Instant Pot Mac And Cheese Wellplated Com

Or rather, you haven’t tried this Instant Pot mac and cheese. After having multiple recipe fails on a dish that the internet assured me was foolproof, I can now attest this is the best, creamiest, most (actually) foolproof recipe of them all. Water, noodles, four minutes of pressure cook time, add the cheese. BOOM. Better-than-the-blue-box bliss is yours! Part of what made this mac and cheese recipe tricky to get right is that I couldn’t let it be just any mac and cheese you can make in a pressure cooker. In Well Plated style, I was determined to come up with a healthy Instant Pot mac and cheese that didn’t skimp on flavor and comfort. (And if you don’t think that is possible, you clearly haven’t tried the Ultimate Creamy Mac and Cheese in The Well Plated Cookbook yet, but I digress.) As Instant Pot Spaghetti demonstrates, making pasta in a pressure cooker has distinct advantages over the stove-top method.

Everything cooks in one pot for easy cleanup.Instant Pot pasta is fast.The starches the pasta releases as it cooks help create a rich, silky sauce.

When pressure cooking spaghetti, I found that you do not need to drain the pasta. Any remaining liquid becomes a part of the robust, zest sauce. With classic Instant Pot mac and cheese? Not so much. No matter which pasta to water ratio I tried (usually 1 part pasta to 2 parts water is perfect), I could not reduce the water to where enough liquid was absorbed to make the mac and cheese thick, without triggering the Instant Pot “burn” warning. It’s quite the Goldilocks situation!

Too much water and the mac and cheese is thin and watery.Too little water and the Instant Pot registers a “BURN.”

The solution, it turns out, is obvious: drain the mac and cheese. Every recipe I found online skipped draining, but even when I followed those recipes exactly, I still ended up with watery mac and cheese. What I learned: if you open the lid to your pressure cooker after the pasta cooks and see a lot of liquid in the pot, go ahead and drain off some of it. It will save you the frustration I experienced of trying to thicken the mac and cheese after the fact.

How to Make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Ready for the fastest dream comfort dinner? Let’s make easy Instant Pot mac and cheese!

The Ingredients

Pasta. I used whole wheat elbow noodles for an extra boost of nutrition. Whole wheat noodles are better for you thanks to their higher amount of nutrients and fiber, and no one will notice the swap.

Cheese. Extra sharp cheddar cheese has the intense, cheesy flavor that mac and cheese needs, and it melts beautifully into the creamy sauce.

Butter. For necessary richness to call this a proper mac ‘n’ cheese. Plus, cheese + butter = perfection!Greek Yogurt. Adds tanginess and helps make the sauce creamy without the need for heavy cream. Plus it’s high in calcium and potassium.Spices. Dry or ground mustard adds depth and very subtle tanginess. Cayenne pepper gives the dish a touch of heat. Nutmeg is the secret ingredient that will leave people wondering if you’re a mac and cheese wizard.

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate mac and cheese in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days. To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave. To Freeze. Freeze mac and cheese in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Recipe Variations

Vegetable Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. Take a note from my Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, or Pumpkin Mac and Cheese and add veggies to this recipe. Sautéed Mushrooms or Roasted Broccoli would be delicious. Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Chicken. As Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese can attest, chicken is tasty with mac and cheese sauce. Pesto Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. Stir a dollop of Basil Pesto into your mac and cheese for an upgrade. Bacon Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. We love the bacon on this Brussels Sprouts Mac and Cheese, and I know some Air Fryer Bacon would take this dish to the next level too. Roasted Tomato Mac and Cheese. Stir Roasted Tomatoes into the finished dish for an elevated side dish. Parmesan Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over your finished mac and cheese.Spicy Mac and Cheese. Add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Instant Pot. Perfect for making this recipe and all these Instant Pot recipes too.Cheese Grater. You can use a traditional cheese grater or try my food processor trick. Rubber Spatula. My go-to utensil for stirring and scraping in the Instant Pot.

Easy, creamy, healthy Instant Pot mac and cheese.