#Instant pot macaroni and cheese easy how to#
#Instant pot macaroni and cheese easy for mac#
#Instant pot macaroni and cheese easy mac#

#Instant pot macaroni and cheese easy mac#

In only a few minutes, with just a few ingredients, you can make a mac and cheese that’s perfect as a main course or side dish. The milk protein makes it possible to make a mac and cheese without starting with a roux. This reduction of water means that one cup of evaporated milk contains more protein than one cup of traditional milk. Evaporated milk contains 60% less water than regular milk. While you might be tempted to swap the evaporated milk for whole milk, don’t do it. The starch it contains is what makes such a creamy mac and cheese. Since the pasta cooks in a relatively small amount of water, there’s concentrated starch in the water remaining after the pasta cooks. You don’t need either with this recipe thanks in part to two things: the starch in the pasta cooking water and the evaporated milk. Recipes that don’t use a roux tend to use cornstarch. Traditional mac and cheese usually starts with a roux–a combination of cooked flour and butter. That’s really all there is to it. If you’ve ever tried to make a mac and cheese by just dumping milk and cheese together with pasta, you know that you usually get a gloppy mess. To prevent overcooking, remove the instant pot insert after you’ve added all the cheese. That heat can cause the mac and cheese to overcook and get grainy. Like a traditional electric burner, this plate stays hot for a little while after cooking.

Remove from the Heat. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that there’s a cooking plate under the insert of the pressure cooker.

Stir after each addition until the cheese is almost fully melted. Instead, add the shredded cheese one handful at a time. If you do, the temperature of the pasta can fall quickly and you’ll get clumpy mac and cheese. This starch causes a mac and cheese that’s a little dry and grainy. Pre-grated cheese contains a starch to keep it from clumping. For this recipe, skip low or no fat evaporated milk. The higher protein and fat content of evaporated milk lends a silky texture to the mac and cheese. Cooking the pasta in water and then stirring in evaporated milk gives the best results. During testing, I found that the milk often scorched on the bottom of the pot. Some recipes have you cook the pasta in milk.

Stir in Evaporated Milk After Cooking.

To prevent starch from shooting out of the valve when releasing pressure, add butter during cooking. It cooks in only four minutes and doesn’t get mushy.

#Instant pot macaroni and cheese easy how to#

How to Make Creamy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese So get your stretchy pants ready, this recipe is a comfort food miracle. (I’m not counting water or salt.) That’s right, you don’t need a ton of ingredients to make a creamy, dreamy mac and cheese in your instant pot. (Read: I wore stretchy pants a lot.), I came up with a recipe that uses only four ingredients. Basically, I craved a homemade version of Stouffer’s mac and cheese.Īfter working on it for a bit and eating too much mac and cheese. The type of mac and cheese that defines classic American comfort food-a creamy pasta with no sharp edges from mustard or pepper.

It makes a delicious, and decidedly grown-up, mac and cheese.įor this version, I wanted something simple. The recipe uses an egg, mustard, and hot sauce along with a good addition of cheese. My first attempt at Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is delicious.

#Instant pot macaroni and cheese easy for mac#

Who needs another recipe for mac and cheese? Me, that’s who. In only minutes, you get a creamy, perfect mac and cheese.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese only requires four ingredients: pasta, butter, evaporated milk, and Cheddar cheese–lots of it.