This healthy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is so easy because it all cooks in the Instant Pot. This Mac and Cheese recipe is easier and healthier than the processed boxes from our youth–no evaporated milk or heavy cream in sight, as you’ll be using Greek yogurt for this protein packed recipe.
Who doesn’t love a creamy, cheesy, warm bowl of macaroni and cheese? This pasta recipe will quickly be become a staple in your house that you can feel great about serving to your entire family.
If you’re on the Fix, you’re in luck–this is a 21 Day Fix Mac and Cheese recipe with container counts already calculated for you–just head down to the bottom of this post for the breakdown.
Table of Contents
JUST TAKE ME TO THE INSTANT POT MACARONI AND CHEESE RECIPE
My community has readers from all levels of experience in the kitchen, and I receive a lot of questions about recipes. To better serve all of my readers here at My Crazy Good Life, I am committed to giving you a ton of helpful information in all of my posts.
If you’d like to skip over the information about freezing, swapping ingredients, and diet information, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find this easy to print High Protein Mac and Cheese recipe.
Ingredients in this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese:
- Butter: Unsalted butter works best for this recipe. Butter helps prevent foaming when cooking the pasta. You can also use ghee (clarified butter) if you’d prefer. It’s best not to use margarine or oil spreads, as they are typically loaded with artificial ingredients.
- Whole Wheat Pasta: Whole wheat pasta is lower in calories but higher in fiber and other micronutrients than its more refined counterparts. It keeps you full for longer, too!
- Monterey Jack Cheese: I love how well Monterey Jack cheese melts in this recipe. However, feel free to swap this out any other soft cheese–Mozzarella is a great one.
- Cheddar Cheese: Cheddar cheese offers an extra bite with a distinct flavor. I love using sharp cheddar, but swap out for mild if you want a little less punch.
- Unflavored Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is an excellent way to make macaroni and cheese super creamy while increasing the protein. Cross my heart, you can’t taste it.
- Veggies: Bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, even mushrooms taste great in this recipe. It’s easy to saute your vegetable before you cook this recipe, then add it in at the end when it’s done.
Recipe Tips
- To add some color and veggies, sauté 2 cups of bell peppers for 3-5 minutes and mix back into the dish when you add the Greek yogurt.
- Like it spicy? Add some green chilies or jalapeños.
- If using Gluten Free pasta, reduce your cook time to 1 minute in the pressure cooker.
- If your pasta is not as cooked as you like, turn your pot to sauté and let it boil an additional minute or two before draining the water.
- Looking to top your mac and cheese with bread crumbs? Add them after it’s completely finished and either use your Air Fryer Lid or put your entire pot in the oven for a minute of broiling.
- Pasta tends to foam while it cooks, so be aware of that while releasing pressure. Sometimes, the foam wants to escape out of the sealing valve and can make a mess for you to clean up.
Ninja Foodi/Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot Mac and Cheese Directions:
This Instant Pot Mac and Cheese can be made in any electric pressure cooker!
- Melt your butter: Turn your Instant Pot to sauté and melt your butter in the bottom of the pot.
- Pressure Cook: Add the whole wheat macaroni to the pot and fill with three cups of water. Close and lock the lid, and set to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high pressure) and set the cook time for 2 minutes. *this cook time is based on whole wheat elbow pasta. Cooking another type of pasta will impact your results.
- Quick release: When the cook time is up, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Quick release means that you move the valve from Sealing to Venting and a loud spray of steam will come out of the valve.
- Drain the pasta water from your pot, but keep it to set aside. You might want to add it later to make the cheese sauce a little thinner.
- Add the cheese: Stir in the cheese until evenly mixed.
- Make it creamy: Gently stir in the Greek yogurt and add salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, slowly add some of the pasta water back to the recipe to thin it out. If you’re adding veggies, do that now.
Stovetop Directions:
Making this on the stove is super easy!
- Boil pasta according to package directions.
- Once pasta is cooked, drain the water and set it aside to possibly use later.
- Add macaroni back to the pot and add shredded cheese to the macaroni. Stir well.
- Gently stir in the Greek yogurt. If your mac and cheese is too thick, slowly add the pasta water to thin it out.
Healthy Eating Plans
Weight Watchers: When using fat free cheddar cheese, reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese, and fat free yogurt each ½ cup serving counts as 5 Blue Plan Points | 5 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points.
21 Day Fix: This entire 21 Day Fix mac and cheese counts as 8 Yellow Containers, 8 Blue Containers, 2 Green Containers, 4 teaspoons, and 1/3 Red Containers. I give you the total container amount so it’s easier for you to recalculate containers if you change the recipe.
Per 1/2 cup serving: 1 Yellow Container, 1 Blue Container, ¼ Green Container, and ½ teaspoon, trace Red Containers for the yogurt (I do not count it.)
If you’re making this without the 2 cups of vegetables, remove the green containers from the counts above.
2B Mindset: This recipe counts as a protein and FFC. Fill your plate with 50% vegetables for a perfect lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions about this recipe
- Can you freeze macaroni and cheese? Yes! I reheat it in the microwave for a few minutes after thawing in the fridge overnight.
- Is this Greek yogurt Mac and Cheese? It is, and I bet you’ll love it. This recipe has won a few friendly mac and cheese contests–right alongside “regular” mac and cheese recipes.
- What’s the best noodle for mac and cheese? I love using elbows because I think they’re easiest to eat, but I’ve used penne and cavatappi as well and they’re delicious.
- How long should I cook pasta in the Instant Pot? I round down the lowest number on the package to an even number and then divide it in half. Then, to account for the time the pot takes to come to pressure, subtract two minutes from that cook time. So, if the package says 7-9 minutes, I round down to 6, then divide it in half. Then I take 3 minutes and subtract two minutes to account for pressure time. One minute cook time = my perfect pasta.
Looking for more healthy Instant Pot recipes?
Healthy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tsp butter unsalted
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat pasta (elbow)
- 1 ⅓ cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 ⅓ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt plain, 2%
- 2 cups diced and sautéed bell peppers optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn your Instant Pot to sauté and melt your butter in the bottom.
- Add the whole wheat macaroni to the Instant Pot and fill with 3 cups of water.
- Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure cook and set time for 2 minutes.
- When the cook time is up, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Drain any remaining water from your noodles, but do not rinse. Keep some of the remaining water and set aside.
- Stir in the cheese and Greek yogurt until evenly mixed. If sauce is too thick, slowly add pasta water until it's perfectly thin and creamy.
- If using peppers or other vegetables, add them now. Serve immediately.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Boil pasta according to package directions.
- When pasta is cooked, remove from the stove and drain–keeping some of the liquid aside.
- Add pasta back to the pot and add cheese, stirring until melted.
- Slowly stir in the Greek yogurt. If sauce is too thick, slowly add pasta water to the pot until it thins out.
- If using peppers or other vegetables, add them now. Serve immediately.
This recipe sounds really good and I would like to try it but I’m not sure how to figure the containers for a single serving when the container count in the recipe is for the entire recipe. Can you please let me know how to do this? Thank you in advance.
It says it serves 8 but how much is a serving?
It says 1/2 c ;)
I’ve been looking for more easy instant pot recipes and this is perfect! So simple and delicious!
I’ve been on the 21 Day Fix plan but I was DYING for some Mac & Cheese. Tried this and it totally curbed my craving!
Love a good instant pot recipe!! And it’s a classic too, can’t wait to make this for the kids!
Your WW points are not correct for green plan. I put in your nutritional information and got 7 points per 1/2 cup serving.
Thank you–I’m going to recalculate now!
Lol, I got 4 this time 🤦🏻♀️
8 servings,
butter: 7
whole grain elbows, dry: 5
mont. jack: 16
cheddar: 5
greek yogurt: 1
Hi! I have a couple of questions.
1) Is the container count counting 1 or 2 cups of bell peppers? The ingredient list shows one, but elsewhere is the post I believe it states 2.
2) When you say to pour off the water… is that with a colander and therefore rinsing most of the butter down the sink?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Molly!
If adding 2 cups of peppers (or any other veggies), it counts as 1/4 green container per serving. And yes, I drain the water down the sink but still count the teaspoons since I’m not sure how much of the butter leaves the pot. You can definitely take liberty with this and count as you see fit. The butter really helps the pasta cook in the Instant Pot, and the fat helps the pasta to not foam a ton and come out of your sealing valve.
Hi!
Are there conversions for a crockpot or stove top? We don’t have an instant pot anymore 😩
For the stove, I’d boil the pasta with the butter, drain the water (reserve some in case you need it later), then melt the cheese and Greek yogurt in. As you’re boiling the water, saute the veggies that you’re adding, and add them in at the end:)
Here’s one with stovetop directions: https://mycrazygoodlife.com/healthy-mac-and-cheese-with-greek-yogurt/ :)
Thank you so much!!
Amazing!!! So good. A new family favorite!!!
I love the sound and look of this receipe, but can it be done in a Slow Cooker instead. I don’t have a Instant Pot and I don’t phantom the thought of standing over a hot stove. Thank you.
Can you use fat free greek yogurt or will that make it runny?
It should be ok, I’d just add it slowly until the consistency is where you like it!