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    Home » Recipes

    Instant Pot Hamburger Mac and Cheese

    Published: Apr 2, 2018 / Updated: Dec 19, 2022 / 36 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my affiliate disclosure for more details.

    Jump to Recipe

    This easy Instant Pot hamburger mac and cheese is total comfort food that's ready in only 30 minutes! No draining of the macaroni is needed, and it's all made right in your electric pressure cooker.

    Try my Baked Mac and Cheese or Three Cheese Mac and Cheese Gnocchi next for another super comforting dish.

    earthenware bowl of Instant Pot hamburger mac and cheese

    This beefy mac and cheese is one of those one pot meals that you'll have on repeat if you like this sorta thing. 😉 This is a slightly more grown-up version of Hamburger Helper, but I can pretty much guarantee that any mac 'n cheese lover out there will want seconds.

    beef macaroni and cheese inside Instant Pot being stirred with wooden cooking spoon

    This recipe is for the real cheese lovers out there. I used sharp cheddar as the primary cheese in here, and Gouda adds an extra layer of flavor and melty goodness.

    My simple spice blend of smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder works in harmony with the Worcestershire sauce to make this dish a little more flavorful than just plain mac and cheese, but it's certainly not overpowering. These additions make the ground beef taste more interesting, and, as a result, your taste buds will be very happy.

    bowl of electric pressure cooker hamburger macaroni and cheese with fork

    How to make Instant Pot macaroni and cheese with ground beef

    This beef macaroni and cheese recipe is cooked right in your Instant Pot, no draining required. Sauté the ground beef with the spice blend until browned and the liquid is reduced. Add in the macaroni and water. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grate your cheeses. Once the cooking time is up, do a manual pressure release. Stir in the cheeses and enjoy!

    If you don't have an Instant Pot, this can be made on the stove as well. I put a few tips in the recipe card on how to do it.

    beef macaroni and cheese inside an Instant Pot with a spoonful on a wooden cooking spoon

    This cheeseburger macaroni recipe is perfect for busy weeknights, rainy days, winter nights, summer days, or anything in between.

    Maybe not when you're trying to fit into a teeny tiny swimsuit, though. 😛

    More ground beef recipes you'll love:

    • Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
    • Easy Beef Bowls
    • Ground Beef Gnocchi
    • Instant Pot Taco Soup Recipe
    • Instant Pot Beef Chili

    bowl of Instant Pot beef mac and cheese with a cloth napkin

    I hope you'll give this beef 'n mac recipe a try!

    Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.

    This easy Instant Pot hamburger mac and cheese is total comfort food that's ready in only 30 minutes! No draining of the macaroni is needed, and it's all made right in your electric pressure cooker. This beefy macaroni and cheese is perfect for large families and weeknight meals. You'll love the simple Tex-Mex spice blend that flavors the meat. 

    Instant Pot Hamburger Mac and Cheese

    This easy Instant Pot hamburger mac and cheese is total comfort food that's ready in only 30 minutes! No draining of the macaroni is needed, and it's all made right in your electric pressure cooker. 
    4.34 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Inactive time 10 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 pound extra lean ground beef
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 pound uncooked macaroni elbows
    • 4 cups water
    • 4 cups grated sharp cheddar
    • 2 cups grated Gouda (or Havarti or Provolone or other melty white cheese)

    Instructions
     

    • Sauté the beef along with the garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, ground cumin, salt, and Worcestershire sauce in your Instant Pot for 5-7 minutes. Stir and break the beef up with your spoon as you go along. Most of the liquid should be evaporated before you move onto the next step. 
    • Add the macaroni and water to the Instant Pot. Give it a good stir. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to "sealing". Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes (it'll take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure). 
    • Meanwhile, grate your cheeses. 
    • Once the countdown has finished, carefully do a manual pressure release. 
    • Stir in the cheeses (a large wooden spoon works well for this). I like to stir in about a third of the cheese at a time until it's nice and creamy, and then repeat until all the cheese has been used. 
    • Season with extra salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately. 

    Notes

    • Stove top cooking tips: You can make this on the stove too. I suggest browning the beef in a large pot and cooking the macaroni as normal. Once the macaroni is cooked, drain it and then add it to the pot with the beef. Stir in the cheeses as directed. 
    • I use this 6-quart Instant Pot.
    Keyword beefy mac, Instant Pot hamburger mac and cheese
    Author Natasha Bull
    « Creamy Balsamic Chicken Bacon Mushroom Pasta Recipe
    Baked Teriyaki Salmon Recipe »

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    1. Stephen says

      March 5, 2022 at 4:36 PM

      5 stars
      I've made this recipe a couple times. Usually I also go to the comments to see what changes others have made to see if I want to incorporate them. My changes I can suggest that I've made is after adding in all the liquid and macaroni (I usually use shells), add in some oregano (about a tsp) and basil (another tsp) these add a bit of complexity to the dish that is very welcome and delicious.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        March 5, 2022 at 4:41 PM

        Glad you enjoyed this one! Love the additions!

        Reply
    2. Sharleen says

      September 19, 2021 at 1:12 AM

      Can this be frozen?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 19, 2021 at 9:33 AM

        Hi! You could try if you have some leftovers, but typically I don't find creamy/cheesy sauces freeze all that well (texture goes weird/can separate/etc.), so I don't usually do that myself. Also, cooked pasta tends to get puffy when you reheat it (it soaks up any liquid).

        Reply
    3. Annette says

      July 13, 2020 at 5:49 PM

      2 stars
      I didn’t care for it. I added in some milk because it was too sticky, but that didn’t even help. Bland flavor.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        July 13, 2020 at 6:43 PM

        I’m sorry to hear that. Did you add the teaspoon of salt?

        Reply
    4. Natasha in Dallas says

      June 8, 2020 at 11:49 AM

      Hi! What greens did you garnish with? Parsley?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        June 8, 2020 at 11:58 AM

        Hi! Yes, mostly to make the photos pop a bit. It's definitely not necessary, but I like the freshness it adds to pretty much any dish. 🙂

        Reply
        • Natasha in Dallas says

          June 10, 2020 at 9:41 AM

          5 stars
          Thanks! Turned out great - no shortage of flavor!

          Reply
          • Natasha says

            June 10, 2020 at 9:44 AM

            Wonderful!!

            Reply
    5. Jessica says

      June 4, 2020 at 6:02 PM

      We found that it was kind of bland for us (we like lots of flavor) I doubled the spices and it was a bit better but not a home run for us

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        June 5, 2020 at 10:26 AM

        Hmm that's too bad! Sorry to hear that! Not sure if you'll see my response, but I am curious how much salt you added. For something like this it needs quite a bit of salt due to the amount of pasta. I think I will update the recipe to list a salt quantity. I usually don't do that, but I think in this case it may be a good idea.

        Reply
    6. Maria Promo says

      January 2, 2020 at 2:46 PM

      4 stars
      I thought it was delish and so did my family thank you for your recipe!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 3, 2020 at 12:13 PM

        Great!! Thanks for letting me know, Maria! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Brent Christopher Pennington says

      October 23, 2019 at 1:15 PM

      I just got the 3-quart Instant Pot. Do I need to halve the recipe? I noticed that Rachel doubled hers in the 6-quart and it worked, so I'm thinking the smaller one could handle the recipe.

      What do you think?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        October 23, 2019 at 4:18 PM

        I think based on that logic it may work. Just don't go over the max fill line or else you may have a big clean-up on your hands. 😛 Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
      • me says

        November 22, 2019 at 5:44 PM

        My husband and I honestly did not think it had much flavor. It is a great filler meal with vegis on the side. I am going to freeze the remainder and have it another time.

        Reply
        • Natasha says

          November 22, 2019 at 6:48 PM

          Did you add enough salt? That’s the biggest culprit to lack of flavor. There’s a lot of pasta in here.

          Reply
    8. Marylou Johnson says

      August 6, 2019 at 6:46 PM

      This was so easy my 16 yr old son made it for dinner. He was excited about how tasty it was. We all liked it.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        August 6, 2019 at 6:49 PM

        Aww that's awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Marylou 🙂

        Reply
    9. Santiago says

      July 13, 2019 at 5:10 PM

      Hello Natasha. I just purchased an Instant Pot and your Mac and Cheese recipe will be my first. What is storage recommendation (Refrigerator/Freezer?)
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        July 13, 2019 at 6:33 PM

        Hi! It's definitely better refrigerated than frozen, I'd say. It doesn't reheat as well when frozen as other dishes. Enjoy your new IP and let me know how this recipe goes!

        Reply
    10. Cindy says

      May 21, 2019 at 7:16 PM

      Hi! I don’t have a pressure cooker is it the same process for stovetop? Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        May 21, 2019 at 7:24 PM

        Hi Cindy! I haven't tested it, but I did include my thoughts in the notes section of the recipe card. Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
    11. Kati says

      February 14, 2019 at 5:36 PM

      This recipe is definitely a family favorite! I make it, my mother makes it, my grandmother makes it (well, we make it at her house as she's afraid of the manual release) - basically, everyone LOVES it! We've switched it up a little with smoked Gouda and also using buffalo instead of ground beef.

      Thank you for making this recipe and many other delicious ones I've tried from your website!!!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 14, 2019 at 6:34 PM

        Awww I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for the sweet comment. ❤️

        Reply
    12. Paul says

      February 4, 2019 at 1:55 AM

      Hello Natasha, thinking of trying to this one sometime this week. Just wondering if a regular pressure pot cooker will be okay to use? I’ve noticed that you use the electric ones and I’m not really sure about the regular pressure pot cooker. Thank you and you’re blog is outstanding.

      Paul from Houston,TX

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 4, 2019 at 7:04 PM

        Hi Paul! Hmmm... I confess I really don't have any experience with a normal pressure cooker. I hopped on the electric bandwagon and have never actually used a standard one haha. Can a regular pressure cooker brown the meat? That concerns me... maybe do that in a normal pan on the stove first? I'm definitely curious if this would work in a regular pressure cooker, though. The timing to cook the pasta does make my red flags go up a little too... but let me know if you try it. I'm so glad you like my blog! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Rachel Geha says

      December 23, 2018 at 12:41 PM

      Can I triple this recipe in the instant pot? What about the timing and water? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 23, 2018 at 12:48 PM

        Hi Rachel! Hmmm it's really hard to say without testing it, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt. Do you have a 6 quart Instant Pot or a bigger one? I don't think tripling it will fit in the 6 quart. Doubling perhaps would, just make sure you don't go over the fill line. I would keep the timing the same but double the water if you're doubling the pasta. Do let me know how it goes!

        Reply
        • Rachel Geha says

          December 24, 2018 at 5:11 AM

          5 stars
          HI! I doubled the recipe in my 6qt and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. It was perfect for a big crowd:)

          Reply
          • Natasha says

            December 25, 2018 at 2:27 PM

            Excellent! So happy it worked out. 🙂

            Reply
          • Jenn says

            February 5, 2019 at 8:46 AM

            Hi Rachel! When you doubled did you double everything including time? Thanks!

            Reply
            • Natasha says

              February 5, 2019 at 10:44 AM

              Hi Jenn, we can see if Rachel answers, but generally time should not be doubled on Instant Pot recipes. It’ll take longer to get up to pressure, and that compensates for any extra ingredients.

    14. Howard Perkins says

      December 23, 2018 at 8:29 AM

      5 stars
      Hi Natasha,

      Love this recipe, great as I live alone and lasts me a few days, I did add some juice from a jar of Gherkins (think you call them pickles), gives it a bit more burger taste (try it, you wont regret), Anyway thank you for your wonderful emails and brilliant site, A merry Christmas to you and all your family, Howard in Wales, UK : )

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 23, 2018 at 11:58 AM

        Oooh adding the pickle juice is a great idea!! Thanks for the sweet comment, Howard! I wish you a wonderful Christmas too. 🙂

        Reply

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