This Healthy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with broccoli and white cheddar is comfort food at its finest without all the extra calories!
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, but the mac and cheese won’t be as creamy.
- 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.
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How to make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot
- Add the first 4 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the milk, cheddar and broccoli.
- Serve and enjoy!
What goes with mac and cheese?
I personally like serving my mac and cheese with some broccoli added right into the pot. That being said, if you want something to go on the side, there are plenty of options.
Here are some ideas of what to serve with your mac and cheese:
- Garlic bread
- Side salad or coleslaw
- Cornbread
- Roasted or steamed veggies
You can even cut down on the portion size to make this mac and cheese a side dish and serve it with BBQ ribs, pulled chicken and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mac and cheese is definitely an indulgent dish, but this recipe is a bit healthier with just 414 calories per serving. This is due to the fact that you’re not using a ton of butter and you’re swapping out the traditional heavy cream for evaporated milk. Since you’re adding broccoli, you’re also sneaking some green vegetables in there, which is always good!
Evaporated milk is my secret ingredient when it comes to mac and cheese! It makes the dish super creamy without needing to add in heavy cream or lots of butter, which means less calories.
I like to keep things simple when it comes to mac and cheese by using three cups of grated white cheddar cheese. That being said, feel free to swap out the white cheddar for another variety of cheese of your choice. Regular cheddar, gruyere and gouda would all be delicious!
Storing and reheating
Store individual servings in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 5 days. That way, you’ll have delicious mac and cheese ready to go in the fridge whenever you’re craving some cheesy goodness!
When you're ready to enjoy your mac and cheese, reheat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through.
Can you freeze mac and cheese?
Yes! Just make sure the dish has cooled down to room temperature before freezing this 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 mac and cheese recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- 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!
is the version I use in this recipe.
Healthy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
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 and macaroni spirals 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 butter, 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!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Judy says
will the broccoli be tender even though it’s not really cooked – just added to the pot at the end?
Taylor Stinson says
I find it tender enough for my taste but you may want to steam it beforehand if you like it softer.
Dana says
Would you need to change anything if you use protein pasta like Banza?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Dana – unfortunately I haven’t tested this recipe with different types of pasta. You could give it a try though!
Amy says
How does this do reheated?? Any recommendations for reheating? Usually reheated pasta is no longer creamy and is dry.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Amy – you can sprinkle some water or even some milk overtop to prevent the pasta from drying out. It’s usually good to reheat within the first 3 days!
Theresa Weileman says
414 calories per serving, is a cup a serving?
Taylor Stinson says
I don’t provide servings by weight/cup unfortunately! You will need to take the number of servings listed and divide into portions. Each portion is a serving. If I had to guesstimate, 1.5-2 cups is a serving.
Dee K says
Do you think whole wheat pasta would work?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Dee – I have not tried it myself but I imagine it would work!
Shobee says
Hi Taylor! Can’t wait to make this for a family at church. Would I be able to make it, freeze it in a casserole dish after and they can heat it back up in the oven when they’re ready to eat it?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Shobee – for sure! I would sprinkle some water overtop and reheat in a 350 F oven from frozen for 30-40 minutes.
Mary says
Do you drain the pasta before adding the cheese? I couldn’t find the kind of pasta in the recipe and used rigatoni but the pasta doesn’t seem cooked completely; I’m hoping that putting it in the oven will finish cooking the pasta.
Taylor Stinson says
The pasta soaks up all of the liquid! Using a much larger pasta may affect the amount of liquid you need to add so that is why it may be undercooked.
Victoria S Lytton says
I’m wondering the same thing. I have water left in the pot and a few noodles that weren’t cooked. I turned the instapot back on for 3 mins and it was perfect. It’s still standing….. So I’ll post my review of it after I get to try it. 🤣 It was super easy….. I will say THAT…….. AS WELL VERY CHEAP
Dominique says
This is a great recipe! I had frozen broccoli and peas so I added those at the end and it turned out great. I used the exact same pasta shape with 4 cups of water and found the pasta to be the right consistency. It wasn’t quite al dente but still great nonetheless; definitely not mushy as some Instant Pot recipes can be.
Jessica says
Excited to try this. I’m relatively new to the instant pot. Do you think if I throw in frozen broccoli at the beginning it will hold up and not get mushy?
Thanks for posting!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Jessica! I would not recommend that you add frozen broccoli in at the beginning – microwave it for 1-2 minutes to defrost then throw it in at the end and let it all sit for 5 minutes or so. That should do it 🙂
Aileen Day says
Hi there, the recipe show total cook time as 20 min but it says to only cook maccaroni for 2 min and then add rest of ingredients and let stand for 5min. Is this correct?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Aileen – this is an Instant Pot recipe. The Instant Pot takes about 15 min to preheat and pressure cooks for 2 min so the total cook time once factoring in the preheating is closer to 20 min. Hope that helps!