The easiest Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe comes together in minutes, tastes great, and feeds a crowd easily. With just macaroni, cheese, Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper, this is the ultimate comfort food! If you don’t yet love pressure cooking, this macaroni with a creamy cheese sauce will convince you.
This is a great cheap meal for kids. Wondering what to serve with mac and cheese? Be sure to try our Green Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes or Mixed Grilled Vegetables for some easy sides.
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Mac and Cheese is pretty easy to make, right? Open the blue box, dump the noodles in boiling water, and mix the dry powder with milk and butter….
Oh right. You want real mac and cheese. I get you. Me, too!
While I do have a nostalgic affection for boxed macaroni cheese dinner, I well know that homemade mac is so much better than anything that comes in a box.
I’ve got my pet recipes, of course — Baked Mac and Cheese, this easy, creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese, and my mac with an Italian twist, Alfredo Mac and Cheese. All are delicious and easy on the budget, but this one?
This one wins the prize for easiest, most hands-free mac and cheese recipe ever! Imagine no heavy pot of water to drain, no gunky colander to wash! Everything cooks in the same pot for easy prep and simple clean up, making for an ideal side dish or meatless main.
Why Make This
It’s easy. This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is the perfect meatless meal or side dish for meat and makes dinner prep so incredibly easy – just one pot to wash. I feel like I’m not doing anything! Seriously, making Instant Pot Mac and Cheese was a revelation to me. I’ve been slow to adopt the electric pressure cooker, but I’ve enjoyed adapting our favorite recipes to be budget-friendly pressure cooker recipes.
It’s cheap. Often I’ll serve this on its own with a quick side salad. When I crunched the numbers, I found out that the entire meal costs just a few dollars to feed my whole family. It makes for a great Lunchtime Meal Prep that’s ready in a flash.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese:
elbow macaroni – I prefer using the large elbow macaroni, but you can also use another tube pasta or your favorite whole wheat pasta. Whatever you use, be sure to read the noodle packaging to adjust the cook time accordingly.
water – I use water for my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, but if you want more flavor, you can use low sodium chicken broth.
plain Greek yogurt (fuller fat is best) – I adapted this recipe from my casserole-style recipe that calls for sour cream. Wanting to reduce the fat content and increase the protein, I started playing with plain Greek yogurt as a substitute. I found that we liked this just as well, particularly when I use 5% Fage Greek yogurt. It’s got a higher fat content which makes it less sour tasting. We love it in this recipe!
sharp cheddar cheese – Sharp cheeses have more flavor which means you can use less and reduce the cost of the dish. Feel free to experiment with different styles of cheese, such as pepper jack, Havarti, or dill Havarti. They all taste delicious in Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.
salt and black pepper – Season according to your tastes. You can leave it with just salt and pepper or add a favorite spice blend. Jamie’s Spice Mix is delicious as is Everything Seasoning.
Variations: There are so many great ways to dress up your mac and cheese. Consider adding cooked chicken or sausage, crumbled bacon, diced ham, chopped scallions, sauteed mushrooms, diced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, or sauteed onions and mushrooms.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese:
- Place the macaroni and water in the pressure cooker. Secure the lid and turn on the pressure valve.
- Set the machine to manual for the alloted amount of time. To determine cook time, cut the package cooking time in half and add 1 minutes. See FAQS below.
- When the machine beeps, release the pressure. There will be a bit of water in the pot. Stir the noodles, breaking them up with the spoon. While you do this, the macaroni will absorb the leftover water.
- Stir in the Greek yogurt and mix well.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese in handfuls, stirring between each addition.
- Serve this dish immediately for best flavor and texture.
FAQs
Yes! Glory be! It’s so easy. Just mix noodles and a liquid in the pot, secure the lid and pressure valve, and set the machine to manual for 4 minutes. Release the pressure immediately. There may be some liquid remaining, but once you stir the noodles to break them up, the water gets absorbed.
I’ve found that I like to cook it for only 4 minutes on manual. I’ve read recipes with longer cooking times and tried those, but I didn’t like the mush factor. Test the range of 4 to 6 minutes to see which you like; the shorter cooking time will result in more al dente pasta.
According to Instant Pot’s official website: Choose dry noodles with a minimum cooking time of 8 minutes (a shorter time will not pressure cook well), then cut that time in half (8 minutes becomes 4 minutes). Follow your recipe for liquid levels. Submerge pasta if possible, but do not stir.
Mac and cheese is a classic accompaniment to meatloaf, but I also like to serve it alongside pork tenderloin, grilled chicken, ham, and other roast meats.
Yes, you can make a double batch at one time. Just be sure to double the water.
This recipe reheats well in the microwave. Add a bit of milk or water if it looks a bit dry.
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Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Electric pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni (uncooked)
- 4 cup water
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt fuller fat is best
- 8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (2 cups) or more to taste
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Place the uncooked macaroni in the bowl of the pressure cooker. Add the water and stir to combine.16 oz elbow macaroni, 4 cup water
- Secure the lid and close the pressure valve. Set the machine to 4 minutes on manual.
- When the machine beeps, release the pressure valve, taking care not to get burned by the steam. Remove the lid and stir the noodles, breaking them up as you stir.
- Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing well. Stir in the shredded cheese in small handfuls, stirring to combine as you go.⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt, 8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded)
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.salt, black pepper
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published October 17, 2019. It has been updated for content and clarity.
peter henderson
Jessica, GREAT recipe, macaroni and cheese.
Kathy
I cut this recipe in half since there are only 2 of us. I don’t buy Greek yogurt so I subbed in sour cream. It was so easy and the pasta cooked so quickly it was done in no time. I did a simple sloppy jo recipe at the same time and the whole meal was done in about 15 minutes. I will definitely keep this recipe in my rotation.
Michelle C
Yummy! This is my first Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe. Thanks! I used some odds & ends of cheeses (cheddar, Gruyere, Mexican blend) plus a drop of hot sauce and some turmeric (it was sitting on the counter). Your recipes are my “go to” favorites. I am excited to put this one in our rotation!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So nice to hear. Your adaptations sound great. It’s such a versatile recipe!
Janelle
So good and easy, thanks!!!!
Melissa
I’ve tried three other instant pot macaroni and cheese recipes. Hands down, this was my kids’ favorite. They still prefer an oven baked mac-n-cheese, but this wins the prize for ease. They devoured every bit of it, so I’d call that a win!
Jessica Fisher
Woohoo!