Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese is everyone’s favorite comfort food pasta recipe. Cheesy and creamy, it’s the best Instant Pot Mac and Cheese around.
Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese with Crispy Bacon Topping
Everybody loves Macaroni and Cheese. From young to old, from far and wide and from East and West. Okay, you get the drift, we all love Mac & Cheese.
You will be amazed at how easy and delicious it is to make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese in your Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker. If you want to take it up another notice, my Crispy Bacon Garlic Breadcrumb Topping is fantastic.
Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients for Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Macaroni – I love using Cavatappia, because the cheese oozes in each bite. Elbow macaroni does the same thing, so try one of those two types of pasta.
- Cheese – Use a combination. Sharp Cheddar and a melting cheese like Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, Gruyère or Gouda. This evens out the cheese to make it creamy, without being gummy or stringy.
- Hot Sauce – don’t panic, this does not add heat. It adds amazing flavor without adding any spice.
- Dry Mustard or Dijon Mustard – again, like the hot sauce, another lever of flavor is added without tasting any heat.
- Heavy Cream
Homemade Greek Yogurt and Heavy Cream work well, but days when there is no Heavy Cream in the fridge, the canned milk will suffice.
Add Dry Macaroni
How cute is Cavatappi pasta? I love the curly whirly of this pasta and I love that the cheese gets stuck inside and when you take a bite, you get a little squirt of cheese sauce in your mouth.
I can’t always find it in my area, so I order in bulk from Amazon.
Add Butter and Seasonings
So simple, just add in everything but the cheese into your Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker cooking pot.
Three minutes for Cavatappi pasta is perfect. If you use a heavier/thicker pasta (rule of thumb is Pressure Cook 1/2 the lesser time is says on the box of pasta and subtract 2 minutes), you might need an extra minute.
Perfection, perfectly cooked pasta in just three minutes! So cute! The Cavatappi are so inviting and make you feel like a kid again.
Slowly Mix in Cheese
I like to buy blocks of cheese and shred/grate them myself. I use this little microplane ribbon grater and shred it myself. It is so easy.
Shred Your Own Cheese
- Cheese that comes already shredded has a powdery cornstarch coating. This makes it hard to melt and can be gritty.
- Grating your own cheese from a block of cheese is much better and fresher tasting.
- Those fillers/cornstarch keep the cheese from sticking together and you don’t want that in your mac and cheese. Just shred the cheese yourself and enjoy a fresher tasting macaroni and cheese.
Pro Tip: If you use bagged cheese, there is more than a good chance the texture of the cheese will be gritty and not as smooth and stretchy.
You will notice that the pasta will be soupy at first, but don’t fret. The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid, so don’t heat the pot and try to let the liquid to evaporate. A bit soupy is good. 🙂
Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese [Instant Pot]
Ed loves a nice Crispy Breadcrumb Topping. You can use my breadcrumb topping on top of my Pressure Cooker Southern Style Green Beans recipe too.
Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese with Crispy Bacon Topping
The beauty of this Bacon Garlic Breadcrumb Topping is that you can prepare it while your mac and cheese is in the Pressure Cooker and then just put on the topping when you are ready to serve.
For a Mexican twist, try my Creamy Mexican Mac & Cheese or for an “adult” Mac & Cheese, you may enjoy my Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese, which is so creamy and delicious!
A terrific side dish I my Pan de Yucca in the Air Fryer (or in the oven) which made with Oaxaca cheese, so if you get a big block, you can use the Oaxaca in this recipe as well as the pan de yucca!
Use CrispLid to Brown the Topping
Some people like to transfer their macaroni and cheese to the oven (with or without topping) and allow it to brown.
Pro Tip: Or do yourself a favor and get a Mealthy Crisplid and brown the topping right in the pot!
- Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Instant Pot) / Instant Pot Crisping Lid (buy from Amazon)
More Instant Pot Macaroni Recipes to Make:
- Pressure Cooker Jalapeño Macaroni Ham and Cheese
- Instant Pot Beef and Macaroni {Bolognese}
- Instant Pot Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Pressure Cooker Lokshen Mit Kaese {Noodles & Cheese}
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Culina Stackable (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Alton Brown Salt Box
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Microplane Artisan Ribbon Grater
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Here’s the handy printable recipe.
Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese, Fully Loaded [Instant Pot]
Print Pin RateIngredients
Macaroni and Cheese
- 1 pound Cavatappi (or Elbows)
- 1 stick Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Dry/Ground Mustard Seed or Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
- 1 clove Fresh Garlic smashed well (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt (or 1-1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 3.5 cups Fresh Water Chicken Broth (or 3.5 cups water + 1 TBL Better than Bouillon Chicken Base)
- 1 cup Heavy Cream divided (or 6 oz Evaporated Milk)
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese (or Cheddar Jack), shredded
- 1 cup Oaxaca Cheese (or Monterey Jack or Mozzarella), shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded (the real stuff) (optional)
Optional Topping
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Add pasta, butter, smashed garlic, mustard, hot pepper sauce, 1/2 cup heavy cream, salt, pepper and water (or chicken broth) to pressure cooker cooking pot.
- Lock on lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure (most machines default to high) for 2 minutes.
- When Beep is heard, wait 5 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
- Give the pasta a good stir.
- Add the rest of the heavy cream and mix in. The macaroni will continue to absorb and adding half the milk after pressure cooking will help distribute the cheese better.
- Sprinkle cheese on top of pasta in three parts, allowing the cheese to begin to melt before mixing it through the macaroni. Mix cheese through and then repeat twice more.
- If a softer macaroni is desired, turn pot to saute and simmer until done.
- Top with Crispy Bacon Topping, if desired.
Notes
Type of Cheese
- Gruyère, Smoked Gouda, or combination of melting cheese is great to use too.
- Allow cheese to melt on top of pasta for a minute, before stirring it in. This will prevent the cheese from accumulating at the bottom of the pot and clumping.
- Amount of cheese is a personal preference, so start with the lower amount and add more, until desired amount is achieved.
- Use any of your favorite kinds of cheese and be creative.
Milk
- If heavy cream is not available, replace with 1 cup whole milk + 2 Tablespoons butter.
- If using evaporated milk instead of cream, reduce butter to 1/2 stick.
- If using anything other than heavy cream, add it in AFTER pressure release, as opposed to adding it in with the dry pasta and reduce cook time by 1 minute.
This Old Gal's Pasta Rule of Thumb
- Any type of pasta or semolina noodle is fine to use in this recipe.
- Look at package of pasta and find the variable cook time. Choose the lesser time given and then subtract 2 minutes. For example, if your package of pasta says "cook for 8 - 11 minutes," take that 8 minute number and cut it in half, which is 4. Then subtract 2 minutes from the 4 minutes and you will end up with the proper cook time. In this case the cook time will be 2 minutes.
- If the variable cook time on your package of pasta is 11 - 16 minutes, err on the lesser side. In this instance, the cook time would be 3 minutes. It is better to end up with overly firm pasta rather than mushy because you can continue to cook the pasta, but if it is mushy, there is nothing you can do to correct.
- After the two minute pressure cook time is up, wait 5 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
- f the pasta is too firm or al dente for your taste, simply put the lid back on the pot and let the pasta sit in the hot pot. The residual heat will continue to cook the pasta. Check after a few minutes to see if the pasta has reached the perfect firmness for your liking. If not give it a stir and let sit some more.
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese, Fully Loaded!
Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese [Instant Pot]
Hi! I love this Mac and cheese! I plan on making a lot of it for a party this weekend. Can I double this recipe in a 6qt? If so, do any adjustments need to be made? Thank you for such a great recipe!
I don’t know that two pounds will cook up nicely in a 6 quart. Can you make two batches? JIll
I made this recipe today and it was easy and delicious! Thank you.
Thanks, Stephanie! I am glad you enjoyed my recipe. Jill
I can’t imagine adding cream and THEN pressure cooking. The cream will curdle.
No it won’t. The cream might separate a bit, but nothing to worry about. Jill
Hello,
I am planning on making this earlier in the day and then serving at dinner. I am thinking about after cooking in the instant pot putting it in a foil pan and refrigerating. When it is time to eat, popping the foil pan in the oven at 350 for about 10 min. Do you see any issues with this?
As it is such a simple recipe, why not add in all the ingredients, except the pasta and cheese and then set the pot 15 minutes before you are ready to eat? Jill
Your recipes have never steered me wrong.
One question: After grating the cheese, do I pack it in the one cup measure? Loosely or really pack it in?
Thanks.
Don’t pack it in. Use the amount that you like. Jill
You mentioned Greek yogurt. Would this replace all of the heavy cream?
Yes. Jill
My husband said it was likely the best mac n cheese he had ever eaten. I would agree. Especially with the crumb toping, it adds such a nice crunch.
HI Helen. Thank you so much! Jill
Our go to Mac & Cheese.
Thank you, Cherrill. Jill
What size pressure cooker do you make this in? If i have a 8 qt can i double it?
Another hit, Jill! I love your recipes! I just got a Go Wise Air Fryer at your recommendation. Haven’t tried too much but I look forward to learning! Thanks for your recipes–the best out there.
Thank you so much, Kathleen. I appreciate the kind words. Try the honey garlic chicken wings in the air fryer. You will love them. Jill
You forgot when to add the broth or water?
It was not forgotten and is noted with the rest of the ingredients and instructions. Jill
This is the easiest macaroni and cheese recipe, ever! I used smoked Gouda with bacon and cheddar cheese. This gets a two thumbs up for both ease and taste. Thanks for posting this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
Thank you, Pam. Jill
Evaporated milk or heavy cream? I noticed the recipe has been changed🙄 the directions above the recipe say evaporated milk; the actual recipe has heavy cream.
Heavy cream is best, but evaporated is good for when you don’t have cream. Jill
Ooooook. This? Is fantastic. I’ve just subscribed to your emails and am on my way to check out your book. I see you mentioned all the time on FB and now I know why! Can’t wait for the weekend to get here so I can explore your site. Thanks for dinner!!
Hi Juliee. Thank you so much. Jill
Is it 537kcal for the whole meal, or per serving?