This Instant Pot Velveeta Mac and Cheese recipe is so creamy and delicious that you’ll never want to make stovetop again. It’s great for a meal or as a side to any lunch or dinner entrée.

For under $10, you can enjoy this meal. It costs $9.77 for the entire recipe or $1.22 per serving. The recipe serves eight as a side dish or four as a main dish. 

My kids always ask for Homemade Mac and Cheese, and honestly, I am not complaining if it is this Velveeta Mac and Cheese, this Baked Mac and Cheese, or this Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese.

The finished Instant Pot Velveeta Mac and Cheese in a white serving bowl.

You’ll love Instant Pot Velveeta Mac n Cheese

I have not met many people who do not love homemade mac and cheese. So I do not bother with the box stuff anymore; it just doesn’t compare.

But sometimes, you need an excellent home-cooked meal without the stress. This Instant Pot Velveeta Mac and Cheese is the perfect solution. 

This is a one-pot meal that takes just minutes to cook, and you don’t have to pre-cook the noodles and then bake the mac and cheese. Instead, the Instant Pot does the work for you!

This recipe calls for a handful of ingredients, the star being the Velveeta. Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is good, but when it is made with Velveeta, it is excellent!

The sauce is cheesy, creamy, and delicious. Use the Instant to make this Mac and Cheese recipe to simplify your meal-time plans for today, at least! 

An overhead picture of the finished Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.

Homemade Velveeta Mac and Cheese Ingredients and Estimated Cost

Per Serving Cost: $1.22

Recipe Cost: $9.77

  • 8 Tablespoons unaltered butter – $0.72
  • 16 oz elbow macaroni – $1.38
  • 2 ½ cups water – $0.00
  • ½ teaspoons sea salt – $0.06
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper – $0.02
  • 1 – 1 ½ cups milk – $0.12
  • 24 ounces Velveeta cheese – $7.47

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.

All of the ingredients needed to make this recipe.

How to make Velveeta Mac and Cheese in Instant Pot

  1. First, set the Instant Pot to saute and melt the butter. Then turn off the Instant Pot.
  2. Next, add the pasta shells, water, sea salt, and pepper to the pot. 
  3. Stir the ingredients. 
  4. Place the lid on the pot and close it. Set the Instant Pot to cook for six minutes, doing a quick release as soon as the time is up. 
  5. Finally, stir the noodles and add in the Velveeta cubes. 
  6. Stir until the cheese is almost fully melted. 
  7. Add the milk one cup at a time to reach the desired consistency. 
  8. Serve as a main dish or side dish. 

A picture collage showing how to make this recipe.

Mac and Cheese with Velveeta Recipe Variations

  • Instead of milk, you can use half-and-half or evaporated milk.
  • If Velveeta cheese isn’t your thing, use 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and 4 ounces of chopped American cheese.

Serving Velveeta Mac n Cheese and Storing Leftovers

SERVE: You can keep the Instant Pot Velveeta Mac and Cheese out for about 90 minutes before it needs to be covered and stored in the refrigerator. 

STORE: Once it has reached room temperature you can put it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

FREEZE: Once the mac and cheese has cooled to room temperature, place it in a freezer-safe container of storage bag and freeze for 2-3 months. 

DEFROST: Defrost at room temperature for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

REHEAT: I recommend heating it up in the Instant Pot with the Sauté feature, or on a stove top on medium-low, but adding a little butter or milk to the mixture. As it sits the gooey cheese will be soaked up and toughen up a bit, so you need to soften it and add some moisture.

A bowl full of Velveeta Mac and Cheese made in the Instant Pot.

Velveeta Mac and Cheese Recipe FAQ’s

Do you have to bake macaroni and cheese?

There is no baking in the oven when you make Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot. Instead, all the cooking is done in the Instant Pot, making this a great one-pot recipe.

How do you keep mac and cheese creamy?

Adding milk to the noodles and Velveeta creates the creamy sauce we love. Start with one cup of milk and add more if needed.

Can you put cheese in Instant Pot?

Wait until after the cooking time and you have released the pressure to add the cheese and milk to the noodles. If you add the cheese to the pot and cook it, it will curdle during cooking time.

An overhead picture of the finished Instant Pot Mac and Cheese made with Velveeta.

More Side Dishes

A close up picture of the finished Instant Pot Velveeta Mac and Cheese in a white serving bowl with chopped parsley on top.
4.74 from 15 votes

Instant Pot Velveeta Mac and Cheese

Recipe Cost $ $9.77
Serving Cost $ $1.22
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
8 people
This Instant Pot Velveeta Mac and Cheese recipe is so creamy and delicious that you’ll never want to make stovetop again. It’s great for a meal or as a side to any lunch or dinner entrée.

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • wooden mixing spoon
  • liquid measuring cup
  • measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
 
 

  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 16 oz elbow macaroni
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1-1 ½ cup milk I used 2%
  • 24 ounces Velveeta cheese cubed

GARNISHES: (all optional)

  • Chopped parsley
  • Bacon bits
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

MELT BUTTER:

  • Using the Sauté feature on the Instant Pot melt the butter. Once melted, hit Cancel to shut off.

PRESSURE COOK:

  • Add the pasta shells, water, sea salt, and pepper to the pot.
  • Mix everything and place the lid on and ensure the steam valve is shut.
  • Using the manual setting, set the Instant Pot to cook for 6 minutes, and then do a quick release as soon as the cook time is complete.

TO FINISH:

  • Give the noodles a quick stir and then add the cubed Velveeta, stirring to melt the cheese almost fully.
  • Add the milk starting with 1 cup. If you desire it to be creamier you can stop there or add a little more milk to thin the mac and cheese out a little. Note: If needed you can turn the Instant Pot on Sauté to help melt the cheese.

SERVE:

  • Garnish with parsley, bacon bits or cheddar cheese, all optional.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

This serves 8 as a side dish and 4 as a main dish. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1.25cup | Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1814mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1231IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 559mg | Iron: 1mg

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. Carrie Robinson says:

    It look so perfectly creamy! My kind of comfort food. 🙂

  2. What a great recipe for my kids’ favorite dinner! I had no idea you could make mac and cheese in the instant pot, and these detailed directions will save me so much time. Thanks for another winner from Food Folks and Fun!

  3. This is just a whole pot of comfort. This recipe is such an easy no fuss way to cook mac and cheese for my little ones without having to make sure the pot doesn’t boil over on the stove! It turned out perfectly creamy and delicious without the noodles being overdone. My picky kids are once again satisfied!

  4. So creamy! A hit with my kids!

  5. Velveeta has always been my favorite store-bought mac and cheese brand, and the idea of using an Instant Pot to make it is awesome! Thanks for this great idea!

  6. Got to love velveeta! This looks like the creamiest, most indulgent mac and cheese ever and I love instant pot recipes! Can’t wait to try it out!