Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Karen
This creamy, cheesy, and hearty Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese is taken to the next level with bacon, cream cheese, and jalapeños.
There is a local barbecue restaurant that my husband and I love going to for their smoked brisket, ribs, and sausages. In addition to their meat items, everyone seems to love their mac and cheese so on our recent visit, I decided give it a try. Oh. My. It was rich, creamy, and paired so nicely with the jalapeño cheese sausage I was having. Then I thought, why not give the comfort food classic a spicy twist?
Whenever I make mac and cheese, I turn to my trusty stovetop recipe, but I wanted to come up with a quick and easy version using the Instant Pot. After all, whenever I have a mac and cheese craving, I want it right away. There was no time to wait for a large pot of water to come to a boil, drain the pasta, and make a butter and flour roux from scratch. So that’s how I ended up with this Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese recipe.
This recipe is fast, easy, and most importantly, delicious! It’s got all the flavors and texture of classic macaroni cheese combined with jalapeño poppers. When it’s loaded with flavors of smoky bacon, spicy jalapeños and tangy cream cheese – what’s not to like?
I have been on a roll lately making one-pot meals in my Instant Pot during the busy work week, and I love the convenience and ease of cooking without having to watch closely over the pot. The best part about this Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese recipe is that you don’t have to cook the pasta and the sauce separately. It’s all done in the Instant Pot, which means there’s less cleaning to do!
Some tips for this recipe:
- I prefer to use block cheddar cheese and shred it myself instead of using pre-shredded cheddar cheese – I know, it takes a bit of work, but I promise that it melts so much better than the pre-shredded cheese.
- I used cavatappi which is shaped like a corkscrew, but any short pasta will work. Just be sure to cook the pasta to slightly less than al dente (about 1 minute less than the suggested time for al dente), since you will be cooking it a bit more after adding the evaporated milk, cream cheese and cheddar.
- My favorite cheese to use in mac and cheese is cheddar, but feel free to experiment with the cheese selection. Smoked gouda, gruyere, monterey jack, and pepper jack would work too!
- The recipe calls for jalapeños, but it really isn’t all that spicy if you remove the seeds. If you prefer the mac and cheese to be more spicy, leave the seeds in the jalapeños. You can also add more cayenne pepper for extra heat.
Instant Pot Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon diced
- 3 fresh jalapeños seeded and diced
- 1 lb dried macaroni
- 4 cups water
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using the saute function in the Instant Pot, cook bacon until crispy. Drain bacon and set aside, leaving about one tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot.
- Add jalapeños and cook for about 1 minute.
- Turn off saute function and add macaroni and water in the Instant Pot. Secure lid, turn to "Manual" mode on “High Pressure” setting, and set timer for 4 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, carefully move the pressure release valve to venting until all of the steam has released.
- Open the pot and press the saute button. Add evaporated milk, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and cayenne pepper, and stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with bacon pieces before serving.
