Cheese-lovers, you absolutely must try this! If you’re looking for the easiest, cheesiest macaroni and cheese recipe for your family? Look no further than this one, friends! My Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese recipe is TO DIE FOR!
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Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Whew, this one I am super proud of, you guys. My family has declared this Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese recipe as “the only mac and cheese recipe” ever to be consumed by us from now on! No other mac and cheese recipe will suffice, it is this one and this one alone, no exceptions!! And I gotta tell ya, that declaration of love feels CRAZY good, friends. 🥰
This Instant Pot mac and cheese recipe was created with a lot of love, a lot of research, and a heckuva lot of cheese! 🧀 Cheese lovers, the party is over here! 🎉
If you’ve ever wanted a one pot mac and cheese dish to make those busy weeknights easier, then look no further! Every single bit of this recipe gets made into the Instant Pot, and no draining! Sounds too good to be true, right? 🧐 But it’s real! ✨
Where Can I Find The Actual Recipe Card?
If you’d rather skip all of my time-saving cooking tips, important information for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the easy Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese recipe, just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card for this easy dinner recipe.
How Easy Is It To Cook Macaroni and Cheese in the Instant Pot?
Y’all, it is RIDICULOUSLY EASY! I feel like everyone who owns an Instant Pot should try making pasta in it like this, at least once! It’s magnificent because you do not have to drain it! Hooray! Do you know how simple that makes it for me, a busy parent, trying to get food on the table during the week? As if the Instant Pot wasn’t already making dinners easy enough, now I find out you can cook pasta without draining? And then turn it onto its sauté function to finish cooking my one-pot dinner!? Holy moly!
Equipment Needed to Make Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese
To make this easy Instant Pot dinner recipe, you will need the following kitchen tools:
- Instant Pot*
- Cooking spray
- Rubber spatula
- Wooden spoon or serving spoon
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Measuring cup
*You will need at least a 6qt Instant Pot or higher to make this recipe
Ingredients Needed to Make Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese
To make this Instant Pot Queso Mac and Cheese recipe, you will also need the following ingredients gathered and ready:
- Boxes of small elbow macaroni
- Olive oil
- Colby jack cheese, cubed
- Natural medium cheddar, cubed
- Smoked Cheddar cheese, cubed
- Queso Quesadilla shredded cheese
- Milk
- Butter
- Seasonings: fresh-ground salt, fresh-ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika
- Jar of queso blanco
- Sliced or diced jalapeños (optional)
- Crumbled bacon (optional)
Keep in mind, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
How to Make Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese
Spray your Instant Pot with cooking spray. Add 8 cups of water to your Instant Pot, then add in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil into the water to help prevent sticking.
Next, add in your uncooked pasta, seal your Instant Pot, set it to pressure 6 minutes, and start. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then NPR (natural pressure release).
While the pasta cooks inside the Instant Pot, cut all of your cheese into cubes (if it isn’t already purchased cubed or shredded).
Open the lid and stir but do not drain, even if it appears there is still a little water, this is okay! Also, some of the noodles may appear to not be fully cooked, and that’s okay as well! Stirring will help them to cook fully, but stir gently! The pasta is fragile!
As you stir the macaroni carefully with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, add in the butter and stir thoroughly to melt and coat the pasta.
Turn the Instant Pot on to sauté, and begin adding in your variety of cubed cheeses, stirring carefully.
Stir stir stir here, friends. Stirring helps the cheese melt and makes it creamy!
Once the cheese is about fully melted, add in your milk from the measuring cup and continue to stir thoroughly.
Add into the Instant Pot the queso blanco dip, and continue to stir.
While stirring carefully, add into the Instant Pot the queso quesadilla shredded cheese. Continue to stir to ensure everything is mixed well.
Using all the seasonings, season generously to taste; stir. Ensure your mixture is properly seasoned by tasting the sauce before deciding to season it again.
Once all cheese has been throughly melted, turn off the Instant Pot.
Serve immediately, and enjoy! This dish is incredibly delicious, and hearty! Get ready for full bellies and tremendous accolades from the fam, friend!
Other Easy Pasta Recipes to Try for Dinner!
If you love pasta the way our family does, check out these easy and tasty pasta and macaroni recipes!
- Insanely Good Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (it’s insanely delicious)
- Jalapeño Popper Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
- Instant Pot Tortellini Soup Recipe
- Mac and Cheese Pizza Muffins (Easy Back to School Recipe)
- Taco Macaroni for School Lunches
- Easy Carbonara Recipe
- My friend Dragisa’s Copycat Chick-Fil-A’s Mac and Cheese Recipe!
Easy Instant Pot Dinner Recipes for Families
Or maybe you want to try other Instant Pot dinner recipes? Check these out!
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowl recipe
- Instant Pot Lemon Butter Chicken recipe
- Instant Pot Pulled Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches recipe
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Instant Pot Queso Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 boxes small elbow macaroni 32 Oz total
- Colby jack 16oz cubed
- Natural medium cheddar 32oz cubed
- Tillamook Smoked Cheddar cheese 7oz cubed
- 1/2 cup Lucerne Queso Quesadilla shredded cheese
- 2 cups milk
- 3-4 tbsp butter
- fresh-ground Himalayan sea salt generously to taste
- fresh ground pepper generously to taste
- onion powder generously to taste
- garlic powder generously to taste
- 1-2 tbsp Smoked paprika generously to taste
- 1/2 jar queso blanco 15oz jar
- Sliced or diced jalapeños optional
- Crumbled bacon optional
Instructions
- Spray your Instant Pot with cooking spray.
- Add 8 cups of water to your Instant Pot.
- Add in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the water to help prevent sticking.
- Add in your uncooked pasta, seal your Instant Pot, set it to pressure 6 minutes and start.
- Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then NPR (natural pressure release).
- While the pasta cooks inside the Instant Pot, cube all of your cheese (if it isn’t already cubed or shredded).
- Open the lid and stir – do not drain, even if it appears there is still a little water, this is okay! Also, some of the noodles may appear to not be fully cooked, and that’s okay as well! Stirring will help them to cook fully.
- As you stir the macaroni carefully with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, add in the butter and stir thoroughly to melt and coat the pasta.
- Turn the Instant Pot on to sauté, and begin adding in your variety of cubed cheeses, stirring carefully.
- Stir stir stir here, friends. Stirring helps the cheese melt and makes it creamy!
- Once the cheese is about fully melted, add in your milk from the measuring cup and continue to stir thoroughly.
- Add into the Instant Pot the half jar queso blanco dip, and continue to stir.
- While stirring carefully, add into the Instant Pot the queso quesadilla shredded cheese. Continue to stir to ensure everything is mixed well.
- Using all the seasonings, season generously to taste; stir. Ensure your mixture is properly seasoned by tasting the sauce before seasoning again.
- Once all cheese has been throughly melted, turn off the Instant Pot.
- Serve immediately, and enjoy it!
