• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
RecipeTeacher
  • Home
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Air Fryer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Contact
  • Resources
    • RecipeTeacher101
    • Air Fryer Quick Guide
    • Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Quick Guide
    • Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners
    • Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners
    • Kitchen Essentials
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • RecipeTeacher101
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • RecipeTeacher101
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×

    You are here: Home » Instant Pot Recipes » Best Damn Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

    Best Damn Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

    Print Recipe
     
    Jump to Recipe
     
    Rate this Recipe

    Last Modified: February 7, 2021

    A quick and easy Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe that you can throw together and enjoy in about 25 minutes. This restaurant quality recipe features the perfect combination of cheeses to make the most delicious, rich and creamy cheese sauce to go with our cavatappi pasta which is cooked to perfection in your Instant Pot pressure cooker.

    Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe

    Rich, creamy restaurant style mac and cheese made in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.

    Let’s face it, mac and cheese is a comfort food that seems to always put a smile on our faces. Most of us grew up eating it as kids, weather from the box or from grandma’s oven, and we still love that creamy, cheesy goodness today. Some of my favorite mac and cheese recipes have come from BBQ restaurants. Mac and cheese always goes so amazingly well with bbq food. Can we make a delicious restaurant style mac and cheese recipe at home in our Instant Pot? You bet we can!

    Cavatappi Pasta is Perfect for Mac and Cheese

    There’s all sorts of pasta that’s great for mac and cheese, with elbow pasta, naturally being one of the most popular. But what’s one of the things that makes the restaurant style mac and cheese so good? Well, many use cavatappi pasta, which means “corkscrew” pasta. Basically, it’s the round, hollow tube pasta that is in a corkscrew shape and has ridges. Everything about cavatappi is ideal for mac and cheese… the size, shape, and those ridges all hold the cheese sauce perfectly, creating a thick, rich and creamy dish. Cavatappi pasta is also perfect for Instant Pot cooking as it doesn’t tend to get stuck together like other pastas can.

    Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe.

    Easy Cooking In the Instant Pot

    One of the things I love so much about this recipe is that it all takes place right in the Instant Pot. No need for an extra pot for the sauce and no need to even strain the pasta! We’ll add the cavatappi pasta to the Instant Pot with 4 cups of chicken broth. Chicken broth adds a richness that can’t be duplicated by using water alone. Then toss in 3 tablespoons of butter. Mix it well so all the pasta is wet, then secure the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Then do a quick release of the pressure before removing the lid. Add all the spices, the milk, then add the cheese in batches, stirring until it’s melted.

    Recipe for Instant Pot mac and cheese.

    Using the Perfect Blend of Cheeses

    It’s not just one kind of cheese that makes a good mac and cheese, but rather a good cheese blend. To achieve that restaurant quality, we’ll blend together extra sharp cheddar cheese, swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. The cheddar will be the primary cheese, the swiss will add extra creaminess and the Parmesan cheese, know for its rich, almost nutty flavor, will expertly fill out the flavor profile for our cheese sauce blend. It’s best to grate the cheddar and swiss cheese directly from the block if possible for best results. Grated Parmesan cheese from the round containers is just fine to use.

    Add Just the Right Amount of Spices

    While our cheese blend has its own wonderful flavors, we’ll need a few basic spices to punch up our cheese sauce. To achieve this, we’ll use a little onion powder, garlic powder, ground white pepper and just a hint of cayenne. White pepper is one of the best ingredients for cheese sauce recipes. For one thing, the color blends perfectly with the cheese, and white pepper gives the sauce that extra bit of “bite” that makes it so savory. The pinch of cayenne works not by bringing heat to the dish, but rather by accentuating the flavors of the cheese. Along with the white pepper, it brings the flavors more to life!

    Recipe for Instant Pot mac and cheese

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe

    Best Damn Instant Pot Mac and Cheese


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: RecipeTeacher
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    This restaurant quality Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe features the perfect combination of cheeses to make the most delicious, rich and creamy cheese sauce to go with our cavatappi pasta which is cooked to perfection in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.


    Ingredients

    • 16oz Cavatappi pasta
    • 4 cups chicken broth
    • 3 tbs butter
    • 2 cups (8oz) extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated or cut into small blocks)
    • ½ cup (2oz) swiss cheese (grated or cut into small blocks)
    • ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
    • ½ cup milk
    • ½ tsp onion powder
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ⅛ tsp white pepper
    • ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

    Instructions

    1. Add chicken broth to Instant Pot and stir in the pasta. Add butter on top.
    2. Secure lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When cooking time in complete, quick release the pressure and carefully remove lid when pin has dropped.
    3. Add milk and spices and stir.
    4. Add cheese in batches, constantly stirring until cheese is melted. Repeat until all the cheese is used.

     

    Notes

    There’s so many great things you can add in at the end to really add a lot of great flavors! Some of my personal favs are: seasoned breadcrumbs, cooked mild or spicy ground sausage, chili powder, thyme and rosemary, cooked bacon crumbles, steamed broccoli or peas, canned tuna.

    Recipe Developed by: Heather Wright

    • Prep Time: 10 min
    • Cook Time: 5 min
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Instant Pot
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Be sure to leave a comment and rating below. I appreciate your feedback!

    Also, tag @recipe_teacher on Instagram and hashtag it #recipeteacher

    Recipe for Instant Pot mac and cheese

    329 shares
    • Facebook100
    • Email
    • Yummly

    Easy Recipes for Everyone!

    Subscribe to get the latest updates and videos

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Review & Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Rita

      December 01, 2021 at 10:54 am

      I don’t have an instant pot. Can I make this in another way?

      Reply
      • RecipeTeacher

        December 01, 2021 at 6:44 pm

        Hi Rita. You certainly can! Skip steps 1 and 2. Instead, boil and drain pasta according package directions. Then, proceed with steps 3 and 4.

        Reply
    2. Judith

      March 12, 2021 at 5:28 pm

      Best Damn Instant Pot MAC and Cheese, is right!! Delicious!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • RecipeTeacher

        March 12, 2021 at 9:09 pm

        Thanks, Judith! Yeah, it’s a new favorite of mine too!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jason of Recipeteacher.com

    Hi, I’m Jason and i’m here to help you make easy, delicious homemade recipes. My approach is to provide the easy-to-understand instructions, use simple ingredients, and have you make the best meals possible.

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • recipe for air fryer pork chops
      Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops
    • Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
    • Instant Pot pulled pork recipe
      Best Damn Instant Pot Pulled Pork
    • Instant Pot pressure cooker pork tenderloin recipe
      Best Damn Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
    • recipe for air fryer chicken breast
      Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Breast
    • Instant Pot pork chops recipe
      Best Damn Instant Pot Boneless Pork Chops
    • Chicken legs made in an air fryer
      Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Legs
    • Recipe for oven baked pork chops
      Oven Baked Bone-In Pork Chops
    • Recipe for air best damn air fryer salmon
      Best Damn Air Fryer Salmon
    • Recipe for air fryer brussels sprouts
      Best Damn Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

    Easy Recipes for Everyone!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact & Correspondence

    • Contact
    • How to Leave a Review
    • Welcome to RecipeTeacher!
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 RecipeTeacher.com

    • Pinterest
    • 100Facebook
    • Email
    • Yummly
    329 shares