#Box macaroni and cheese instant pot how to#
#Box macaroni and cheese instant pot manual#

#Box macaroni and cheese instant pot manual#

Place your lid on your electric pressure cooker, make sure the valve is in the sealing position, and set the manual high pressure cook time to 3-4 minutes depending on your noodle type. Once it beeps, either do a quick release for al dente, or for softer noodles delay for a minute or two for a partial natural pressure release before venting. Step 2: Add Water and Pasta to Instant PotĪdd your water (and optionally milk) to your insert first, then the dry pasta. Don’t stir it, but gently push the noodles into the water so they’re mostly submerged. When only making one box of shells, the shells may be taller than the water line- that’ll be fine, just make sure they’re not piled up on one another. Cook Time:Įlbow macaroni takes 3 minutes on high pressure. For al dente noodles use a quick release, for softer noodles allow a 1-2 minute natural release before releasing the remaining pressure.įor small shells like Annie’s add 1 minute to the pressure cooking time. We want to use ¼ cup of water for every ounce of dry pasta in the box and I’ve weighed a bunch of them with my food scale so you don’t have to. As a general rule I’ve found the dried cheese packets are just about 1 oz, so subtract 1 from the weight it stays on the box. So for Annie’s 6 oz boxes, they contain 5 oz pasta and 1 oz cheese packet, and need 1 ¼ cups of water per box. Kraft’s standard blue box is 7.25 oz, so about 6 oz pasta which needs 1 ½ cups per box. The prep here is really figuring out how much water we need and our cook time for the specific box you’re using- shells take a minute longer than elbow macaroni. You can also spray your instant pot insert with cooking spray or grease it with butter, though that’s optional and I usually skip it.

#Box macaroni and cheese instant pot how to#

How to Make Creamy Instant Pot Mac & Cheese: Step 1: Preparation Oh, and a butter knife for cutting the butter. We’ll need our handy-dandy instant pot, a spatula for stirring, and a measuring cup. Milk: I use 1%, but whatever milk you usually use is fine. You can also use it to grease your insert to help keep the pasta from sticking. Mac N Cheese box: any brand, any size, and you can make multiple boxes if you want.īutter: I know the box says it’s optional, but using butter gives you the creamiest sauce. Let’s get started! Here’s what you’ll need: Ingredients: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. No matter if you prefer Annie’s organic, Kraft macaroni & cheese, or a store brand, I’ve got you covered. But have you tried making it in the instant pot? It's a great option because using your pressure cooker is not only a little faster than the stove top, but it’s also less hands-on since you can walk away during the cook time.īelow we’ll go over the best way to make creamy delicious boxed mac & cheese in your instant pot no matter what box of pasta you have.

If you have a little kids- or picky kids- you’ve probably made more boxes of mac & cheese than you can count- either as a side dish (usually with hot dogs) or as a main dish. Bonus, the sauce is thicker and creamier too!

Jump to Recipe Jump to Audio Print Recipeīox mac & cheese is such an easy dinner or side on those crazy busy nights, and it’s made it even easier in the instant pot.