This Healthy Mac and Cheese with broccoli and white cheddar is the best weeknight dinner! Make it in the Instant Pot or on the stove.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter – any other type of fat like vegan butter, margarine or ghee will work in this recipe.
- Salt – to taste.
- Macaroni spirals – also known as scoobi do noodles. Feel free to also use rigatoni, macaroni elbows or penne instead.
- Evaporated milk – you can use regular milk or even cream instead. You can try using dairy-free milk like unsweetened almond milk or soy milk, but the flavour will be different.
- White cheddar cheese – swap out for another cheese of your choice like cheddar, gouda or gruyere.
- Broccoli – add in another veggie of your choice or leave this out altogether.
How to make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Cook the macaroni.
Add the oil, water, salt, pasta and butter to the Instant Pot in order. Cook on high pressure, then do a quick release of the pressure.
Step 2: Stir in the milk and cheese.
Pour in the milk and stir in the white cheddar until fully blended. Add on the lid and let the mixture sit.
Step 3: Steam broccoli.
Cook the broccoli in a bowl of water in the microwave, then drain it.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy!
Stir the broccoli into the mac and cheese, and serve!
Recipe tips & variations
Here are some tips and tricks for making this ultimate comfort food favourite:
- Add more veggies: Mix in more vegetables like corn, bell peppers, cauliflower, carrots, onions, squash, spinach and more.
- Mix in some protein: Stir in some leftover cooked chicken, bacon or turkey to up the protein content.
- Try different cheeses: White cheddar is a classic but you could also try adding in some regular cheddar, gruyere, gouda, mozzarella, Swiss and more.
- Hand-grate the cheese: Regardless of what cheese you use, make sure you hand-grate it instead of using the pre-shredded stuff for the best melt.
- Use different seasonings: Mix in some hot sauce, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and any other spices or fresh herbs of your choice.
- Top it all off: Finish off your mac and cheese with some bacon crumbles, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, sriracha, truffle oil and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to keep things simple when it comes to this recipe by using white cheddar cheese. I find that it has the best flavor and melts really nicely! That being said, feel free to swap out some or all of the white cheddar for regular cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, gruyere, mozzarella, Swiss and/or gouda.
I tested this recipe using macaroni noodles, but you could also try using rigatoni, macaroni elbows or penne. If you want to use whole wheat pasta or gluten-free pasta like chickpea pasta, you may need to experiment a bit with the cooking time.
Not only is Instant Pot mac and cheese super easy and convenient (one pot means only one dish to clean!) but the pressure cooker also gives the cheese sauce an amazing creamy texture that you won't really get on the stovetop. For the creamiest mac and cheese, you'll definitely want to make it in the Instant Pot!
If you want to add some protein to this dish, stir in some cooked bacon, chicken, turkey, ham or any other protein of your choice. Make sure the protein is already cooked, then stir it into the pasta at the end of the cooking time.
Yes! This mac and cheese is one of my favourite healthy pasta recipes for meal prep. You can make it up to 5 days in advance, then reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in the oven in a foil-covered baking dish for 20-30 minutes at 350°F.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers of this Instant Pot mac and cheese in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 5 days. That way, you’ll have a delicious kid and adult-friendly meal option ready to go in the fridge!
When you're ready to enjoy your mac and cheese, you can reheat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through or in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat. If you're making this dish ahead of time for a potluck or party, store the leftovers in a foil-covered baking dish in the fridge, then reheat it in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F.
Can you freeze mac and cheese?
Yes! Just make sure the dish has cooled down to room temperature before freezing this healthy mac and cheese. Store it in airtight containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags and freeze it for up to 2 months.
When you're ready to enjoy, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. From there, you can microwave it for a couple minutes or reheat it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 375° Fahrenheit.
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More healthy pasta recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 is the version I use in this recipe.
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this up for lunch!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Healthy Mac and Cheese {Instant Pot or Stovetop}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lb macaroni spirals (sometimes call scoobi do)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 3 cups white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 head broccoli, finely chopped
Instructions
- Add sunflower oil, water, salt, macaroni spirals and butter to Instant Pot in that order. Set to cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. Once complete, do a quick release of pressure and open the lid when safe to do so.
- Stir in milk and white cheddar until fully blended, then add broccoli florets and stir. Replace the lid and let sit 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy! For those who like their broccoli more well done, it can be cooked in a bowl of water for 5 minutes in the microwave, then drained and added to the Mac and cheese.
Stovetop instructions
- Add macaroni to a large pot of salted boiling water on the stove. Boil for 8-9 minutes until al dente, then rinse and drain.
- Add macaroni back to pot over medium-high heat. Add butter, stirring until melted. Stir in evaporated milk and cheese until creamy and well combined. Finally, stir in broccoli and continuing cooking another 3-4 minutes until broccoli is tender. Serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Jennifer says
Hi Taylor,
I recently made this and it was absolutely delicious but the problem I had was that the cheese stuck to everything. Even the bowls were hard to clean. The only thing I changed was I used a three cheese combo instead of the white cheddar. Would that have made a difference? Based on that I didn’t want to make it again. 🙁
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Jennifer – unfortunately any type of mac and cheese can be a bit more difficult to clean. Any time you use real cheese this can happen…one of the burdens of homemade mac and cheese 🙁
Jennifer says
Sorry I am just seeing this now. Thanks for the reply. I thought I did something wrong but good to hear this about using real cheese. It was so good I hate to not make it again.
Vicky says
Hi Taylor! Love your website!! Quick question… the calories in the nutrition facts area reflect the caloric intake of one serving? Thanks in advance, <3
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Vicky!! Thanks so much 🙂 Yes the nutrition facts are for one serving, hope that helps!
Jen says
Made this tonight–quick and easy (and tasted great!). Only problem is that even after letting the broccoli sit in the pot for 10+ minutes, it was still raw 😕 Cover was closed and everything. Next time, I’ll add at the beginning, and cook with the pasta.
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you liked it Jen! Sometimes it depends on how small you have chopped the broccoli..you could also try adding it in after and pressing the “keep warm” button to add a bit more heat. I wouldn’t add the broccoli in at the beginning to pressure cook because it will get really mushy!
Sherry says
Can I use whole wheat pasta? Will the recipe be the same?
Taylor Stinson says
It should be yes 🙂
Morgan says
Hi Taylor.
I’m new to your blog and have noticed that in the nutritional info section on your recipes it doesn’t say how much one serving is. What do you consider to be a serving?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Morgan…I provide number of servings at the top of each recipe! If something says 6 servings, divide it in 6 and that would be considered one serving. Unfortunately I’m not able to go measuring everything into exact portion sizes – it’s challenging enough just to calculate the nutrition facts. Sorry about this!
Carrie Beth Abrell says
How much is one serving?
Taylor Stinson says
You will need to divide the pasta into 8 servings – I’m sorry I can’t give a more specific measurement but if I had to guess, I would say 1 1/2 cups. Hope that helps!
Heather says
Could I double this and use the same amount of time?
Taylor Stinson says
To be honest I’m really not sure Heather, I haven’t tried it myself! I’ve heard of people just doubling a recipe and adding a minute to the cook time for different Instant Pot recipes, but I just can’t guarantee the results if that makes sense. Let me know if you try it!
Shirley says
The first comment notes that 2 cups of water is to much, you agreed. But the recipe calls for 4 cups of water what do you use. The recipe looks amazing would like to try it.
Taylor Stinson says
Sorry Shirley, I didn’t notice that Monique said “2 cups” instead of 4 cups. I didn’t necessarily agree with her, I just apologized that it turned out that way when she made it. There are many reasons why this amount may have been too much water for her – maybe she used a different shape of pasta, or maybe she didn’t use one full pound of the pasta shape I used (I find people guesstimate quite a bit when adding pasta instead of following the recipe exactly, I often am guilty of this myself). Four cups of water is the right amount if you are using macaroni spirals as pictured and listed in the instructions. Hope this helps!
Shirley says
Yes that does help. Thanks so much for replying so quickly. I will look for the pasta that you used. I’m sorry that I said you agreed I do see that you were apologizing.
Taylor Stinson says
Thanks so much Shirley, and sorry I just wanted to clear that up (us Canadians apologize a lot I’m realizing haha)
Pelin says
Hey, this looks really good. Do you think I can freeze the leftovers?
Taylor Stinson says
You could definitely try! Most pasta dishes usually freeze well 🙂 I just haven’t tried it myself!
Monique says
Saw this on FB today, tried it tonight and loved it … 2 cups was to much water so I had to drain it but still amazing. I think next time I’ll used several types of cheese.
Taylor Stinson says
Oh no! I’m sorry it was too much water – may be an excuse for me to do a third recipe testing session 😉 Thanks so much for your feedback Monique and happy you enjoyed it!
Janine says
Can you do this just in a large saucepan? With the same method?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Janine! I haven’t tried this myself as the instructions would be a bit different but I’m sure it would turn out great on the stovetop! I would recommend cooking the pasta ahead of time, draining it, then doing the milk/cheese part and adding in the broccoli and steaming with a lid on top for 5 minutes. Let me know how it goes if you try it 🙂