Super Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
Loaded with freshly shredded cheeses and cream, this simple Instant Pot version of a comfort-food classic whips up in less than 30 minutes. Real food on a weeknight!
Add the dry pasta to the Instant Pot. Pour in the water and top with the butter. Lock the lid and set to Sealing.
Set the Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure for 6 minutes.
Whisk the seasonings (dry mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder) into the cream and set aside. Shred the cheeses and set aside.
Once the time is up, perform a careful quick release. The butter helps to keep the foam down a bit, but you'll likely have to start and stop the pressure release to keep it from spurting.
Stir the seasoned cream into the noodles.
Add the cheese and stir to melt. You shouldn’t need to turn on the saute function as the pasta should be hot enough to melt everything.
Let the macaroni and cheese rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
* I’ve used einkorn and semolina fusilli successfully. The general rule for pasta in the Instant Pot is half the stovetop time, for example: regular old wheat elbow noodles would cook for 4 minutes. The fusilli calls for 12 minutes, so I cook the pasta in the Instant Pot for 6 minutes** Cream really must be the heavy version used here. Anything else like half and half or milk will be really runny since you aren’t making a traditional roux.*** The garlic powder might be a tad strong for some people. Try ⅛-¼ tsp depending on taste, or skip it. That five minute rest time is crucial.Take into the consideration the fact that cook time doesn't include the amount of time it will take the Instant Pot to come to pressure.