Meatloaf and Melodrama

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Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni

Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni is homemade hamburger helper made with ground beef and pasta in a creamy, cheesy sauce. Quick, easy and kid friendly!

instant pot cheeseburger macaroni in white bowls

Raise your hand if your grew up eating Hamburger Helper cheeseburger mac? This was actually one of my favorite dinners, so I decided to make a healthier homemade Hamburger Helper for my own family. This Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni is quick, easy and even better than the cheeseburger mac you grew up with!

I’m always trying out new quick and easy Instant Pot recipes, and I whipped up this easy cheeseburger macaroni for the kids’ lunch today. I have a lot of Instant Pot ground beef recipes on the blog, but I didn’t have one for cheeseburger macaroni — until today!

The beautiful thing about this Instant Pot cheeseburger mac or even skillet cheeseburger mac is that you probably have everything you need to make it — nothing complicated about this recipe! I even had some ground beef in the fridge. So if you’re looking for a quick and easy Instant Pot dinner recipe that’s also kid approved, this one’s for you!

How to make Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni (homemade Hamburger  Helper)

Cheeseburger macaroni is practically a dump and go recipe, only you do have to brown the ground beef first. To cut down on prep and make this dinner even easier, I use dried minced onions along with a few other spices. I use lean ground beef so that I don’t have to drain the fat, but you can drain it before adding your seasonings if you need to.

brown ground beef for cheeseburger macaroni in instant pot

Next, add the macaroni, beef broth and then, add some butter. You need 4 cups of beef broth to cover the macaroni, so you can add a little water if you don’t have exactly 4 cups of broth. You can also use all water instead of broth if you want, but the broth gives this beefy mac an extra flavor boost!

layer ingredients for cheeseburger macaroni in instant pot

After the pasta cooks, stir in some cream and shredded cheese — that’s it! I used a mixture of colby jack cheese and cheddar cheese, but you can definitely use you r favorite cheese here. Heck, if you want to make cheeseburger macaroni with Velveeta, go for it!

instant pot cheeseburger macaroni on spoon

Guys, this Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni is so good! It’s absolutely perfect when you need a quick and easy, kid-approved dinner!

instant pot cheeseburger macaroni in white bowl with parsley

Looking for more Instant Pot ground beef and pasta recipes?

Recipe for Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni (Homemade Hamburger Helper)

instant pot cheeseburger macaroni in white bowls

Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni

Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni is homemade Hamburger Helper made with ground beef and pasta in a creamy cheese sauce. This quick and easy dinner is super kid friendly!
5 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade hamburger helper, instant pot cheeseburger macaroni
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
pressure time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 350kcal
Author: Dee

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried minced onions
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 1 pound box macaroni noodles, uncooked
  • 4 cups low sodium beef broth or water
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot and when it reads Hot, add olive oil and ground beef. Break up beef with a spatula, and cook until no longer pink
  • Stir in the sea salt, garlic powder, onions and pepper, then hit CANCEL 
  • Layer the uncooked macaroni on the beef, pour the beef broth over and around the macaroni, and top with the butter
  • Place lid on pressure cooker, turn vent to Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes. Pot will take a few minutes to pressurize, then cook for 4 minutes and beep when done
  • Turn vent to Venting for a quick release, and when pin drops, remove lid, and stir. Stir in the cream, and gradually stir in the cheese, about 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each cup is added

Video

Notes

Recipe can be made in either the 6 quart or 8-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker without changing ingredient amounts or cooking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal
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Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni, or homemade Hamburger Helper with ground beef and pasta in a creamy cheese sauce

My family loved this easy Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  11. Sonya Nelson says

    December 2, 2018 at 5:07 pm

    Could you add a can of petite diced tomatoes too this. I’m wondering if I did if I would drain the tomatoes or not.

    Reply

  13. Amanda says

    January 8, 2019 at 3:24 pm


    Hey all! I wanted to share that I doubled this but changed the time to 0 minutes on manual high pressure and it was wonderful! My kids LOVED it!

    Reply

  14. Angie says

    January 9, 2019 at 5:11 pm


    Just made a double batch of this. It’s delicious! Definitely on my meal rotations. I didn’t have Colby cheese so I used Monteray Jack jalapeno. Yummy!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

  16. Lisa Bartlett says

    January 23, 2019 at 7:26 pm


    Wow this was fantastic! My whole family loved it. Served with steamed broccoli (frozen) so literally one put to clean.
    QUESTION: 4 cups of broth did not cover my pasta, so I added extra. And then when I open the pod there was too much broth left that I had to ladle out. Does the pasta have to be submerged under the broth in order to cook properly?

    Reply

    • Dee says

      January 23, 2019 at 8:11 pm

      I usually pat the pasta down a little before cooking, but it does not need to be fully submerged. One of the mysteries of the Instant Pot! 🙂

      Reply

  17. Marilee Compston says

    January 25, 2019 at 5:38 pm


    My family likes their food a bit spicy, so at the end I stirred in some hot salsa. They and all their friends that were here for game night finished it off quickly! Thanks for a great recipe

    Reply

  18. Kathleen Motley-Hale says

    February 2, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    I am making this now. Can it be reheated later? Can I reheat in the Instant Pot? (I’m fairly new to this!)

    Reply

    • Dee says

      February 2, 2019 at 1:10 pm

      It reheats well — We do this all the time, but I always just throw it in the microwave. I have reheated soup before in the IP but now pasta dishes. You can definitely try this, though. 🙂

      Reply

  19. Misty says

    February 4, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    Looks delicious! Will be making for dinner tomorrow. One question, would evap milk be an okay substitute for heavy cream? I have some in the fridge I’m needing to use before it spoils.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  20. Jo Lynne Nugent says

    May 11, 2019 at 6:24 am


    I didn’t have cream, so I used a 5.2 oz block of Boursin with garlic (so I left out the garlic powder) & added a teaspoon of yellow mustard at the end and stirred it in when I was adding the Boursin and shredded cheeses. It adds depth. Delicious!

    Reply

  21. Julie Trevarthen says

    May 16, 2019 at 5:29 pm


    Made this tonight, really good. Since I don’t have kids may add a tad bit Cajun spice or cayenne pepper next time for a little kick, but is delicious as is.

    Reply

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