Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
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The perfect Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe. A super short ingredient list with just 6 min in the pressure cooker! So easy, quick, and unbelievably creamy. SO SO GOOD.
I have been on a mac and cheese binge lately.
I particularly like to add broccoli to it when I can, here and here – you know, for added veggies and all. And then I sometimes like to make it on a sheet pan for those maximum crispy bits – because guys, who wants to share those crispy edges, right?
But sometimes you just need a classic, extra-sharp cheddar mac and cheese without any fuss or any babysitting.
Something you can make basically hands-free in just 6 minutes. And it’s super ideal if the pasta can cook with the rest of your ingredients.
Well, you guys are in so much luck because the Instant Pot will do all of this for you. Yes, the IP will cook your pasta, and the residual heat will melt all that cheesy goodness into that cream pool of heaven.
And we all know Thanksgiving is right around the corner so this will be all ready in your arsenal, not taking up any oven space at all.
Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce package medium pasta shells
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Add pasta, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder to a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Stir in 3 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 6 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Select warm setting. Stir in heavy cream and Dijon until warmed, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in cheeses until melted, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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I am going to make this for Super Bowl but I can’t find shell noodle. What would be the closest noodle to use? Macaroni? Would you think it would require the same amount of water as the shell?
I got an instant pot for Christmas. Made this tonight and it was a big hit all around. I will be making it quite frequently. Thanks for the recipe.
Yes! I followed the recipe exactly and this was fantastic! Wouldn’t change a thing. This is a definite keeper. I love my instantpot and damndelicious!!!
I am planning on making this tonight but I have to use my InstPot for pulled pork. Can I make this on the stove? If so, do I need to alter any cooking directions?
This looks amazing! Would a crock pot do the same, or similar at least? I have so many gadgets in my kitchen that I’ve been holding off getting one as long as I can do without it.
So so good! I’ve never had luck with homemade Mac and Cheese before. Always turned out dry and/or tasteless. This is super cheesy, saucy and so delicious! And literally ready in 30 min.! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Do you think I can substitute ground mustard for Dijon? If so, how much?
We made this for Easter this year, and my family RAVED about it! They let me know in no uncertain terms that this will be the only macaroni and cheese we make ever again!
I did add in some Parmesan to the sharp cheddar, and the last of some aged Gouda that I had, and just a bit of garlic salt at the end really enhanced the flavors. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
I loved how easy this was to make! We spiced things up a little by adding bacon and jalapeños to the end!
If I only have a 3 qt instant pot can I still make this recipe or do I need to cut it in half?
Can this be doubled?
Made this for my husband after dental surgery and he LOVED it!!! Super easy and I doubled the recipe so we have tons.
I made this last night and it turned out great! When I opened the pot, I was at first a little worried because there was still quite a bit of water left. But after I added the cheese, it was perfect. Everyone loved it!
I was planning on making this today for dinner. Realized I have an 8qt pot and have 16oz of noodles. Should I change the cook time on the pot or add more water to the noodles? Thanks!
I made it with a 16 oz box of pasta and adjusted the water to 4 2/3 cups. It looked a little too watery right after opening but after the cheese was added it was perfect.
Fantastic recipe!!! The pasta came out perfectly. It was cheesy and tangy and creamy. I subbed chicken broth in for the water because….hey why not?! Didn’t add additional salt. I’ve already made this twice. I made it for Thanksgiving for the kids. And the adults were the ones who ended up raving about it.
This is an awesome recipe! Delicious and easy! My kids licked their plates!
That’s what we love to hear, Natalie! 🙂
I omitted the mustard because I don’t enjoy that flavor and had to add a LOT of milk after the heavy cream to get the cheese to not be stringy but it was delicious! My three boys and I had it gone in minutes. Will definitely be making it again. My middle son said he would like that to be his weekly dinner choice next week as we all choose one recipe per week to make in the instant pot for the entire family and each persons preps and cooks their meal. So glad we tried this!
That’s such a sweet way to have everyone learn to cook! Love it!
This was the first time I ever made pasta in an instant pot and was surprised how easy it was. I had a 160z box of noodles, so I did what you said and did the 4 2/3 cups of water. They cooked perfectly, but I definitely needed to add more cheese to make up for the extra noodles. For some reason all of the seasoning ended up on the release part of the instant pot lid so the Mac and cheese had no extra flavoring in it. I was kind of bummed because it had such good reviews. Any idea why this happened? I’d like to try it again but I don’t want the same thing to happen. Thank you!
Add the paprika, onion powder and garlic powder to the 3 1/2 cups water and Stir until it is all mixed. Then add the Pasta and then once again Stir until all Pasta is Coated.
I forgot to buy Dijon mustard, but regular yellow mustard did the trick just fine. This is great! I also substituted shredded cheddar cheese for leftover Taco style shredded cheese, and it was still amazing. I will definitely make this again!
Wow! If I could give this a 10 star rating I would. My family loves this! So easy and so delicious!!!
We will surely take the 5! Thanks for sharing, Beth! 🙂
Quick and easy recipe. However, I had hoped for a creamier texture. I will retry using a colby/jack blend cheese next time and a tad bit more heavy cream. Thank you for posting.