Instant Pot Creamy Mac and Cheese is the easiest way to make creamy homemade mac and cheese using pressure cooking, a combination of cheeses, whipping cream, butter, elbow macaroni, and a few other simple ingredients, in only 30 minutes!
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
This incredibly creamy Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe delivers a rich, velvety sauce with just a handful of ingredients like macaroni noodles, chicken broth, and a blend of cheeses. With a cook time under 30 minutes, this one-pot method with the pressure cooker ensures perfect pasta and a creamy, crowd-pleasing dish every time.
Say goodbye to the boxed stuff with this delicious one-pot mac and cheese perfected over time by our family of six! And don’t forget to use our secret ingredient for the best flavor in this perfectly creamy mac and cheese!
“I made this today in my IP [Instant Pot] and boy was it tasty! There is plenty leftover for a quick snack.” — Kellie
Pair this Instant Pot pasta recipe with 30 minute dinner rolls, antipasto salad, or simple roasted broccoli for a delicious dinner combination.
Key Ingredients and Flavors:
Elbow macaroni is what we used for the best macaroni results and gives the perfect noodle to water ratio; however, you can use another smaller pasta like small shells as well.
We prefer to use chicken broth for the cooking liquid and whipping cream to create the perfect mac, but you can substitute the broth for water if necessary.
Then we always use a mixture of cheeses to make the ultimate comfort food flavor profile in this pasta dish. Sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese are our go-to favorites. Shredding your own cheese from the block will also work better than pre-shredded cheese because it does not have the coating added.
Tips for The Best Instant Pot Mac and Cheese:
Secret ingredient:
Use mustard to add the perfect flavor to the easy instant pot mac. We have found the best results with using dry mustard or ground mustard, but some of our readers have also used Dijon mustard! Garlic powder is also a great way to add more simple yet subtle flavor.
Add the dairy last:
The only time to add dairy into an Instant Pot meal is at the end, AFTER the pasta is cooked. If you put the milk, cheese, or other in the pot before pressure cooking, you will end up with either a burn notice or curdled chunks of milk.
How to Make Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot
- Add the pasta and broth to the instant pot, stir everything to ensure the macaroni is fully submerged. This is a critical step to prevent the “burn” notice from your Instant Pot! It should look like the pasta is just barely swimming in the liquid.
- Once you’ve sealed the lid and set the timer, you’ll hear the sizzle of the pressure building and cooking this classic comfort food to perfection.
- After the timer is up and you’ve done your quick release, the pasta will look plump and perfectly cooked.
- Add in the whipping cream, cheeses, and seasonings. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon until the cheese is melted and creamy.
FAQ for Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
Oftentimes, this is because when you add the pasta to the instant pot with larger pasta, there are more pockets of space to fill up to cover the pasta.
You can! However, we would caution you from using any large pasta, like bow tie or penne pasta. Stick to the smaller pasta like small shells, elbow macaroni, ditalini, or similar. When you use too big of pasta, they aren’t as compact in the pressure cooker and can lead to needing too much liquid to cover the pasta, which results in runny or soupy mac and cheese.
No, if everything is done to the recipe, the liquid added to the pot will be absorbed by the noodles for the most part, and the rest will add in making the cheese sauce.
More pasta recipes:
If you love macaroni as mush as we do, make sure to try our Slow Cooker Creamy Macaroni and Cheese, Skinny baked broccoli mac, or Instant pot lobster mac and cheese for more fun flavors and ways to make delicious meals.
Loaded macaroni salad and Tangy macaroni salad are fresh ways to make macaroni and add to any dinner or lunch!
Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 Tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
Equipment
Instructions
- Place macaroni in Instant Pot. Pour chicken broth over macaroni so that all macaroni is covered by liquid.
- Cut butter into small pieces and place on top of pasta. Add salt.
- Place lid on top of Instant Pot and secure in place.
- Move vent to SEALING position.
- Press MANUAL button and set timer for 4 minutes.
- When finished cooking, allow for a 5 minute NATURAL RELEASE, then move the venting to VENTING to quickly release the remaining pressure. (Some foam might come out of the vent, just use a paper towel to quickly wipe it off)
- Remove lid and add whipping cream, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Add in seasonings and mix together until the cheese is all smooth and melted.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
This recipe sounds delish!! What kind of milk are you suggesting we use: evaporated, whole, skim?
Can’t wait to try it!!
I made this today for lunch with my kids. We all enjoyed it very much. Next time, I’ll probably do 6 minutes instead of 5, as I felt like there was a bit more moisture than I wanted when I opened it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for this recipe! I made it last night for my son and husband because I was going out (I am gluten and dairy free so this was a treat for them to get the real stuff haha), and not only was it super easy, it was really delicious. I did follow the suggestion above and let it cook for 6 minutes and found that was a good idea. Thanks for the easy Monday night dinner – will definitely make again (and might even try a gluten free/dairy free version one day 😉
I ended up having to use cashew milk because it’s all we had! I don’t think it really matters what kind you use. I also only ended up using about a 1/4 cup.
Is that about 4 cups uncooked macaroni ?
Yes. We buy the package and it is 16 ounces.
So easy – added Fontina cheese to chedddar – nice and creamy.Will pass on to friends and family.
Would this work in a Cuisinart pressure cooker too?
I’m sure it would. You will need to check on the cooking time and temp and compare the instant pot to the pressure cooker.
If I half this recipe is it still the same amount of cooking time?
I needed to use 6 1/4 cups of broth to cover the noodles. I used 16 oz of elbow macaroni though. ?? I hope it all turns out.
Do you not drain the noodles? You keep
the liquid it was cooked in?
Not great… had to add a lot more water to cover noodles, and drain water after. The noodles were over cooked. I think it needs something to help the cheese stick to the noodles.
I did this with bow tie pasta. Used more broth than called for to get the pasta covered, maybe if I used elbows it wouldn’t have taken so much broth. Also, I used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of milk. I did not drain the pasta. This was so good! Very creamy but not gobs of sauce. Served with a scoop of bbq pork over the Mac n cheese. Yummy! I’m not saying these changes were necessary, just how I happened to make it.
I made this today in my IP and boy was it tasty! There is plenty leftover for a quick snack.
I should have stuck to the recipe and set my Instant Pot for 5 min. Six minutes was too long.
This was the first thing I made in my IP. Delicious! I used left over cheese from a cheese plate. Thanks!
This. Stuff. Was. Awesome! I cooked the pasta for 5 minutes on HP then quick release. I used 3c sodium-free chicken stock; the noodles were just covered. (I like sodium-free stocks so I’m able to control the salt.) The elbow noodles were perfectly cooked! Closer to al dente…definitely NOT overcooked. I do take pasta and rice dishes out of the cooking insert to limit the cook over time as they will get soft. The only extra thing I added was 1/4 c of low-fat sour cream which I just like to add to my mac and cheese. 🙂 Winner for sure…the fam is already asking when I’ll make it again.
Hey.
I used 16 Oz of pasta – by weight – not volume- bad idea. I’d love it if you could specify weight or volume in the future for those of us who don’t buy pasta in 16 Oz Boxes.
Thanks
She did specify…the recipe doesn’t state fluid ounces. This is literally common sense.
So you know if I double the recipe would I need to add more time? I am new to using an instant pot and have a potluck to go to and would love to bring this.
I’m not feeling well tonight (Thank you elementary school! LOL) and was going to just order pizza until I realized I’d have this on the table long before pizza would be delivered. I think tonight is the 4th time I’ve made this mac and cheese in the past 3 weeks. 🙂 It’s a fast, yummy meal each time. To add a protein, I just put some organic nuggets or some type of marinated chicken breasts in the oven before I start the IP. By time the IP reaches pressure, noodles cook, I set the table and mix in the cheese and stuff, the chicken is cooked and ready to serve at the same time. (I have it down to a science now. LOL) At 5 mins. HP then quick release, the noodles are perfectly cooked; I’ve not had any problems with them being mushy or having to drain.
The whole meal sounds amazing! Nothing better than homemade mac n cheese. Hope you are feeling better. It’s crazy flu season everywhere! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment on the instant pot Mac and Cheese! Have a great weekend!
Tip: use small noodles, not bow tie pasta. My noodles weren’t quite covered in broth so they were a little too al dente for my son who had wisdom tooth extraction yesterday. Tasty though!
I just made this and it’s super liquidy, the cheese melted into the milk and made a runny cheese sauce, and nothing sticks to the pasta ?
One person asked if 16oz was 4 cups of uncooked pasta but 16oz is 2 cups
So, it’s 2 cups of dry pasta then?
Made this in an 8qt IP with roughly half of a 32oz.box macaroni noodles, 1block of sharp cheese, and about 3 cups of broth. So good! I added a little more milk and a sprinkle of salt. Will definitely make this again!!
I’m confused, I this post you tell us not to put dairy before the food is cooked and that matches the recipe however, in the video, you double the amount of the butter and put it in with the water, salt and pasta. Also, should the mustard go in at the beginning with the uncooked pasta or after with the milk.
Thanks in advance
I’ve only had my instant pot for about 3 weeks. I followed the recipe exactly as described and it came out absolutely perfect. Thank you!
Hmmmm….The youtube video and the recipe are two different things. That is confusing and misleading. In the video they use water. In the recipe, they call for chicken broth. In the video, she uses parsley and in the recipe, they use dijon mustard? I am probably going to be one of those people who missed an obvious detail in the post that would help me understand….If so feel free to correct me nicely. I am not intentionally trying to be an idiot. 🙂
That is what I thought – I watched the video so I just printed the recipe but it was totally different. Not sure which one is correct?
The video is a different recipe. It’s the creamy mac n cheese recipe.
The video is a different recipe. It’s the creamy mac n cheese. She specifies this in the very beginning of her post. It is easy to miss.
Not asking to be negative – I’m really curious. Is there an advantage to doing mac and cheese in an instant pot? It seems like it would take less time to boil the noodles on the stovetop, then add in all the ingredients as usual, versus waiting for the instant pot to build pressure, cook the noodles, then depressurize. Is there an advantage to using the instant pot instead? Again, legitimately curious!
Made this tonight, 2 cups of cheese wasn’t nearly enough, all I could taste was the mustard, needs more cheese. Other than that it seems like a good texture.
Yes. You can set it and forget it, and do other things. Plus the broth taste gets inside the noodles.
I made this, left out the mustard and hot sauce, and substituted half of the chicken broth with lobster broth (from Better Bouillon) and made lobster mac and cheese. it was great!
I have always used ground mustard in my mac and cheese. I still did this with this recipe instead of the dijon mustard and it turned out great! I may have added extra cheese too. I didn’t really measure but one can never have too much cheese. Just thought I would share in case you wanted to try again with ground mustard instead.
If I want to double this, do I keep the times the same?
1 pound or 16 oz is 4 cups of elbow macaroni.
16 oz is 4 cups dry, 2 cups dry is only 8 oz.
I made this and my boys loved it! My box mac n cheese enthusiast told me that “it barely tastes like homemade”. Of course, I had to leave out the hot sauce and mustard for my picky eaters. Also, I drained the pasta before adding the rest of the ingredients. I am going to try it again with just enough broth to cover the pasta. Thank you for a much healthier alternative to the boxed stuff!
I have used this recipe three times with great success. The last time I added a can of evaporated milk after the dish was done I also omitted the hot sauce and mustard. Everybody had two helpings and enjoyed the meal. Looking forward to the next time and another variation. I have made other recipes from Six Sisters and all have come out great. Tomorrow is Orange Chicken!
Your recipes contradict themselves. In your written one you say chicken broth and water but your video says heavy whipping cream and water two different things ??
The starch in the pasta water helps bind the sauce to the pasta.. it’s always a good idea to reserve *some* pasta water, in any pasta and sauce dish 🙂
She mentions in the write up that the video is for the ‘creamy’ m&c version, and is not the same as the printed recipe 🙂
Little confused as the video I originally watched on your Youtube channel say 4 minutes, water and here in the print it says chicken broth and 5 minutes.
I’m making it now as per the video. Next time I’ll try it with the broth. I gather the broth gives it a better taste?
I’m a newbie to cooking and the Instant Pot.
Thanks
That’s because they are 2 different instant pot mac and cheese recipes.
Thank you for the tip about not pressuring milk in the instant pot! That would explain why my cheesy broccoli potato soup always gives me the burn warning. I will try making it with just the chicken broth and stir in milk at the end.
About this macaroni recipe, would it work the same with a good gluten free macaroni like Tinkyada fusilli? Or would the pasta need to be cooked longer?
Super fast, easy, and tasty!
Fluid ounces, 16 oz is 2 cups of “liquid”, not 4 cups.
Could you use water instead of chicken broth??
Yes, but it will not be as flavorful.
This is a disaster. Turned into soupy noodles with some melted cheese. So disappointed. And now I’ve wasted a whole box of noodles. I followed the recipe to a T
Ok, after stirring for 10 minutes straight, it was no longer soupy (using the saute setting on and off), but the cheese was stringy, and didn’t really make a sauce. It was ok. But I’ll stick to your crock pot version, that tastes better and is easier.
We are so sorry this did not work for you. We make it all the time with no problems.
CAN I USE 1/2 N 1/2 UNSTEAD OF WH. CREAM? Marilyn
I just made this for the first time…it is awesome! I used up the leftover cheeses we had from a cheese board and it is really yummy!!
Ahhhh… did this recipe get changed? I always make this but I don’t have it memorized, sadly. My family loves the version with the hot sauce. This is the same web page with the same comments and everything, but a different recipe. Where is the old recipe?
This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese has hot sauce – https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/instant-pot-lobster-mac-and-cheese/
Did it have lobster in it? Maybe you could just leave it out if it didn’t.
I have the same problem as my family loves the original as well! I even searched the YouTube channel. Six Sisters can you repost as the Original Instant Pot Mac and Cheese please?
Scratch that previous comment. I just found it on the YouTube channel under Extremely Easy and Affordable Macaroni and Cheese!😀💖
We have a couple of Instant Pot Mac and cheese videos on Youtube. Here are some of them:
https://youtu.be/Fv6NnSrqZLI
https://youtu.be/fm778n0QYvQ
💕Best Mac-n-cheese ever! 💕
I am having a problem with the recipe. I have made it twice now, and the first time I used the liquid that it called for. I got the burn notice. The pasta was done but scorched on bottom. The second time, I added an extra 1/2 cup of water. I got the burn notice and it scorched on bottom. What am I doing wrong? TIA
We LOVED this Mac and cheese! We had leftovers of it and I made it into baked Mac and cheese the next day. It was amazing! Thank you for the simple delicious recipe!
It smelt and looked great but unfortunately the cheesy sauce had a weird texture to it. Almost like there was powder mixed in to it. Anyone else experience this? I followed the recipe exactly as stated.
My family really enjoyed this Mac and cheese. It was so easy to make. Since I don’t usually keep fresh cream on hand and since the recipe also calls for Parmesan I substituted half a jar of Alfredo sauce for the fresh cream. It worked great!
In my house lives my husband & I, but sometimes our whole family (8) gets together for dinners. Can I double reciepes & make in the 6qt.pot or should I get the 8qt. one? Also can crock pot cooking bags be used in these pots?
What would the instructions be if cooking on stovetop?
You will want to use another pot if doubling, or get a bigger pot (8 quart). Slow Cooker liners will not work in the instant pot.
Do you think that would have been the parm cheese? Did you use grated? That’s what I’m planning on doing in my inaugural use of my IP, so I hope it turns out,..
Why is the Duo your favorite?
We just love the Duo the best.
Can I use gluten free macaroni in this recipe?
Do you drain the noodles before adding the cheeses?
No need to drain the noodles. There is not that much liquid left after the pasta is cooked.
My turned out soupy
Any suggestions on how to make this with sliced potatoes instead of noodles?
My cheese did not melt into creamy. It seized up. What went wrong? Plus, I added to much liquid and didn’t drain some out. I had to boil some off.
This was great! It’s the first time I’ve ever made Mac and Cheese not from a box! My husband said it was the best Mac and Cheese he’s ever had. I followed the recipe with no changes at all, since I’m new to insta pot. I graded my own cheese instead of using packaged cheese, since freshly grated cheese melts faster. It came out so good. My husband said I could make it anytime! My picky teenage kids even liked it.
This was the best homemade Mac & Cheese ever!!!I will never eat the box stuff again! Thanks for your great recipes
There was a lot of liquid at the end . I wish it was more creamy
I made this yesterday for Easter dinner and was really good when it was done cooking but we reheated shortly in the oven and it was more greasy than creamy. And idea why or suggestions? Maybe need to reheat in the microwave oven?
It would be really helpful to be able to portion these recipes for a household of 2 people; I hate wasting so much so I end up not making certain recipes like this one. But this sounds mouth watering and I LOVE mac and cheese!
My family loves this recipe so much! But I am curious if doubling so I keep the times the same?
This recipe is a huge hit with my family, and I have made it many times. Lately I have been thinning it with a little milk, which makes it less “stringy” and more “saucy” which my family has loved. Such a great recipe!
I’m back on this website to get this recipe again.. Even though I should have it memorized by now. We eat this every week. My family loves it.
So easy, cheesy and so good! Could I add broccoli to this somehow?
Yes, I would stir in cooked broccoli after this mac and cheese is all done cooking in the instant pot.
Oh man, I can’t believe I didn’t make this sooner!! This is amazing! Thank you!
This recipe is so good. My husband and I are vegan so I did make a few adjustments. I used garlic broth stock (better than bouillon), almond milk in place of whipping cream, nutritional yeast to replace parmesan/mozzarella cheeses, added smoked paprika to taste, then homemade chopped sundried tomatoes and spinach. Thank you for the easy and quick instant pot recipe! It’s a keeper for our house.
I followed the recipe and it’s way too liquid. Looks more like a soup than Mac and cheese. So disappointed!
My family loves this so much! I’ve only messed up it once when I forgot to change my IP to sealing (so it never pressurized). I usually use 1 cup of Italian cheese instead of 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 parmesan.
It typically does look a little soupy, but when you let it sit, it is thicker. Definitely more creamy than the box mac and cheese. I would check your measurements.
Made this for lunch and added in cooked steamed broccoli and cooked ground beef. It was so good, little effort and time to make. Thanks for sharing.
I love Mac & Cheese and this recipe is the best homemade version I have ever had. I will never buy a cheap imitation of the real thing again.
I made this tonight using half and half. It was super!
I just made this as written (except the hot sauce and using garlic powder instead of garlic salt) and it came out perfectly – a much better flavor and creaminess than I z expecting. I’m new to the IP world. So far, everything has worked very well.
I was able to substitute gluten free chickpea noodles for elbow macaroni. It was just as fantastic!
Can this bd doubled in the IP?
I wouldn’t double it unless you have the biggest Instant Pot. If your IP is smaller, make 2 separate batches and then keep it warm in the IP.
This recipe is the best!!! I make it all the time and if I take it somewhere people always ask for the recipe!
If doubling the recipe, would that change the time?
What is considered a serving size for this recipie? 1 cup? How many grams? Etc.
The serving size is approximately 1 cup – we just divided the recipe into 8. We haven’t calculated exact grams for this – it’s approximate,. You can enter your specific ingredients/brands by weight into an app like My Fitness Pal to get specific grams per serving, if you have a kitchen scale.
No need to change the cook time when doubling this recipe. It will take longer to come to pressure, but the cook time listed in the recipe will still work great when doubled.
Very good flavor. I added a pinch of Nutmeg. I used half and half cream. Very good flavor. I used just aged cheese. Used half and half cream. Could use less cream, had to thicken
it a bit with a slurry of flour and water
Thank you for posting these easy one pot recipes!
For those questioning why you just don’t do it on the stove. Don’t judge or assume you know everybody’s circumstances. I am currently traveling around with my husband’s snowmobile race team, and have run out of the freezer meals that I packed to feed the guys during the day. I am cooking in a trailer with no kitchen.. These recipes in the IP and slow cooker are the only way I can cook right now.
My family and I love this recipe! Can I double the recipe? How long would I cook it in the instapot?
The flavour was really good but it turned out so runny! I noticed there was a lot of liquid in it after it released but didn’t notice any instructions to drain so I carried on with the recipe. Maybe would try again but strain the liquid off
I accidentally forgot a piece to my insta pot so made this recipe on the stove and it turned out perfect still!
My family love this recipe. My son has food allergy, which makes store mac and cheese that work for him hard to find. This recipe makes it easier for him to get his mac and cheese. Thanks for the recipe.
If using gluten free pasta how long do you cook?
While the time can vary depending on the brand you’re using, I would try 2 minutes of cook time with a quick release. Gluten-free pasta can go from undercooked to mushy very quickly, so it’s often recommended to cook it for about half the time
We love this recipe SO much. It’s our very favorite homemade Mac n cheese recipe ( and we’ve tried dozens). Best when fresh; it dries out. We make this all the time. Yummy side dish!
We love this recipe so much… Even my kids! It’s the perfect blend of cheeses. I was wondering if it’s possible to make this in a slow cooker?