Macaroni and cheese, popularly known as mac and cheese is a famous pasta dish made with elbow macaroni and cheddar cheese.
It is a kid favorite and adults enjoy it too. Mac and cheese is very easy to make and can be easily made in the instant pot in just about 30 minutes.
Jump to:
- Ingredients for mac and cheese
- Why you should be cooking pasta in an Instant Pot?
- How much liquid do you cook pasta in instant Pot?
- How to cook macaroni in instant pot?
- How to make mac and cheese without eggs?
- What to serve with mac and cheese?
- How do you store leftover mac and cheese?
- How to freeze mac and cheese?
- How to reheat mac and cheese?
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Ingredients for mac and cheese
The main and very popular ingredient for mac and cheese is elbow macaroni pasta however, other types of macaroni like shells work well too.
Cheddar cheese, either medium or sharp, or a combination of both works well. It is best to use block cheese and grate it using a hand grater or a food processor shredding disc.
I love to use Cabot and Tillamook brand cheese as they have vegetarian cheese that does not use animal rennet.
This is a no egg, no evaporated milk recipe. Adding some milk and heavy cream gives it the right creamy consistency. You can also use half and half instead.
Why you should be cooking pasta in an Instant Pot?
Since I have owned the instant pot, I have stopped making pasta the traditional way. There are a lot of benefits to cooking pasta in the instant pot.
- It needs less water
- No need to boil water
- No need to drain hot water
- No need to monitor
- You can plan ahead and use the delay timer
How much liquid do you cook pasta in instant Pot?
Cooking pasta in the instant pot requires very little water compared to the traditional way of boiling it. Usually, for any type of pasta, the ratio of 1 cup pasta to 1 cup water works perfect.
How to cook macaroni in instant pot?
In the instant pot liner, put the elbow macaroni and water. For a 1 lb. pack of macaroni, add 4 cups of water. You must ensure that all the macaroni is under the water.
Cook the macaroni on high pressure mode for 0 (zero) minutes and with the "keep warm" setting on. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually.
Cooking pasta for 0 minutes and then allowing the pressure to release naturally helps with the spurting issue with quick release method. You don't have to deal with the mess of all the starch coming out from the knob.
How to make mac and cheese without eggs?
Once macaroni is cooked, add the butter, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix everything well and then add the milk and heavy cream.
Adjust the amount of cheese,milk, and cream to adapt to the consistency you prefer. Although the instant pot mac and cheese might look runny at first, but once you mix everything well, it will have a perfect creamy consistency.
What to serve with mac and cheese?
Vegetarian dishes like roasted broccoli, roasted potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes go well as sides with mac and cheese.
If you want to serve something light, you can serve sliced beets, cubed sweet potatoes, or a salad.
You can also serve it with some French bread, or cheesy garlic pull apart rolls.
How do you store leftover mac and cheese?
Leftover mac and cheese can be stored in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen. You can also plan and make it ahead of time and reheat when you are ready to serve.
How to freeze mac and cheese?
Allow the mac and cheese to completely cool down. Portion it into serving size and then freeze it in a freezer safe container or freezer safe ziploc bags.
How to reheat mac and cheese?
To defrost the frozen mac and cheese, simply leave the container in the fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight. If you are short of time you can thaw it in the microwave.
To reheat mac and cheese, simply heat it in the microwave, stovetop, or in the instant pot. You can also add some milk, cream, or cheese to regain its creamy consistency.
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📖 Recipe
5 Ingredient Instant Pot Mac And Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cup Elbow macaroni (1 lb or 16 oz)
- 4 cup Water
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper powder
- 2 ½ cup Cheddar cheese (medium, sharp, or combination)
- 2 cup Whole milk
- 1 ½ cup Heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon Butter (unsalted)
Instructions
- Put the elbow macaroni in the instant pot liner.
- Add water and close the lid with pressure knob in sealing position.
- Pressure cook on high for 0 (zero) minutes and turn the "keep warm" setting on.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure by turning the knob in venting position until the silver pin drops.
- Add the butter, shredded cheese, salt, pepper, and mix well.
- Add the milk and heavy cream and mix well.
Dana Cornog says
Epic fail you are missing step to drain water ?!?! Way too watery
Alpa Jain says
Hi Dana,
Sorry to hear that there was too much water left. I make this almost every week for my kids and I have made it with different brands of macaroni and I have never faced any issue.
I never had to drain water from pasta using the ratio of 1 cup pasta to 1 cup of water, so the recipe should work if the correct ratio is used.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to help.
Regards
Alpa