Instant Pot Irish Mac and cheese made with Dubliner and Mozzarella cheese that is garnished with panko crumbs, crispy bacon, and parsley.
This mac and cheese is not only perfect for St. Patrick's Day celebrations but also delicious as an every day side dish.
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is incredibly easy to make in the Instant Pot and there's no draining required! It is a one-pot process and it's so easy to clean up.
The pasta absorbs the water and leaves very little behind. In fact, just enough to help make your cheeses creamy when adding it.
Pre-shredded cheese such as the kind that comes prepackaged contains cellulose and can make mac and cheese stringy or even gritty.
It's best to opt for block cheese that you can cut up yourself and add to the pot to melt down. This type of cheese doesn't have any additives that prevent clumping and produces cheesy and creamy results.
This Irish Mac and Cheese is made with Dubliner cheese which is similar to cheddar.
The main difference in cheeses is that Dubliner cheese has a delicious nutty flavor and has a wonderful balance of sweet and sharp flavors.
Dubliner makes an incredibly delicious mac and cheese but if you can't find it, sharp cheddar cheese is a good substitute but it will not have the special flavor that Dubliner cheese provides.
Instant Pot Irish Mac and Cheese
As mentioned above, it's a good idea to use block cheese when making mac and cheese to get the creamiest and smoothest texture.
Dubliner cheese comes in a block and that makes it perfect for making this Instant Pot Mac and cheese.
Mozzarella is added to this mac and cheese for a very creamy texture but the main flavor of this Instant Pot Mac and Cheese is the Dubliner cheese!
RELATED: Instant Pot Mac and Cheese (Chick-fil-A copycat)
Ingredients In Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Just a few ingredients are needed to make this mac and cheese that is rich is flavor and creamy in texture.
- Elbow Pasta
- Water
- Dijon Mustard
- Hot Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Dubliner Cheese
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Heavy Cream (or half & half)
- Garnish - Bacon, Panko Crumbs with garlic, and Parsley
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How To Make Instant Pot Irish Mac and Cheese
The steps to make this Instant Pot mac and cheese are very few and it's very easy to do.
The first step to making this Instant Pot mac and cheese is to cook the bacon and set it aside to allow it to cool. Once it is cool, crumble the bacon and serve it as a garnishment.
The elbow pasta is added to the inner liner of the Instant Pot and the four cups of water is added to the pot. The pasta is then pressed down into the pot to ensure that it is completely submerged.
The salt, pepper, and cayenne are then sprinkled into the pot, and the Dijon mustard and hot sauce are also added.
The lid is closed and the pressure cooker is set to 4 minutes on MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK. Once the four minutes are up, a quick release is performed carefully and intermittently.
If you do a quick release all at once, the water will spew out of the venting valve and make a mess. Slowly releasing pressure is the way to go for this recipe.
Refer to your user manual for your pressure cooker for how to safely perform a quick release.
Once the pressure has been released, the lid is removed and the pot is to SAUTE. Once on sauté, the chopped Dubliner and Mozzarella cheese are then stirred in to melt.
The heavy cream is poured into the pot and the mixture is stirred until the cheeses are melted.
TIP: While the macaroni is being pressure cooked, heat a skillet on the stove and add the panko crumbs with the garlic.
Lightly toast the panko crumbs and remove them from the heat.
When it is time to serve, top with the toasted panko crumbs and crumbled bacon. If desired, sprinkle with fresh parsley.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Irish Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- 8 oz Dubliner cheese - cut into cubes
- 8 oz Mozzarella cheese - cut into cubes (not shredded)
- 2 cups heavy cream - or half & half
Garnish
- ½ cup panko crumbs
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- bacon - cooked and crumbled
- parsley
Instructions
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Add the elbow pasta to the inner liner of the Instant Pot.
- Top with 4 cups of water. Make sure to submerge the pasta completely underwater.
- Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, hot sauce, and Dijon mustard.
- Close the lid and vent and set the pressure cooker to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes.
- Once the 4 minutes is up, carefully and intermittently release the pressure to avoid the water from spewing.*
- Carefully open the lid away from the face and set the pressure cooker to SAUTE.
- Add the cubed Dubliner and Mozzarella cheeses.
- Pour in the heavy cream and stir until all cheeses are melted and the mac and cheese is smooth and creamy.
- Cancel the saute function and serve with toasted panko, bacon, and parsley.
TO MAKE TOASTED PANKO
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the ½ cup of panko and 1 minced garlic clove.
- Stir and heat until toasted and remove from the heat.
- Set aside and serve with the mac and cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
Sara Snavley says
Made this recipe today and it was delicious! Very easy to make, too! I've never used Dubliner cheese before... great texture and flavor. We will make this again!
Dana says
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Sara! I'm so glad you thought it was delicious!