Recipe update: Some readers were reporting that the cheese sauce was too thin, so we reduced the amount of water in the recipe by 1/3 cup. If you find that the sauce is too thick, just add extra milk or water after the pasta has cooked and you have stirred in the other ingredients. Show
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese only requires four ingredients: pasta, butter, evaporated milk, and Cheddar cheese–lots of it. In only minutes, you get a creamy, perfect mac and cheese.
Who needs another recipe for mac and cheese? Me, that’s who. My first attempt at Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is delicious. It’s also a little…putzy. The recipe uses an egg, mustard, and hot sauce along with a good addition of cheese. It makes a delicious, and decidedly grown-up, mac and cheese. For this version, I wanted something simple. The type of mac and cheese that defines classic American comfort food—a creamy pasta with no sharp edges from mustard or pepper. Basically, I craved a homemade version of Stouffer’s mac and cheese. After working on it for a bit and eating too much mac and cheese. (Read: I wore stretchy pants a lot.), I came up with a recipe that uses only four ingredients. (I’m not counting water or salt.) That’s right, you don’t need a ton of ingredients to make a creamy, dreamy mac and cheese in your instant pot. So get your stretchy pants ready, this recipe is a comfort food miracle.
That’s really all there is to it. If you’ve ever tried to make a mac and cheese by just dumping milk and cheese together with pasta, you know that you usually get a gloppy mess. Traditional mac and cheese usually starts with a roux–a combination of cooked flour and butter. Recipes that don’t use a roux tend to use cornstarch. You don’t need either with this recipe thanks in part to two things: the starch in the pasta cooking water and the evaporated milk. Since the pasta cooks in a relatively small amount of water, there’s concentrated starch in the water remaining after the pasta cooks. This is key. Don’t drain that water. The starch it contains is what makes such a creamy mac and cheese. The other key? Evaporated milk. While you might be tempted to swap the evaporated milk for whole milk, don’t do it. Evaporated milk contains 60% less water than regular milk. This reduction of water means that one cup of evaporated milk contains more protein than one cup of traditional milk. The milk protein makes it possible to make a mac and cheese without starting with a roux. In only a few minutes, with just a few ingredients, you can make a mac and cheese that’s perfect as a main course or side dish. My advice: get out the stretchy pants and make this recipe. 5 from 14 votes PrintEasy 4 Ingredient Instant Pot Mac and Cheese4 Ingredient Instant Pot Mac and Cheese contains elbow macaroni, butter, evaporated milk, and Cheddar cheese. It makes a creamy mac and cheese that everyone will love. Servings 8 servings Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe NotesInstant Pot Mac and Cheese: Selecting the CheeseYou really want to grate your own cheese for this recipe. Pre-grated cheese is coated in a starch that can make this recipe dry, clumpy, and a little grainy. Sharp Cheddar is the best; extra-sharp, which I love, tends to be a little too dry for this recipe. Can I use evaporated milk instead of milk in mac and cheese?Evaporated milk works great in mac and cheese and makes the sauce rich and creamy.
Can I use evaporated milk in a pressure cooker?Evaporated milk is often used in a lot of instant pot cooking. Thickened milk is also at the heart of most Indian desserts. Think kulfi and rice pudding as starters. I use canned evaporated milk when I am in a hurry.
How can I make instant mac and cheese taste better?Spices: A little garlic powder and onion powder goes a long way in making this the best easy mac and cheese ever! Definitely don't skimp on these. You could also add a bit of paprika, black pepper, or even a splash of hot sauce if you want to amp up the flavor even more.
Can you use dairy in an Instant Pot?Just like in a slow cooker, most dairy products such as cheese, milk and sour cream will curdle in an Instant Pot, no matter if you use the pressure cooking setting or the slow cooking setting. Add these ingredients after the dish cooks or avoid making the recipe in the Instant Pot altogether.
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