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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 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!

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!

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 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 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

  1. Place the broth, elbow macaroni pasta and minced onion in the Instant Pot liner.
  2. Cook on Manual HIGH for 2 minutes NPR for 3 minutes and then QR.
  3. 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.
  4. Pulse in the melted butter, garlic and parsley. Set aside.
  5. Quick release the pressure when the pasta has finished cooking and naturally released the pressure for 3 minutes.
  6. Pour in the heavy cream and all the cheeses! Stir until combined, thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
  7. Transfer to an oven safe dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and broil until golden and crispy!

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!-Cooking with Karli- #instantpot #recip #dinner #maindish #side

Check out these other Instant Pot recipes!

Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti is saucy, cheesy and delicious. 20 minutes is all you need to make this creamy red sauce and pasta dish!Dump and Start Instant Pot Creamy Ziti

Instant Pot Steak Fajitas are done in less than 15 minutes! The steak strips, peppers and onions explode with flavor! This is an easy meal for a busy week night. Instant Pot Steak Fajitas
Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo is just as tasty as my famous Dump & Start recipe only without the heavy cream! Substituting evaporated milk for the heavy cream cuts the calorie and fat content by more than half making this a guilt-free meal!Instant Pot SKINNY Alfredo

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4.56 from 18 votes

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!
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

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!
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Karli Bitner

This blog is a little glimpse into my kitchen, family & life. I hope you’ll giggle the days away with me and enjoy the craziness that goes on at my house. If you are Cookie obsessed like I am, check out my Sister Site, Cookies for Days.

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Recipe Rating




27 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

  2. 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. 🙂

  3. 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.

  4. 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! ?