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
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!