Instant Pot Mac and Cheese in 4 Minutes at Pressure

• Four cups of liquid to a pound of pasta is the ratio that leaves almost nothing to drain. The starch stays in the pot and thickens the sauce.
• Four minutes at high pressure with a quick release gives elbows with a little bite. Six minutes, which some recipes use, lands softer; the card chooses the shorter time because the pasta keeps cooking in the hot sauce.
• Evaporated milk instead of regular milk: it has less water, so the sauce stays creamy without flour. Shredding the cheese yourself matters, because bagged shreds carry starch that makes the sauce gritty.

Ingredient notes

• Elbow macaroni: 1 pound of regular elbows. Shells and cavatappi work at the same time; thin shapes like angel hair do not belong in a pressure cooker.
• Broth: 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth gives more flavor than water. Water works with an extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• Butter: 3 tablespoons go in with the pasta. It keeps the foam down during the release and rounds out the sauce.
• Evaporated milk: one 12-ounce can, shaken. Do not swap sweetened condensed milk, which is a different product.
• Cheese: 12 ounces sharp cheddar plus 4 ounces Monterey Jack, both shredded from the block. The jack melts smoother; the cheddar brings the flavor.
• Ground mustard and a pinch of cayenne: you will not taste either as itself. They sharpen the cheese.

1. 1Load the pot

   Put the dry macaroni, the broth, the butter and the salt in the inner pot and stir once so no pasta sits in a dry clump on the bottom. Make sure the liquid covers the pasta; press down any elbows riding on top or sitting apart from the liquid. Nothing needs to be arranged beyond that.

   

2. 2Pressure cook 4 minutes

   Lock the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook, High, for 4 minutes. The pot takes about 8 to 10 minutes to reach pressure first; that is normal for 4 cups of cold liquid. Shred the cheese while you wait.

3. 3Quick release, carefully

   When the timer ends, turn the valve to Venting in short bursts rather than all at once. Starchy liquid can spit through the valve if it goes to full open; a folded towel laid loosely over the valve catches any foam. Open the lid when the pin drops. There should be a little liquid left in the bottom; that is the sauce base.

4. 4Stir in the milk and cheese

   Turn the pot off. Stir in the evaporated milk, ground mustard, cayenne and pepper. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring after each, until it melts into a smooth sauce. The residual heat is enough; the Sauté setting is too hot and breaks the sauce.

5. 5Rest 5 minutes and serve

   Let the mac and cheese sit for 5 minutes with the lid off. The sauce goes from loose to clinging in that time. Stir once more, taste for salt, and serve straight from the pot. If it tightens before everyone is served, a splash of milk brings it back.

• Shred the cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch and leaves a grainy sauce.
• Cheese goes in with the heat off. Hot pot, cold cheese, slow stirring: that order keeps it smooth.
• A burst release, not a full-open one. Pasta water foams; venting in short pulses keeps the valve clean.
• The sauce thickens as it sits. Serve it a little looser than you want it on the plate.
• Taste before salting. Broth and cheese both carry salt; the card's 1 teaspoon is a starting point.

Serve in bowls as a main with a green salad, or as a side for the pulled pork on this site. The card makes 8 side-size or 6 main-size servings from 1 pound of pasta. Keep the pot on Keep Warm with the lid on between servings; the sauce holds for about 20 minutes before it starts to tighten.