In just four minutes of cooking, whip up the ultimate Instant Pot Mac and Cheese! Creamy, indulgently rich, and bursting with cheesy goodness, it's comfort food made effortlessly fast!
INSTANT POT: Add pasta, broth, and seasonings to Instant Pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I add ½ tsp each of salt and pepper). Ensure the lid is secured and set the valve to the sealingposition. Pressure cook using the manual function for 4 minutes. Once completed, immediately release the steam by turning the valve to "vent". (Be careful-- a burst of steam will come out.) Remove the lid when all the steam has been released. Turn off Instant Pot.
MEANWHILE, PREP: Grate all the cheeses (See Note 4) and set them aside. Grate Cheddar and mozzarella on large holes and Parmesan on small holes of the grater. Gently pack cheese in measuring cups to get an accurate measurement. Measure out milk and let it reach room temperature.
ADD CHEESE: While mixing constantly with a wooden spoon, add butter and ¼ cup of milk to the pasta. Stir until the butter has melted. Gradually add cheese, about ⅓ cup at a time, stirring constantly until each addition is completely melted. Alternate adding cheese with the remaining ¼ cup milk, incorporating it one tablespoon at a time.
FINISH: Taste. If needed, season with additional salt (we'll add ¼ up to ½ tsp but we prefer it on the saltier side!). OR, stir in a splash of hot sauce (up to 1 tsp) for a kick. If the pasta becomes too thick, you can loosen it with a bit more milk. Enjoy mac and cheese hot and creamy!
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Notes
Note 1: Cheddar cheese: Always opt for a block of cheese and grate it yourself to avoid a big cheese clump or grainy mac and cheese! Seek out "sharp" Cheddar cheese, which is aged to impart a deeper, cheesier flavor. When it's time to measure, ensure you're gently packing the grated cheese into your measuring cup. This guarantees the right cheese amount for this recipe (OR use a food scale and weigh out the grated cheese). A key tip: Add the cheese to Instant Pot slowly, stirring thoroughly after each increment. Dumping it all in at once could lead to a clumpy mess.Note 2: Parmesan:Do not use canned or pre-shredded/grated Parmesan--the cheese doesn't melt smoothly and you'll be left with a big clump. Instead, use a block of Parmesan and freshly and finely grate on the small sides of a grater.Note 3: Milk: Start with ½ cup and add more if you find it needs to be thinned out a little bit more. Stick with regular milk, either 2% or whole (preferably whole!).Note 4: Grate cheese quickly! The quickest trick in the book for grating large cheese quantities? Use a Food Processor with a grating attachment. Or, if you have a KitchenAid mixer, their cheese grating attachment is a game-changer.