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Rich, creamy, flavor-packed cheese sauce and a crispy, buttery topping make this easy-to-make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe stand out from the rest! We use a secret blend of cheeses and seasonings to make it something truly special. And no worries if you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also easily make this on the stovetop!
I originally made this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese on the fly, not bothering to measure any ingredients or write down any instructions. You know, the type of cooking where you just go into the kitchen and intuitively throw together whatever feels right. And of course, it ended up being the one.
The recipe that becomes the only recipe of its kind that you need because it’s that good.
Everyone who has tried this mac and cheese told me it was the best mac and cheese of their life. I was shocked! As crazy as it is to say (because I’ve had some really mind-blowing mac and cheese in my day), I agree.
Because I didn’t write anything down when I first made it, I spent the next couple months trying to replicate that perfect macaroni and cheese. After much testing (it’s a good thing I like cheese, lol), I am sharing my recipe.
Get ready for the homemade mac and cheese recipe that you will now use as a baseline to judge every other mac and cheese that crosses your lips. I don’t mean to ruin other mac and cheeses for you, but you deserve this!
If you’ve been searching for the best mac and cheese recipe, cross that one off your list, friends.
But fair warning, don’t make this recipe unless you’re prepared to crave it and have your family ask you for it…often!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s so easy! We make the entire thing in the Instant Pot, including the crispy, crunchy, buttery cracker topping. Normally you’d bake macaroni and cheese to get a crispy topping, but here we toast it in the Instant Pot before making the mac and cheese. There’s no need to heat up the oven, or dirty another pan on the stovetop!
- More about that crunchy buttery topping. The topping is easy to make and adds delicious crunch and buttery flavor on top! If you’re looking for a mac and cheese that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, this is it.
- The 6-cheese blend. Six different cheeses might sound like a lot, but they add amazing depth of flavor here!
Why the Instant Pot Makes the Best Mac and Cheese
This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese features a lusciously smooth and creamy, flavor-packed cheese sauce. And even though we use the Instant Pot to make it, it still has a crisp, buttery topping, which is also made in the Instant Pot!
And because it’s not baked, this mac and cheese isn’t dry at all. It’s rich and gooey with the most velvety cheese sauce.
But no worries if you don’t have an Instant Pot. You can easily make this on the stovetop instead!
Of course this decadent side dish is perfect for the holidays, but don’t limit it to that. It’s the perfect accompaniment for just about any meal.
What Cheese to Use
When you’re making macaroni and cheese, you want a perfect blend of gooey, creamy texture and rich, deep flavor. This is why I like to use a blend of cheeses so you get the best of everything!
Here are the types of cheeses we use in this mac and cheese recipe:
- Sharp White Cheddar – This is classic. Sharp white cheddar cheese melts well and gives mac and cheese the traditional flavor that we all love.
- Gruyere – Taking a note from fondue, Gruyere is wonderful in mac and cheese! It melts great, and adds a slightly nutty flavor.
- Parmesan – Similar to Gruyere, but with a sharper bite, Parmesan also amps up the salty nutty factor in mac and cheese.
- Havarti – I absolutely love adding Havarti to mac and cheese! Havarti is smooth and buttery, and melts down and adds unparalleled creaminess to this dish.
- Monterey Jack – With a high fat content and a mild yet buttery flavor, Monterey Jack melts well and adds a lot of gooey richness. You can use mozzarella instead if that’s what you have on hand.
- Cream Cheese – This lends a slight tanginess and body to our cheese sauce.
And here are few more different types of cheese that work well in mac and cheese:
- Brie
- Smoked Gouda
- Provolone
- Fontina
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Buttery Cracker Topping Ingredients
- Ritz crackers – Who doesn’t love crisp, buttery Ritz crackers?! In this recipe, they provide a deliciously crunchy topping to contrast our creamy mac.
- Unsalted butter – We brown cracker crumbs in butter so they’re extra crunchy and flavorful. Go for unsalted butter here because Ritz crackers are salty enough. If you don’t have unsalted butter on hand, you can use light olive oil instead.
- Garlic powder – This adds a hint of savory flavor to the topping. You can also use onion powder.
Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – We cook the onion and garlic in a bit of butter for rich flavor. If you only have salted butter, you can use that here and reduce the added salt from 1 1/2 teaspoons down to about 1 1/4 teaspoons.
- Onion and garlic – Sautéed onion and garlic add a complex savory flavor base, and their aroma is incredible!
- Elbow noodles – Elbow noodles are a classic noodle shape for macaroni and cheese, but you aren’t limited to just elbows. Feel free to use bowties, shells, or any other small pasta shape you like.
- Salt – Salt makes sure this dish isn’t bland.
- Water – Just like when you’re making macaroni and cheese on the stovetop, here we cook the pasta in water. The difference is, we don’t drain off the water when making this in the Instant Pot!
- Cream cheese – This helps create a thick, smooth, and lusciously creamy, cheesy sauce.
- Half and half – Half and half is a combination of whole milk and light cream (not heavy cream), and it lends the perfect amount of richness to this dish.
- Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour. This helps thicken our cheese sauce.
- Frank’s RedHot – Or use any type of hot sauce you have on hand, and adjust it to taste.
- Dijon mustard – Dijon adds a sharp tangy bite to help balance the richness.
- Worcestershire sauce – This condiment adds rich, savory depth of flavor.
- Sweet paprika – For the most flavor, I like to use Hungarian paprika. This adds a subtle layer of sweet, fruity flavor.
- Black pepper – For a touch of piquant flavor to balance the richness.
- Sharp white cheddar – This is a classic component! It melts perfectly into cheesy oblivion and is a good base cheese flavor.
- Gruyere – With a uniquely complex flavor, this cheese adds nutty notes.
- Havarti – Similar to cream cheese, smooth, buttery havarti helps make this ultra creamy.
- Monterey Jack (or mozzarella) – Adds mild, buttery flavor and helps create the perfect “cheese pull” consistency.
- Parmesan – With a complex flavor profile, this aged cheese adds a ton of flavor.
Faith’s Secret Recipe Tips
I have three essential tips that keep your mac and cheese sauce perfect every single time. Follow these and you will make the best recipe you’ve ever had, I promise.
- Don’t skimp out on the half and half. This is not the recipe to swap it out for milk, friends! Not only does half and half lend richness and body to the cheese sauce, but its high fat content helps stabilize it.
- The secret ingredient: cream cheese! You only need a little bit, but it goes a long way.
- Don’t bake it. As far as I can tell, the main reason to bake macaroni and cheese is to get a crunchy topping. And we already took care of that by toasting up some crushed crackers in butter. An unfortunate side effect of baking mac and cheese is that it dries out; but here we’ve solved that problem!
How to Make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
1. Make the Crunchy Topping in the Instant Pot
- Add the crackers to a zip-top plastic bag. Roll over them with a rolling pin to lightly crush.
- Turn on the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and once hot, add the butter. Once melted, add the cracker crumbs. Stir to coat the crumbs in butter. And garlic powder, and stir again. Cook until the cracker crumbs are light brown, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” function. Transfer the cracker crumbs to a bowl and set aside.
Pro Tip: After you make the crunchy topping in the Instant Pot, carefully wipe out the inside of the pot with a paper towel, and let it cool for 10 minutes (this is to avoid getting a burn warning).
2. Cook the Macaroni Noodles & Then Make the Super Creamy Cheese Sauce – All in the Instant Pot!
- Press the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and wait for it to heat up. Once hot, add the butter. Once melted, add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is starting to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” function.
- Add the elbow noodles, salt, and water. Give it a stir.
- Cover the Instant Pot, making sure to set the lid to “Sealing”, and cook on “Manual, High Pressure” for 3 minutes. Once it’s done cooking, carefully release the pressure. After I release the pressure, I like to place a cotton towel over the valve so the steam doesn’t go everywhere. Open the pot. At first glance you’ll think there’s too much liquid; don’t worry because there isn’t! Stir the noodles, and you’ll notice that there isn’t as much liquid as you thought. This is how the noodles look after stirring.
- Add the cream cheese, and put the lid on the pot for 2 minutes (this will melt the cheese). Uncover the pot, and stir to combine the cream cheese. Add the half and half, flour, hot sauce, Dijon, Worcestershire, paprika, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the cheddar, gruyere, havarti, monterey jack, and parmesan a handful at a time.
- Continue stirring until the cheese is fully incorporated, and then serve it up with a sprinkle of the crispy topping.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. I know it can be a big time-saver, but it’s not worth the trade-off. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents and/or preservatives added. It doesn’t have the same flavor or texture as freshly-shredded cheese.
- Take the extra couple of minutes to use fresh onion and garlic. In a pinch, garlic and onion powder will work, but fresh adds a whole different level of flavor.
- If the mac and cheese looks watery when it’s done cooking, trust the process! Follow the recipe and it’ll come out right in the end.
- For a more complex flavor profile similar to fondue, add white wine. To do so, reduce the water to 3 2/3 cups and add 1/3 cup dry white wine.
Storage & Reheating
Store this homemade macaroni and cheese covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. If possible, avoid freezing mac and cheese because it can compromise the texture.
The quickest and easiest way to reheat mac and cheese is in the microwave! I like to microwave it in 45-second intervals until warm, stirring in between each interval. Once it’s warm, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk per 1 cup of mac and cheese to make it creamy again.
If you have a little more time (or a larger amount to reheat), you can reheat mac and cheese in the oven. Here is how to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Put as much mac and cheese as you will eat in an oven-safe dish. Cover the top with foil.
- Bake until warm throughout, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Once it’s warm, give the mac and cheese a stir. If it’s a little dry, stir in a little milk (about 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk per 1 cup of mac and cheese) until it’s creamy again.
Variations & Mix-ins
You can jazz up this pressure cooker mac and cheese any way you like! Here are some suggestions:
- Fresh herbs like thyme, chives, or scallions.
- Spices like smoked paprika, cayenne (if you don’t have hot sauce), or dry mustard powder (instead of Dijon).
- Crisped bacon, chopped brisket, or pulled rotisserie chicken.
- Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts. (If they’re raw add them along with the pasta, and if they’re cooked stir them in after the cheese.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a blend of cheeses for the best ooey, gooey texture. White cheddar, gruyere, parmesan, havarti, monterey jack, and cream cheese work together beautifully!
Yes! Feel free to play around with the spice blend or add crisped bacon, broccoli, and/or fresh herbs, such as chives.
Make a cornstarch slurry of 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts cold water. Stir it into the mac and cheese, and simmer until thickened to the correct consistency. But if you follow this recipe, runny macaroni and cheese won’t be an issue, friends!
After making the crispy cracker topping, wipe out the bottom of the pot with a paper towel and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Make sure there is enough liquid in the pot to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom. If it sticks, then there’s a higher chance it will burn.
This recipe has been thoroughly tested, so if you follow it, you should have great results!
More Cheesy Side Dishes to Try
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Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
Buttery Cracker Topping:
- 10 Ritz crackers
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Macaroni and Cheese:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 pound elbow noodles or your favorite pasta
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups water
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Frank’s RedHot Sauce or any hot sauce you like
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces sharp white Cheddar shredded
- 4 ounces Gruyere shredded
- 4 ounces Havarti shredded
- 2 ounces Monterey Jack shredded (or mozzarella)
- 2 ounces Parmesan grated
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
For the Buttery Cracker Topping:
- Add the crackers to a zip-top plastic bag. Roll over them with a rolling pin to lightly crush.
- Press the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and wait for it to heat up. Once hot, add the butter. Once melted, add the cracker crumbs and garlic powder, and stir to combine. Cook until the cracker is very light brown, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” function.
- Transfer the cracker crumbs to a bowl and set aside.
- Carefully wipe out the inside of the Instant Pot with a paper towel, and let it cool for 10 minutes (this is to avoid getting a burn warning).
For the Macaroni and Cheese:
- Press the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and wait for it to heat up. Once hot, add the butter. Once melted, add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is starting to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” function.
- Add the elbow noodles, salt, and water. Give it a stir.
- Cover the Instant Pot, making sure to set the lid to “Sealing”, and cook on “Manual, High Pressure” for 3 minutes.
- Once it’s done cooking, carefully release the pressure and open the pot. Stir the noodles, add the cream cheese, and put the lid on the pot for 2 minutes (this will melt the cheese). Uncover the pot, and stir to combine the cream cheese.
- Add the half and half, flour, hot sauce, Dijon, Worcestershire, paprika, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the Cheddar, Gruyere, Havarti, Monterey Jack, and Parmesan a handful at a time until fully incorporated.
To Serve:
- Top each serving with a sprinkle of the buttery cracker topping and minced parsley.
Notes
- White Wine Suggestion: For a more complex flavor, reduce the water to 3 2/3 cups and add 1/3 cup dry white wine. This gives it more of a fondue flavor profile.
- Shred Your Own Cheese: Don’t use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe. I know it can be a big time-saver, but it’s not worth the trade-off. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents and/or preservatives added. They don’t have the same flavor or texture as freshly-shredded cheese, and the resulting mac and cheese won’t be as smooth and creamy.
- Storage: Store homemade mac and cheese covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Put as much mac and cheese as you will eat in an oven-safe dish. Cover the top with foil.
- Bake until warm throughout, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Once it’s warm, give the mac and cheese a stir. If it’s a little dry, stir in a little milk (about 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk per 1 cup of mac and cheese) until it’s creamy again.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on February 1, 2022 and updated on August 19, 2024.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
This Mac & Cheese recipe is the bomb! A wonderful way to use left over cheese!
I want to make this for a work potluck, but I won’t have time to cook it at work. To warm it up, do you have suggestions on how to heat it back up with either the instant pot or a crock pot? Thank you!!
Morgan, This is great for a potluck! The Crockpot works better for reheating it. To do so, spread it out evenly in a Crockpot, add a splash of milk, and reheat on low until warm. It will take about 2 hours, give or take a bit. If you have the chance, stir it periodically while it’s reheating.
Thank you!! Sounds easy enough!! -Morgan
So, if I do this on the stove top, do I cook the noodles aldente, and continue from there? Same amount of water …
Ellen, Yes! When you make this on the stovetop, you can use the same amount of water and simmer the noodles (uncovered) until they’re tender, stirring occasionally. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes, and there’s no need to drain off the water because between absorption and evaporation there won’t be much left (and we want a little bit in there). Then continue on with step 4 in the recipe card.
Faith!! I’m making this tomorrow looks amazing!
Can I double it with same
time
etc ?
Thank you!
Ann, Thank you very much, it’s a favorite here! I hope you enjoy it!! :)
It will cook in the same time if you double it, just make sure that your Instant Pot is big enough to handle double the capacity. I have a 6-quart Instant Pot and once it was cooked, it was almost up to the fill line.
oh mine is only 6qts- so you mean the reg recipe qty fills up the 6 qt?
so i can’t double? or could i 1.5 it?
(And THANK YOU SO MUCH for responding so quickly!) so excited!
Thank you!
A
Ann, Yes, it almost fills up the 6-quart (there is a little space under the fill line), but I think there may be space to 1.5 it! Hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Faith, you’re right! It’s by far the best Mac & Cheese I’ve ever had! And I have bragging rights on the world’s greatest Mac N Cheese conesuir! This recipe is my new best friend! ☺️💖🥰❤️