The creamiest, cheesiest Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese you will ever have – and it’s all made in less than 10 minutes!
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This Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese is pasta noodle greatness all nestled in velvety (not to be confused with Velveeta) cheese to create comfort food at its finest.
Now don’t get me wrong I love a good baked mac n cheese. In fact, that is probably my family’s favorite, especially at the holidays. But I love making a creamy version on the stove top and now in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker). It’s so fast and easy. It takes no time to put together. I am saying this one takes 10 minutes, because it take just a few minutes for the IP to come to high pressure. It’s really a tad faster than that!
Ready to make this marvelous and so easy cheesy masterpiece?
What you need to Make Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- 1 lb Elbow Macaroni – I used Large Ones
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar
- 8 ounces Mexican blend or Colby blend cheese
How to make Cream Macaroni in Cheese in a Pressure Cooker
Into the Instant Pot or pressure cooker goes the pasta, water, butter, salt & pepper.
On goes the lid, turn to lock, and set the IP to Manual, High Pressure for 4 minutes. Once done, manually release pressure (this means open the release valve). Be ready for a little messiness ya’ll. That foam will spew out some. Be ready to wipe up the counter. Honestly, it really isn’t that bad, I just wanted to let you know you didn’t do anything wrong (It’s just all that wonderfulness trying to get out)!! But – it will happen I promise. This Mac n Cheese is worth it!
New Tip I have learned as I use my Instant Pot more and more.
Place a damp cloth loosely over the valve – mess diverted!
Open the lid and pour in cheeses and cream. Stir them up!
Magic happens and you get this creamy and most divine yumminess! Yes that is a word. One bite and repeat after me!! Yummilicious! See it’s better that yumminess!
Please Pin – Creamy Mac and Cheese – for Later
Other Recipes you May Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pasta - I use large elbow macaroni noodles
- 4 cups water
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 oz Mexican or Colby Jack Blend Cheese, shredded
Instructions
Pour pasta, water, salt, pepper and butter into 6 qt Instant Pot and stir. Place lid on and turn to lock. Make sure pressure valve is closed. Set to Manual Pressure Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. When 4 minutes is up, open valve and release pressure immediately. *See Note
Hit or leave the warm button on. Pour in both cheeses and cream and stir until well combined and cheeses are melted. Serve
Recipe Notes
Note: When opening valve some of the foamy water will spew out. You may want to put a damp towel loosely over the valve or make sure you have in an area that can be wiped up.
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I’m sharing this over at two of my favorite link up Weekend Pot Luck & Meal Plan Monday! Head over and check them out you will find some amazing recipes!
My kids love this recipe however I notice that the cheese is more stringy than creamy — not sure what I’m doing wrong… thank you!
Kim, I make this all the time and it doesn’t come out stringy. Here are a few things I can think of. Just wanted to be sure you added the cheese after cooking the pasta. And leave the IP on warm and stir until combined and let it sit a minute until it all melts together. Give another stir if needed and serve. Also did you use low fat cheese? I have not tested with low fat cheese?
Can you use pre-shredded cheese? I know that it usually has a cornstarch coating but it would be more convenient then shredding all that cheese by hand. I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving and adding some blue cheese and bacon to the mix!
Kelsey, I apologize. I am just realizing my reply did not post. I have used pre shredded cheese, in fact I use it most of the time for convenience for this recipes.
This looks delicious! I plan on trying this recipe for Thanksgiving and I’d like to double it. This may be a dumb question, but if I double the ingredients, do I also double the cook time?
No dumb questions. No cook time will be the same for this dish.
Hi! If there is excess water after pressure cooking the macaroni, should I drain it first? Or just pour in the cheese and remaining ingredients?
Also, I always have a problem with Mac and cheese dying out after leaving it out for an hour or so. Is there a way to prevent this??
There is still some water in the pot after cooking. I would add in the ingredients stir and it should thicken right up. If you find it gets a little dry after a while, add in a little more cream or milk and stir.
I made this for a potluck and added a can of diced green chili’s and it was a huge hit. I’m to make it for the next potluck in three weeks.
I love your addition of a little spice! YUM! I am so glad it was a hit! <3
I have never felt compelled to leave a review before, but l just had to tell you how amazing this macaroni and cheese is! I made 2 separate batches and put it in a crockpot to keep it warm for a family gathering. (Wasn’t sure if it would all fit in one pot lol.) There was absolutely none left! Made it again a few days later for my family who was very upset there were no leftovers, and it disappeared as well. I may have accidentally doubled the amount of cheese the recipe called for, but more cheese is rarely bad. My kids want me to make it again and add bacon. Thanks for sharing such a delicious and easy recipe!
Karen, I am so honored that you took the time to let me know how much your family enjoyed this! This is why I do this to share my love for cooking and the connections made with those we love around a good meal! You have truly made my day! We love this one too! My son’s friends still request this when they come over! And I believe bacon makes everything better, so I cannot wait to see how that turns out.
Hi! Can I use half and half if that’s what I have on hand?
Absolutely! I hope you enjoy!
Has anyone added ground beef to this recipe after cooking? Looking to make a complete dinner meal.
I have not tried putting ground beef in this, but I am sure it would be great. I need to make my Homemade Cheeseburger Helper in the IP and post that recipe. I will get that one up soon.
Can I use whole milk in place of cream? We are a lactose intolerant family 😉 thanks!
Yes! You can certainly use milk instead! I have used it before. Enjoy!
I like Mac and Cheese, I’m going to try this in the Instant Pot, thanks!
Oh I love it too! I sure hope you love it as much as we do at my house. It’s so easy and really creamy!
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Do you know if you can double thus recipe?
Trish I have not tried it, but I would think it would work fine. Please let me know if you try it!
I found this recipe and doubled it tonight. Came out amazing!
Jess, I am so glad you loved it! My family does as well. My son’s friends always request it when they come over too! Have a Happy New Year and I hopr you stop in again soon!
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Yummy, Yummy, Yum,
I never thought about using the large macaroni shells maybe, this will stretch with three teenagers will try this tonight,
Thank you! for sharing your recipe.
It seemed to go a long way! It’s so creamy and filling! I would love to hear how it goes for you! My daughter is in college so I am down to 1 teeanager at home, but we always seem to have extras around!
I made this today with a regular pot, and my 3 year had 2 big bowls full. It’s so rich and creamy without eggs and that’s awesome!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for coming by Wendy! I am so glad you enjoyed it! 3 year old approval is always the best! Hope to hear from you again soon!
Hi Nikki: This Mac & Cheese dish sounded very easy & tasty to me, even though I don’t have an Instant Pot. All I did was cook & drain the pasta, and put it back into the pot (which was still hot) in order for the excess moisture to steam off. I then proceeded to add everything else into the pot. I eliminated the addition of salt (since the cheeses already contain more than enough sodium). I didn’t use heavy cream, I used Half & Half, instead. For the cheeses, I used Sharp Vermont Cheddar, Sharp (yellow) American, and freshly grated Parmesan. I mixed everything together in my pot on the stove set on med. low heat, until everything was melted together & creamy. I then took it one step further, …. and poured everything into a buttered 2 & 1/2 qt. casserole, and sprinkled a generous amount of Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs on top – which I sprayed with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”. I baked it for only a couple of minutes at a very high temp., just until it came back up to a bubble (since it was already cooked & warm). I then turned on the broiler, and let the bread crumb topping get a little brown & crispy. The final result for this dish was much better than I had anticipated (only b/c I messed w/it). It really didn’t take a lot of time to prepare. We all loved it, so I’m definitely saving this recipe for future use, even though I changed yours up a bit. I hope you don’t mind, but this came out superbly, even w/o the use of an instant pot.
I am so glad you took it and made it your own! I make a baked mac n cheese my family loves too! This is just a different version all together. Thank you for taking the time to share your adaption! It sounds amazing!
Oh, YUM! This was excellent! I’m always looking for recipes to make in my Instant Pot and we love Mac and Cheese. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you Claudine! I keep trying new things in mine! I love how much time they save! What is your favorite thing to make in yours? Thank you for coming by and I hope you come back by soon!