The recipe prices will vary based on fluctuating grocery costs. Please use what is posted as a guide.
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.
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!
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.
How to make Velveeta Mac and Cheese in Instant Pot
- First, set the Instant Pot to saute and melt the butter. Then turn off the Instant Pot.
- Next, add the pasta shells, water, sea salt, and pepper to the pot.
- Stir the ingredients.
- 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.
- Finally, stir the noodles and add in the Velveeta cubes.
- Stir until the cheese is almost fully melted.
- Add the milk one cup at a time to reach the desired consistency.
- Serve as a main dish or side dish.
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.
Velveeta Mac and Cheese Recipe FAQ’s
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.
Adding milk to the noodles and Velveeta creates the creamy sauce we love. Start with one cup of milk and add more if needed.
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.
More Side Dishes
- Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Twice Baked Potato
- Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes
- Tri-Color Pasta Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
- Brown Sugar and Honey Glazed Carrots
- Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Homemade Crispy Baked Oven Fries
Instant Pot Homemade Mac and Cheese with Velveeta
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.
Carrie Robinson says
It look so perfectly creamy! My kind of comfort food. 🙂
Eliza says
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!
Liz C says
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!
Jen says
So creamy! A hit with my kids!
Hailey says
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!
Farah says
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!