The Best Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
Tested, tested, and tested again, this pressure cooker mac and cheese is perfect! Super easy and fast, it is creamy, cheesy, and amazing.
I guess, right now, all I should really be doing is apologizing that it has taken me this long to get the best pressure cooker mac and cheese recipe in front of your face.
It took distance learning. That’s what it took.
Because, as if five months of quarantine weren’t enough to make me realize that the people residing in my house like to eat all.the.time, distance learning has solidified that fact.
One can only pull out the bread, peanut butter, and jam so many times before everyone gets grumpy and wants to run far, far away from lunch.
Enter this mac and cheese. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Tried-and-True Mac and Cheese
I really can claim this as “the best” because we made it every day last week. Every.Single.Day.
I wanted to get a pressure cooker mac and cheese recipe just right, and in my naivete, I started in the wrong place (dumb google) instead of going straight to where I should have: my own favorite recipes.
Rookie mistake! What was I thinking?
In the end I turned to this delicious skillet macaroni and cheese for the inspiration. A few extra tweaks (and tries), and the pressure cooker version is perfect!
So Easy to Make!
This is a two-step macaroni and cheese.
First a few key ingredients need to go into the pressure cooker:
- water
- butter (this helps the noodles not stick while they cook)
- salt
- elbow macaroni
After the noodles go in, stir them just a bit to even them out.
Then, pour in the milk. But DO NOT STIR. Just pour it in and walk away. This will help eliminate the risk of getting the burn warning.
You can use regular milk or evaporated milk. I’ve made it with both. If using regular milk, I highly recommend 1% or higher (as in, leave the skim milk for other nefarious purposes).
Set the cook time to THREE minutes. After the cooking time is finished, let the pressure cooker rest/naturally release pressure for about five minutes.
If you try to release the pressure right away, liquid will spurt out of the valve and into your hair. And I haven’t yet read anywhere that milky noodle liquid is good for the roots, so don’t do that, ok?
Once you release the remaining pressure and remove the lid, the noodles might seem a little clumpy. Never fear! We’re going to resolve that.
A simple mixture of milk/evaporated milk + cornstarch + pinch of dry mustard + hot sauce (don’t be skeered, adds flavor!) goes into the hot, cooked noodles.
As you stir in the secret sauce, the noodles will break apart.
My Soapbox of Shredded Cheese
Yes, if you haven’t gathered this from past posts, shredded cheese is the hill I’m going to die on. You really, really should use freshly grated cheese for this recipe. I promise, you’ll be glad you did.
Pre-shredded cheese is coated with a powdery substance that keeps the cheese from clumping – but it also keeps your precious cheese from melting into creaminess.
Since this is mac and cheese after all, I’d say taking particular care with the cheese is paramount to the success of this recipe.
Add that very lovingly, freshly grated cheese one handful at a time, stirring to melt completely before adding the next handful.
Rule Follower
If you follow all the rules, you’ll end up with the creamiest, cheesiest, easiest pressure cooker mac and cheese on the planet.
It’s quick enough for an easy lunch and plentiful enough for a weeknight dinner.
My kids, after seeing me agonize over the tried-and-true possibilities of this recipe, have happily volunteered to make it themselves.
I’m not sure if this is in an all-out effort to really help me as much as it is to make sure they have a palatable lunch on home-learning days.
I can’t blame them. My tragic flaw is that I’m such a sucker for really good food, and I’ve clearly passed that on to my progeny.
FAQ’s For Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
You can definitely experiment. You’ll want a creamy, melty cheese (like the Monterey Jack in the recipe) as well as a punchy cheddar cheese (like medium or sharp cheddar – you can use white or yellow).
Several people in the comments have made this mac and cheese gluten free with good results. Read through their comments (I haven’t tried it myself).
The best rule of thumb for pasta in the pressure cooker is to divide the package cooking time in half and then subtract another 1-2 minutes. Based on that, you could experiment with a variety of other noodle shapes and sizes.
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The Best Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Noodles:
- 3 ¾ cups water (see note)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound (454 g) elbow macaroni, about 3 cups
- 1 cup milk or evaporated milk (not skim milk)
Cheese + Sauce:
- ½ cup milk or evaporated milk (not skim milk)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Pinch dry mustard
- ½ to 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional but delicious for flavor boost
- 1 ½ cups (171 g) freshly shredded cheddar cheese (see note)
- 1 ½ cups (171 g) freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Add the water to the insert of a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Add the butter, salt and macaroni. Stir to even out the noodles.
- Pour in the milk. DO NOT STIR.
- Set the cook time for 3 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. If liquid spurts out of the valve, close it and wait 1-2 minutes and try again. Keep the pressure cooker on the warm/hold setting (don’t hit cancel).
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients: 1/2 cup milk, cornstarch, dry mustard, and hot sauce. Add the mixture to the cooked noodles, breaking up clumps of noodles as you stir to combine well.
- Add the cheese, one handful at a time, and stir until each addition is melted before adding more.
- Once all the cheese is melted, season to taste with additional salt, if needed. At this point, you can also drizzle in warm milk, a tablespoon at a time, for extra creamy mac and cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from this favorite skillet mac and cheese recipe
Love this! We’ve made it many times since we discovered it. Very easy and delicious, beats the box for sure.
I can’t believe I haven’t made this before! So good and so easy! Took to a cookout and everyone loved! I used my pressure cooker instead of instapot and made no changes with directions. Will be added to rotation for sure!
My Mac n cheese didn’t come as amazing as I hoped. After the noodles cooked there was still quite a bit of liquid but not so much that they were swimming in it so I assumed it would be ok. But the finished product wasn’t creamy, the cheese sauce just ran off the noodles. And then after a couple bites I noticed the noodles were a bit undercooked for my pasta-loving family. However, my 2yr old (who thus far loves all pasta except for Mac n cheese) devoured hers and wanted more!!!
Any advice? Flavor was great so I’d like to try again!
Just got my cookbook. This was the first recipe I tried. Delicious. I see evaporated milk with a blend of cheddar and mozzarella. In the bowl I sprinkled truffle parm. In the second bowl (yes I had two) I sprinkled everything but the bagel seasoning.
I would like to make this but my “pressure cooker” is the old fashion kind not an instant pot. Can I make it in that with success?/
Generally speaking, stovetop pressure cookers will work just fine but you can usually take minutes off the cook time because stovetop pressure cookers cook at a higher psi than electric pressure cookers.
Delicious! I used half&half instead of milk.
Thanks for emailing me the recipe!
This recipe is great, however it really is only good if you serve it immediately. Within ten minutes it becomes dry and not creamy. So for me I wouldn’t make it again because I was hosting and by the time everyone ate I wasn’t impressed.
I kept wondering what “distance learning” was LOL. We homeschool, like actual hs though not govt school at home and we live in a red area so we didn’t have to deal with any quarantine or “distance learning” even for our govt school peeps. 😀 Looks good. I learned a chemistry application for mnc, American cheese has emulsifiers (prob bc it’s bonded with oils) that thicken and cream-i-fy regular cheddars etc. I dont’ usually keep it in our fridge bc groceries are killing us as is thanks to federal govt driven inflation, but it doesn’t take much!
This works perfectly as is and is super yummy. It’s enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Thanks, Mel!
My Goodness this stuff is AMAZING!! Our new “go to” mac & cheese recipe and so easy! Thanks for another winning recipe.
This has become a staple in our house. So easy and everyone in my house eats it. Yum!
The kids love a good macaroni and cheese recipe and this one did not disappoint. Easy to make and tasty. Will make again
Amazing recipe! I made them this morning for my sons school lunch thank you so!
So easy! SO GOOD.
I know it’s generally advised not to eat raw cornstarch, does mixing it into the hot noodles technically cook it?
I don’t know for sure, but the noodle mixture is very hot, so I don’t think it’s the same as eating raw cornstarch?
Have you doubled this? I’m trying to figure out quantities to double. Does the cooking liquid amount remain the same?
I haven’t doubled it but if you do, I’d double everything (including the liquid).
I was wondering about doubling this, as well. Did you ever try it? Do you double everything and leave the cooking time the same?
I’ve been making another IP mac & cheese for a years and while it was good it never blew me away. This mac & cheese was AMAZING and just what I was looking for. This will be my new go-to IP mac & cheese.