Instant Pot Magic: Making Boxed Macaroni & Cheese In Minutes

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Macaroni & cheese isn’t hard to make on the stovetop, but it’s TWICE as easy to make in a pressure cooker. And it cooks in less than half the time too! 

Instant Pot boxed macaroni & cheese cooks in only 4 minutes with 1 minute natural release.

Instant Pot boxed Macaroni and cheese mac & cheese #TexasHomesteader

Benefits of Making Boxed Mac & Cheese In A Pressure Cooker

Adults & kids alike love cheesy creamy macaroni & cheese! Benefits of making boxed macaroni & cheese in a pressure cooker are:

      • Faster cook time – just 4 minutes!

      • No risk of messy pasta boil over. (I swear, EVERY TIME for me!)

      • Not  wasting any of my homemade broth!

      • One-Pot convenience – no strainer needed

How Many Servings In A Box Of Mac & Cheese?

Each box makes three approximately one-cup servings. I always make two boxes at a time so there’s 6 cups of mac & cheese in this recipe! 

If you’re only making one box, just cut the ingredients in half, the cook time is the same. But I say… Go ahead & make TWO!

How Many Cups Of Water For Instant Pot Mac & Cheese?

Since I always make two boxes of mac & cheese at a time, I use 2¼ cups of water or broth. The liquid is divided, some under the pasta, some on top.

NOTE: If you’re only making one box you’ll need 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water/broth.

Ingredients To Make Mac & Cheese In An Instant Pot

The ingredients to cook TWO boxes of Mac & Cheese in a pressure cooker are below. (If you’re only wanting a single box just cut the ingredients in half)

      • 2 boxes mac & cheese

      • 2¼ cups broth or water, divided

      • 3 tablespoons butter

      • 1 cup milk blended with contents of the dry cheese packets

How To Make TWO Boxes Of Mac & Cheese In An Instant Pot

Making Instant Pot Macaroni & Cheese is easy!

Instant pot boxed Macaroni and cheese Mac & Cheese held on a fork. #TexasHomesteader

      • Pour 1¼ cup of broth or water in the bottom of the Instant Pot liner.

      • Remove the dry cheese powder packets & set aside. Spread elbow macaroni evenly over the bottom. DON’T STIR.

      • Add 3 tablespoons of butter and the other cup of water on top. DON’T STIR.

      • Lock pressure cooker lid in place and place lever to ‘sealing’.

      • Cook on high pressure 4 minutes. (then allow 1 minute natural release)

      • Do quick release and stir to separate pasta.

      • Stir together 1 cup of milk and the 2 dry cheese packets and pour over pasta. Stir to combine.

      • Serve hot. 

NOTE: The pasta will continue to soak up moisture as it cools. So if it’s not as thick as you like, give it a few minutes to soak up more liquid.

Flavor Additions: How To Jazz Up Plain Mac & Cheese

If you’re wanting to jazz up the flavor of plain mac & cheese or make it more hearty so you can serve it as an entrée instead of just a side, there are lots of easy & fun add-in’s:

      • ¼ cup chopped seeded roasted hatch chile for a spicy twist. (our favorite)

      • Add drained cans of tuna & peas/carrots.

      • Stir in a can of chili for chili mac flavor.

      • Add frozen or steamed broccoli and cooked cubed chicken.

      • Stir in chopped kielbasa sausage.

      • Add sliced cooked hotdogs – a favorite for the kids!

      • Stir in browned Taco-Seasoned ground beef (or taco-Tuesday meat leftovers!)

      • Mozzarella cheese & sliced pepperoni make a fun pizza flavor.

      • Chunks of smoked ham & steamed broccoli are delicious.

      • Stir in hot sauce or salsa (the hotter the better for me!)

So go ahead & cook up a couple of boxes of mac & cheese in your pressure cooker. It’s EASY!

Did you make this Instant Pot Boxed Macaroni & Cheese? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!

Instant Pot Boxed Mac & Cheese

This recipe uses 2 boxes of macaroni & cheese. A one-pot meal that it cooks in only 4 minutes with no risk of pasta boil-over. And there are lots of fun add-in's too! #TexasHomesteader

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword instant pot, Macaroni and Cheese, one pot meal, pasta
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 4 minutes
Natural Release Time 1 minute
Servings 6 cups
Author www.TexasHomesteader.com

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 2 7.25-oz boxes Macaroni & Cheese, remove & set aside cheese powder packets
  • 2 ¼ cups Broth or Water divided
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 cup Milk

Instructions

Instructions

  1. In bottom of instant pot inner liner pour 1 ¼ cup of the broth or water.

  2. Remove & set aside dry cheese powder packets. Spread pasta from both boxes of Mac & Cheese evenly along the bottom, DON’T STIR.

  3. Top with 3 tablespoons of butter and the other cup of broth/water. DON’T STIR.

  4. Top pressure cooker with lid, lock into place, place lever on ‘sealing’ and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.

  5. Allow 1 minute natural release and then do a quick release of remaining pressure. Stir pasta to separate.

  6. In small bowl stir together 1 cup milk and the 2 dry cheese packets, blending thoroughly.

  7. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to combine. Serve hot. (Note, pasta continues to soak up moisture as it cools)

Recipe Notes

Fun Add-In’s

If you want a different flavor than macaroni & cheese, or you want to make it more hearty to use as an entrée instead of a side, here are some fun add-in's to consider:

  • ¼ cup chopped seeded roasted hatch chile for a spicy twist.
  • Drained cans of tuna & peas/carrots.
  • Stir in a can of chili for chili mac flavor.
  • Frozen or steamed broccoli and cooked cubed chicken.
  • Chopped kielbasa sausage.
  • Sliced cooked hotdogs - a favorite for the kids.
  • Browned Taco-Seasoned ground beef (or taco-Tuesday meat leftovers!)
  • Mozzarella cheese & sliced pepperoni for a pizza flavor.
  • Chunks of smoked ham & steamed broccoli.
  • Hot sauce or salsa (the hotter the better for me!).

~TxH~

Tagged in  Our our favorite recipes cooked in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. #TexasHomesteader   A list of our favorite pasta dishes. #TexasHomesteader       

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