Creamy garlic parmesan macaroni and cheese is made in the instant pot. It takes only about 5 minutes to cook everything!
I previously shared a recipe for a classic Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese. This version adds Parmesan and garlic, creating a much more flavorful macaroni and cheese.
This is so easy to make. Just like my other instant pot recipe, you add your noodles, water, garlic, butter, and spices into the pot. You set it to cook for four minutes.
When you open your pot, your macaroni is tender and your water is gone. You stir in your cheeses and milk for about 1 minute and then it’s ready to eat! It’s that easy.
The cheese mixture is a mix of white cheddar and parmesan. Because parmesan has a very strong flavor and a lot of sodium, I didn’t add too much of it. It’s just enough so you can taste the parmesan and garlic but it’s not too strong or salty.
Garlic Parmesan Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 4 cups water
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 2 tsp hot sauce optional, you can leave this out if you're making this for kids
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream (see note)
- 6 oz shredded white cheddar cheese (see note)
- 4 oz shredded parmesan cheese (see note)
- fresh parsley for garnish
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add macaroni, water, garlic cloves, garlic powder, mustard powder, hot sauce and butter into your instant pot. Give everything a quick stir so that the powders aren't clumped up.
- Seal your instant pot. Set to manual, high pressure and cook time of 4 minutes. Let your Instant Pot pressurize and cook. When the cooking timer finishes, do a quick pressure release on your instant pot.
- Open your instant pot and give your pasta a quick stir to make sure everything is evenly cooked. If you have a little extra water in there, it should evaporate soon with your stirring. Remove and discard the garlic cloves. Add in heavy cream= and cheeses while the pasta is still hot and steaming. Stir until cheeses are melted and macaroni are evenly coated. Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh parsley and ground black pepper if desired.
Notes
- I use the Instant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker*
- You can substitute the heavy cream for evaporated milk, but I don't recommend using regular milk because it will make the mac and cheese watery.
- 6 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese is a little over 2 cups but you should weigh it for best results.
- 4 ounces of shredded parmesan cheese is about 1 1/2 cups but you should weigh it for best results.
- *Some of the product links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I don’t yet have a recipe video for this recipe, but here is a video for my other Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese.
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I made this yesterday it was lovely, I halved the recipe, I had some garlic butter which I used instead of garlic powder, I added chilli paste which gave a nice kick to it, I will be making it again it was so nice and creamy ?
I’m glad you enjoyed!
Can i sub macaroni for rotini and would it be the same measurement ?
I have not tried this recipe with anything other than macaroni pasta. Because rotini is a large pasta, some things may need to be adjusted like water levels and cooking time but without trying it I don’t know for certain.
Just made this today! It’s so creamy and nice! I like how easy it is to put together. The most effort was me manually shredding the white cheddar instead of buying it shredded! =P
I’m so glad you liked it!
Okay, this looks absolutely mind blowing. I mean, mac n cheese + garlic + parm AND in the instant pot!? It’s heaven!
haha, I hope you enjoy!