The BEST EVER Instant Pot Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Do you ever find creamy pasta dishes can work you up into a frenzy? Whether or not you have Italian blood running through your veins, you might still be crazy for all kinds of wonderful pasta dishes. Especially comfort food pasta like this Instant Pot creamy macaroni and cheese. This is an easy Instant Pot mac recipe that the whole family will LOVE and this mac and cheese recipe is always a hit. Don’t worry about making too much, because this macaroni Instant Pot recipe is terrific as leftovers the next day.

Instant Pot creamy mac and cheese is well worth making. This creamy macaroni cheese recipe is great comfort food and you’ll want to make it every week!

If you love trying new easy recipes, how about 20-minute chicken flatbread pizza, one-pot pasta, beef taquitos, or a beef and potato bake?

Why You’ll Love This

• Quick to make from scratch: I love my Instant Pot. It makes cooking easy and also cooks food in record time! So if a pasta craving suddenly hits you, this easy Instant Pot mac recipe is the one to pick, since you’ll have dinner on the table in less than half an hour.
• A family favourite: Cheese Instant Pot mac like this is always a hit with every member of the family, so if you’re stuck for dinner ideas, give this macaroni with creamy cheese sauce a try. Nobody turns down a second helping of Instant Pot mac ‘n cheese either!
• Versatile: Not only can you tweak the ingredients in Instant Pot mac and creamy cheese sauce, but you can have any kind of protein with it, so why not try pairing it with salmon, ribs, steak, or roasted chicken?

Ingredients for Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

I used elbow noodles to make this, which are the typical choice for such a dish. In addition, onion and garlic add flavour, and the cream cheese, butter and Half & Half (or full fat milk) make it lusciously creamy. The sharp cheddar works well and I also like to add a secret ingredient. A splash of hot sauce! Just to add another layer to the flavour of this tasty Instant Pot mac and cheese.

This is the best macaroni Instant Pot recipe I’ve made to date. And there is no doubt I’m going to make it again.

So is this Instant Pot creamy macaroni and cheese a main dish or a side dish? You know what, it can be either! Enjoy it with your preferred meat or poultry, or indulge yourself by enjoying a bowlful of this wonderful comfort food just as it is. Instant Pot fried chicken is a great main to go with it.

Rather than sweating over steaming saucepans, you can make the whole dish in the Instant Pot. You need to add the macaroni, water and seasonings then cover the pot and close the ‘sealing’ ring.

How to Make Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

• Add some ingredients to the Instant Pot: Put the macaroni, onion and garlic powder, water, salt and black pepper in the Instant Pot.
• Cook: Cook the mac and cheese on high pressure.
• Add the remaining ingredients: Add the cream cheese, butter and hot sauce, then the cream and cheddar.
• Serve: Serve hot, with fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

Top Tip! You can also get freeze-dried chopped parsley in the grocery store, and that thaws instantly when you sprinkle it on to hot food. Plus it keeps for months and months in the freezer.

Macaroni Instant Pot Recipe Variations

There are plenty of variations to consider with this Instant Pot creamy macaroni and cheese. You might want to mix in some cooked chicken or another favourite protein, at the end, and just let it warm through. That would work well if you wanted a more substantial meal.

Another idea is to use sliced jalapenos instead of the hot sauce. Of course you can also omit that if you don’t want the spice. This easy instant pot pasta recipe can be tailored however you wish.

Try adding cooked crumbled bacon or a little truffle oil. Canned beans and salsa can give it a south of the border vibe. Chicken, panko breadcrumbs and buffalo sauce is another possibility. The 1953 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook calls for a mushroom soup, onion and Velveeta mixture for the sauce.

In fact there are too many mac and cheese variations to mention here!

What’s the History of Mac ‘n Cheese?

It’s believed that this dish comes from Northern Europe and the first written recipe dates back to 1769. Thomas Jefferson loved this dish in France and brought a pasta machine and noodle recipes back to the United States.

Mac and cheese was served at the 1802 state dinner. Of course that would have been quite different from Instant Pot creamy macaroni and cheese, but maybe not too much since the main ingredients don’t differ.

Kraft Foods came up with boxed mac and cheese in 1937, in the middle of the Great Depression era. 8 million boxes of this product were sold in one year, largely because it would serve four people for just 19 cents. Boxed macaroni cheese mix, or the ‘Kraft dinner’ is popular with students everywhere.

This is a versatile dish though. It might be considered a cheap budget food and a mainstay of students, but chefs are also elevating its status to fine dining. They are experimenting with expensive add-ins and different cheeses, and even trying new variations such as figs and rosemary.

How to Store Instant Pot Mac ‘n Cheese

• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.
• Freeze: Make sure you freeze leftovers in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag, since air getting in can cause freezer burn, changing the texture and flavour of the dish and making it watery. Mac and cheese can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Reheat: Microwave for a couple of minutes, heat on the stovetop after adding a splash of milk or chicken broth to thin, or else reheat it for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at 350°F.

Today we have more ideas than ever, and this Instant Pot creamy macaroni and cheese is so good. I love that it only takes 5 minutes to make. Stove top macaroni and cheese would take four times as long. So choose this Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe and you’ll want to make it a lot.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese FAQs

Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

This macaroni Instant Pot recipe is well worth adding to your regular meal rotation. You can make this easy Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe slightly different each time for brand new flavour combinations.

Let me know if you try out this Instant Pot creamy macaroni and cheese. This is an easy Instant Pot pasta recipe that the whole family will LOVE. This mac and cheese recipe is always a hit. Don’t worry about making too much, because this macaroni Instant Pot recipe is terrific as leftovers the next day.

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