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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni

    Published: Aug 16, 2021 · Modified: Dec 3, 2021 by Kelsey Smith

    5.2K shares
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    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni is a quick and easy family recipe. It's cheesy and beefy and it's even better than Hamburger Helper. In fact, if you're a Hamburger Helper family, you may never go back.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Bowl of Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni garnished with fresh parsley.

    When I was pregnant, I was on a carb-conscious diet, per doctor's orders. This made pasta a tough cookie for me. This recipe though had just the right amount at less than 30 carbs per serving. I make this so frequently, I've considered creating the spice blend in bulk to make the recipe that much easier.

    This was adapted from the Buns in My Oven stovetop recipe. The mix of seasonings is so perfect. I've adapted the recipe to work in the Instant Pot and adjusted the ratio of ingredients. The stovetop recipe is excellent, so head over to Buns in My Oven to check it out.

    Too hot to cook? Even ground beef in the Instant Pot? If you're looking for more easy recipes that will keep your kitchen cool, try my Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs or my Instant Pot Italian Meatballs. They don't require browning because they use frozen meatballs.

    For more easy weeknight and weekend dinner ideas, try these lazy family recipes.

    Ingredients

    The ingredient list for Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni may look long, but it's mostly seasoning bulking up the list, so not to worry.

    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni Ingredients: ground beef, elbow macaroni, beef broth, butter, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, ground black pepper, shredded cheddar cheese, and heavy whipping cream.
    • ground beef
    • elbow macaroni
    • beef broth
    • butter
    • paprika
    • onion powder
    • garlic powder
    • mustard powder
    • salt
    • ground black pepper
    • shredded cheddar cheese
    • heavy whipping cream

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Using the saute setting on your Instant Pot, brown the ground beef. When the ground beef is done cooking, scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot liner to make sure there are no burned bits on the bottom. Burned food can cause a Burn error (see my notes below of a Burn notice). Additionally, you can drain the grease off of the ground beef at this point, if needed. Lean beef or turkey won't need to be drained.

    Browned ground beef in the Instant Pot.
    Be careful not to leave any burned pieced at the bottom of the Instant Pot liner.

    Cancel the saute and add the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and black pepper, stirring to coat the ground beef.

    Ground beef coated in seasoning in the Instant Pot.
    Coat the ground beef with seasoning.

    Add the elbow macaroni, beef broth, and butter, submerging the macaroni in the broth.

    Ground beef, seasoning, and macaroni in beef broth, topped with butter in the Instant Pot.
    Make sure the macaroni is submerged in the broth as much as possible.

    Close the Instant Pot lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.

    Macaroni and ground beef cooked after high pressure for 4 minutes.
    This is what the macaroni and ground beef look like after cooking for 4 minutes on high pressure.

    When the cooking time is complete, follow by a quick release. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and heavy whipping cream until the cheese is melted.

    Macaroni and ground beef covered in cheese and heavy whipping cream.
    Stir until cheese is completely melted.

    Serve.

    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni on a wooden spoon.

    Burn notice? I've never run into the dreaded burn error on this recipe, but if you do, just do a quick release and test your noodles. The beef is cooked before the rest of the ingredients are added, so the only real goal here is to cook that macaroni. If your macaroni is cooked, there's no need to repressurize the Instant Pot.

    Substitutions

    There are a few simple substitutions you can make to customize your dish.

    • Meat - Instead of ground beef, try ground turkey. You could even use vegetarian/vegan "beef" crumbles, just skip the browning step.
    • Broth - Any type of broth works for this recipe, chicken broth, beef broth, bone broth, vegetable broth. You could even use water, but you may want to increase the salt at the end.
    • Cheese - Cheddar is my go-to, but mozzarella, colby jack, or even dairy-free shredded cheese would work well.
    • Heavy Whipping Cream - I recommend sticking to the heavy whipping cream because it's going to give you that thick, creamy texture you want in this dish. You can use regular milk, but it will not be nearly as creamy.

    It's easy to veganize this recipe, but you might also try this one-pot recipe from Simple Sweet Vegan.

    Instant Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper garnished with parsley.
    Garnish with fresh parsley.

    Variations

    I follow the basic recipe most of the time because these are ingredients I usually have on hand. However, if I'm prepared at the grocery store, I like to add a few things to

    • Onions - You can add an entire onion to this recipe. Cook it at the same time as the ground beef, adding a tablespoon of olive oil.
    • Mushrooms - Think Hamburger Helper cheeseburger macaroni meets beef stroganoff. This variation goes out to my husband who is obsessed with mushrooms. You can add an entire pound of sliced white mushrooms to this recipe to really beef up the portions. I cook them down with the ground beef with olive oil. They let off some moisture but I haven't found it necessary to adjust the other ingredients.

    Equipment

    I use an older version of the 6-quart Instant Pot duo for this recipe.

    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni.

    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni

    Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni is an easy recipe the whole family will love. It's cheesy and beefy and it's even better than Hamburger Helper.
    Print Pin Email Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Calories: 526kcal
    Author: Kelsey Smith
    Servings: 6

    Equipment

    • Pressure cooker
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 1-½ tablespoon paprika
    • 1 tablespoon onion powder
    • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoon mustard powder
    • 1-½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 16 oz elbow macaroni
    • 4 cups beef broth
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
    • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

    Instructions

    • Using the saute setting on the Instant Pot, brown the ground beef. When the ground beef is done cooking, scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot liner to make sure there are no burned bits on the bottom. Drain fat if needed (see notes).
    • Cancel the saute setting. Add the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and black pepper to the pot, stirring to coat the ground beef.
    • Add the elbow macaroni, beef broth, butter, submerging the macaroni in broth but do not stir (this could cause a burn error).
    • Close the Instant Pot lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time begins.
    • When the cooking time is complete, follow by a quick release. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and heavy whipping until the cheese is melted.

    Notes

    Recipe adapted from Buns In My Oven Homemade Hamburger Helper.
    Nutrition was calculated using MyFitnessPal. 32g fat, 26g carbs, 32g protein 
    Drain the ground beef if needed/desired. Lean ground beef and ground turkey will not need to be drained. The butter adds fat back in.
    To double the meat, add an extra half cup of water and a little extra seasoning (rounded scoops instead of leveled scoops).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 526kcal

    Note: Nutrition was estimated using WP Recipe Maker.

    Tried this recipe?Tag @ByKelseySmith or use #bykelseysmith!

    Food safety

    According to FoodSafety.gov, ground beef should be cooked to 160 °F (71.1 °C).

    • Remember not to use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat.
    • Always wash your hands and clean cooking surfaces after touching raw meat.
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    Instant Pot Cheeseburger MacaroniInstant Pot Cheeseburger MacaroniInstant Pot Cheeseburger MacaroniInstant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
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    About Kelsey Smith

    I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working on college textbooks, you might find me here, sharing recipes, social media tutorials, and more.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jo-Anne MacDonald says

      March 24, 2022 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      Love it! Going to make it again

      Reply
    2. Erin Lopers says

      February 09, 2022 at 9:29 am

      5 stars
      Very easy and good recipe! Even my husband loved it.

      Reply
    3. Sarah says

      January 24, 2022 at 6:40 pm

      After putting in the elbows and the beef broth and the butter, do you need to stir everything? Or just leave the elbows on top of the ground beef?

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        January 25, 2022 at 9:57 am

        No, and in general, it's best not to stir most dishes like this in the Instant Pot because it can crowd the pot and cause a burn error. You can press down the macaroni slightly to submerge it in the liquid.

        Reply
        • Lisha Farr says

          March 31, 2022 at 6:46 pm

          I can’t wait to try it. I can’t eat hamburger helper anymore because I’m sensitive to some ingredient in it that upsets my stomach. The more I can control what goes in it, the better. I’m excited!

          Reply
          • Kelsey Smith says

            March 31, 2022 at 7:20 pm

            You'll have to let me know what you think!

            Reply
    4. Azeema says

      January 03, 2022 at 7:29 pm

      4 stars
      I've never had hamburger helper but was always intrigued as a child, LOL. Decided to make this today - a snow day plus first day of work in almost 2 weeks meant I needed something easy with ingredients I had on hand! I used ground turkey but still had heavy cream left over from holiday recipes. It was tasty! Most importantly, my 19 month old ate THREE bowls of it. It's so hard to get him to eat protein and this did the trick. Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        January 04, 2022 at 8:52 am

        Toddler approved, love it! Thanks for coming back to share that, I'm glad you liked it.

        Reply
    5. Danielle Casello says

      December 21, 2021 at 11:09 am

      5 stars
      Easy and oh so delicious!! Even my picky 13 year old loved it! 😄

      Reply
    6. Jenn says

      December 08, 2021 at 7:50 pm

      4 stars
      This was pretty good, I think it would be better with sharp cheddar but I wasn’t sure. Next time! The BEST part of this meal is that the kids ate it without complaining!!! That is worth more than MY opinion!

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        December 08, 2021 at 8:41 pm

        I'm happy the kids are happy!

        Reply
    7. Kari says

      November 07, 2021 at 6:00 pm

      4 stars
      Followed this recipe as is besides adding onions to my ground beef. Turned out awesome! Will make again. It’s not fancy….but delicious:)

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        November 08, 2021 at 10:22 am

        Excellent! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment. Maybe hold your pinky out when you eat it and it will feel fancier. ha!

        Reply
    8. Nancy says

      October 29, 2021 at 8:55 am

      If I use 2 lbs of ground beef but the amount of macaroni called for, should I increase the seasonings?

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        October 29, 2021 at 11:02 am

        I would but only slightly. Try rounded scoops of each seasoning instead of leveling off so you get just a smidge extra.

        Reply
    9. Jessica M says

      October 27, 2021 at 12:11 am

      5 stars
      We loved it! I have some leftover and would like to know if anyone tried to freeze and reheat it?

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        October 27, 2021 at 10:03 am

        I have not tried it but usually macaroni and cheese freezes very well, and this is basically a mac and cheese dish. Happy to hear you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    10. Jeri says

      October 04, 2021 at 11:10 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight. It was really good. Definitely a keeper!

      Reply
    11. Luca says

      September 22, 2021 at 3:25 pm

      5 stars
      Really really delicious. Following the recipe was so easy and the taste was so good! I have left some for lunch tomorrow!

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        September 23, 2021 at 10:51 am

        That's nice to hear, thanks Luca!

        Reply
    12. Bobbie says

      September 22, 2021 at 12:53 pm

      5 stars
      This is so easy to make! I used ground turkey instead of beef!

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        September 23, 2021 at 10:51 am

        That sounds delicious.

        Reply
    13. sspencer says

      September 14, 2021 at 12:34 pm

      5 stars
      my husband loves this recipe so much. it is super easy and very good. I add some chopped onion to it.

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        September 14, 2021 at 12:51 pm

        Thank you for taking the time to write a review! I appreciate it, and I'm happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed the recipe.

        Reply
    14. Lindsay Pevny says

      September 07, 2021 at 1:36 pm

      5 stars
      I'm going to try this on stovetop, but it looks pretty foolproof - and with fresh ingredients it'll easily be so much better than Hamburger Helper. Pretty much the same amount of effort too.

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        September 07, 2021 at 3:16 pm

        I also recommend the stovetop recipe on Buns in My Oven. It uses corn starch to thicken the sauce and uses milk instead of heavy cream.

        Reply
    15. Jeff says

      September 04, 2021 at 4:38 pm

      1 star
      Don't know what went wrong. I am a very experienced cook. I followed the recipe exactly. Comparing it to hamburger helper should've been a clue. I have never tried hamburger helper, but after reading it's ingredients I have no desire to. If this recipe is better than hamburger helper I can't imagine how bad hamburger helper must taste. We took a couple bites and tossed it out. What a waste of hamburger, pasta and cheese! This recipe ranks right up there with our all time worst.

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        September 06, 2021 at 10:09 am

        Hi Jeff, sorry to hear you weren't a fan of my recipe. I suppose not everyone is a fan of Hamburger Helper. Best of luck.

        Reply
    16. Danielle says

      August 26, 2021 at 12:30 am

      5 stars
      So good and tastes like a creamier, better version of hamburger helper! It’s super fast to make, which is definitely my favorite part. I used ground turkey and chicken broth because that’s what I had and it still tasted great!

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        August 26, 2021 at 10:20 am

        Yay! I appreciate you dropping back by to tell me how everything went. I'm so happy to hear that.

        Reply
        • Emme says

          August 31, 2021 at 10:10 am

          I always have whole milk in the house so this could be a great emergency meal for my family. Have you tried it with whole milk instead of the heavy cream? Obviously, it would be less creamy, but do you think I should use a little less milk or the same amount?

          Reply
          • Kelsey Smith says

            August 31, 2021 at 10:18 am

            You are right, it'll be less creamy but it will definitely work. Add half and from there try a tablespoon at a time to make sure it doesn't get soupy.

            Reply
    17. Christy says

      August 24, 2021 at 2:12 pm

      5 stars
      I literally made this yesterday. My 2 year old daughter loved it! And it was very nostalgic for me....and it tastes way better than the boxed stuff!!!

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        August 26, 2021 at 10:19 am

        I love to hear that. One day my boy will be old enough to enjoy this with me!

        Reply
    18. Christine says

      August 23, 2021 at 12:04 pm

      Hi! Have you had success in doubling this in the IP? One lb of pasta Is never enough for my 3 grown men, lol! 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        August 23, 2021 at 12:40 pm

        I haven't tried doubling it, but it would probably take longer to come to pressure which could end up overcooking the pasta. Maybe reduce the cooking time by one minute. I'm just guessing though. Volume-wise, I think the 6qt IP can handle it.

        Reply
      • Mar B Vita says

        October 31, 2021 at 6:27 am

        5 stars
        So believe it or not, this was my very 1st instapot recipe I made... and it was FANTASTIC! Additions I made were: a pinch of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of dried parsley, and I mixed smoked gouda with the cheddar, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and I am so happy that my very first instapot recipe was such a hit in the household. Thanks so much for this!!

        Reply
        • Kelsey Smith says

          October 31, 2021 at 4:17 pm

          This makes me so happy to hear. Thank you so much for coming back to tell me how it went. I get so nervous putting my recipes out there, so it's wonderful to hear this one was a hit.

          Reply
    19. Liz says

      August 18, 2021 at 9:13 pm

      5 stars
      I tried this recipe and followed the ingredients. It turned out so good. I wish I would have added corn to it. The seasoning was tasty. Thanks for the recipe. It was easy, fast and delicious.

      Reply
      • Kelsey Smith says

        August 26, 2021 at 10:19 am

        You are very welcome, thank you for taking the time to tell me how it went.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing easy family recipes.

    More about me →

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