Instant Pot Mac ‘n Cheese is equally fast and delicious! Perfectly cooked pasta, from scratch sauce and a crispy breadcrumb topping will knock your socks off! Perfect for ages 1-101!
Instant Pot + Pasta = MAGIC
I love using my Instant Pot to cook pasta. In fact, I don’t make it any other way now.
Say goodbye to babysitting a pot full of boiling starchy water that is bound to boil over at any second. Really, who has time for that?
With the Instant Pot, it is a set it and forget it type thing. I use my Instant Pot to make pasta a few times per week. I love that I can throw the pasta in, and play a game of memory or feed my baby while it is cooking!
The basic rule of thumb is to pressure cook the pasta on HIGH for half the suggested time on the box. If the box says 6-10 minutes, I usually pressure cook for 3 minutes.
As for the amount of liquid, I’ll be honest, I never measure. Just make sure the pasta is completely covered wth liquid.
Fair warning, if you decide to cook a lot of pasta (say like 32 ounces of pasta at once..) let the pot naturally release for 5 or so minutes before quick releasing the pressure. If you go straight for the quick release, you’ll end up with a hot starchy water volcano. Ask me how I know this..
The take away- Instant Pot and Pasta are basically soulmates.
Don’t have an Instant Pot yet? Well, what are you waiting for? Get yours now!
How to make Instant Pot Mac ‘n Cheese
Making Mac ‘n Cheese in the Instant Pot is a lot easier than you think, guaranteed. First, the elbow pasta is pressure cooked with broth and minced onion for 2 minutes. (Yes, T-W-O minutes!)
After the pasta is done, you’ll hit it with some heavy cream and cheese. The cheese is very important to the overall taste of your Mac ‘n Cheese. Using a very mild cheese will result in a pretty flavorless Mac ‘n Cheese.
I like to use a combination of Extra Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack and Parmesan. That is my favorite combination.
And now for my favorite part- The bread crumb topping. No, this isn’t what you buy at the store. I’m talking about homemade breadcrumbs.
I literally throw two slices of bread in my blender (I have a Blendtec. LOVE IT. Get yourself one ASAP.) and pulse until I have bread crumbs! Then I add in some minced garlic, parsley and melted butter.
I pour the breadcrumbs on top of the Mac ‘n Cheese (after I transfer it to an oven safe dish, of course!) and then broil until golden perfection.
This is the easiest meal that will please everyone of all ages!
Instant Pot Mac ‘n Cheese
Instant Pot Mac ‘n Cheese is equally fast and delicious! Perfectly cooked pasta, from scratch sauce and a crispy breadcrumb topping will knock your socks off! Perfect for ages 1-101!
Ingredients
Mac ‘n Cheese
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1/2 tbsp minced onion dried
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup colby jack cheese shredded
- 1/2cup extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Bread Crumb Topping
- 2 slices bread
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic dried
- 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
Instructions
- Place the broth, elbow macaroni pasta and minced onion in the Instant Pot liner.
- Cook on Manual HIGH for 2 minutes NPR for 3 minutes and then QR.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the breadcrumb topping. Place the two slices of bread in a blender or food processor and pulse until the slices are fine crumbs.
- Pulse in the melted butter, garlic and parsley. Set aside.
- Quick release the pressure when the pasta has finished cooking and naturally released the pressure for 3 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream and all the cheeses! Stir until combined, thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Transfer to an oven safe dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and broil until golden and crispy!
Check out these other Instant Pot recipes!
Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti
Instant Pot Steak Fajitas
Instant Pot SKINNY Alfredo
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Instant Pot Mac 'n Cheese
Ingredients
Mac 'n Cheese
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1/2 tbsp minced onion dried
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup colby jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Bread Crumb Topping
- 2 slices bread
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic dried
- 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
Instructions
- Place the broth, elbow macaroni pasta and minced onion in the Instant Pot liner.
- Cook on Manual HIGH for 2 minutes NPR 3 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the breadcrumb topping. Place the two slices of bread in a blender or food processor and pulse until the slices are fine crumbs.
- Pulse in the melted butter, garlic and parsley. Set aside.
- Quick release the pressure when the pasta has finished cooking and has naturally released pressure for 3 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream and all the cheeses! Stir until combined, thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Transfer to an oven safe dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and broil until golden and crispy!
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Kristi English says
Could you use beef broth or veggie broth in place of the chicken broth? This looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it!
karlibitner says
Kristi! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to reply. For some reason your comment got caught up in my spam filter and am just now seeing your comment.
Yes, you could definitely substitute beef or veggie broth if you’d prefer. 🙂
Ryley Heinrich says
How many does this serve as a side dish?
karlibitner says
I would say 4-6.
Allison Brake says
What is npr?
karlibitner says
NPR stands for ‘Natural Pressure Release’. So basically you’ll let your Instant Pot sit and do nothing for the stated NPR time on any given recipe before manually releasing the pressure by turning the knob.
Anna says
If you are doubling the recipe do you double the cooking time?
karlibitner says
Hi Anna- no need to double the cook time!
Katie Ebbers says
Hi Karli! This looks great! I’m going to make as a Thanksgiving side and plan to double it, I should double the broth, right? Just want to make sure I get the noodles cooked correctly. Thanks in advance! ?
karlibitner says
Hi Katie- double everything, cook time stays the same. Hope you enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!
Alison says
Hi! I plan on making this with cavatappi that has a slightly longer cook time – 10-12 minutes. How long should I pressure cook before doing the natural release?
karlibitner says
Hi Allison, I would try to pressure cook for 5 minutes with a 3 min NPR. Hopefully that works out!
Donna says
This is hands down the best mac n cheese I’ve ever tasted! I made it earlier today and I’ve been bragging about it to everyone I know. I just got my Instant Pot for Christmas so I’ve been trying out recipes for it every chance I get, and this, by far, is my favorite. The only changes I made were adding a tad more cream and cheese. (We like ours extra cheesy.) I used 1 cup of cheddar blend (white, sharp, and mild) and 1 cup of Italian blend (mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano) because that’s what I had on hand. All the flavors melded together perfectly. This is the only mac n cheese I will be making from now on. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. A definite 5 stars from me.
karlibitner says
Yay! Thanks for that glowing review, Donna! Glad you loved it!
Dianna says
This Mac & Cheese is the bomb! Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe – easy and fun to make in my instant pot! 🇨🇦😍
Karli Bitner says
Yay! Glad you LOVE this recipe!
Anna C says
Faster than box Mac n cheese and waaaay better!
Jill says
So good and easy! Love trying new instant pot recipes. Thank you!
Karli Bitner says
Thanks, Jill! It doesn’t get much easier than Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot!
Mandie says
Do you just measure out 2 cups of dry pasta? Or is 16oz the same as 2 cups in pasta? Sorry if this is obvious!
Karli Bitner says
Hi Mandie! So pasta is actually measured by weight so it is a little different! 16 oz of pasta is the same as 1 lb of pasta. Most packages of pasta are a standard 16 oz. Look on your pasta and double check that’s correct for you before making the recipe. 🙂 I hope this helps!
Lorena Pechinak says
made this tonight, everyone loved it. Next time I will add just a little more heavy cream.
Karli Bitner says
I am so glad you all loved it, Lorena! Thanks for the comment!
Randi says
This might be silly to ask…but…what kind of bread did you use?? Making this for Christmas 🙂 thank you
Karli Bitner says
I just used my regular ol’ store bought sandwich bread. 🙂
Melinda says
The Instant Pot is definitely a game changer. This recipe will take mac and cheese to a whole new level. Looking forward to trying this!
Karli Bitner says
So glad Melinda, I’m glad you are making the most of your Instant Pot. Keep up the good work.