and bought the damn thing.
And I love it.
I'm madly in love.
And I'm not sorry. I had no idea how easy this magical machine makes life.
I've only had the Instant Pot for 2 days and so far I've made a roast, ribs and now this mac and cheese. I'm actually making multiple meals per day because I just can't wait to see how things come out. I mean, a roast, that is super tender, in 40 minutes. For Real! Mac and Cheese in 8 minutes? Say what?! I know.
Want to know how easy it was to make the Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese?
I know you do. Put some butter, macaroni, water and a few spices in the pot. Set it to 6 minutes. Stir in all the cheeses, cream and parsley. That's it.
I'm here to tell you, this magical Instant Pot is actually amazing. The version I got has a slow cooker function as well, so I don't see myself replacing my cracked slow cooker any time soon. There are many different electric pressure cookers / Instant Pots, so shop around and see which functions you want/need. I price checked around and found the best deal on Amazon.
So tell me, is this something you have? Something you are interested in? Would you like me posting more recipes like this Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese for the Instant Pot? Is there something specific you are wondering about the Instant Pot? Anything in particular you want to see me experiment with? I'm very open to suggestions.
Printable Recipe Card
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 T butter
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- 2 C water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ C heavy cream
- 1 ½ C shredded cheddar I used a combo of sharp and mild white and orange
- ¾ C shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 T chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place butter in instant pot. Set to sauté to melt butter. Add macaroni, water, salt, pepper, mustard and garlic powder. Stir to make sure macaroni is in a somewhat even layer and submerged in the water. Turn off the sauté function.
- Place cover on pot and lock (make sure vent is set to sealed). Set to manual (high pressurfor 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, use rapid release (press cancel and turn vent to venting). Once all steam has released, carefully remove cover. Add cream, cheeses and parsley and stir well to combine. Serve immediately.
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Mary Ellen says
I love cooking with mine, this looks delicious!
Debra C. says
I'm like you totally NOT a gadget girl. I do not have an instapot yet and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who doesn't! That needs to change, especially if I can make mac n cheese like you have here. All that cheesy deliciousness is making me drool!
foodyschmoody says
OMG Debra, with all the soups you make, an Instant Pot would be such a time saver!
debi at Life Currents says
Trends and bandwagons aside (and I've never even tried Kimchi) this mac & cheese looks so yummy. Like I said on Facebook, this recipe makes me want to get an Instant Pot! Yummers! Oh, and I love kale! hee hee
peter @Feed Your Soul Too says
I totally did the same thing when I got my pressure cooker. Can not get enough of it. I had not thought to try Mac N Cheese. Love how quick it comes together and how cheesy yours looks.
Mary says
I did the same thing. I found one at a great deal (I always wanted a pressure cooker but was scared of them) and in the first week I used it every day! Three months later I still use it several times a week. There are so many recipes you can adapt and it works so fast with out heating up the kitchen. My kids even use it on their night to cook and make Hamburger Helper in it! I am so looking forward to trying this Mac and Cheese recipe that I am going to make it tonight. I recommend elec pressure cooking to all my friends. Took mine to a church pitch-in and three women went out and bought one that week. Amazing gadget!
Jennifer says
The recipe was alright. I think it needs more liquid. The noodles were a bit tough. I am wondering if adding a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup water would be enough. I think it needs to cook a bit longer by adding 2 to 3 more minutes. I followed the directions exactly, but it was bland as well.
foodyschmoody says
I'm very surprised at your turnout with this recipe. There are lots of reviews on Pinterest in which it turned out great. I think any longer than 6 minutes would result in mushy pasta. Did you use elbows pasta? Also, as far as bland, did you use a good quality cheese? I find that in dishes where cheese is the main star, using a high quality cheese is key to flavor.
Carrie says
Interesting. Mine came out so watery, I actually had to DRAIN the pasta before proceeding. Ill stick to the old fashioned method. I like my crunchy topping I get in the oven after.
foodyschmoody says
Really? I'm shocked. You're the very first person to mention that. Did you follow the instructions exact or did you make substitutions? Also, what kind of pasta did you use? I always like to figure out a fix to a problem. 🙂
Dawn says
Mine too.
foodyschmoody says
I'd like to know what kind of pasta you used and also the type of cheese - I think variations in this might make the difference. I'm just so surprised at the few of you who it didn't turn out well for since so many have had a great result. I'd love to figure out what the difference is so I can note it in the recipe for variations for others.
Jaime Davis says
Have you ever doubled it? Wondering how that would affect cooking time? I just made it and it is AWESOME!!
foodyschmoody says
I have not yet doubled it but a few readers have reported doubling ingredients in similar dishes but keeping cooking time the same. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Joyce says
Made this exactly as directed with the exception that I used half and half instead of heavy cream and it turned out perfect. If you leave the stirred finished recipe on warm the sauce has time to fully enter the macaroni while you make a salad or vegetable to round out the meal. For those who miss a crispy crust I would suggest melting a couple tablespoons of butter and stir in a half cup of Pablo bread crumbs over medium high heat until toasted and light brown. Sprinkle on top when you serve.
foodyschmoody says
So glad you enjoyed! Great tip about the breadcrumbs!
Carolyn says
This recipe sounds delicious. My question is this for the 6 qt pot or 3 qt pot?
foodyschmoody says
All the Instant Pot recipes I have are made in a 6 qt.
Carolyn says
Thank you, guess I could just cut it in half. Since I'm a really newbie (get my IP this Tue), will that work?
foodyschmoody says
I would imagine you could. I haven't actually tried halving the recipe so I can't say for sure but I think it would be a safe bet.
Carolyn says
Thank you.Will be able to try it in a couple days.
Sandy says
Your recipe calls for 8 OZ macaroni.. Is that weight or volume? Looks creamy & delish!
Thanks!
foodyschmoody says
By weight. The box of pasta I buy says 16 oz and I use half of it.
Kelly says
This was soooo good. My family of 7 gobbled it up. I doubled it in my 8 qt. Next time I will triple it. Thanks for a yummy easy recipe!
foodyschmoody says
So great to hear!
Jennifer says
Hi, I'm trying to work up the nutritional info, do you know how many servings this recipe would make as is?
foodyschmoody says
This fed my family of 5 as a side dish. If it were the main course I think perhaps 4 people. If you want to break down nutritional information, I believe that a serving size, as listed on the elbow macaroni is 1/2 C.
Katie says
Could I use milk instead of cream?
foodyschmoody says
I think you probably could. It might not thicken as much as cream would, especially if you are using a low fat milk. I wouldn't use anything less than 2% or if you did, I'd add a little cornstarch to the milk prior to adding to act as a thickener.
Sara says
I thought this was really good and super easy! I didn’t have heavy cream so I used half and half and about 1 tsp of cornstarch. I accidentally added a little too much water but it was forgiving. I added a dash of cayenne in addition to garlic powder and mustard powder. I used a mix of Sargento whole milk mozzarella and Mexican cheese and shredded off of a block of Parmesan (nothing fancy), I didn’t measure any of the cheese though. The only other thing I changed was keeping the IP on warm instead of turning off so the cheese could melt together some more. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
Chewy says
Mine came out so salty that I had to throw it out. I followed your recipe exactly. Can I leave the salt out of the cooking process?
foodyschmoody says
Oh no. You are the first to have said that. I always salt my pasta when cooking but of course you can cut back.