Instant Pot Mac Cheese Remix
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Macaroni cooked straight in the pot with broth, spiked with smoked paprika instead of garlic powder. Cheese tossed with arrowroot instead of cornstarch to cut gluten; stirred slowly until melty and rich. A quick release that spits steam like a wild thing—use mitts or wait it out. Butter plus evaporated milk thicken the sauce, with a splash of sriracha for bite. Resting a beat before serving helps everything settle. Adjust salt after tasting, because every batch varies. Swap broth with veggie stock or even beer for funk. No mush, no chew problems here. The key? Trust your eyes and the smell. Pasta isn’t done by minutes alone but by the plumpness and surface texture. Learn to read the pot’s hum and hiss; that steam talk means it’s ready or not. Serves eight easily with leftovers perfect for next-day upgrades.
Prep:
7 min
Cook:
14 min
Total:
21 min
Servings:
8 servings
#Instant Pot
#mac and cheese
#quick meals
#pressure cooker
#comfort food
Mac and cheese on the fly, no boil ahead nonsense, straight into the Instant Pot. I ditched garlic powder this round, went for smoked paprika to add a smoky depth that lingers under the sharp cheddar bite. Trust me, with noodles swimming in broth instead of water, you get this richer flavor base, no bland mush. Quick release is a heartbeat moment—watch and listen as steam hisses and sputters, like the pot’s telling you it’s just right. Cheese stabilization with arrowroot worked better than cornstarch in keeping it silky without grainy bits. Butter and evaporated milk are quiet stars, melting into creamy magic while the cheese melts in stages to avoid clumps. Resting at the end yields that thick sauce everyone wants. Adjust hot sauce last minute depending on mood, because spice is personal, not preset. Eight hearty servings that reheat like a champ.
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce like sriracha
- 3 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
About the ingredients
Swapped garlic powder for smoked paprika—gives a subtle campfire aroma. Arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch cuts some gluten and blends smoother for me, especially after chill. If you don’t have evaporated milk, whole milk plus a splash of cream works but cuts richness slightly. Unsalted butter lets you control salt better, but salted works if you’re lazy. Broth can be chicken or vegetable, whatever’s at hand; water ruins flavor here. Hot sauce is sriracha, but cayenne or tabasco can swap in. Shredded sharp cheddar—avoid pre-shredded stuff with anti-caking agents; they’re the enemy of melty sauce. Pasta measure? Always eyeball level with your eye, and rinse noodles if they look starchy before adding so pressure cook doesn’t foam over.
Method
- Add macaroni, broth, salt, ground mustard, and smoked paprika to Instant Pot. Stir gently to avoid noodles sticking to bottom.
- Seal lid, set valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes—trust sight over clock here. Pasta should swell but not go gummy.
- Quick release steam cautiously. Starchy bubbles can sputter so hold kitchen towel or mitt tight. Don’t rush or steam will burn you.
- Open lid. Stir in evaporated milk, butter, and hot sauce until butter melts and sauce loosens up, slightly creamy immediately.
- In separate bowl, toss cheese with arrowroot powder to prevent clumps. Add cheese gradually, stirring between handfuls to fully melt before next addition.
- Let mac n cheese sit for 3 minutes uncovered. Sauce thickens noticeably after resting.
- Taste now. Add more salt if dull or a pinch more hot sauce for some kick. Serve warm or hold on the keep warm setting briefly.
Cooking tips
Don’t just set timer and walk. Pasta needs constant check-ins by smell and texture when quick releasing steam. Hissing pot spits starch like a mini geyser—use protected hands or a towel. Slowly stirring cheese in batches prevents clumping, so average cook lurks here. Arrowroot powder acts as a quiet glue. Butter melts faster if room temp, so prep ahead, soften it when you chop cheese or finish stirring broth in. Hot sauce stirred after milk and butter reduces sudden acid breaks on cheese. Rest for 3 minutes uncovered after cheese in to thicken sauce—this step is where patience pays off. Taste last, salt to amplify flavors, not mask them. Keep warm setting is a double edged sword; dont overdo or sauce gets gummy.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Add pasta and broth carefully. Avoid foam by rinsing noodles if too starchy. Stir spices and salt into broth before sealing. This layers flavor early. Use chicken or vegetable broth no water, water kills depth. Quick release needs caution. Steam hisses and spits starch, use thick towel or mitts. Slow release means mushy noodles; quick release is less forgiving but clearer texture.
- 💡 Cheese needs prep: toss shredded sharp cheddar with arrowroot powder before adding in batches. Avoid clumps requires gradual stirring with breaks for full melt. Arrowroot acts like glue without cornstarch grain, but can get clumpy if dumped all at once or stirred too fast. Butter and evaporated milk added after pressure phase, stir gently until sauce loosens and looks shiny, creamy, not straight liquid or pasty.
- 💡 Hot sauce timing affects flavor curve. Add after butter melts in, not with cheese or broth. Acid balance stops cheese from breaking or clumping. Sriracha preferred for sharp heat and mild sweetness. Alternatives like tabasco or cayenne doable but alter profile drastically. Rest mac n cheese uncovered for about 3 minutes. Sauce thickens visibly. Skip rest and sauce thins out, texture suffers.
- 💡 Serving tip: Always taste last before plating. Salt and hot sauce adjustments depend heavily on batch broth salt and cheese sharpness. Use kosher salt for better layer control. Over-salting early hard to fix later. Keep warm setting is a gamble—leave too long sauce gummy, skip if unsure. Watch noodle swell over time; cook time helps but eyes and texture win every time.
- 💡 Room temp butter melts quicker so soften before use. Cut butter small chunks and warm in bowl while juices steam off. Avoid cold butter lumps messing sauce texture. Cheese shredding best fresh—anti-caking powders ruin melt. Pasta measure eyeballed. No strict grams here. Follow pot’s sounds—hiss, sputter, and small bubble bursts key signals pasta done or close. Cooking sense beats timers on this one.
Common questions
How to avoid mushy pasta?
Quick release only, no long natural release. Watch pasta swell not burst. Rinse dry pasta if needed to reduce starch. No water use broth. Adds controlled cooking environment. Stirring before sealing helps prevent sticking.
What if no evaporated milk?
Whole milk plus splash cream works okay but watch sauce thinness. Butter critical here for richness. Low fat milks will run watery. Can add cheese slower to compensate. Don't skip resting step or sauce stays loose.
Cheese clumps how fix?
Toss cheese with arrowroot powder first, even coating stops clumping. Add cheese in small handfuls stirring fully before adding more. Slow down stirring speed. Avoid hot sauce or milk too hot when mixing cheese in, temperature shock breaks curd.
Storage tips?
Cool quickly, refrigerate in airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat gently with splash milk so sauce loosens. Microwave or stovetop on low. Freeze okay but loses some sauce texture. Avoid overcooking on reheat.
