Pressure Cooer Mac and Cheese is my go-to Macaroni and Cheese technique. I make it in my Instant pot for weeknight dinners, and as a side dish for potlucks. 4 minutes at high pressure cooks the noodles, then it's time to stir in the cheese. That's right, homemade mac and cheese that didn't come from a packet in a blue box, ready in about a half an hour.
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For years I made the mac and cheese from Pam Anderson's The Perfect Recipe. Then I read Ideas in Food; their recipe was similar to Pam's, stripped down to the basics.
Both recipes use evaporated milk as their secret weapon. Evaporated milk replaces the flour and milk béchamel sauce, and all the whisking that entails. I mashed the two recipes together, and that's what I've been using ever since.
Now, even with the evaporated milk shortcut, this was a stretch to make on a weeknight. Especially if I want a toasted bread crumb topping. And if I'm making macaroni and cheese, it must have a bread crumb topping.
That's why I jumped when I saw the pressure cooker macaroni and cheese in Pressure Cooker Perfection. They pressure cook the pasta and spices in a small amount of water, treating it like a risotto. This trick really speeds up the recipe - no waiting for a pot of water to boil, no draining, and one (pressure cooker) pot to clean. Weeknight macaroni and cheese is now within my reach. 1
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
- 4 cups water
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 16 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
Bread Crumb Topping (optional)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
How to Make Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
Pressure cook the pasta for 4 minutes with a quick release
Stir the macaroni, butter, mustard, hot pepper sauce, salt, and 4 cups water in the pressure cooker pot. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes in an electric PC or stovetop PC. (For an Instant Pot, use Manual or Pressure Cook mode, and set the time to 4 minutes.) When the cooking time is done, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Stir in the evaporated milk and cheese
Turn the heat under the pot down to low (or turn the electric pressure cooker to sauté-low or keep warm mode), and stir in the evaporated milk. Test a piece of pasta by taking a bite - it should be al dente, but cooked through. If the pasta is still tough in the middle, simmer it for a few minutes, until it is tender. Stir in the cheese one handful at a time, stirring constantly and waiting for the current handful to melt before adding the next handful.
Top with breadcrumbs and broil
Optional step, if you like a toasted bread crumb topping: Pour the macaroni into a 3 quart broiler-safe dish, patting it down to level out the surface. Sprinkle the panko over the macaroni and cheese in an even layer. Broil the macaroni and cheese on high until the bread crumbs are toasted, about 5 minutes. Check the bread crumbs often - they go from pale brown to burnt in a flash.
Quick Tips
Ratio of 1 cup of water to 4 ounces of pasta
4 cups of water is just enough to cook 1 pound (16 ounces) of pasta. No draining is necessary; the water will be absorbed by the pasta. If you have a smaller box of pasta - 12 ounces and 13.25 ounces are common sizes of whole wheat pasta - cut the water back to 3 cups. (Everything else can stay the same.)
Serve with a bottle of hot sauce at the table.
I like Frank's Red Hot, or the smoky flavor of chipotle hot sauce.
Watch the bread crumbs under the broiler
I have burned a lot of bread crumbs in my day. I set a timer for 1 minute intervals while I'm broiling, in case I get distracted. (By a homework meltdown…just to pick a hypothetical example). I have the timer to remind me - "Oh no! The breadcrumbs!"
Storage & Reheating
I save leftover mac and cheese in 2-cup containers. It will last in the refrigerator for a few days, or in the freezer for months. (Mac and cheese freezes well). I reheat 2-cup containers of mac and cheese in the microwave - it takes about 2 minutes to reheat from the refrigerator, or 6 minutes from frozen. (Your microwaving time may be different, depending on how powerful your microwave is.)
Print
Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker mac and cheese - quick, easy, and better than the dreaded blue box.
Adapted from: America's Test Kitchen Pressure Cooker Perfection
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
- 4 cups water
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 16 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 ounces shredded Parmigiano cheese
Bread Crumb Topping (optional)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Pressure cook the pasta for 4 minutes with a quick release: Stir the macaroni, butter, mustard, hot pepper sauce, salt, and 4 cups water in the pressure cooker pot. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes in an electric PC or stovetop PC. (For an Instant Pot, use Manual or Pressure Cook mode, and set the time to 4 minutes.) When the cooking time is done, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Stir in the evaporated milk and cheese: Turn the heat under the pot down to low (or turn the electric pressure cooker to sauté-low or keep warm mode), and stir in the evaporated milk. Test a piece of pasta by taking a bite - it should be al dente, but cooked through. If the pasta is still tough in the middle, simmer it for a few minutes, until it is tender. Stir in the cheese one handful at a time, stirring constantly and waiting for the current handful to melt before adding the next handful.
- Top with breadcrumbs and broil: Optional step, if you like a toasted bread crumb topping: Pour the macaroni into a 3 quart broiler-safe dish, patting it down to level out the surface. Sprinkle the panko over the macaroni and cheese in an even layer. Broil the macaroni and cheese on high until the bread crumbs are toasted, about 5 minutes. Check the bread crumbs often - they go from pale brown to burnt in a flash.
Equipment
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 Cups of Mac and Cheese
- Calories: 660
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1499.1 mg
- Fat: 30.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.3 g
- Protein: 33.5 g
- Cholesterol: 79.2 mg
Video: How to make Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese (5:13)
Video: Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese [YouTube.com]
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Click here for my other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker recipes
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Kathy Biallas says
I just shared the link to this recipe for the zillionth time, this time to my teenage son so he can send it to his friends. This is the first recipe I taught him to make in the Instant Pot. I have forwarded this recipe to colleagues, friends, family, healthcare providers, and strangers at the grocery store. I’ve shared it with Cub Scout parents, families we know from school, and neighbors. My husband makes this every year for his office’s pre-Thanksgiving potluck. Last November he made a double batch since 75 people were coming (families of employees are invited, too). The pot was scraped clean. This recipe is inevitably a winner, and I want to thank you for writing the second Instant Pot recipe I ever made, way back in 2017.
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome! I'm glad this is a regular recipe for you - it is one of my go-to recipes. I use it all the time, for family gatherings and pot-luck lunches.
Amy says
This is my go-to macaroni recipe and has been for several years! Super fast, easy, and delicious - it checks all the boxes
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Marya says
I make this recipe regularly. Have tried other recipes and everyone says this is the best. And it’s the easiest. You also don’t need to use a pressure cooker. Can just cook on a stove in a normal pot. Everything else should be just fine.
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it!
MW says
I love this recipe and have made it MANY times for many years. (fastest Mac and Cheese on the planet) Just recently I used Trader Joe's pre-grated Unexpected Cheddar and it was out of this world! Trader's Macaroni also gives the best results for me. The elbows are a bit larger size than say, Barilla but not huge. (plus it's cheap! $.99 for a pound) I do only cook the macaroni for 3 minutes versus 4 and I find that even if it is a little al dante at 3 minutes, it continues to soften a bit while adding the rest of the ingredients, and turns out perfectly.
I would like to know if anyone has attempted to freeze this. ?? I read that evaporated milk can separate when frozen, and I wouldn't want that. Thanks!!
Mike Vrobel says
I freeze leftovers all the time and have not had any issues with separating.
Ellen says
Everyone in my family loves this, from my 81-year-old mother on down to my preschooler. Thank you!!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
Jen says
This was my first IP mac and cheese recipe I tried, and I've never even thought about trying another, it is the best! I have a question - I'm making this for some adults and picky kids, who aren't much into sharp cheeses. Could I combine Velveeta with a bit of sharp cheese for this? I'm wondering how that would go together with the shredded parm. I'm embarrassed even asking this 😐
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, you can substitute velveeta for some of the sharp cheese. (Or use Monterey Jack for another mild cheese that is not Velveeta).
Sarah says
This is my go to mac and cheese recipe. Reminds me of the kind my mother used to make. Easy and delicious!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy it!
Cocowa says
Nice recipe. I just microwave a cup of panko with a tablespoon of oil for 20-second intervals until it’s browned (gotta stir after each interval). Some folks in my household don’t like breadcrumbs on top, and it saves me having to turn on the broiler in summertime, when it’s often triple digits where I live.
Matthew Witherite says
Just wanted to say I'm a single man I live alone I hate to cook and I hate to clean up even worse I bought a pressure cooker a couple years ago and this is the best investment that I've ever made and I'm so thankful for your recipe it has worked out every single time I've substituted different cheeses different ones with their trend or sliced it doesn't really seem to matter as long as you have that evaporated milk in there and you stir it well melts down at all it seems to matter thank you so much again ~Pablo~
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Lucie Hunter says
So easy and the best Man-N-Cheese recipe for the instapot or traditional way.
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks!
KS says
I love this recipe! I've made it maybe a dozen times now. I prefer it to the mac and cheese I've made the old fashion way and to other pressure cooker recipes I've tried online that use chicken broth or just regular milk and cheese. The pasta water + evaporated milk + butter + cheese of this recipe makes a wonderful sauce that you can customize (via the cheese and spices) to your own tastes. Nobody in my family likes mustard, so we don't keep any stocked, but I use mustard powder instead. It doesn't make the sauce taste like mustard at all but it's part of the magic of the flavor. It adds a lot of depth and we've not liked it as much when I've omitted it. So, if you don't like mustard like us, still give it a chance! I also add garlic powder, use mild cheddar, and use a pinch of cayenne instead of hot sauce. I've tried different cheese, like mozzarella and Colby, when that's what we've had on hand and they've been good too. Thanks for creating this masterpiece!
James W says
Great recipe that has become my go-to for potlucks and is*always* praised and appreciated by both kids and adults. Have shared our recommended this recipe dozens of times. Thank you!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!