Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe (2025)

FAQs

How do you make instant mac and cheese taste better? ›

How to Make Boxed Mac and Cheese Taste Better. To improve the tang and overall cheesiness of your boxed mac, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt to the cooked and drained pasta while it's still warm. Toss to combine, then stir in the cheese powder until it's uniformly blended.

Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

Finally, using a plain yogurt is one of the best options for replacing milk in kraft mac and cheese! A plain whole milk yogurt or a greek yogurt would work well. Mix it in the same way you'd mix in sour cream, until it is well incorporated. This may have a slightly tangier flavor, but that is a personal preference.

Black Pepper: Always a must! Nutmeg: This is also optional but trust me, a dash of it goes a long way to balance the tangy cheese flavor and all the fats. Cayenne Powder: A little sprinkle makes all the difference. It does not make this spicy – it just balances the flavors.

1. It takes two cheeses to tango with mac. For really great macaroni and cheese, you need a cheese that melts well and a cheese that packs a punch. A few cheeses do both (that's a shout out to you, cheddar, emmentaler, and your other alpine-style, fondue favorites).

Kraft Mac & Cheese Original Flavor

Cheesy, salty, buttery and, best of all, nostalgic — there is a reason why Kraft's blue box has become the gold standard of store-bought macaroni and cheese.

Sure, Americans love their mac and cheese. But not as much as Canadians. In fact, Canadians love macaroni and cheese, and they love it more than anyone else in the world and consume the most macaroni and cheese per capita!

The remaining ingredients are simple: butter and flour (which makes the sauce thicken), milk, spices, salt, and pepper. For the milk, I prefer whole milk since it makes a creamier sauce, but I've used reduced fat milk plenty of times without complaint.

Though Velveeta is no longer an FDA-defined genuine cheese, it does have some similarities, namely pasteurized milk and cheese culture.

Why is my homemade mac and cheese not creamy? ›

don't use low fat milk -- the higher the fat content the smoother your cheese will melt/incorporate. once the base is made (the flour, butter, milk "sauce" -- bechamel?) take the pot OFF the heat. The more your heat your cheese sauce, the more it will get gritty.

Sour Cream

Regular or plant-based sour cream makes a suitable replacement for milk in mac and cheese recipes. Use sour cream just as you would milk in a 1:1 ratio. It adds slightly tangy flavor notes that are nonetheless delicious!

Stir the margarine or butter into the macaroni until melted (keeping sauce pan on heat). Stir in the packet from the box macaroni and cheese as best you can. Begin adding a little milk at at time as you stir the packet's cheese powder into the hot macaroni and butter -- add some but not too much milk at a time.

Once your noodles have cooked, you can add your cheese, butter and milk to your mug. Give your noodles a quick stir with all of the dairy products to evenly incorporate them. This will allow for a uniform melting and mixing of your mac and cheese. Place your mug in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds.

Yes, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese can be made without milk or butter. Instead, you can use water as a substitute. Simply follow the package instructions for cooking the macaroni, then drain it and mix in the cheese powder and a small amount of water to create the sauce.